The Wizard of Oz was published by Frank Baum in the 1900s. Baum is the primary communicator, and the main characters facilitate bringing the story to life. Baum uses Dorothy, the Tin-man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow to enact the main messages of the story. Though there are deeper messages, I would still argue that this piece is a targeted towards children because of the many appeals the communicators make. Baum makes many allegories to historical events and some darker issues on politics. However, he breaks down these events in a way that even children could understand by using appeals to emotion through a captivating and magical fantasy land. The younger audience may not understand these ideas completely in the way they are connected to real life events, but they are able to understand the broad ideas the communicator is conveying. I feel as though if the author wanted to appeal to a specifically adult audience, he would not have made such whimsical characters and used fairytale-like aspects in the plot. This novel’s target audience is still marketed towards children, but the deeper messages could lend to a potentially older audience.
A notable passage that contains the use of the word “wild” is in the description of the King of Beasts in Chapter 21. Dorothy noted the “growling of many wild animals” and how the array of tigers, elephants, bears, wolves, and foxes frightened her. In this context, “wild” meant the untamed wilderness and wildlife in the forest. As the chapter progressed, the characters realized the animal was in fact a wild monster, and was described as, “the most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk.” This gives the connotation that this animal was wild because of the many absurd combinations of terrifying features it had. In this context, “wild” meant crazy and unusual. The author uses pathos to instill fear of this frightening beast among the audience.
elina chen
Your analysis on the audience was very descriptive and convincing. I thought it was tailored to adults or young adults, but the point about such whimsical characters is a very valid argument. Great use of pathos in your second paragraph. Also, that was a great quote and very well analyzed.
Hi! I love how you used pathos to describe how the author makes appeals to children. There are so many magical and fantastical elements to the story and that is a great way to analyze it!
Hello, I agree with your assessment that this story was meant to be communicated to a younger audience. The author even declares this himself in his introduction and, as you said, creates a whimsical story that children would be more attracted to. This doesn’t mean that an older audience can’t still engage with this work (case in point: us). Good job with this thorough response.