Emotional Journeys Through The Child’s Imagination

A child’s imagination is shaped through story telling, whether it be fairy tales, folklore, fantasy, or a mix of all three. With active imaginations comes dreams and wishes, some for ponies others for parents. We have all encountered the tales about searching for love, loot and lost slippers, however the most intriguing are the stories of those who wish for different than their own. Who has not at one point or another wished to be someone or somewhere else? As the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side. Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of OZ (1939), Nick Willing’s Alice in Wonderland (1999), and Dave Mckean’s MirrorMask (2005) are all filmic adaptations of novels based on a young girl’s desire to be in a world other than her own. Dorthy from The Wizard of OZ is looking to run away from her life in Kansas with her Aunt and Uncle, Alice from Alice in Wonderland is in search for somewhere to hide from performing at her parent’s garden party, and MirrorMask’s Helena wants to run away from her parent’s circus to join ‘real life’. Dorothy, Alice and Helena are three characters who illustrate a young girls transformation into maturity and reality through a journey into an unfamiliar place. Through the three girls, their journey into the unknown, the characters and obstacles they encounter along the way, as well as the emotional transformation they make as they find their way home, it will become apparent how truly similar these stories are.

The most strikingly similar aspect of these three films are the characters of Dorothy, Alice and Helena. They are all young, forthright, kind, and curious girls with wild imaginations. As prior mentioned each girl has different reasons for wanting to run away, different places they would like to run away to and different ways of expressing these dreams. Dorothy sings of “somewhere over the rainbow” other than the simple life she leads in Kansas. After Toto bites Miss Almira Gulch, a local townswoman, she threatens to get rid of him, and Dorothy takes Toto to run away with her. However on her way she encounters Professor Marvel, who tricks her into thinking her Aunty Em is sick so that she will return home before the approaching storm, which she does, however upon her arrival a tornado strikes and she is knocked unconscious while hiding for cover. Similarly, Alice is looking for a place to, however she is hiding from her parent, her overbearing voice instructor, as well as her crippling stage-fright. Illustrated by the different toys and dolls scattered around her bedroom, Alice uses play and acting to imagine where she would go to disappear to, eventually running away to the woods where a hovering apple appears until she is distracted by a frantic white rabbit who she rushes after, falling into his rabbit hole after him. Slightly different, is Helena who leads an exciting life of travel and performance, however all she wants is an everyday, run-of-the-mill childhood. Helena creates her own world through her elaborate drawings which mask her trailer, and eventually her bedroom at her Grandmother’s house, which she lives in after her mother falls ill, and the circus is no longer running. The night before Helena’s mother surgery, she awakes to the sound of circus music much like that of her friends, as she follows the music out of her apartment she stumbles across three street performers rehearsing in an alley, until two of them are consumed by shadows, and her and the other lone performer escape narrowly into a mysterious door. Each girls finds herself in a different world formed by their imaginations and different facets of their lives. Dorothy finds herself in opening her farmhouse door into The Land of OZ, Alice falls into a rabbit hole and ends up in Wonderland, and Helena escapes through a door and is suddenly in the City of Life.

When in these alternate worlds all three girls come across a wide variety of wild characters, many of them, resembling someone from their real life encounters. On Dorothy’s journey from Munchkinland to Emerald City she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion, who are all played the by same actors as the three workers from her farm in Kansas. When in Wonderland meets a variety of characters including the White Rabbit, Mr. Mouse, Major Catepillar, The Duchess, The Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, The March Hare, Dormouse, The Queen of Hearts and many others, all of which resemble toys from her bedroom or guests from her parent’s garden party. When in the City of Light and the City of Darkness Helena encounters several characters as representation from her real life, the Prime Minister resembles Morris, both the Queen of Light and the Queen of Shadows look like her mother, Pingo as Bing, and the Princess of Shadows is the mirror image of Helena. Among these characters there are a mix between friends, foes, and acquaintances. Although in all three film the young girls find themselves making fast friends, these relationships are quite different from one film to the next. Dorothy initially befriends a Scarecrow, who is in search for a brain, a Tin Man, looking for a heart and a cowardly Lion, all of which accompany her on her search to ask The Wizard of Oz to help her get home. All three of these friends along with Toto prove their loyalty throughout the journey and when they save her in the end from The Wicked Witch of The West. Similarly, when in Wonderland, Alice finds many companions who help her find her way back, and out of trouble. Along her journey Alice receives advice from Major Caterpillar who tells not to be afraid, The Cheshire Cat leads her journey with the rules of Wonderland, the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle teach her a new song, and encourage her to sing, the White Knight encourages her to be brave and the Tiger Lily gives her directions when she is lost. Alternatively, while traveling through The City of Light Helena has one companion, Valentine, who is aloof, egotistical and not very bright. Although easily distracted, he eventually proves his loyalty to Helena after turning her into the Queen of Darkness, he returns and help her find the MirrorMask, and her way home. Although Helena does not have other companion’s on her journey she has the guidance and advice from her mother that follows her, as well as the book of useful things that helps guild her journey, and find her way back to reality and her family.

On their journey these girls also encountered several obstacles, which helped them in their growth. For Dorothy, her greatest barrier between her an Kansas was The Wicked Witch of The West, whose flying monkeys capture her and take her to the Witch’s castle. When Dorothy landed in The Land of Oz her house landed on The Witch’s equally evil sister, killing her, as a reward Glinda The Good Witch of The North gave Dorothy The Witch’s magical ruby red slippers, these slippers are what leads the Witch to try to kill Dorothy, however her friends save her, and Dorothy destroys the Witch with water, and they return to Emerald City to see Oz once again. When in Wonderland, Alice faces many physical obstacles, constantly unable to control her size, she is constantly growing to great heights, and shrinking back down in inappropriate times. On top of Alice’s constantly changing size, and inability to find her way around, there was Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts, who was violent and irrational, constantly trying to behead Alice’s many companions, and acquaintances. Helena, like Dorothy had several physical barriers when on her journey to return home, such as The Queen of Darkness’ spys, the ever lurking shadows taking over the City of Light, as well as The Queen of Darkness, and her daughter, The Princess, who has taken over Helena’s life at home after running away. Although The Queen never poses danger to Helena, she wants to keep her as her daughter, and ‘pet’, The Queen’s possessive qualities are what lead The Princess to run away and take over Helena’s life, after she stole the MirrorMask from The Queen of Light. Once posing as Helena, The Princess begins to rebel, yelling at her father, smoking, bringing boys home, and destroying all of Helena’s drawings, in an attempt to destroy Helena’s route to the real world via the MirrorMask.

One of the many other similarities between these three characters are the journeys in which they embark on, and the routes they follow to find their way home. When traveling Dorothy has the yellow brick road to lead her to The Wizard of Oz who she needs to take her home to Kansas. Meanwhile she has her ruby red slippers which she later learns is her key back home to her Aunty Em and Uncle Henry, not the Wizard of Oz. Glinda explains to Dorothy that she needed her to realize that “The next time I go looking for my heart’s desire, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. If it’s not there, then I never really lost it to begin with.” After expressing her growth and understanding about the importance of one’s home and family, all she has to do was click her ruby red slippers together and say, “There is no place like home.” Similarly, Alice is also on a search for home, but has to search for the White Rabbit to find her way back. For Alice, the Cheshire Cat acted as a Yellow Brick Road, leading her along her travels, and helping her comes to the realizations she needed to. On this journey through Wonderland Alice had to grow up and conquer her stage-freight, as the White Rabbit expressed once she found him, that he lured her into Wonderland with the hovering apple to force her to beat her fears, once she expressed her bravery and self-confidence, he led her out of Wonderland with the hovering apple. Helena’s journey was much like Dorothy’s in her need in realizing the importance of her family, as well as needing to mature and appreciate the world she lives in and the life she leads with her parents. Helena spends her journey looking for “the charm,” which turns out to be the MirrorMask, which she then has to find a window to look through so she can make her way home. Although Helena does not have other companion’s on her journey she has the guidance and advice from her mother that follows her, as well as the book of useful things that helps guild her journey, and find her way back to reality and her family.When she finally finds her way into her own live through the MirrorMask, Helena merges with The Princess of Shadows, and illustrates her evolution into a woman, and her appreciation for her family.

Upon their return home, each girl illustrates her transformation into a young woman. Dorothy awakes in her bed surrounded by her Aunt, Uncle, and her friends, and describes her adventure to them. As Dorothy closes the film saying, “There is no place like home,” it is instantly apparent that she has learned her lesson, and has a new found appreciation for her family, and where she comes from. When Alice awakes she does so with a new found bravery and a boost of confidence as she sings at the garden party in front of the oh-so-familiar guests. Although Alice expresses her growth through her ability to perform, she also does so by singing not the song she had rehearsed, but a song she learned in Wonderland, illustrating her new-found independence she gained after finding her way home. Similar to Dorothy, Helena wakes safely in the company of her father, who assures her that her mother is well. As the viewer watches Helena react to the news, and sees her appreciation for her father’s presence, it is instantly apparent that Helena gained maturity through seeing her world from another perspective.

In closing, The Wizard of Oz, Alice In Wonderland, and MirrorMask are three films that take the viewer through the journey of young girls imagination, as she works through her inner conflicts in order to mature and appreciate her surroundings. Although Dorothy, Alice and Helena accessed their imagination in different forms, travelled to different worlds, encountered different lessons and barriers, they all worked through their issues within themselves to allow for growth. Each character, whether through the door, or down the rabbit whole entered a new realm on independence. Although the world may have been imagined, the journey was real.

Works Cited

Alice in Wonderland. Dir. Nick Willing. Perf. Tina Majorino, Miranda Richardson, Martin Short, Whoopi Goldberg, Simon Russell Beale and Robbie Coltrane. Hallmark Entertainment, 1999.

Bacchilega, Cristina. Postmodern Fairy Tales: Gender and Narrative Strategies. University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia, 1997. 61-62.

MirrorMask. Dir. Dave McKean. Perf. Stephanie Leonidas. DVD. Destination Films, 2005.

The Wizard of Oz. Dir. Victor Fleming. Perf. Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton. DVD. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1939.

Hip-Hop and the City

Whether it is Lil’ Wayne representing New Orleans, Tupac rapping about L.A, or Nas emulating a New York State of Mind, hip-hop has always been intertwined with the city. In Jay-Z’s track, Welcome to New York City, Juelz Santana illustrated the prior in the Chorus when he says, “It's the home of 9-11, the place of the lost towers / We still banging, we never lost power, tell 'em / Welcome to New York City, welcome to New York City / You all messing with BK's banger and Harlem's own gangster / Now that's danger there's nothing left to shape up / Welcome to New York City, welcome to New York City.” With the recent allegations that Hip-Hop is dead, and the lyrical accusations as to who killed it, it is important to consider the genre’s relationship with the city, and its representing artists. Hip-Hop has an entangled relationship with the city whether it be Los Angeles or New York City, the city breeds Hip-Hop, and Hip-Hop breeds the city. The two are mutually intertwined, and this connection that once led to an outbreak in gang violence has now turned into a battled of the “bling.”

As the city becomes a consumer driven meca, the music it spawns becomes a manufactured product instead of an artful expression. While each neighborhood within that city looses its uniqueness, the music suffers, creating a monotonous cycle. As new forms of media and mobile devices are released, they remove the sense of community from the Hip-Hop culture, leaving its consumers viewing themselves only as an individual. This lack of communal relationships is reflected by a new generation that emphasizes the ‘me’ in media. At a time where music is the most mobile it has ever been it is lacking a message worth sharing. Through exploring the history of Hip-Hop in relation to the City, the relationship between East Coast Rap, and West Coast Rap, these regional rivalries, and how this effects gang violence within the city, it will become apparent the power music and the city hold over one another. This power is also illustrated through the current issues within Hip-Hop and its entangled relationship with the consumerism; posing the question of if Hip-Hop can save the city? Or, can the city save Hip-Hip?

Hip-Hop is a genre steeped in a history of power and change. In New York City during the early 1970s Hip-hop music was spawned by a group of talented black urban youth that fused New World African musical forms with rhetorical styles, highlighting new postmodern technologies. All in an attempt to express their feelings of struggle and suppression while growing up in a area filled with poverty, drugs and violence. With time, rap grew lyrically, and currently there is no limit on what may be discussed from one song to another. In the past it appeared to be a no holds barred critique on American life and the issues facing those in urban areas. For this reason many white North American officials such as; politicians, journalists, and activists blamed the genre and its artists for an apparent rise in the violent crime rates, sexual irresponsibility, poor academic performance, and general social dysfunction in central city locations. Rappers were an obvious target because of their topics of discourse, however in reality these fears and assumptions are nothing more than old beliefs regarding the influence of black youths on white North American society. Hip-Hop in essence was and still is a way for the urban youth to push back at the predominant white society in an artistic form and create their own distinct identity through spoken words rather than violence. However, the message has changed. With very few exceptions, mainstream rap is no longer portraying knowledge about political power and racial prowess, it is selling an exaggerated commercialized lifestyle, based on money and consumption. This musical genre has turned from a form of political expression and rebellion, to a new breed of advertising; one that depicts a lifestyle built on consumption and commercial goods. This transformation of music from a message, to a commodity, and now to a commercial is a reflection of our society’s current state, where all things, even artistic expression, have sold out and cashed in.

Hip-Hop’s transformation into a commodity began shortly after rap’s movement away from the gangsta’ rap trend, which was responsible for The East Coast West Coast Rivalry. In the late eighties and early nineties, rappers from Los Angeles and New York City took part in a feud based on gang support and public dissing. This war continued for year, eventually ending with the death of New York’s Notorious B.I.G. and California’s 2Pac in gang related shootings. After their deaths within months from one another, representative from both the East and West Coast parties made a public outreach for an end between the rivalries between both artists and fans. After the shift away from Gangsta’ rap, East Coast rappers began emulating the California lifestyle, based in Los Angeles, they began rapping about their mansions, millions and what they spend them on. The City of Los Angeles is one entrenched in superficiality, and suddenly appearances were everything. With the ever growing popularity of this East Coast style, West Coast rappers began to partake in this battle of the “bling,” it was no longer what you were rapping about, it was what you wore when you did it, and how much money you brought in by doing it. Hip-Hop was no longer about it the music, it was about the lifestyle. Similarly, during rap’s transformation into the a consumable product, over an art form, the city was taking the same root. New York City and its surrounding burroughs were quickly becoming a inhabitable advertisement.

Today Hip-Hop has come to encompass more than just a genre of music, it has become a style, a culture, even a way of life for many. There are five elements that Hip-Hop is made up of: Graffiti, Break Dancing, DJing, Rapping, and most importantly, Knowledge. The reason behind why the fifth element is the so important is that without knowledge one cannot have understanding – and if one does not understand what they are rapping about, dancing to, mixing with, or spray painting on walls than that person has no power of reasoning behind their expression. In order to have power one needs knowledge, however it could be argued that Hip-Hop is missing the knowledge and understanding it once had - that it has lost its message.

For decades rap and hip-hop used authenticity as their currency. However our consumer obsessed generation has cheapened this “realness” and replaced legitimacy with coin currency through making a spectacle of the ghetto, allowing a new generation of posers to take over. As soon as hip-hop became a mainstream form of music, advertisers became targeting the “street” subscribers through their lifestyle and interest. However this advertising quite often fell short, due to inauthenticity, that is until the music was infiltrated by consumer culture and turned into the newest commercial. Rap music is the primary vehicle for transmitting culture and values onto this new generation, these lyrics and artists define what it means to subscribe to this lifestyle. As this lifestyle switched to constant consumption and violence, so did the lyrics, perpetuating a cycle of ignorance. In Jay-Z’s documentary, ‘Fade to Black’, when in the studio discussing the current state of hip-hop, the Brooklyn Rapper addresses the viewers and says, “ You see how rappers are now? You see what the public did, you see what y’all did to rapper, they scared to be themselves, you know what I’m saying, they don’t think people are going to accept them as theyself.” Artists are rapping about what the listeners want to hear, and are afraid that by saying what they truly need to say they will not get heard, and therefore will not make money. Rappers who want to write about the issues facing Brooklyn, such as the poverty, racial profiling, drugs, gang violence, and lack of educations funding, are forced to rap about beautiful women, guns, cars and alcohol, because that is what the listeners have come to expect.

The perpetuation of this material message through rap music has spawned backlash from several legitimate artists claiming that the art of hip-hop is dead. In Nas’ 2006 album titled ‘Hip-Hop is Dead’ the veteran Queens rapper expresses upset over the loss of music that is motivated by artistic expression over base commercialism. In the album’s title track, Nas raps, “Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game / Reminiscin’ when it wasn’t all business / It forgot where it started / So we all gather here for the dearly departed,” clearly stating the loss of artistically viable rap at the forefront. He further reminisces over the changes within hip-hop later in the song, stating, how it “Went from turntables to MP3’s / From ‘Beat Street’ to commercials on Mickey D’s / From gold cables to Jacobs / From plain facials to Botox to facelifts.” In the prior verse Nas highlights the physical changes that have occurred in hip-hop culture recently that parallel the changes that have taken place in the social atmosphere and the overall condition of the music industry. Throughout the album, Nas questions who killed hip-hop, but then clarifies that hip-hop is not dead, but in an extremely vulnerable state. He elaborates on how not only the hip-hop industry, but also its listeners are lacking a political voice to fight the detrimental state of our consumer society. Nas explains that the artists no longer have the power. Similarly, the politicians have power over the people.
Tellingly, the issues within hip-hop are a direct reflection of those facing our cities today, however, its hard to tell whether a change in hip-hop will result in a change within our streets.

Although Hip-Hop seems to be taking a turn for the better with artists such as Kanye West, Common and Lupe Fiasco, how can one tell the difference made through lyrical claims? As the saying goes, it is easier said than done. One of the main issues in constructing a political movement within our generation is the lack of interest in social concern, the obsession lays within a national priority of financial gain. As active minded and inspirational as these artists and their lyrics can be, these messages do not go far past admiration. This generation is lacking the selfless mentality of prior generations that is required for one to be at the forefront of activism. According to Kitwana, “The deterrence to activism in our generation may have also inadvertently encouraged this generation to choose career over activism. Few hip-hop generationers can resist the omnipresent consumer culture. Add to this the complexities of the national economy we’ve witnessed in the 1980s and 1990s. Although the recent economic expansion was historic, study after study have shown that its gain did not make life better for most people. The lifestyle enjoyed by working-class people in the 1960s and 1970s is a dream unfulfilled for most working-class folks today. Consistent with these economic challenges, pursuing financial security through careers in the mainstream economy and, at times, the underground economy have taken priority over activists’ concern for most hip-hop generationers.” (p.154) Overall, our generation has chosen to succumb to temptation time and time again instead of making educated decisions regarding consumption and consumerism and the impact it has on our futures. As our youth continue to spiral down this market of consumption, our cities and our minds suffer, being coating with advertisements. It is difficult to predict whether the city will force Hip-Hop to change, or Hip-Hop will force the city, however with their entangled relationship it is evident that they will change together, or continue on this destructive path in a partnership.

Work Cited

De Jong, Alex, and Marc Schuilenburg. Mediapolis: Popular Culture and the City.
Rotterdam: 010, 2006.

Dyson, Michael Eric. The Michael Eric Dyson Reader. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2004.

Fade To Black. Dir. Pat Paulson Michael and John Warren. Perf. Jay Z. DVD. Paramount Classics, 2004.

Forman, Murray. The 'hood Comes First. Middletown: Wesleyan UP, 2002.

Hess, Mickey. Is Hip Hop Dead? The Past, Present, and Future of America's Most Wanted Music. New York: Praeger, 2007.

Keyes, Cheryl L. Rap Music and Street Consciousness (Music in American Life). New York: University of Illinois P, 2004.

Kitwana, Bakari. The Hip Hop Generation Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2003.

Nas. Hip Hop Is Dead. Will.i.am, Salaam Remi, L.E.S., Wyldfyer, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Mark Batson, Stargate, Chris Webber, Devo Springsteen, 2006.

Neal, Mark Anth. That's the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 2004.

Osumare, Halifu. "Beat Streets in the Global Hood: Connective Marginalities of the Hip Hop Globe." Journal of American & Comparative Cultures 2nd ser. 24 ( 2001): 171-81.

Perkins, William Eric. Droppin' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture (Critical Perspectives on the Past). New York: Temple UP, 1995.

Price, Emmett. Hip Hop Culture. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2006.