of the wealthier class in Victorian England, but not aristocratic. His father was an Archdeacon at Christ Church in Yorkshire, England. "From his father, he developed an early love of nonsense. A letter from Archdeacon Dodgson, away in Leeds, to his eight-year-old son, for example, reads (Wullschlager 31): Then what a bawling & a tearing of hair there will be! Pigs and babies, camels and Butterflies, rolling in the Gutter together - old women rushing up chimneys & Cows after them - ducks hiding themselves in coffee Cups and fat geese trying to squeeze themselves Into pencil cases - at last the Mayor of Leeds will Be found covered up with custard & stuck full of Almonds to make him look like a sponge cake that he may escape the dreadful destruction of the town. These such letters from his father was the germ of the Alice books, "with their babies turning into pigs, bread and butterflies, little girls stuck in chimneys, talking puddings and people leaping into soup tureens" (Wullschlager 31). Education played a large role in Carroll's writing, as it was his treasure of varied knowledge that allowed him to expand upon the characters and depiction of Victorian England. Throughout the Alice books, Alice constantly refers to her education in a very proud manor. However, what Alice refers back to is either useless or wrong. For example, while she is falling through the hole, she states 'I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?' she said aloud. 'I must be nearing the center of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think-' "For, you see, Alice had learnt several things of this sort in her lessons in the school room, and though this was not a very good opportunity for showing off her knowledge. As there was no one to listen to her, still it was good practice to say it over" (Cohen 187). Alice is correct in saying the distance through the earth, but is incorrect when she wonders if everything will be upside down when she arrives at the other side. Here, Carroll combines his aspects of education and humor, perhaps trying to make the former more desirable for his young audiences. It is know that there widespread use of opium during the Victorian age. Carroll's usage of opium may have been reflected in his writing, specifically the detailed descriptions, such as the growing and shrinking of Alice and of the caterpillar smoking the hookah. "The complex dream atmosphere which Alice lives through can easily be compared to a mind-altering drug experience. The idea of eating a mushroom or drinking from a bottle that causes one to feel altered in someway is like a drug experience." (Kelly, 143). In Carroll's time, five out of six families habitually used opium. Infant mortality was an extremely common result of use of the narcotic. "It was said that infants 'shrank up into little old men' when they became sick. This is similar to what happens to the duchess's baby turning into a pig," (Gardner 328). "The baby grunted again, and Alice looked very anxiously into it's face to see what was the matter with it. There could be no doubt that it had a very turn-up nose, much more like a snout than a real nose; also its eyes were getting extremely small for a baby. Altogether Alice did not like the look of the thing at all. 'But pe

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Approximate Word count = 2198
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)