Using the Wizard of Oz as an allegory to the Populist party, most information was copied from an original SlideShare by Paul Kitchen.

1. THE GILDED AGE

2. HOW ARE THESE TWO RELATED?

3. ALLEGORY
 a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to
reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or
political one.

4. IS THE WIZARD OF OZ AN ALLEGORY?

5. “After a few hours the road began to be rough, and
the walking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow
often stumbled over the yellow brick, which were
here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were
broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that
Toto jumped across and Dorothy walked around.
As for the Scarecrow, having now brains he walked
straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and
fell full length on the hard bricks.”

6. THINK ABOUT YESTERDAY…
 What do you think the Yellow Brick Road would
represent?
 That’s right!
 The Gold Standard
 Remember it was a huge issue in the 1890’s
 Why again?

7. SO INSTEAD OF GOLD, WHAT DID THE
FARMERS WANT TO BACK THE DOLLAR?
 SILVER
 This would help manage the farmer’s debt woes
 So where is there silver in the Wizard of Oz?
In the original story, her
shoes were silver
But why SHOES?!

8.  Supporters of the silver movement argued that it had the
elasticity and abundance to last for a long time. Dorothy
likewise felt the silver shoes to, “be just the thing to take a
long walk in, for they could not wear out.”
 Additionally, during this time the banker bosses had the
power to control money. However, addition of silver to the
gold standard would dampen their ability to hold power by
money.
 As a banker, how would you feel about something that will
take away your power?
 “[The Wicked Witch of the West] looked down at Dorothy’s
feet, and seeing the Silver Shoes, began to tremble with fear,
for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them…”
 “At first the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy; but
she saw how simple the soul behind them was, and that the
little girl did not know of the wonder power the Silver Shoes
gave her.”

9. WE JUST MENTIONED DOROTHY
 Who does she represent?
The United States! The United
States was considered to be
unknowing and innocent. They
always had the chance to
implement silver, but they were too
“simple” to realize its power.
Robber barons and banks (Wicked
Witch of the West) recognized this,
and fed off the innocence of the
nation (Dorothy)

10.  “I learned that if I roared very loudly every living
thing was frightened and got out of my way.
Whenever I’ve met a man I’ve been awfully scared;
but I just roared at him, and he has always run
away as fast as he could go.”
 William Jennings Bryan
 Who do you think would represent Bryan in the
Wizard of Oz?

11.  IN FACT!
 He was already being represented as a lion!

12.  But wait. Cowardly…
 Well Bryan was known for his powerful words, but
less powerful actions
 “Roared” for the common people
 Did not fully support/endorse the Populist party platform

13. SO WHAT ABOUT THIS GUY?

14. WHO COULD HE POSSIBLY REPRESENT?
 What is he missing?
 “As for the Scarecrow, having no brains he walked
straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and
fell at full length on the hard bricks. It never hurt
him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and
set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in
laughing merrily at his own mishap.”
 Is the Scarecrow smart?
 Is he resilient?

15.  The Scarecrow
represents the farmer
 More specifically the
Midwestern farmer
 Known for being naïve,
but able to put up with
ridicule from people

18. MORE IMPORTANTLY….
 Why green?

19. DO WE STILL USE ALLEGORIES TO REPRESENT
SOCIETY IN THE UNITED STATES?

20.  1940- When the first Batman comic was introduced
 Early 1900’s- What is unique about this time
period?

21. SO WHAT DOES BATMAN HAVE TO DO WITH
THAT?
 Batman’s first villains, in fact most of his villains,
have ties to the mobs
 He was created as a dark hero, someone that
would be realistic to this time period
 Superman was too “perfect” and “fake”
 Batman had no super powers, and dealt with real-life
problems
 Rich man, who wanted to help the underprivileged, and
provide justice

22. NOW IT’S YOUR TURN
 Create an allegory for today’s society
 Will we be represented by a hero, a naïve child, or
something completely new?
 These things must be addressed:
 Who is the main character and WHY
 Why are they something/someone we should focus on
 What are they going/fighting against
 How are they going about this
 What are their downfalls
 What special “powers” do they hold that will help our
society?