2. WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
During that campaign
Bryan gave the speech
that concluded: "You
shall not crucify mankind
upon a cross of gold“
Thus, William Jennings
Bryan became the basis
for the Cowardly Lion
character, who had a
loud roar but little bite
3. THE WORKING CLASS
Unemployment caused
havoc, desperation and
union militancy among
the urban working class
Lacking another trade,
he "worked harder than
ever“
The worker becomes like
a machine, incapable of
love
4. THE POPULISTS
The Populists wanted
government ownership
and operation of the
railroads, a graduated
income tax, and silver
coinage
Kansas was a leading
Populist state
Alliance between
farmers and workers
was no more powerful
than a “Scarecrow”
5. DOROTHY GALE
Dorothy was an orphan
who had been taken in
by Uncle Henry
She is good, not
precious, and she thinks
quite naturally about
others
Dorothy wishes for a
better life "somewhere
over the rainbow“…her
adventure is to find her
"American dream"
6. SILVER SLIPPERS
Dorothy’s silver shoes
were changed to ruby in
the 1939 movie
The original meaning
was the gold standard
versus the silver
standard
She was innocent
enough to see the truth
before the others
7. WITCHES OF OZ
The Wicked Witch of the
East symbolizes the
large industrial
corporations and eastern
finance
Despite these forces, the
mark of goodness,
placed on Dorothy's
forehead by the Witch of
the North, serves as
protection for Dorothy
8. YELLOW BRICK ROAD
The alliance between
the farmers (The
Scarecrow) and the
urban workers (the Tin-
man) was a fantasy
Along with Bryan (the
Cowardly), Dorothy had
been taken down the
yellow brick road (the
gold standard) that leads
nowhere
9. EMERALD CITY
Our characters
journeyed to the
Emerald City (the
Capitol) seeking favors
from the government
Those who enter the
Emerald City must wear
green glasses
The Emerald City is a
clear symbol for the
White House
10. WIZARD OF OZ
Like all good politicians,
the Wizard can be all
things to all people
"They believe I am
something terrible“
The powers-that-be can
only remain at the throne
through deception and
allowing the powerful to
manipulate them
11. DOROTHY’S CYCLONE
Dorothy is whisked away
by a cyclone which in the
Greek translation
represents a coil or
snake or serpent. So, it
is the serpent who takes
Dorothy to Oz
A fearsome cyclone that
lifts Dorothy into "a
country of marvelous
beauty”
12. MUNCHKINS OF OZ
The Wicked Witch of
the East kept the little
Munchkin people "in
bondage…making
them slave for her
night and day“
The Munchkins are the
little people, ordinary
citizens on the losing
side of an election
13. DOROTHY’S DOG “TOTO”
“Toto was a little black
dog, with long silky
hair and small black
eyes that twinkled
merrily on either side
of his funny nose”
In the first book, Toto
never spoke, although
other animals, native
to Oz, did speak
14. FLYING MONKEYS
Native Americans of
the plains are
symbolized in the Oz
stories as the Winged
Monkeys
"Once we were a free
people, living happily
in the great
forest…before Oz
came out of the clouds
to rule over this land
15. UNCLE HENRY
“Uncle Henry never
laughed…he was gray
from his long beard to
his boots, he looked
stern and solemn, and
rarely spoke”
Henry mortgaged his
farm in order to rebuild
This crisis took a toll
on his health
16. PASSENGER HOT AIR BALLOON
In the television
program Lost, the
character Benjamin
Linus initially tells
survivors his name is
Henry Gale
Passenger balloons
are filled with hot air,
symbolizing how
dreams vanish
17. L. FRANK BAUM
Baum was born near
Syracuse, N.Y., in
1856 to a wealthy
family and enjoyed
success writing plays
In 1887, he moved to
Chicago, where he
continued to write and
where he authored
The Wonderful Wizard
of Oz in 1900
