Down the Rabbit-Hole Questions and Answers (Marks 6)| Class 12 4th semester English | written by Lewis Carroll
1. How did the drink of the bottle affect Alice?
OR, What happened to Alice after drinking the content of the bottle and what did she think then?
When Alice tasted the content of the bottle, she found it very nice and tasty. Therefore she very soon finished it off. The drink made Alice experience a strange feeling that she was shutting up like a telescope. And indeed Alice found herself shrunk to become a ten inches tall girl. She was overjoyed because now she would be able to pass through the fifteen inches door and go to the garden where she longed to be. She waited for some more time to see if she was going to shrink any further. She got nervous thinking that she may go out completely like a candle. She tried to imagine what the flame of a candie looks like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember ever having seen such a thing.
2. “…. the poor little thing sat down and cried.”-Why did the poor little thing sit down and cry?
OR, Why could not Alice go to the garden even after drinking the content of the bottle?
Alice found a bottle marked “DRINK ME” on the three-legged glass table. She drank the content of the bottle after checking that it was not poison. After consuming the tasty, nice liquid, she shrank and was only ten inches high. It was the right size for going through the little door. into the lovely garden. As she got to the little door she realised that she had forgotten the key of the door. She returned to the table to take the key but could not reach it as she was so small. Then she tried to climb one of the legs of the table but it was too slippery and Alice fell down. After trying for a few more times she grew tired and then she sat down and started crying. Her longing for going to the garden was not fulfilled.
3. “I advise you to leave off this minute.” Who is the speaker and whom did she/he advise? How did she/he advise? Why did the speaker give the advice?
Alice is the speaker of this statement and she gave advice to herself.
Alice advised herself quite bitterly.
After drinking the potion of the bottle marked “DRINK ME” Alice had shrunk enough to go through the little door to that lovely garden where she had longed to be. When she got to the door she realised she had done a mistake by forgetting the key of the door on the table. She went back to the table, tried many times to climb it but failed. Finding no other means to obtain the key, she felt helpless, sat down and started crying. Then her other self gave her the advice to stop crying.
4. Did Alice ever follow the advice given to herself? How did Alice scold herself sometimes? What happened when Alice was playing croquet? Why according to Alice, was it no use trying to pretend to be two people then?
Alice would hardly follow the advice which she used to give herself.
Sometimes, Alice used to soold herself so severely that it would bring tears to her eyes.
One day when Alice was playing croquet against herselt, she cheated herself. As punishment she tried to hit her own ears.
After drinking the potion Alice had been reduced to such a small size that she doubted if she had the stature of even one respectable person in that condition. So she thought There was no point pretending to be two people with only a size of ten inches.
5. “…. this curious child was very fond of pretending to be two people.” Who is ‘this curious child’? What examples of ‘pretending to be two people are given here? What psychological state of ‘this curious child’ can be derived from this statement?
Here this curious child’ refers to Alice.
Alice had a very strange tendency to pretend to be two personalities-one would give advice to the other. Or one Alice would scold the other Alice so much that made the real Alice cry. One day Alice tried to hit her own ears as a punishment for cheating herself while playing croquet against herself.
The quoted statement reveals Alice’s self-examining and self-critic nature. She pretends to play multiple roles, which shows that she is imaginative and creative, Though she has a rational mind when giving advice to herself, she often disobeys it, highlighting a psychological contradiction, But at the same time, her self awareness throughout her adventure suggests that she has a potential for growth Thus this game of pretending to be two people makes Alice keep herself under control in a better way.
6. “Soon her eye fell on a little glass box…” Where was the little glass box? What was inside the box? What did Alice decide to do with that and why?
The little glass box was lying under the three-legged table, which was made of solid glass.
There was a small cake inside the box. On the cake the words “EAT ME” were beautifully marked in currants
When Alice found the cake, she decided to eat it. She thought that if it made her grow larger, she would be able to reach the golden key and then open the door to reach the beautiful garden. And if it made her smaller, she would be able to creep under the door. So either way she would be able to get into the garden.
7. What did Alice think while eating the cake and what happened afterwards?
When Alice found the small cake inside the box, she decided to eat that. She thought that if it made her grow larger she would be able to reach the key kept on the table and open the door that led to the garden. On the other hand, if it made her smaller then she would be able to creep under the door. At first she ate a little bit and anxiously waited for the change. She held her hand on the top of her head to feel which way her body was growing. Unlike the previous occasions no magical change occurred and she remained the same. Alice had got used to expecting only unusual things to happen, Therefore it appeared quite dull and stupid that lite went on in the common way. Considering no change to occur she very soon finished off the cake.
8. She said anxiously to herself, “Which way? Which way?”-Who said this? What made her say so? Why did she expect something to happen?
The protagonist of the story, Alice said this. Alice found a little glass box lying under the three-legged table. There was a small cake inside the box. On the cake the words “EAT ME” were beautifully marked in currants. Alice decided to take a chance and eat the cake thinking either she will shrink further or she will grow taller. She knew either way she would be able to get into the garden. So she took a little bite of the cake and placed her hand on the top of her head to feel the transformation and said the above-mentioned line.
Alice had experienced several unusual things before and after entering the ratibit hole. Previously she got a bottle marked “DIRINK ME”, the content of which made her shink to a ten inches high gin. So seeing the cake marked “EAT ME”, she expected something strange to happen.
9. Draw a character sketch of Alice as seen in this prose-piece.
Alice is a child who loves the world of fantasy. She dislikes and rejects the realistic world of the adults. This is evident when we find that she considers the book her sister was reading useless because it has no pictures or conversations. She is very curious and strong-willed then, which is obvious from the way she chases the White Rabbit and explores the rabbit-hole. Her rebellious nature enables her to experience the fall down the rabbit-hole fearlessly. not caring much about where it would lead her to. She is a sensitive child who loves animals. She is worried about her pet cat, Dinah and misses her. Besides being independent and self-reliant, her ability of being a sell-critic is exhibited when she scolds herself bitterly for forgetting the small key of the door. She has self respect as she does not want any stranger to think that she is an ignorant girl She loves freedom and wants to get out of the dark hall into the beautiful, sunlit garden She is presented as a lively, adventureous, brave young girl. She does not want to live life in a common way, therefore, she is always ready to explore new things. Overall, Alice is a combination of many qualities which makes her a unique character.
10. Comment on the use of symbols in Down the Rabbit-Hole’.
The purpose of using symbols in a prose or poetry is to represent ideas or themes more effectively and meaningfully through objects, characters, situations or any other thing. In ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole the White Rabbit symbolises anxiety and stress, associated with the Victonan obsession with punctuality and social norms. The rabbit-hole suggests the entrance of the fantasy land which ensures a pleasant escape from the struggle and monotony of daily life. Alice’s fall down the rabbit-hole suggests entering into the fantastical world of Wonderland, symbolising the shit from the conscious to the subconscious mind. The bottle with the label “DRINK ME” and the cake with “EAT ME” written on it, symbolise the temptations that come in our path. The lovely garden with bright flowers and cool fountains where Alice could not go symbolises the innocence of childhood that Alice starts losing as she matures through her experiences in the Wonderland. The tiny, golden key symbolises an opportunity to escape from reality into the world of tantasy.
These symbols along with others add artistic depth to the narrative of the first chapter of ‘Alices’s Adventures in Wonderland. They engage readers to interpret and reflect on the themes and ideas presented in the story.
11. What does the rabbit-hole present in the story ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’?
The rabbit-hole in the story ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole presents an escape from the world of reality. It is a representation of id in Freudian psychology. “Id’ is very basic, instinctive and entirely unconscious part of the personality that drives basic desires and needs. It is present from birth and seeks immediate satisfaction and aims to reduce tension and increase pleasure. Hence Alice encounters several temptations inside the rabbit-hole. The bottle with the label “DRINK ME and the cake with “EAT ME written on it are all instances of Freudian Id. The rabbil-hole also presents the spirit of adventure, the desire to explore the unkriown, even at the risk of one’s own life. It also signifies the constant changes in our physical and mental world due to the passage of time.
12. What happens when Alice jumps down the rabbit-hole both in physical and psychological aspect?
Lewis Carroll, with the fine use of symbols. presents parallely the physical and psychological aspects of Alice’s fall into the rabbit-hole. Alice falls down the rabbit-hole slowly having enough time to look around, And then she begins to think aloud. At a point, she even tries to show her respect to an imaginary lady. She does that by bending her knees with one foot in front of the other in the air. Then she dozes off and in the middle of a dream. lands on a heap of sticks and dry leaves, unhurt.
Psychologically, Alice’s fall can be seen as a symbol of her transition from real awareness to a consciousness affected by irrational incidents. She leaves behind the safety and familiarity of her childhood and enters a strange, unpredictable world. The fall down the rabbit-hole serves as an exploration of the unknown. Alice’s growing detachment with reality is revealed when she feels that the ordinary and common world is dull and stupid compared to the Wonderland.
13. How do the world of dreams and the world of reality merge together in ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’?
Down the Rabbit-Hole’ is the story of Alice getting transported from the world of reality to a world of dream and fantasy. These two worlds merge together in the story. We see a rabbit wearing a waistcoat, carrying a watch and also speaking in human language. While going down the hole. Alice is transported to a world of impossible where cupboards, bookshelves, maps and pictures are found hanging at the sides of the well. In such a dreamlike setup a totally real thing like an empty bottle of orange marmalade causes Alice great disappointment. Similarly, a small golden key opens a door that can lead Alice to a garden like a lovely dream. Something as real as having a delicious drink produces the result that is possible only in dreams. The dream world also brings out the problems of the real world sometimes. The White Rabbit’s constant anxiety about getting late is a reflection of the rush, hurry and absurdity of modern life, In various ways like this the line that separates dreams from reality has been erased in “Down the Rabbit-Hole’.
14. How does Alice try to use her logical mind during her experiences in the rabbit-hole?
Alice jumps into a strange and absurd world which she tries to deal with using her logical mind. Seeing a Rabbit taking out a watch from its waistcoat-pocket, she finds it odd and rushes after it into a rabbit-hole. While falling down the rabbit-hole, she lifts a jar labelled
ORANGE MARMALADE from one of the cupboards. Finding it empty she uses her logic and does not throw it down as it may kill somebody underneath. Instead she puts it back in one of the cupboards. It is also quite logical for Alice to think that the unending fall underground may take her to the centre of the earth or even bring her out on the earth’s bottom-side surface. When she realises that she cannot go out to the garden as the door is too small for her, she does not waste time waiting by the door, Instead she comes back to the table thinking she may find anything necessary there to open the door. Then on seeing the bottle marked “DRINK ME”, she drinks the content of the bottle but not before making sure that it is not poison. Again she advises herself not to become disappointed or sad, showing her capability of thinking logically in time of distress. The way Alice judges that with a size of just ten Inches it is useless to pretend to be two people also indicates the logical side of her mind. When she finds the cake, she reasons that whether it makes her shorter or taller she will be able to go to the garden either way. So she eats up the cake immediately. This is how Alice tries to use her logical mind during her experiences in the rabbit-hole.
15. Discuss the main theme represented in ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’.
In Lewis Carroll’s ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’ the main theme is reality vs unreality or the real world vs fantasy world, Alice’s real world is different from the fantasy world. She enters that world and right from that moment it becomes ‘Alice’s world where elements from the two worlds merge together. It seems that logic and reason have no place in this world. But that is because the fantasy world has its own logic and reason which we know nothing about. Ever since Alice enters the rabbit-hole she discovers that anything is possible in the fantasy world. In the physical world no drink can make anybody shorter instantly, but in the fantasy world it is quite a normal thing to happen. Which is why on eating the cake when no out-of-the-way things happen, she gets surprised. The monotony of a life that ‘goes in the common way and our hidden desire to escape it may also be considered as a theme of ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole.
16. How does the author bring out a child’s mindset in ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole?
The author celebrates a child’s love for fantasy and ich imagination in ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’, Alice finds her sister’s book useless because it has no pictures or conversations. That is how she rejects the world of reality and of adults. Alice is curious so she follows the White Flabbit down its hole. Curiosity and love for adventure are characteristic qualities of children. The author wants to convey through this text that these qualities should be oncourage among children, Like a typical child Alice is fond of things like orange marmalade, cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, toffy, hot buttered toast etc. She likes to show off the knowledge she gathered in her school yet sometimes she forgets whatever she has learnt. Her reduction in size conveys the child’s helplessness. Her belief in change on having the cake convey how children can be convinced to be hopeful, A child goes through mental struggles as the transition from childhood to adolescence comes. Just like Alice slowly matures during
here journey through the adventures to Wonderland. This is how through various incidents the author brings out the child’s mindset.
17. How humour is used in the text ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’?
Lewis Carroll uses ‘humour’ very subtly and with utmost intelligence to make the text ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’ funny and enjoyable. Firstly, he uses nonsense humour. For example, Alice falls slowly down a rabbit-hole and has time to look around, pick things up, and even wonder how far she is falling. This situation is silly and not possible in real life, which makes it funny. Secondly, wordplay and logic jokes add humour. Alice asks strange questions like whether she will fall through the earth and come out on the bottom-side of the surface of the earth. In addition to that, she mentions the Antipathies, people who walk with their heads downward. She mixes up geography with imagina-tion which adds to the humours element of the text. Thirdly, the animal in the story, White Rabbit, acts like a human. The Rabbit talks in human language, wears a waistcoat and most surprisingly takes out a watch from the waistcoat-pocket, which is both unusual and amusing. Alice’s confused thoughts and the way she talks to herself also create humour. She tries to behave properly even when everything around her is very odd. Finally, the writer’s humorous commentary on Alice’s situations adds wit to the text making it more engaging. Overall, the story is full of clever, light-hearted moments that make readers smile, showing that humour is an important part of ‘Down the Rabbit-Hole’.