The Conscience of Dorian Gray in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray
Much of the criticism regarding The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde has dealt with Dorian Gray’s relation to his own portrait (Raby 392). While some may argue that the portrait represents a reflection of Dorian Gray’s character, this is only a superficial analysis of the novel and Dorian’s character. While Dorian Gray’s true character never changes, it is his own perception of his character (his conscience) that is reflected in the changing face of his portrait. In essence Dorian’s picture becomes a mirror through which the "true Dorian" judges his own metamorphasis as the superficial "Lord Henry Dorian" attempts to embrace Lord Henry’s teachings. Dorian’s duality of character causes a constant internal struggle within him, ultimately culminating in his own suicide.
Initially, Lord Henry’s doctrine of "new Hedonism" contrasts sharply with Dorian’s youthful innocence and passions. These initial feelings are the reader’s first and clearest experience with the soon to be repressed "true Dorian." The terminology, however, does not imply that Dorian has never been influenced before. This unblemished character simply represents Dorian’s self at the start of the novel, a state which he accepts as his own and is able to find peace in. From this first conversation, Dorian’s peace begins shatter when he learns of Lord Henry’s philosophy and its implications for his own life. Dorian is described as a "brainless, beautiful creature" (3), appropriate since all Dorian has at this stage in the novel is his own initial, untainted feelings. Thus this "pre-Henry" stage is the only time in the novel at which Dorian expresses his "true self" outwardly. This "brai...
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...he Picture of Dorian Gray: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Lawler, Donald L. (1988). 405-412.
Raby, Peter. Oscar Wilde. (1980): 164. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. DiMauro, Laurie. Vol. 41. Detroit: Gale, 1991. 392-397.
Spivey, Ted R. "Oscar Wilde and the Tragedy of Symbolism." The Journey Beyond Tragedy. (1980): 57-71. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. DiMauro, Laurie. Vol. 41. Detroit: Gale, 1991. 501-502.
Summers, Claude J. "In Such Surrender There May Be Gain’: Oscar Wilde and the Beginnings of Gay Fiction." Gay Fictions: Wilde to Stonewall, Studies in a Male Homosexual Literary Tradition. (1990): 29-61. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. DiMauro, Laurie. Vol. 41. Detroit: Gale, 1991. 398-401.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray: Oxford World’s Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Each speaker, Martin Luther King Jr, Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X, has different opinions and practices on the matter of Human Rights or in others terms, black power. Dr. King is precise in demonstrating non-violence and peaceful protests. Carmichael, after seeing the personal way many white officers and those against him were, as well as what they did to those like him, he did not necessarily advocate violence, but said it was sometimes essential in terms of self-defense. Malcolm X was one of the polar opposite characters. In my eyes and through my readings, Malcolm X incited violence and persuaded the black people that followed him to “hate the white man”. Unlike Dr. King and somewhat Carmichael, Malcolm did not preach peace, but by any means to get their way, which was usually violence.
Gender history would not be possible without the rise of women and their headstrong goal of gaining a place in the history books. Early historians developed a more simple outlook, which simply classified every women be similar in class. As historian developed a more critical analysis, they included many social factors to explain women’s status change. Women created gender history, and now doors are open for other gender issues to be researched.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were two of the most prominent leaders during the Civil Rights Movement who helped the African Americans to gain equal right and collapse the walls of oppression held. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were both African American civil rights advocates who fought for freedom against racial discrimination, but used different approaches to get their message across. Instilled with hope of a better community and civilisation around the world,
These great leaders came from vastly different backgrounds which is shown in their thinking on life, especially early on. Martin was a Christian from the rural south, whilst Malcolm had become a Muslim from the urban north. King called for love of your neighbor, integration and nonviolence, which was part of his American Dream. Malcolm X called for self-love, separation, and "by any means necessary", which was part of his Black Nationalism. Throughout their lives their views were constantly changing, largely affected by each other, but also by the many events in their lives. Malcolm X forced King to become more radical and to look into the problems of the urban north. King made X become more politically active and work much more with the Civil Rights Movement. Although many have often said that they were "like oil and water", these two men, however different they may have seemed to be, had the same goal. They wanted to end exploitation, discrimination and racism. Also, for both, religion was primary in defining their lives and ideals. There are two distinct phases in their political lives. For King, the change in his outlook came when he looked at the social problems of the urban slums, and the extent of racism of his previous allies. This turning point came with the riots in Watts, Los Angeles. For Malcolm X, the major change came when he broke from the Nation of Islam and went on his trip to Mec...
To start of, both Dr. King and Malcolm X had different philosophical approaches on accomplishing civil rights for African Americans. After a rough childhood and a drug addiction in Harlem, Malcolm X turned a new leaf in prison. He began studying and educating himself again,
Ruddick, Nicholas. "'The Peculiar Quality of My Genius': Degeneration, Decadence, and Dorian Gray in 1890-91." Oscar Wilde: The Man, His Writings, and His World. New York: AMS, 2003. 125-37. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Jessica Bomarito and Russel Whitaker. Vol. 164. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Artemis Literary Sources. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
[4] Hickok, Eugene Jr., ed. The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding. Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1991
The debate over the right to bear arms according to the Second Amendment has been a hotly contested issue for many years in American history. The matter has been one of the most controversial issues in the second half of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first; disputed between politicians on the liberal and conservative side along with issues such as abortion, capital punishment, and gay marriage. The Supreme Court has officially defined the controversial Second Amendment by stating that states have the right to maintain a militia separate from a federally controlled army (Gale Encyclopedia, pg. 155-162). However, “Courts have consistently held that the state and federal governments may lawfully regulate the sale, transfer, receipt, possession, and use of certain categories of firearms, as well as mandate who may and may not own a gun (Gale Encyclopedia, pg. 155-162).” Therefore, the issue is one that is extremely hard to clarify. Which side is right?
Rigobertas intellect begins to flourish. She analyzes the gap between the rich and the poor and...
Upchurch, David A. "The Picture of Dorian Gray: Overview." Reference Guide to English Literature. Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. 2nd ed. Chicago: St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center. Gale. NORTHWEST COLLEGIATE ACADEMY. 28 April 2011 .
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were very significant during the Civil Rights Movement. Both were excellent speakers and shared one goal but had two different ways of resolving it. Martin Luther King Jr. chose to resolve the issues by using non-violence to create equality amongst all races to accomplish the goal. Malcolm X also wanted to decrease discrimination and get of segregation but by using another tactic to successfully accomplish the similar goal. The backgrounds of both men were one of the main driven forces behind the ways they executed their plans to rise above the various mistreatments. Martin Luther King Jr. was a more pronounced orator, a more refined leader, and overall saw the larger picture than Malcolm X.
In her essay, entitled “Women’s History,” American historian Joan W. Scott wrote, “it need hardly be said that feminists’ attempts to expose ‘male biases’ or ‘masculine ideology’ embedded in historical writing have often met with ridicule or rebuttal of as expressions of ‘ideology.’” Scott’s essay discusses the efforts of female historians to both integrate themselves into the history disciples and their struggle to add and assimilate female perspectives, influences, and undertakings into the overall story of history. She also talks about the obstacles and potentially biased criticism that female historians have received and faced upon establishing themselves as accredited members of the historical academic community. One of these historians is Natalie
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Michael Patrick Gillespie, Editor. Norton Critical Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007.
Wilde, Oscar, and Michael Patrick. Gillespie. The Picture of Dorian Gray: Authoritative Texts, Backgrounds, Reviews and Reactions, Criticism. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. Print.
Woodcock, George. The Paradox of Oscar Wilde. London-New York: T.V. Boardman and Co., Ltd., 1950.