LEADERSHIP
Alice is thrust into a world over which she has little control and can hardly understand. How she responds is evidence of her leadership qualities.
And, on a related note, what examples of bad leadership does Carroll present in the book? Why are many of the characters in the books “bad” leaders?
Lauren: “In contrast, the various kings and queens we meet in these stories are in many ways decisively NOT leaders, despite their titles.”
Chris: “The Queen of Hearts is representative of the cruel leadership in the first novel.”
Molly: “To paraphrase Dr. Woodruff’s lecture on “How to Spot a Tyrant,” tyrants use fear to control others while being controlled by fear themselves. Because Carroll gives us little insight into the Queen’s emotions, we cannot know for sure if the Queen of Hearts lives in fear of those she terrorizes; nonetheless, one can surely label her rule tyrannical.”
“In earning their trust, the Walrus takes on a kind of leadership role. He exerts his influence on them with the understanding that if they follow his directions, they will find something good.”
“So far, it seems that Carroll introduces Alice mainly to “bad” characters, or at least those who, in our world, would not be considered good or ethical leaders.”
Maysie: “Throughout her journey, Alice meets some supposed “leaders”, those counterfeit influential’s that disguise and deceive away from true leadership.”
“His only concern was making himself appear spotless, and appealing to the superintendant. Like the White Rabbit, he ignored those who truly needed his help, and lead not with concern for the town, but with concern for his own head, for his job. Athletics suffered as a result.”
Alex: "She obviously lacks the essential skill of a leader to put oneself in other person's position."
"A leader must possess the ability to keep calm, but Alice fails to do so."
To sum up many of everyone’s viewpoints concerning Alice’s leadership qualities…
She is a successful leader because she is adaptable, compassionate, self-assured and self-aware, quick to respond to problems and willing to learn.
Most of these traits are personal. Why is it necessary that a good leader must learn to first govern themselves?
At the end of Alice’s journey, many feel that Alice has been changed. How has she changed as a leader (if at all)? How much does growth factor in to leadership in general?
Lauren: “Alice does not go about her quest to become a queen by herself: first she asks the Red Queen for advice, which allows her to become a white pawn, one step closer to being a queen.”
Helen: “More importantly, through her curiosity, Alice becomes more aware of her identity, reminding herself at the end of the wood, “I know my name now…Alice—Alice—I won’t forget it again” (Carroll 178). Alice is a leader in this way, always constantly seeking to gain greater knowledge and insight.”
Jade: “Effective leadership requires this self-knowledge, which Alice identifies through constant introspection. Her ability to articulate her strengths and weaknesses enable her to navigate these fantasy worlds more easily and satiate her inquisitive nature.”
“Instead of pretending that she knew the difference or getting riled up about Humpty’s derisive remark, Alice admits her ignorance on this subject. Her decision in this situation emphasizes not only her courage in facing her flaws, but also her consciousness of what she knows and doesn’t know.”
Chris: “The book is not so much a troubled world saved by Alice the grand leader, but a chaotic world that acts as the setting in which Alice grows as a young leader.”
Emily: “By keeping a calm countenance in a desperate situation, Alice shows excellent leadership skills. A leader who loses their head in a crisis cannot hope to help others, as they are supposed to.”
Spin: “What Alice quickly discovered, though, is one very important key to surviving in almost any situation: she learned how to adapt.”
“Alice has taught me that there is more than just one type of leader – and that the definition of a leader in the pool doesn’t have to be the fastest swimmer.”
Callie: “Her adventures support the idea that leadership is a process, not a destination. Because there is no such thing as a perfect leader, each individual always has more to learn.”
“In order to be effective leader, a leader must lead. It sounds simple enough, but so often people are so afraid of making a wrong decision that they fail to make any decisions at all. By fearlessly jumping into the rabbit hole, Alice not only exhibits her unique ability to follow a course of action but also proves herself as a leader in training because she soon realizes that every decision has its consequences.”
Thuyen: “How does Alice demonstrate leadership? The answer is through growth.”
“In the gradual process, she becomes more and more of a leader by exhibiting four essential leadership traits: curiosity, courtesy and compassion, transformation, and self-awareness.”
“To the very end when Alice is crowned Queen, she remains true to herself. Her nobility as Queen does not signify her divinity or superiority over a nation (Wonderland, nonetheless); it signifies her own nobility in reaching her goal of becoming a leader.”
COLLEGE
A stained glass panel at Oxford College, a tribute to Charles Dodgson.
I know most of us didn’t compare Alice and her journeys to our college experiences, but I think it is a very valuable point to make, especially when considered with Alice’s self-awareness and growth.
Because the lessons in the Alice books are so subtle, Carroll’s works probably best lead by example. How do the Alice compare to our journeys through “Wonderland”—college?
Helen: “If, in the face of Wonderland’s and the Looking Glass’ madness, Alice can be a leader, surely I, in the face of college and the unknown, can be a leader just as well.”
How have we become more self-aware already by our journeys in “Wonderland”? Through our classes? Through our newfound independence? Experiential learning? What else?
ETHICS
Alice has a strong sense of justice and compassion.
Alice’s connections to ethics have a lot to do with her leadership qualities—compassion, consideration and a careful attention to justice. How do these seemingly minute characteristics make a big difference?
Thuyen: “By interacting with the creatures in her dreams, Alice learns much about courtesy and compassion. It says a lot about her compassionate personality when she rescues the Duchess’ baby.”
“Meanwhile, in the story, Alice also learns to lend an ear when others talk, as demonstrated by her response to the Duchess’ closeness. Although the Duchess is hideous and has a sharp chin that digs into her shoulder, Alice “did not like to be rude: so she bore it as well as she could” (Alice, 120)”
Spin: “Most memorable of these instances is when she responds to the Red Queen’s instructions to “speak when you’re spoken to!” with the well-thought out and logical remark of, “But if everybody obeyed that rule […], you see nobody would ever say anything!” (Through the Looking Glass, 251).”
Emily: “Alice displays her compassionate side once again when she encounters the puppy. Although Alice was “terribly frightened” (Carroll 45) because of the puppy’s abnormal size, she is still kind to it and tries to play with it.”
Helen: “Alice seems to be a leader in her consideration for others, for as Stephen Covey reveals, “to learn to give and take, to live selflessly, to be sensitive, to be considerate, is our challenge” (Covey 88).”
Lauren: “However, Alice is only able to accomplish this bringing together of different types of animals through her provocativeness that comes from an ethnical concern for all members of society."
Alex: "What is ethical and what is not seemingly depends on the environment, which the person grew up in. The definition of what is ethical changes depending on the conditioning--the same reason why slavery seemed ethical at the time."
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