Dorian Gray Rhetorical Devices

(Rhetorical device/s)This quotation contains imagery that shows how Dorian gray looks like.(S) Lord Henry has never met Dorian gray in his life. According to what his friend Basil tells him about Dorian in the first chapter, he seems like a smart and a handsome young man. Lord Henry, out of curiosity, asks his friend that he wants to meet this guy. Basil, on the other hand, does not want him to meet Gray, he thinks every word that comes out of his mouth has a bad influence on people. Dorian gray waits for Basil in the room where he is seen sitting in front of a piano. That is where he is introduced to Lord Henry for the first time. Lord Henry, looking at him, believes everything Basil told him, he is handsome, he has this special physical feature that makes anyone who meets him for the

first time, trust him. Lord Henry thinks that his passion has been hidden from the world and that he should be exposed to the world and his beauty should be admired. (A) Lord Henry is a selfish, sybaritic aristocrat who considers everyone, other than himself, as mere objects and experiments for pleasure. Dorian Gray, for him, is a new and a unique experiment. Dorian, on the other hand, is a shy and a respectable young man who creates an impression on everyone who meets him. Basil, a veteran artist, admires Dorian on a completely different level. He has special feelings for him, which are soon to be destroyed by Lord Henry. To Lord Henry, he is an experimental guinea pig. When he takes a first glance at him, he realized why he is Basil’s idol and knew what he is supposed to do with him. (E) Even though this quote does not have enough information, it still tells us how Lord Henry is interested in Dorian Gray, and how he is going to destroy him.
(S) Basil thinks Lord Henry is a bad influence on everyone. All his sweet talk makes a person want to admire everything he says. Basil and Lord Henry talk to each other about Dorian Gray, who is a handsome young lad, whose portrait Basil paints. Lord Henry insists that he wants to meet this Dorian character whom he worships. Even though Basil does not want him to meet Dorian, somehow, he pressurized Basil and he agreed. He is introduced to Dorian whose nature interests him. For himself, Gray is a mere science experiment and he knows what he has to do with him. Lord Henry`s nature is poisonous, every word that comes out of his mouth is dangerous without anyone even realizing. In his virtuous system, there is no such thing as righteousness. According to him, one should do what he desires for oneself. There is no use influencing others around one. The things normal people consider immoral, he considers them moral as long as they are a source of pleasure to a person. He advises Dorian the same thing. (A) Lord Henry is one of the most corrupt characters in the novel whose mere words changes Dorian so much that he ends up murdering people. He does not know the difference between morality and immorality as long as whatever he does, may it be immoral, provides him with the fruit of pleasure. Dorian`s level of immorality surpasses Lord Henry`s. His words are going to lead to a lot of destruction, destruction that he has no idea about.
(S) Lord Henry is a self-centred person; he thinks and does what is best for him. His greatest ability is destroying people using his words only. After being introduced to Dorian Gray, he slowly starts poisoning him with his words. He tells him that there is no use influencing other people because it is like giving away what a person thinks about himself. A part of someone else becomes a part of him. He thinks according to his perspective, sets his standards keeping in view the standards of the one whom he has been influenced from. It is similar to stealing ones identity. Lord Henry tells him that the purpose God created man is only so that he can work on himself in order to get better. (A) Dorian is an immature lad; he would believe anything that is laid upon him. He is the kind of person who remains happy as long as he is socially healthy; he cares about others more than he cares about himself. He does not have any idea about the beauty he possesses. In this quotation, Lord Henry talks about self-centeredness. According to him, influencing other people or telling one about what one thinks is like giving away one’s virtues.
(S) Dorian arrives at Basil’s place to get a portrait of him.

There, he meets Lord Henry and they start talking. Basil wants Henry to leave because he knows what will happen if he lets him stay with Dorian, but Dorian insists that he stays because it was boring of him to make a pose for his portrait and not talk to anyone. Dorian finds Lord Henry pretty convincing and becomes interested in what he has to say. He tells him that he is a charming young man and he is unaware about it. He can do a lot better than what he is currently doing. Instead of caring about others, he should be looking after himself because he has no idea about the amount of beauty he possesses. He makes him aware of that in such a way that he feels like his words are acting like poison in his body. It is too much for him to take in. He is stunned because he does not even know Lord Henry as well as Basil but his few words have had more impact on him than Basil ever did. (A) Curiosity has now overtaken Dorian; he wants to know what he is capable of. Lord Henry is the key to that. The beginning of his end has started. His words have triggered the sleeping monster inside of him; a monster that he never knew

existed.
(S) Every living creature in this world ages with time. As a person ages, his body shows signs of aging. He becomes very different from what he was ten years ago. That is exactly what Lord Henry is explaining to Dorian Gray. He apprises him that instead of getting younger, he is aging constantly. He will not have the same beauty he possesses years from now. He has no idea about it and he will soon enough. (A) While talking to Dorian, Lord Henry emphasizes each fact so as to have a better influence of what he is saying on him. He talks about getting older because he thinks that people like Dorian should never age, or else they might lose their charm. He tells him how Basil will stop admiring him as
In this quotation, Oscar Wilde uses chiasmus, paradoxes and diction to beautifully illustrate his work. (S) Lord Henry is talking to Dorian Gray about him. He tells him that he is a wonderful creation of God, and what he possesses, others would kill for that. Basically he is trying to lure Dorian into his trap. To Lord Henry, he is an object that one would use until he requires it no more. He fascinates him. He knows that Dorian has a lot of potential in him, the only problem is that he himself does not know about it. It is just a matter of time since he realizes his capabilities. He needs to gather some of the human essence that he does not have because of all the worldliness he has in him.
(S) Lord Henry has a very distinct personality; he disapproves and is not in favour of the Victorian society. His view towards the people close to him and those that he criticizes are very clear from this passage as he tries to introduce his character to Dorian Gray. He is very interested in other people’s lives and the experiences that they face during these lives. Although he is married but he still enjoys himself alone. (A) Lord Henry is the main character who develops Dorian’s personality because he is inspired by his looks and his beauty. He enjoys living off the moment and this displays us his advancement towards life and his way of coping with it.
(S) Dorian does not really notice it until Lord Henry tells him that he is the most beautiful person ever, also according to Lord Henry with beauty-comes power Dorian is kept in the dark by Basil until Henry shows him his real self and Dorian begins to realize that he has to stay like this for the rest of his life because as his beauty fades away, he would not be able to bear himself and he might kill himself because beauty is power. (A) Dorian spends a lot of time with Lord Henry, and his life is greatly influenced by staying in Henry’s company. We know that Henry just wants to know Dorian’s real self and he wants him to enjoy all that he has because when it starts to go away then there would be no purpose living in this world.
(S)
(S) when Dorian visits Lord Henry at his palace and tells him all about the young and a very magnificent girl he had fallen in love with, Lord Henry jokes with him saying that he must be out of his mind to be in love with somebody in such a short time and especially somebody who is an actress in Shakespeare’s plays. (A) everyone loves Dorian for his looks, beauty and his nature and he wants to know more about his real self and his personality but Dorian is startled by his own beauty when Lord Henry starts to bring him to the light and tries to be open and enjoy his young life for who he is, although Dorian is disturbed by Henry’s lectures he is amazed by the power that he possesses. Dorian’s behaviour starts to change as he spends more time with Henry but he does not want to go back to what he used to be, quiet and gentle person because now he wants to enjoy his life.

(S) Lord Henry shares his opinion with Basil about Dorian and his engagement with Sibyl, Basil is shocked by the news, he is worried that Dorian has committed himself to someone who is below his social class, but at the same time when Lord Henry shows interest as to what might the outcome be if Dorian and Sibyl get married, they both would get tired of each other and probably try to move on. (A) According to Lord Henry, women are mere objects and fascination towards them is only temporary. He thinks that Dorian adores Sibyl only for her looks and her beauty and not her personality.
(S) Dorian Gray expresses his love for Sibyl to Lord Henry and Basil; he tells them that he was now engaged and he had found the perfect woman for himself, he goes on about Sibyl’s personality, looks, he is most impressed by her acting on Shakespeare’s plays and claims her the finest actress he had ever seen in his life, after hearing so much about Sibyl Vane, Lord Henry decides to meet her for the Romeo and Juliet play that he would attend in the company of Basil. (A) Dorian’s personality is profoundly affected by a very simple, and poor but beautiful girl who he had witnessed on his way through a very populated part of the city filled with poor people, he falls in love with her and they both get engaged, Basil on the other hand is against any marriage especially the one with opposite genders. He has feelings for Dorian but when he tells him about his engagement to Sibyl, he is very shocked and he feels like he has lost something that was very precious to him, Dorian replies to Lord Henry saying that he was a changed person and that he could handle his own life the way he knows that he is worthy of.
(S) This scene consists of a private room at Bristol which is a hotel west of London. As Henry and Basil Hallward are waiting for Dorian Gray, they talk about his recent activities and Lord Henry shares Dorian’s new engagement to Sibyl, a underprivileged but a very fine-looking and talented actress with whom Dorian falls in love with. It was a shocking news for Basil who was a man with no interest in any kind of relationships, he was against any marriages to opposite gender, and after learning that Dorian was engaged and ready to commit to Sibyl he becomes very unhappy because according to Basil, Dorian has made a mistake by falling for somebody who is below his social class. (A) Basil obsessed with Dorian’s personality and his beauty praises Dorian but is heartbroken when he hears that Dorian is engaged to another girl, inferring that Basil had feelings for Dorian, Basil feels like he is all alone and that his relationship with Dorian had became very weak.