Dorothy and her friends from Oz. From Encyclopedia of Cinematographers

Dear Diary,

A few days ago a terrible cyclone landed me in the Land of Oz. I have never ever been to a place like this before! I am definitely not in Kansas anymore! When I first arrived I was so scared that I would never find my way home to Kansas, but then the Munchkins and the Good Witch of the North told me to find the Wizard of Oz. They said to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City to find him.

On my journey down the yellow brick road, I first came across a talking scarecrow. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard him talk. He was very nice indeed, and he was greatly obliged when I helped him down from the pole the farmer had him stuck on. The Scarecrow said the farmer gave him everything: a mouth, a nose and ears. The only thing the farmer didn't give him was a brain. Once I told him I was headed to the Emerald City to visit the Wizard he jumped at the chance to join me. It was Toto who didn't want him to join us though. That dog is so strange sometimes, he must have thought there was a rat in the Scarecrow's straw!

After the Scarecrow and I started on our journey, we became tired and needed shelter for the night. Luckily we found a cottage; it was the perfect place for us to rest for the night.

Dear Diary,

This morning a strange moaning noise woke me up. I discovered a Tin Man who could not move at all. He said he had been moaning for more than a year, but no one was able to hear him to help. Once I oiled the Tin Man so he could move, he told me the sad story of how he became a tin man. The Tin Man was born the son of a woodchopper and became one himself when he grew up. He fell in love with a Munchkin girl and gave her his heart. He wanted to marry her and worked very hard to build a house for her. However, the girl lived with an old lady who did not want the girl to marry and move away. The old lady gave the Wicked Witch of the East two sheep and a cow to prevent the marriage. The Wicked Witch sent the old lady an enchanted ax to cut off all of the Tin Man's limbs. Every time a body part was chopped off, the Tin Man had it replaced with tin until eventually he was all tin! The Tin Man decided to come to Oz with us to replace his heart. Without his heart he does not love the Munchkin girl, which is the one thing he wants most.

As the three of us set off on our journey we heard the most horrible roar! Poor Toto was so frightened. I was worried for our safety until I learned from the Tin Man that the kiss the Good Witch gave me on my forehead is to protect me. I feel so much safer now that I know her magic will protect me. The Tin Man, Scarecrow and I do not fear the noise, the Tin Man is not afraid of anything as long as he has his oil can, the Scarecrow is only straw and I have a kiss from the Good Witch to protect me. Poor old Toto is the only one without protection. Fearing for Toto’s safety, we decided to discover what was making the noise. It turned out to be a lion! Toto jumped out of my arms and ran toward the lion and the lion tried to hit him! I couldn’t contain myself the danger of the lion didn't even enter my mind, I ran over and slapped him on his paw. The lion reached his paw back and licked his wound. He was such a coward! I couldn’t believe it. Later, he told me he was born that way. And despite the fact he is a lion, he is afraid of his own shadow. We convinced him to join us to see the Wizard. I think the Wizard would be able to help the Lion if he can help me get back to Kansas, give the Scarecrow a brain and give the Tin Man a heart.

Off we go to the Emerald City. I hope we do not face any more scary adventures along the way!

Author’s note:

For this storybook entry I have combined three chapters: How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow, The Rescue of the Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion. I decided this entry would introduce Dorothy’s traveling buddies as they brave down the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. This entry is important to the story because this chapter in the diary explains how her traveling buddies enter Dorothy's story. This entry also shows the power behind the Good Witch’s kiss, which will be important later on in the story. That will of course be another entry. However, it is clear to the audience Dorothy that knows the power of the kiss on her forehead. I liked these stories because they clearly show the audience the early connections Dorothy makes with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion. The connections will serve later in the story. These entries are important to the evolution of Dorothy's character because it shows her as more than simply a meek child. When she feels Toto is in danger, Dorothy does not even think about her own safety she goes after the dog. Dorothy's new friends help her navigate her way through the Land of Oz with more confidence and self assurance. These characters also play against three character elements: love, courage and knowledge. The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion juxtapose these character traits against Dorothy's initial meek child character to eventually develop her into a well rounded and fully developed character.

Baum, Frank L. (1900) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. How Dorothy Saved the Scarecrow, The Rescue of the Tin Woodman and The Cowardly Lion.

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