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What does oscar wilde say about the importance of being earnest
What does oscar wilde say about the importance of being earnest
What does oscar wilde say about the importance of being earnest
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Is lying wrong? While lying strikes almost everyone as an immoral act, people often find themselves telling “little white lies.” In Oscar Wilde’s witty play, The Importance of Being Earnest, the word earnest implies seriousness and sincerity, yet the two protagonists, Jack and Algernon, both deceive people around them. To escape the constraints of society, each one fabricates a fictitious alter ego named Earnest. When their finances, who swore they could only marry a man named Earnest, discover the truth, chaos ensues. Meanwhile, Wilde cleverly reveals the consequences of petty untruths. While at his country manor, the main protagonist, Jack Worthing, claims he must tend to his troublesome younger brother Earnest, who resides in London. Once
Richard Gunderman asks the question, "Isn 't there something inherently wrong with lying, and “in his article” Is Lying Bad for Us?" Similarly, Stephanie Ericsson states, "Sure I lie, but it doesn 't hurt anything. Or does it?" in her essay, "The Ways We Lie.” Both Gunderman and Ericsson hold strong opinions in regards to lying and they appeal to their audience by incorporating personal experiences as well as references to answer the questions that so many long to confirm.
In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, a sixteen year old boy named Holden Caulfield gets expelled from his school and runs away before his parents find out. He goes to his home town, New York, and encounters many people. Throughout the novel, Caulfield is still coping with the death of his brother Allie. His attitude slowly decreases and various signs of a mental disorder are exhibited through his actions and his thoughts. Some people believe that he does not have a mental disorder, he is just grieving; however, he has clear symptoms that he is suffering from depression and anti-social disorder. These disorders are shown when Caulfield takes everything in a negative way, talks about being depressed, thinks that everyone is “phony”, and talks about his deceased brother.
He who plays with fire is bound to get burned. This commonplace expression outlines the painful outcome of trifling with things as wild and uncontrollable as fire. Sometimes, powerful, passionate sentiments are like a fire that we lose control of, and lead to unintended outcomes. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, characters’ emotions in the heat of the moment often cause them to make decisions with devastating consequences. In the novel Hawthorne uses fire to symbolize the passions in the hearts of his characters, and the results of fire (cinders, burns, embers) to symbolize the repercussions of those passions.
Irony in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde is full of irony. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, the protagonists in the play, get themselves into a complicated situation called Bunburyism (as Algernon refers to it). They pretend to be someone that they are not to escape their daily lives. They lie to the women they admire, and eventually the truth is revealed.
When I went to the movies, I didn’t expect to be so intrigued by the characters that I would want to read about them individually. “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” had many interesting characters: Mena the vampire, Alan Quartermain the hunter, Skinner the invisible man, Nemo the pirate, Dr. Jekyll the scientist, Tom Sawyer of the CIA, and Dorian Gray the immortal. Out of all the characters, Dorian Gray seemed to have the most interesting story to tell. I didn’t know anything about the book, but when I went to the book store, I asked for anything about Dorian Gray that they might have. I was both embarrassed and surprised when the lady picked out several books and asked which one I wanted. The Picture of Dorian Gray was the story of a man who starts out as an innocent, loving boy, but then he made the “Devil’s Bargain-- the exchange of one’s external soul for extreme but, alas, temporary gratification.” His sins, pain, and suffering go into a painting of himself made by his friend, Basil Hallward. Lord Henry Wotton was the older man who began corrupting Dorian and made him more vain and cynical. A big part of the story was the relationship between Dorian and his cursed painting, and I believe the painting has more than one meaning in this book.
Lying turns into a true issue at the end of the Death of a Salesman. At the end reality turns out about Biffs' falsehood. Biff at last tells Willy that he has been lying for some time. He has truly been in prison while he was away. Towards the end Biff opens up about lying and would like to lie any more. Biff even concedes "We never came clean for ten minutes in this house!"(miller 104). Moreover we get some answers concerning Harpy's falsehood. Cheerful has dependably said he was fruitful, yet we discover that he was never high up at the spot he worked at. He is truly just an aide to a collaborator. Joyful makes himself appear as though he is essential much the same as his father did. So you can see the falsehoods are rejoiced at the end of the play and they were truly the reason for all the assertions thoroughly considered the play.
Satire in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners, whereby Oscar Wilde uses satire to ridicule marriage, love and the mentality of the Victorian aristocratic society. It can also be referred to as satirical comedy. What is a satire and what is Oscar Wilde trying to emphasize by employing it in his play?
fortune. Is this to be endured! But it must not, shall not be. If you
Is it worth maintaining an ornately aesthetic life? Is it better to seek a moral lifestyle following society’s moral standards? With ideal appearances and superficial beauty, a decorated life can seem easier and more luxurious than a moral life. Leading a moral life is not as appealing to most people; and is filled with hardships and trouble over “doing the right thing”. One quality cannot be held without losing the other, due to their conflicting natures. While the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray brings out the central question “Is it better to pursue Aesthetics or Morality?” it describes the life of Dorian Gray, who constantly sought to maintain his appearance at the cost of his morals, and answers the question by revealing the consequences of living Mr. Gray’s “beautiful” lifestyle.
The Importance of Being Earnest appears to be a conventional 19th century farce. False identities, prohibited engagements, domineering mothers, lost children are typical of almost every farce. However, this is only on the surface in Wilde's play. His parody works at two levels- on the one hand he ridicules the manners of the high society and on the other he satirises the human condition in general. The characters in The Importance of Being Earnest assume false identities in order to achieve their goals but do not interfere with the others' lives. The double life led by Algernon, Jack, and Cecily (through her diary) is simply another means by which they liberate themselves from the repressive norms of society. They have the freedom to create themselves and use their double identities to give themselves the opportunity to show opposite sides of their characters. They mock every custom of the society and challenge its values. This creates not only the comic effect of the play but also makes the audience think of the serious things of life.
“Follow your heart, but be quiet for a while first. Ask questions, then feel the answer. Learn to trust your heart.” Heart. Feelings. Trust. All of these concepts said by Carl W. Buechner are philosophies that are spoken of freely in the twenty-first century, where love is limitless and marriage is bound by no restraints. A rich man can easily fall in love with his maid. A poor couple can just as effortlessly run off and get married. However, during the turn of the nineteenth century, this was regarded as foolish, even outrageous. Marriage was for stability, for financial reliability. Love or the “heart” was not at all a necessity, nor even a component to the formula. Happiness in marriage was simply a rare bonus. But Jane Austen proves this contrary in her novel Pride and Prejudice. Her protagonist, Elizabeth, defies the social norm of acquiring a husband for the mere sake of security and instead looks for love. But Elizabeth is no weak, romanticized girl. Her “modern” outlook leads her ultimately to success. Other characters like Charlotte or Lydia will have lukewarm or cold marriages because there were no true feelings of love or even affection; thus, though financial stability is present in Charlotte’s case, there is no intrinsic relationship stability. With this in mind, Austen’s characters’ wide-ranging attributes indicate a wide spectrum of possible relationship developments, but the “happiest” marriage is exemplified in Elizabeth’s because hers is illuminated by full knowledge and mutual love, equating to a secure relationship.
and masks. Act II scene 1 from the 1993 production I saw, is an ideal
Oscar Wilde’s gruesome and controversial play begs and important question. Who is Salome? In the bible this woman is not even given a name. She is the daughter of Herodias who dances for the pleasure of her stepfather, Herod. Perhaps the very fact that she remains unnamed is part of the mystery and problem that is Salome. There was no need to name this type of woman in patriarchal Christian religion. Yet, Salome’s story continues to inspire and terrify both her champions and her harshest critics.
Art. It's Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Art can be so beautiful or so hideous. So monotonous or poignant. So imaginative or clichéd. So right or wrong? Art really has no moral, does it? Although the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray has no ethical stance, it was not Oscar Wilde's intention to have a moral. It was to show the splendor of art for art's sake.
The students groan as their teacher passes out copies of The Scarlet Letter. One student asks, “Do we have to read this, Mrs. Smith?” Another pupil interjects with, “Yeah, this is boring!” In response, Mrs. Smith says, “Of course we do. It’s a classic! The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful, canonical piece of literature. I would be failing you if I didn’t expose you to this!” “But, what is canonical? What does that even mean?!” Jane, one of the best students in the class, comments. “Well, you know, it’s in the canon. Everyone reads The Scarlet Letter” the teacher studders as an answer. Janie retorts with, “What makes it canon?” “People say that the book should be taught in schools. That is what makes it a respectable, canonical novel.” “Who are these people? Why do they decide?” This back-and-forth conversation between the teacher and her students keeps going until, finally, Mrs. Smith exclaims, “Read the first chapter and write your initial thoughts.”