Taylor, Quentin P., Money and Politics in the Land of Oz, Independent Review 9 (Winter 2005) - Essay Example

"Money and Politics in the Land of Oz," What is the primary argument/thesis? What evidence of support does the author give to defend and/or prove the argument/thesis?The author argues that the children’s book with the story “The Wizard of Oz” is not only a children’s story but is an allegory of the populist movement of the 1890s. The evidence provided in support of this thesis is the fact during the populist movement, the writer Baum was an editor in a newspaper in South Dakota and he wrote on issues of politics and the current events surrounding the Populist Party.

The enigmatic personality of the writer is also evidence as he openly supported and even voted for Democratic candidates. In your view, what are the strengths of the article?The first is the recognition of the book (even though it later led to controversy) to an extent of being made into a film and this was beneficial to both the writer and children who could now understand better. The other strength is in the discovery of the book to be an allegory as it led to learning of history of the 1890s to the younger generation as well as opening up healthy debates on the history of the country in general.

In your view, what are the weaknesses of the article?The article with its numerous stands and back and forth arguments on whether the story is an allegory or not leads to confusion of the reader as to the true stand of the book. The other is the fact that the writer himself refuses to provide information about the book and his intentions behind the writing of the book which leads to further speculations diverting the people from the real intention and story of the book.Work CitedTaylor, Quentin.

“Money and Politics in the Land of Oz.” The Independent Review: A Journal of Political Economy, 9(3), 2005.