I Hope Megan in
Austin is NOT Alice in Wonderland
I agree with my classmates in that
Alice’s
adventures in Wonderland can be compared to a freshman’s experiences at UT, but
I also think, that as in many things, we make connections between things solely
because we want to. Yes, the tiny door could be a “parody if the tiny door that
opens onto the President’s office in the main building” (Jamie, in Bump 281),
but that is really pushing it.

Many of the
comparisons made between UT and Wonderland are stretches
Like Garrison pointed out, the
extremely strange and “curious creatures” (Dougill, in
Bump 275) that Alice encounters in Wonderland are
here in Austin
as well. It seems that not only is Austin the
capital of Texas but the capital of eccentricity. Back
home in good old conservative Fort
Worth, I never saw someone like Leslie walk down Bryant
Irvin or people with piercings on every inch of their
body shop at Northeast Mall. But I have encountered those here and it has taught
me acceptance. I look at each new person I see, and I appreciate their
individuality and own personal taste and dress. But, if we are to continue with
this comparison between UT and Wonderland, I hope I have adapted and handled
myself better than Alice. Alice, who cannot quite grasp an
understanding of her surroundings, spends a majority of her time moping or
complaining about her present circumstance. She insults those she meets and has
a large air of ignorance about her. While many of my classmates see her flaws in
a heroic light, I view them as what they are – flaws.

Alice's ignorance in
Wonderland did not allow her to adjust
Unlike Alice, I have adjusted well to life here on the
UT campus. I have made a lot of acquaintances and a group of close friends. I
have missed home but not let the occasional bout of homesickness dampen my
spirits or affect my enjoyment of everyday life. I have found that I do not feel
like one among 52,000, but rather that I do have a face and name, not a number.
I have even enjoyed all of my classes with the exception of “logic”, which I
would gladly argue can be parodied by the nonsense and randomness of “Alice’s adventures in Wonderland” (Erin, in Bump 282). Unlike Alice, I have not remained ignorant to my new
surroundings or the people that inhabit it. I have absorbed every bit of
knowledge that my professors have thrown my way, and, through the help of this
class, completely shed any fleck of ignorance I may have possessed. Alice’s adventure in the craziness of Wonderland cannot be
a parody of my freshman year, except for maybe that fact that like Alice’s adventures in
Wonderland, I will remember every moment of my freshman year for the rest of my
life.

I will cherish the
memories I have made during my freshman year
forever