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Essay on oscar wilde the importance of being earnest
Essay on oscar wilde the importance of being earnest
Essay on oscar wilde the importance of being earnest
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Algernon takes eating very seriously throughout ‘The importance of being earnest’. I believe this is done by the writer to not only show his character to be of comic type, but also to show his insecurities within the world he lives and his inability to function in a high society. In page 8 Algernon takes sandwiches that are intended for his guest, Lady Bracknell. In victorian times it would be greatly frowned upon to consume food that is laid out for your guests and Algernon is aware of his ungentlemanly actions. When his Aunt asks where the cucumber sandwiches are, Algernon pretends to be shocked by their absence ‘Good heavens! Lane! Why are their no cucumber sandwiches?’ This ability to lie with such impeccable composure suggests he is familiar with the act of covering up his food indulgences. Algernon is not only greedy but also selfish and does not like the idea of Jack eating bread and butter, an obvious act of hypocrisy however he is content with his beliefs. I believe this is done by Oscar Wilde to further enforce how out of touch Algernon is from his surroundings. We even see...
Food is probably the most vivid icon of all the signs in this story. Its easy detection is likely because of how boldly Wilde uses it. In Act II, Algernon shows that he's in a controlling position while everyone thinks him to be Earnest by eating Jack's muffins. This is properly shown at the end of Act II when Jack says, "Algernon! I have already told you to go. I don't want you here. Why don't you go!" and Algernon replies, "I haven't quite finished my tea yet! and there is still one muffin left." ( 46 )
In Andre Dubus’ The Fat Girl, Louise is a young adolescent with detrimental eating habits and broken self-esteem. Her lack of self-confidence stems from her atrocious emotional habitat. Louise receives constant criticism from her mother regarding her weight. Her mother states “If you are fat the boys won’t like you.” That kind of ridicule being said by a mother to her 9 year old daughter creates an atmosphere of self-hatred and self-loathing. It is not only her familial environment that contributes so greatly to Louise’s destructive behavior. She has few friends and the one’s she does have agree she needs to change. The society in which she lives also is a contributing factor; the society is laden with stigmas positioned on appearance. That manner of daily ridicule only introverts Louise even more, causing her secretive, binge eating to deteriorate. In research conducted by Ursula Polli-Potts PhD, Links between Psychological Symptoms and Disordered Eating behaviors in Obese Youths, she explains the correlation between psychological, emotional factors and eating disorders in overweight adolescents. Potts states, “The association between binge eating symptoms and eating in response to feelings of distress and sadness with depression/anxiety symptoms corresponds with the results of other studies.” Potts and her colleagues took overweight adolescents and placed them into control and variable groups to ensure correct data. The outcome of their research was that there is a direct correlation with emotional binge eating and psychological factors. Although more extensive research needs to be implemented, Potts and associates were pleased with the results of the case studies.
What is deviance? The fact or state of departing from usual or acceptable standards, especially in social or sexual behavior. Based off the readings in regards to deviant behavior, the stories tend to show how the social environment can cause a forceful reminder of the situational grounding of morality. In the story “Eating Your Friends Is the Hardest,” the people that survived the plane crash in the Andes had to make a decision on whether they were going to survive based on environmental necessities that were available or whether they were going to die due to lack of nourishment. The individuals had to put aside their moral ways of thinking eating human remains of friends/family members is deviant behavior and to consider that as temporary
Time is another big struggle for college students. I know the feeling of applying for classes because it’s tough to decide on if there’s time to get from one class to one another; also if there’s time to get a bite to eat. Wendell Berry’s “The Pleasures of Eating: In What Are People For?” article suggests taking pleasure in eating a few ways to help anyone be a healthier eater, but “time” is an obstacle for the solutions. First off, both Berry and actually Pollan suggest students grow their own food in gardens. Specifically, Berry says to “Participate in food production to the extent” and “You will be fully responsible for any food that you grow for yourself, and you will know all about it. You will appreciate it fully, having known it all
Nothing is taken seriously except trivial things. Firstly, Algernon Moncreiff talks about absurdly trivially nonsense. with complete irrelevance, as when talking about the importance of science, he asks, "Have you got the cucumber sandwiches?" When an intelligent conversation is taking place, the conversation has completely altered, as he chooses to talk about sandwiches, whilst remarking that he is "speaking of the Science of Life". Secondly, Algernon and Jack Worthing are worried about the town and the country.
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.
Oscar Wildes ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’’ is believed by many to be his most genius work and certainly has withstood the test of time. The play is set in London during the 1890’s in which time frame aristocracy and upper class held the majority of the countries wealth. Many of the comical aspects question the morals of the upper class in which he satirises throughout the play. One method of this, for instance is through one of the main protagonist, Algernon Moncrieff. Algernon is an upper class individual who is oblivious to the world around him in such an exaggerated manner that it makes his character comically adjusted for Wildes own views. Many aspects of the time period are made a mockery through puns and witty remarks from the main protagonists, most if not all are portrayed in a sense that makes them undoubtedly a laughing stock. Wildes methods are not discrete; nor are they obvious, many of the comical comments made are by none other than the protagonists themselves. This furthermore enforces the corrupted morals of the time periods prestigious upper class by showing their sheer inability to acknowledge hypocrisy. For example, in act one; Algernon states “ Lane's views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.” This is especially amusing as Algernon believes that the lower class have a duty to set an example when in reality the matter of fact was quite the contrary. Algernon states that he believes the lower class are lacking in morals, he being arguably one of the most morally distorted characters Wilde created makes the double standards more prominent.
Throughout The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde plays around with the standard expectations along with the absence of compassion of a Victorian society in the 1890’s, he demonstrates this through several genres of comedy such as Melodrama, Comedy of Manners, Farce, dark humour and Irony, as well as portraying the themes, death and illness, in this play in a brilliance of unusual amount of references.
Similarly, in “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Jack and Algernon both begin their marital lives based on deception and lies. As a matter of fact, Gwendolen and Algernon both know Jack as Ernest. When Jack proposes to Gwendolen, she becomes overly attached to the idea of marrying someone called Ernest. Gwendolen exclaims: “My ideal has always been to love someone of the name Ernest/There is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence/It is a divine name/It has a music of its own/It produces vibrations” (Wilde 106), and Cecily is of the same opinion “it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love someone whose name was Ernest/I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest” (Wilde 116). Jack and Algernon never admits to Gwendolen and Cecily that they are living a double life, their relationships are based on lies. They are more occupied with the name Ernest than the fact of actually being earnest. In spite of leading a deceptive and double life, both men
In conclusion, The Importance of Being Earnest strongly focuses on those of the upper class society and the vanity of the aristocrats who place emphasis on trivial matters concerning marriage. Both Algernon and Jack assume the identity of "Ernest" yet ironically, they both are beginning their marital lives based on deception and lies. Lady Bracknell represents the archetypal aristocrat who forces the concept of a marriage based on wealth or status rather than love. Through farce and exaggeration, Wilde satirically reveals the foolish and trivial matters that the upper class society looks upon as being important. As said earlier, a satirical piece usually has a didactic side to it.
All throughout my life I have never had to watch my weight or worry about my eating habits. I have always been able to eat all kinds of different foods unhealthy or healthy it never mattered because of my high metabolism. I never stopped to think of the effects or the problems I could obtain over time if I kept eating the same way. However, after being deeply affected by this semester by my own food journal, The Food Inc. movie, and The Eater Reader I now have a better sense of wisdom and better understanding of the types of foods I was putting into my body, and have stopped drinking carbonation but with the lack of time I will not be able to give up my eating habits up.
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.
Throughout the play, Jack and Algernon thought that they were less than brothers, just friends. But in the end it is known that they are in fact brothers and they were oblivious to the fact. This further explains that without even knowing the truth about one another, they will always be there for each other.
“We all think we’re too smart to be tricked by packages, lighting, or plates. We might acknowledge that others could be tricked, but not us. That’s what makes mindless eating so dangerous” (Wansink 2). Unhealthy eating and the rise of obesity have become increasingly prevalent problems in the United States over the last few decades, but what often goes unnoticed is an epidemic that very well may be the cause of these issues; mindless eating. According to Weight Watchers, the term ‘mindless eating’ is defined as “eating food without paying adequate attention to what and how much is being eaten,” continuing to mention that this habit can be influenced by our surroundings and portion sizes. With the advancement of technology increasing the number of distractions, the idea that “bigger is better,” and American culture thriving in a life of convenience, snacking has become much more than a quick granola bar. Rather, it has transformed into consuming an entire bag of chips, for example, without even realizing it. Clearly, mindless eating is a significant contributor to health problems such as obesity, but what does this practice truly say about the culture in which we live? This unconscious habit may be impacting society to larger extent than many realize; hurting productivity, driving up health care costs, prolonging and even encouraging a fast paced lifestyle full of haphazard decision making.
One of the most important basic needs for humans is to consume food. Eating is an essential component of growth and survival. In general food consumption is perceived as just being a biological process. However, food consumption is also a psychological process. There are additional influences such as the environment that can play a role in eating behaviors. Food psychology studies these additional components of eating that demonstrate both how and why food decisions are made and the role psychology plays in an individual’s perspective towards food.