Wezly Barnard
A conscience does help people to behave. Without a conscience people would do things that are seen as bad or wrong and not have to worry about the consequences. It’s the feeling of guilt that helps people realize right from wrong. If people never felt guilty about anything, then the world would be in more chaos that it is now. Mark Twain turns this message into a joke by portraying the image of his conscience. “Straight away the door opened, and a shriveled, shabby dwarf entered.” Twain continues to create a perfect picture of his conscience and describes the actions that take place when his conscience is in the house. “He was not more than two feet high.” “Every feature and inch of him was a trifle out of shape.” Tension builds up between Twain and his conscience. He starts to feel extremely frustrated with the actions of his conscience. “He stepped along with a chipper air, and flung himself into a dolls chair in a very free and easy way, without waiting to be asked. This is ironic as he realizes that this is similar to the way he acts around people, “it seemed to me that this whole performance was very like an exaggeration of conduct that I myself had sometimes been guilty in my intercourse with familiar friends.” Mark Twain continues to struggle with his conscience and wants with all his might to get rid it. The more he tries to kill his conscience the more his conscience reminds him of the things he has done wrong and should feel guilty about. “You turned the tramp away from your door this morning.” Twains conscience helps him realize how he lied to the tramp and he feels guilty about it. Twain does not like the feeling of guilt and how right his conscience is in all aspects of his life. The story continues back and forth between the two characters and the battle finally ends when Mark Twain gets hold of his conscience and get rid of him. Twain then continues to do things that are wrong and even kills people. This illustrates how important our conscience is in life and the bad things people would end up doing without feeling guilty.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Blog: Mark Twain, Charles Chesnutt, and Fanny Fern
Dear All,
Here are a few prompts to consider for this week! 300-500 words of clear analysis, please:
1. Mark Twain's "Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut" uses humor in order to suggest, playfully, that not all forms of guilt are natural and healthy. As we laugh at the narrator killing his pestersome conscience and going on an insane rampage, we realize that a conscience is actually good for making people behave. Why does Mark Twain turn this message into a joke?
2. In "The Goophered Grapevine," Uncle Julius tells John and Annie a story about witchcraft, acknowledging that "white folks" might not believe in it. Who do you think believes in it, who does not? Think about about how belief in conjuring is part of the humor of the story.
3. At the time that Fanny Fern wrote "A Law More Nice than Just," it was illegal for women to "dress like men" (wear pants!). People took this law very seriously. Why, then, does it become so funny when Fern herself pulls on a pair of pants?
Here are a few prompts to consider for this week! 300-500 words of clear analysis, please:
1. Mark Twain's "Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut" uses humor in order to suggest, playfully, that not all forms of guilt are natural and healthy. As we laugh at the narrator killing his pestersome conscience and going on an insane rampage, we realize that a conscience is actually good for making people behave. Why does Mark Twain turn this message into a joke?
2. In "The Goophered Grapevine," Uncle Julius tells John and Annie a story about witchcraft, acknowledging that "white folks" might not believe in it. Who do you think believes in it, who does not? Think about about how belief in conjuring is part of the humor of the story.
3. At the time that Fanny Fern wrote "A Law More Nice than Just," it was illegal for women to "dress like men" (wear pants!). People took this law very seriously. Why, then, does it become so funny when Fern herself pulls on a pair of pants?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Hunter Warren's Blog
4. Discuss what you believe to be the wittiest quote from the play. What makes it the best one? Is it a clever paradox? Does it reveal a deeper truth? Is it used in a particularly brilliant way?
According to the dictionary, witty means being amusingly clever in perception and expression. Under these circumstances I believe Cyrano wins the spot of being the wittiest character in the book. His personality and character make him the "badass" of the play. This play, Cyrano de Bergerac, presents the readers with many witty quotes to further express the personalities of the characters. My favorite character, Cyrano, expresses his witty personality in the long quote that starts on page thirty-five. This long quote is sparked by the Meddler's comment about Cyrano's nose and is continued by Valvert. Because of Valvert's comment, Cyrano makes fun of his absence of creativity, and continues with his witty joke by making fun of his own nose. I love this quote because it exhibits Cyrano's several qualities that make him such a great character of this play. It shows off his sense of humor, creativity, courage and. confidence. I think Cyrano is such a great character because he is able to make fun of himself by using other character's ignorance. In return, this insults the victim without violence, which further makes them feel like idiots. In a way I feel as though everyone should have qualities such as Cyrano because even though he would have loved to stab Valvert with his sword he held his world with Roxanne and didn't inflict any physical pain upon anyone because she asked him to keep Christian safe.
Although this may seem absurd to do in reality, Cyrano does a great job in expressing his dislike for Valvert without being violent. I feel as though Cyrano is the wittiest character of the play because he is able to stand his ground by ridiculing others with his biting, ironic criticism instead of using violence. I really like the way Rostand built Cyrano because he is a very brave man that doesn't really care what others have to say about him. If someone hates him, he seems to take it with pride. Because Cyrano is able to act this way without having any repercussions, I feel as though he is one of the strongest characters of the play. When something is on his mind he has no problem with being public about it. This shows deep down that he has no shame within his life and has no problem with people knowing how he feels. This is a great quality in a person because most people keep things bottled up, or use violence to solve their problems. I feel as though this quote expresses Cyrano's wit as a character in the play.
According to the dictionary, witty means being amusingly clever in perception and expression. Under these circumstances I believe Cyrano wins the spot of being the wittiest character in the book. His personality and character make him the "badass" of the play. This play, Cyrano de Bergerac, presents the readers with many witty quotes to further express the personalities of the characters. My favorite character, Cyrano, expresses his witty personality in the long quote that starts on page thirty-five. This long quote is sparked by the Meddler's comment about Cyrano's nose and is continued by Valvert. Because of Valvert's comment, Cyrano makes fun of his absence of creativity, and continues with his witty joke by making fun of his own nose. I love this quote because it exhibits Cyrano's several qualities that make him such a great character of this play. It shows off his sense of humor, creativity, courage and. confidence. I think Cyrano is such a great character because he is able to make fun of himself by using other character's ignorance. In return, this insults the victim without violence, which further makes them feel like idiots. In a way I feel as though everyone should have qualities such as Cyrano because even though he would have loved to stab Valvert with his sword he held his world with Roxanne and didn't inflict any physical pain upon anyone because she asked him to keep Christian safe.
Although this may seem absurd to do in reality, Cyrano does a great job in expressing his dislike for Valvert without being violent. I feel as though Cyrano is the wittiest character of the play because he is able to stand his ground by ridiculing others with his biting, ironic criticism instead of using violence. I really like the way Rostand built Cyrano because he is a very brave man that doesn't really care what others have to say about him. If someone hates him, he seems to take it with pride. Because Cyrano is able to act this way without having any repercussions, I feel as though he is one of the strongest characters of the play. When something is on his mind he has no problem with being public about it. This shows deep down that he has no shame within his life and has no problem with people knowing how he feels. This is a great quality in a person because most people keep things bottled up, or use violence to solve their problems. I feel as though this quote expresses Cyrano's wit as a character in the play.
Readings for Week 12: Short Stories
Dear All,
For Monday, you will need to read Mark Twain's "The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut":
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3183/3183-h/3183-h.htm
And for Wednesday, Charles Chesnutt's "The Goophered Grapevine":
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11666/11666-h/11666-h.htm#chap1
Please either print these out and bring them to class, or take careful notes on them that you can bring to class.
Best,
Jennifer
For Monday, you will need to read Mark Twain's "The Facts Concerning the Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut":
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3183/3183-h/3183-h.htm
And for Wednesday, Charles Chesnutt's "The Goophered Grapevine":
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11666/11666-h/11666-h.htm#chap1
Please either print these out and bring them to class, or take careful notes on them that you can bring to class.
Best,
Jennifer
True Love
Of the three characters involved in the “love triangle”, Roxane is the only that displays the most pure love. In the early goings of the play, it seems that Roxane is only searching for a match on the exterior. She exclaims her love for Christian to Cyrano solely based on his looks. She really did not know much about who he was as a man. The thing that shows her pure love is her ability to change, and learn from her mistakes. When it becomes apparent that Christian is not the man that he appeared to be, she loses her feelings towards him. She shows that she is not the superficial woman she once was; it became much more important to her to find a man with a sound mind and heart. Roxane says that no matter the looks of the man who had been writing her the letters, she would still love him for what he had on the inside. This shows the most pure form of love; care for a true connection in another person. While the two men both show love for Roxane, a lack of confidence from both of them take away from the quality of their love. Christian had the woman’s heart, whether it be from only his looks or not. He could not express the way he felt to the woman he “loved”, so he confided in an outside source to do so. This shows cowardice and a lack of genuine love for Roxane. Cyrano shows a very pure love for Roxane, but due to no confidence in his appearance, he is too scared to pursue her. His hesitation towards the woman of his dreams shows weakness. The two men had opportunities to win the heart of Roxane, but neither had the courage to make an honest attempt. Even though Roxane is initially shallow, she shows change, and shows the purest love for the mystery man that is writing her.
Yes, some men are actually honorable
The play Cyrano De Bergerac, written by Edmond Rostand, portrays a character named Cyrano who is an honest, honorable man. Everything he does is to preserve his honor. This idea of honor to Cyrano is no more instilled into the audience then when Cyrano and De Guiche are having a conversation about war and how De Guiche got away from the Spaniards by taking off a white plume that shows his rank. Cyrano replies “I think that Henry the Fourth would have never given up his white plume, even when surrounded by the enemy… I don’t believe in declining the honor of being a target” (162). Cyrano then commences to put on this white plume. He is not only inspiring the troops, but he is also doing the honorable thing. He ends up wearing this white plume to keep honor, and show that he can not only say things, but he can also back them up.
As Cyrano’s life goes on, he stays true to his word and honor. Instead of focusing on using his skills to take from others, he attacks people who are dishonorable. According to Le Bret, Cyrano’s writings “constantly make new enemies for him! He attacks false noblemen, false saints, false heroes, plagiarists-everyone!”(204). Cyrano is indeed living up to his standards of honor by living his life this way. Another thing that is honorable about Cyrano is that he is true to his words. When the Duke asks Roxanne if Cyrano ever comes to see her, she says that he does, and in her reply she states, “I don’t even have to turn around to look for him, because I know I’ll hear his cane coming down the steps immediately after the last stroke.” This shows how people trust Cyrano and in order to be honorable, one must be trusted and dependable. The final thing that proves to me that Cyrano is truly honorable is that for fourteen years, he never tells Roxanne that he was the one who wrote all the letters. Roxanne finally finds out he was the one writing them, but he still adamantly denies it. He will be unhappy and go to his death to preserve Christians honor. Typically you would not believe that lieing is honorable at all, but if you’re protecting the honor of someone else, I think it is perfectly fine to lie as Cyrano does, and in fact even makes him more honorable. Thus the ending is inspiring, because Cyrano ultimately dies fighting for what he believes in,honor,and to me lives up to every bit of his white plume standards of honor.
As Cyrano’s life goes on, he stays true to his word and honor. Instead of focusing on using his skills to take from others, he attacks people who are dishonorable. According to Le Bret, Cyrano’s writings “constantly make new enemies for him! He attacks false noblemen, false saints, false heroes, plagiarists-everyone!”(204). Cyrano is indeed living up to his standards of honor by living his life this way. Another thing that is honorable about Cyrano is that he is true to his words. When the Duke asks Roxanne if Cyrano ever comes to see her, she says that he does, and in her reply she states, “I don’t even have to turn around to look for him, because I know I’ll hear his cane coming down the steps immediately after the last stroke.” This shows how people trust Cyrano and in order to be honorable, one must be trusted and dependable. The final thing that proves to me that Cyrano is truly honorable is that for fourteen years, he never tells Roxanne that he was the one who wrote all the letters. Roxanne finally finds out he was the one writing them, but he still adamantly denies it. He will be unhappy and go to his death to preserve Christians honor. Typically you would not believe that lieing is honorable at all, but if you’re protecting the honor of someone else, I think it is perfectly fine to lie as Cyrano does, and in fact even makes him more honorable. Thus the ending is inspiring, because Cyrano ultimately dies fighting for what he believes in,honor,and to me lives up to every bit of his white plume standards of honor.
...and the greatest of these, is love.
I believe the character who loves most truly is Cyrano. Even though he may seem rough around the edges to some people and his is unfortunate when it comes to good looks, he still finds the courage to go beyond all that criticism and build a strong heart. His intentions and desires are admirable and his heart is truly in the right place. His character comes out and the true Cyrano is revealed. Even though he can sometimes throw up a front and have a rough appearance to some, he is still honest with himself and stays true to who he really is, no matter who accepts it or not. There is a very short amount of people like that today in our society. People are either fake to themselves/others or they are rude/crude when attacked by others. Cyrano seems to have every intention of loving people and caring for them. When Christian is trying to profess his love to Roxane, he gets tongue tied and finds an extreme lack of words to describe what he is actually feeling. He acquires help from his good friend Cyrano who basically spoon feeds him words and produces a beautiful arrangement of words that cut deep to her heart. His hidden stance under the balcony in the movie provided him the opportunity to give Christian every word he needed to capture the attention of his love. This example goes to show how dedicated he was to his friends and how thoughtful he could be. He not only provided a beautiful arrangement of words that demonstrated how thoughtful and loving he could be, but also he went the extreme effort of helping out his good friend. We see a soft side of Cyrano behind that big nose of his and how caring he could really be. He showed not only a love for the other gender and his friend, but also a love for love itself.
Its ladies' night!
Wezly Barnard
I think the most obvious characters to compare are Roxane from Cyrano de Bergerac and Cecily from The Importance of Being Earnest. The obvious ways in which these two characters are similar is their beauty, intelligence, and their need for romance. Both ladies are chased by the opposite sex and thoroughly enjoy it. Both characters’ beauty becomes a constant means for stirring up drama. In Roxane’s place her beauty drives men to run over each other to get to her side. “Count de Guiche. Enamored of her. But wedded to the niece of Armand de Richelieu. Would fain marry Roxane to a certain sorry fellow, one Monsieur de Valvert, a viscount--and--accommodating!” Cecily’s beauty causes her love to try and change his name. “Our Christian names! Is that all? But we are going to be Christened this afternoon.” The women are also alike in the way that they both are involved in a sort of fantasy and romantic life. Roxane has many men interested in her and chasing her constantly, which could be considered a fantasy. Cecily has created a false and romantic idea of love through her own day dreams, journal entries, and pretend pen pal. The greatest difference between the two is definitely that Roxane never actually speaks or has dialogue during the play. She is only referred to by other characters, which ends up making her character even more intriguing. Cecily, however; plays a huge role when it comes to dialogue. In the beginning she is referenced by other characters similar to the way Roxane is in Rostand’s play, but when we meet Cecily she has a lot to say. In this way it easier to understand her character since I can get direct insight from her, whereas it is sometimes difficult to completely understand Roxane fully.
I think the most obvious characters to compare are Roxane from Cyrano de Bergerac and Cecily from The Importance of Being Earnest. The obvious ways in which these two characters are similar is their beauty, intelligence, and their need for romance. Both ladies are chased by the opposite sex and thoroughly enjoy it. Both characters’ beauty becomes a constant means for stirring up drama. In Roxane’s place her beauty drives men to run over each other to get to her side. “Count de Guiche. Enamored of her. But wedded to the niece of Armand de Richelieu. Would fain marry Roxane to a certain sorry fellow, one Monsieur de Valvert, a viscount--and--accommodating!” Cecily’s beauty causes her love to try and change his name. “Our Christian names! Is that all? But we are going to be Christened this afternoon.” The women are also alike in the way that they both are involved in a sort of fantasy and romantic life. Roxane has many men interested in her and chasing her constantly, which could be considered a fantasy. Cecily has created a false and romantic idea of love through her own day dreams, journal entries, and pretend pen pal. The greatest difference between the two is definitely that Roxane never actually speaks or has dialogue during the play. She is only referred to by other characters, which ends up making her character even more intriguing. Cecily, however; plays a huge role when it comes to dialogue. In the beginning she is referenced by other characters similar to the way Roxane is in Rostand’s play, but when we meet Cecily she has a lot to say. In this way it easier to understand her character since I can get direct insight from her, whereas it is sometimes difficult to completely understand Roxane fully.
Michael's Blog
In “Cyrano de Bergerac” there are many situations where the characters show their love for one another. I think that the character who shows their love the best is Cyrano. Cyrano unlike Christian can tell a girl what they want to hear, instead of telling them their beautiful. Cyrano sounds more truthful and more romantic than Christian. Also, Cyrano goes out of the way by writing her love letters (outside writing them for Christian) and sending them to her atleast two times a day. He even lies to Christian by saying he would only write Roxanne once every couple of weeks so he wouldn’t think anything was up. Roxanne also tells Christian that she basically loves Cyrano because she like the way he’s passionate and respects her. She says that she was in love with the words that comes out of his mouth not just looks. Most girls that I have known always love someone who is romantic and can say the right things not someone who just does the ordinary things. Because Cyrano is so good at these things he gets Roxanne to fall in love with him for his words not his looks like most girls. If Christian felt more confident and instead of asking for Cyrano’s help writing her letters he would’ve got Roxanne by just his looks but he asked for help and it changed her mind. Cyrano shows that his love is more passionate and truthful than that of Christian.
confusing love...wait, its all confusing. Raterman's Blog
I truly and fully believe that Cyrano loves most truly in the book “Cyrano de Bergerac”. There are very few people who would be able to write love letters to a person who they do not truly love. The letters are a way Cyrano shows his love for the woman he is madly in love with without him saying it to her directly. The woman he is writing letters to is Roxane. Cyrano starts out by telling his friend, Christian that he can write letters to Roxane for him but then Cyrano writes Roxane without telling Christian. He is telling Roxane whatever he wants and is putting Christian’s name on the note. This has him get his feelings “out”. He is just saying the words he feels by signing another person’s name to it. He is using his words but is having another person’s name on the work.
As Cyrano is trying to express his friend’s (Christian) strong and love feelings for Roxane by writing letters to Roxane, he finds himself falling him in love with her. There is no possible way Cyrano would be able to write such passionate and heartfelt letters to this woman without feeling some strong feelings toward her.
When Roxane tells Christian she is not in love with only his face but also with the words he wrote to her, it is then that he knows then that Roxane is in love with Cyrano. Christian knew that Roxane was not in love with him anymore when she said, “ I would love you even if you weren’t beautiful”. She was saying that although she was at first shallow and was just in love with his looks, after hearing “his” words he wrote to her, she was in love with the words he wrote and his heart. Even though Roxane might not even know that he is in love with Cyrano, it is true. She is in love with Cyrano because Roxane is in love with the heart that wrote the beautiful words which she read and those beautiful words were written by Cyrano.
As Cyrano is trying to express his friend’s (Christian) strong and love feelings for Roxane by writing letters to Roxane, he finds himself falling him in love with her. There is no possible way Cyrano would be able to write such passionate and heartfelt letters to this woman without feeling some strong feelings toward her.
When Roxane tells Christian she is not in love with only his face but also with the words he wrote to her, it is then that he knows then that Roxane is in love with Cyrano. Christian knew that Roxane was not in love with him anymore when she said, “ I would love you even if you weren’t beautiful”. She was saying that although she was at first shallow and was just in love with his looks, after hearing “his” words he wrote to her, she was in love with the words he wrote and his heart. Even though Roxane might not even know that he is in love with Cyrano, it is true. She is in love with Cyrano because Roxane is in love with the heart that wrote the beautiful words which she read and those beautiful words were written by Cyrano.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Drew Bowers - Question 1
I believe the question who loves most truly throughout the play is Roxane. Although in the beginning she seems to only go off the good looks of the men who are trying to woo her, at the end she says she truly loves Christian for who he is on the inside.
Roxane's sexuality is probably one reason why appearance is a main impact on her view of others. She is the main object of the men's sexual 'desires,' and those feelings can be reflected back on Roxane, making her only interested in their outward looks. She also has quite an outgoing personality; she knows what she wants in life and in men, so she is picky and does not want to just settle down with one person. However, she does have her flaws. She admits that at first she was very shallow about her feelings towards the men and admits that it was wrong. She is also blind that Cyrano is trying to win her over, not Christian.
Besides her initial interest being the good looks of the men interested in her, she eventually admits that she loves Christian for who he is inside. However, this is an main turning point in the play. This is where two opinions can be made of Roxane. Although it is hard to just believe that what she says is true and how she really feels, she says she is in love with Cyrano, who is deformed. This shows, however, that her power of love is true and she has more pure love than other characters since she loves someone who is not attractive. Her kindness never changes throughout the play, showing her sincere power of love over attraction.
Iris Murdoch once said "we can only learn to love by loving". This is certaintley true about Rostrand's charactrer Roxanne in the play Cyrano De Breger. Roxanne understands the true meaning of love through a series of unfortunate events that happen in this play. Roxanne is a round character that loses her husband in war, only to relize that her true love is alive. Though Roxanne can never be with her true love, she has suffered the most thus, makes her the character that has loved most truely. Rostrand writes this play with two male actors, Christan and Cyrano. Roxanne loves Christan for his physical beauty and Cyrano for his inner soul. Roxanne marries Christian and learns a hard lesson that loves comes from within. In Act Three, Roxanne learns that her love for Christan is shallow but the love she feels for Cyrano is true. Thus, makes her the character that loves most truely.
Matthew Peeler's Blog
In both Oscar Wilde’s and Edmond Rostand’s plays, there is a particular character that tends to run the course a little differently than many people. In both of these plays there is a character that lies, in one way or another, in hopes of getting the interest of a particular lady. In both of these plays these lies turn into truths at the end and though they end in quite a different manner, there is a similar principle involved. In Wilde’s play, Jack has hopes of entering a relationship with Gwendolen and in order to increase his chances, he lies to her about his name and tells her it is Earnest simple because she is fascinated by this particular name. To make a long story short, in the end it turns out that these lies turn into truths and everything works out in Jack’s favor. In Rostand’s play, Cyrano plays a similar role. Cyrano wrote Roxanne letters years before from a man name “Christian”. At the end of the play, Roxanne realizes that it was Cyrano that wrote the letters as she recognizes that the voice reading the farewell letter was the one she heard years ago. Though Cyrano dies quickly after this takes place, his lying to a woman in order to get closer to her works out in the end, even if it is only for a short time. Though these two story lines have a very different ending, they begin and transpire in a very similar way. Both Jack and Cyrano are characters that are interested in a lady that they believe are going to be difficult to get. Both of these men go under a false name in order to grow closer to the woman that they have feelings for. Despite the ending of the two stories, Jack and Cyrano have taken a similar path to their ladies, making them very comparable characters.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Blog Prompt: Cyrano de Bergerac
Dear All,
Below are a few questions to choose from for your blog. Per usual, strive for 300-450 words of grammatical, clear, analytical prose!
1. Which of the characters do you believe loves most truly: Cyrano, Christian, or Roxane? Strive to go well beyond the obvious.
2. Compare one character in Rostrand's play to a character in Wilde's.
3. Is the ending of the play tragic, inspiring, or somehow both? Has Cyrano lived up to his standards of honor, his "white plume"?
4. Discuss what you believe to be the wittiest quote from the play. What makes it the best one? Is it a clever paradox? Does it reveal a deeper truth? Is it used in a particularly brilliant way?
Below are a few questions to choose from for your blog. Per usual, strive for 300-450 words of grammatical, clear, analytical prose!
1. Which of the characters do you believe loves most truly: Cyrano, Christian, or Roxane? Strive to go well beyond the obvious.
2. Compare one character in Rostrand's play to a character in Wilde's.
3. Is the ending of the play tragic, inspiring, or somehow both? Has Cyrano lived up to his standards of honor, his "white plume"?
4. Discuss what you believe to be the wittiest quote from the play. What makes it the best one? Is it a clever paradox? Does it reveal a deeper truth? Is it used in a particularly brilliant way?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A Greater Understanding and Appriciation Based Upon Satire
H.F.’s review on the play The Importance of being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, is short, informative, and straight to the point. After watching the play, H.F. expresses his fondness for the play and the decadence era. His criticism is very positive, and he begins it by writing this: “Oscar Wilde may be said to have at last, and by a single stroke, put his enemies under his feet” (99). This indicates that H.F. understands Wilde and the period of decadence, because he understands the fact that Wilde intention of the play was to satirically portray the rich, fashionable, upper class group of people (Wilde’s” enemy”) as hypocritical and immoral, and in doing this, Wilde was able to portray his perception of this group of people to the audience. When H.F. watched the play, he also realized that other people were able to relate to Wilde’s humor and presentation of the upper class because according to H.F., he has “not [never] heard such unrestrained, incessant laughter from all parts of the theatre” (99). The play was able to bring people together from all parts of the theatre in a common laughter, because people could laugh about the Victorian era and how immoral the people were. It does not tell the exact year that H.F. wrote this review, so it is unclear when he saw the play, but the positive way in which he writes indicates that it must have been quite a few years after the actual Victorian period, because it is easy for people to look back and laugh at how things were. I believe that H.F. would not have been able to appreciate the play or watch as many people laugh throughout the audience had the audience actually lived in the Victorian era. In conclusion, H.F. leaves the readers of his review with this: “It [the play] will remain on the boards here for an indefinitely extended period” (99). H.F. believes that people will continue to appreciate this play for its willingness to go against the culture of the time and be different, and I think this prediction has come true, because I as well as my classmates were able to appreciate the humor of this play over 110 years later.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Age Isn't Just a Number
Throughout Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, the characters display many immoral actions. One would think that during the Victorian time period it would be a high priority to obtain moral values. Wilde portrays his characters as having the rebellious attitude toward the Victorian culture. This dialogue between Cecily and Lady Bracknell is one of many examples of the immorality exposed during this play.
Cecily: Well, I am really only eighteen, but I always admit to twenty when I go to evening parties. Lady Bracknell: You are perfectly right in making some slight alteration. Indeed, no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating….Eighteen, but admitting to twenty at evening parties. Well, it will not be very long before you are of age and free from the restraints of tutelage. So I don’t think your guardian’s consent is, after all, a matter of any importance.
The dialogue between these two characters epitomizes the way people believed and acted in Decadent culture. Cecily believes it is okay to lie about her age at times when she thinks it is appropriate. I would have expected Lady Bracknell to speak up and say something to Cecily about lying about her age, but she, like Cecily, believes there is nothing wrong with it. Of course Lady Bracknell would say that she didn’t need her guardian’s consent to say she was two years older than what she really is because it wouldn’t matter anyways. Her ward or guardian is John Worthing, and he is the one that calls himself Ernest in the city and Jack in the country. There were some really great role models during this time period. I think this is humorous because Lady Bracknell should be someone that helps distinguish between what is right and wrong, but even she thinks there is no harm in lying. Lying about anything is, without a doubt, under the category of immortality. In our society today, lying leads to nothing good. If I were to admit to lying about my age, it would not go unnoticed. I would be punished. In the Decadent culture, it seems to be there are no consequences for the actions people take. The only way a person learns from his or her mistakes is by being punished or having consequences. Wilde took a step away from showing how the characteristics of being honest and trustworthy are of great importance in not just the Victorian culture but in life as well. There is no point in time when lying should be accepted as being moral.
Callie Holloway
Cecily: Well, I am really only eighteen, but I always admit to twenty when I go to evening parties. Lady Bracknell: You are perfectly right in making some slight alteration. Indeed, no woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating….Eighteen, but admitting to twenty at evening parties. Well, it will not be very long before you are of age and free from the restraints of tutelage. So I don’t think your guardian’s consent is, after all, a matter of any importance.
The dialogue between these two characters epitomizes the way people believed and acted in Decadent culture. Cecily believes it is okay to lie about her age at times when she thinks it is appropriate. I would have expected Lady Bracknell to speak up and say something to Cecily about lying about her age, but she, like Cecily, believes there is nothing wrong with it. Of course Lady Bracknell would say that she didn’t need her guardian’s consent to say she was two years older than what she really is because it wouldn’t matter anyways. Her ward or guardian is John Worthing, and he is the one that calls himself Ernest in the city and Jack in the country. There were some really great role models during this time period. I think this is humorous because Lady Bracknell should be someone that helps distinguish between what is right and wrong, but even she thinks there is no harm in lying. Lying about anything is, without a doubt, under the category of immortality. In our society today, lying leads to nothing good. If I were to admit to lying about my age, it would not go unnoticed. I would be punished. In the Decadent culture, it seems to be there are no consequences for the actions people take. The only way a person learns from his or her mistakes is by being punished or having consequences. Wilde took a step away from showing how the characteristics of being honest and trustworthy are of great importance in not just the Victorian culture but in life as well. There is no point in time when lying should be accepted as being moral.
Callie Holloway
Hunter Warren
Jack: You don't think there is any chance Gwendolen becoming like her mother in about a hundred and fifty years, do you Algy?
Algernon: All women become like their mothers. That is their trajedy. No man does. Thats his.
Jack: Is that clever?
Algernon: It is perfectly phrased! and quite as true as any observation in civilized life should be.
In this scene it is forshadowed that Gwendolen will in fact turn out like her mother. She is already overbearing like her mother as it is now, and with time she will turn out to be a product of Lady Bracknell. I feel as though this can be taken either way depending on whether the mother of the "bride" is good or bad. In this case, Jack got screwed! Jack is completely sabatoged by Lady Bracknell because he has no ancestry. He was found in a bag, and all of his family is deceased. Is that his fault? No this is not his fault at all, but he is stabbed with questioning because of the cirucumstances. Because of this the mother finds it hard to accept the fact that he could be Gwendolens future husband. In those times money was everything, but not since Jack is alone with nothing but a brother. He is set at another disadvantage because there is nothing to build off of or inherit. I feel that in todays society people focus too much on the family of the spouse rather than solely on the spouse. Because of this, relationships are put off, or never reach their full capacity. In this case, the relationship that Jack wanted more than anything was immediately questioned. It is obvious that Jack loves Gwendolen, but he is obviously not secure in his beliefs about the family that may fall into. I think that because Gwendolen may turn out to be just like her mother Jack is set back once again. He will have to deal with her being overbearing in his future life. In this play Jack is put at a level way below everyone else just because he has no ancestors and is "alone". This is very immoral becuase someone was put down for something they have no control over.
Algernon: All women become like their mothers. That is their trajedy. No man does. Thats his.
Jack: Is that clever?
Algernon: It is perfectly phrased! and quite as true as any observation in civilized life should be.
In this scene it is forshadowed that Gwendolen will in fact turn out like her mother. She is already overbearing like her mother as it is now, and with time she will turn out to be a product of Lady Bracknell. I feel as though this can be taken either way depending on whether the mother of the "bride" is good or bad. In this case, Jack got screwed! Jack is completely sabatoged by Lady Bracknell because he has no ancestry. He was found in a bag, and all of his family is deceased. Is that his fault? No this is not his fault at all, but he is stabbed with questioning because of the cirucumstances. Because of this the mother finds it hard to accept the fact that he could be Gwendolens future husband. In those times money was everything, but not since Jack is alone with nothing but a brother. He is set at another disadvantage because there is nothing to build off of or inherit. I feel that in todays society people focus too much on the family of the spouse rather than solely on the spouse. Because of this, relationships are put off, or never reach their full capacity. In this case, the relationship that Jack wanted more than anything was immediately questioned. It is obvious that Jack loves Gwendolen, but he is obviously not secure in his beliefs about the family that may fall into. I think that because Gwendolen may turn out to be just like her mother Jack is set back once again. He will have to deal with her being overbearing in his future life. In this play Jack is put at a level way below everyone else just because he has no ancestors and is "alone". This is very immoral becuase someone was put down for something they have no control over.
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde’s humour in the play The Importance of Being Earnest is overall very witty and brought up in a “smartass” fashion. To me the character that plays the part of Algernon appears to be the wittiest character in the play, followed by Jack. To play the part of Algernon, you have to be a very high class character, have an enormous ego, and be clever.
Algernon from the start displays very high intelligence by outsmarting Jack when they talk about the double-character business. He’s always right on top of his game and seems to be one step ahead of the opposition. The tone in which he would talk would be slowly and very obnoxious in the sense that if he commented on anything you said at all, you would already know he was going to be a smartass. I can picture Algernon to be a fancy, rich character that is very luxurious.
The one person I picture right away to be comparable to Algernon is Michael Cane in the movie “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”. Michael Cane and Steve Martin in this movie bet for a woman’s money. Whoever steals all her money first, wins. Cane as his character is a high class, luxurious living person who will never show frustration, only appreciation for a challenge, just like Algernon. They have too much pride in their own being that they are almost ignorant of what is actually happening.
The personality for the person playing the part of Algernon should be a very polite, intelligent, and extraordinarily proper man. He will make no social mistake and will always make sure he’s being polite but is able to let people know they are inferior to him. He does show his ego by constantly outsmarting others and being proud of his “victories”.
Algernon from the start displays very high intelligence by outsmarting Jack when they talk about the double-character business. He’s always right on top of his game and seems to be one step ahead of the opposition. The tone in which he would talk would be slowly and very obnoxious in the sense that if he commented on anything you said at all, you would already know he was going to be a smartass. I can picture Algernon to be a fancy, rich character that is very luxurious.
The one person I picture right away to be comparable to Algernon is Michael Cane in the movie “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”. Michael Cane and Steve Martin in this movie bet for a woman’s money. Whoever steals all her money first, wins. Cane as his character is a high class, luxurious living person who will never show frustration, only appreciation for a challenge, just like Algernon. They have too much pride in their own being that they are almost ignorant of what is actually happening.
The personality for the person playing the part of Algernon should be a very polite, intelligent, and extraordinarily proper man. He will make no social mistake and will always make sure he’s being polite but is able to let people know they are inferior to him. He does show his ego by constantly outsmarting others and being proud of his “victories”.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Matthew Peeler's Blog
Money typically gives people a different attitude about things. Though it may not seem like it, money is a powerful object that can very easily have a negative effect on people even though they personally feel like they are doing well. This personal thought is usually where the bad begins. The individual begins to believe that they are somewhat “bullet proof” and that they can get away with anything. In my opinion, this situation is very apparent in Oscar Wilde’s play. Throughout the play, the characters take place in several particular actions that are completely immoral. One of these actions in particular stands out to me; this is the fact that Jack is living a life of lies. He says that he has a brother and that he is a man that has very little moral stature. He also says that his name is “Earnest” just to impress Gwendolen. Each of these things are very immoral actions. With some individuals believing that Wilde enjoys the fact that the rich members of the upper class can get away with anything, it raises the point that the play itself is immoral. This statement, in my opinion is very true. When someone of a higher social class gets into a difficult situation, they often believe that they can get out of it simply because of their stature, and sadly enough, this is oftentimes the case. This was the exact thing that happened the entire play for Jack. As I mentioned, Jack lives the life of a lie the entire book and just when things become difficult, the situation works out in his favor. At the end of the book, Jack finds out that his lies are actually true and he plays along like he knew the entire time. This is completely immoral and a true example of the hypocrisy that people in the upper class oftentimes show. Though this hypocrisy and immorality is what makes this poem funny, it does not make the situations in the poem right. So in conclusion, my thoughts are the same as many others as I believe that this poem is completely immoral.
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