Wizard of Oz Study Questions

Go to the following website and either read or download the following article; The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism at http://www.amphigory.com/oz.htm

Answer the following questions once you have read the article and chapter's 17 & 20. 1. Why was L. Frank Baum in a good position to understand the problems of workers in the late nineteenth century? 2. What sort of picture does The Wonderful Wizard of Oz paint of farm life? What was the effect of agrarian labor on the farmers themselves? 3. How does the story detail the complexities of the silver issue? Does Baum seem to feel that the gold standard was the major problem facing the farmers? 4. Why does Baum select Omaha, Nebraska as the former home of the Wizard? 5. How might Baum be using the novel's protagonists to symbolize Coxey's Army? 6. Complete the section below by explaining the symbolism Baum utilizes for each item:

Oz Dorothy Scarecrow Tin Man Lion Wizard of Oz Yellow Brick Road Wicked Witch of the East Wicked Witch of the West Emerald City Flying Monkeys Silver Shoes Munchkins Water that kills the Witch of the West