Chapter 6

In this chapter, Alice sees two fish-footman talking and she is amused by how they greet each other. A fish-footman talks to Alice about the house. Alice becomes frustrated because she wants to get inside and the fish-footman told her to wait a day or two. Alice becomes stubborn and goes inside the house anyways. There is a chef cooking, a Cheshire cat smiling, and a duchess that is being very violent towards her baby. The duchess tosses the baby toward Alice and leaves to go play croquet with the queen. Alice takes the baby outside and realizes that the baby looks like a pig-like creature. Alice puts the baby down and the baby strolls away. The cat appears and tells her that one direction will take her towards the Hatter and the other direction will take her towards the March Hare. Alice takes the cat’s advice and decides to go towards where the March Hare is.

Brookelyn:

I feel chapter 6 relates to Lewis Carroll because of the way Alice acts to the baby. Lewis Carroll had a hobby of taking naked pictures of young girls before puberty hits. After puberty he would believe they were vile and impure. In chapter 6 Alice wanted the baby because it was so small and innocent, but then Alice started not to like the baby because she was thinking of what it would look like when it grew up. As the baby grew it turned into a pig and she had said  'If you're going to turn into a pig, my dear,' said Alice, seriously, 'I'll have nothing more to do with you. Mind now!' I also have questioned this chapter because when looking at the Victorian era I have noticed the women at a lot differently towards motherhood. They had seen motherhood as “an affirmation of their identity.” I was questioning this because the Duchess had acted like she hated her baby. This chapter can relate to 2016 because if two parents work all the time they could be neglecting their child just like the Duchess.

Kaurie:

I think chapter 6 also relates to an old man because the cat is very wise. He leads Alice into her next journey and gives her information on both directions. The cat explains how both the Hatter and the March Hare are mad. The cat explains that Alice is mad for coming to this entire place. The cat was more than willing to help Alice but with warning. Looking at the way the Duchess treats her baby, I think it can relate to the Victorian Era in which moms during that time, were very strict. The Duchess was very violent and loud. She had a very nasty attitude towards a baby that could not help but cry. In the Victorian era there daughters had to look a certain way, dress a certain way, act a certain way. If not, they could get into trouble. The baby could even relate to a young girl because of the baby’s’ innocence. Babies can not talk about their feelings because they are too young. They are small and can only express themselves through facial expressions. The baby shows it’s innocence to Alice as the baby did nothing wrong in the first place. This chapter can relate to 2016 because the Duchess can be portrayed as a mother on drugs. Mothers like this do not care what they do or what happens.

Abrams, L. (n.d.). Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain. Retrieved April 20, 2016, from http://www.slps.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=27607