The Importance of Being Earnest

MAIN THEME OF PLAY: CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Oscar Wilde’s comical play, The Importance of Being Earnest, the main characters undergo a physical journey from the city to the country that contributes to the critical assessment of the Victorian time period and those who partake in the society’s trivial and pompous customs. Wilde questions the validity of the morals and manners of the Victorian era, as well as the theme of trivial details being more significant than the emotional ups and downs that reality brings. The physical journey of the main characters illuminate the act of hypocrisy that accompanies the petty manners that are required to be accepted in the society.

            Jack Worthing’s journey from his city life of being Ernest to his home in the country where he is simply referred to as “Uncle Jack” connects to the title of the play because for Jack it is extremely essential that he becomes Ernest. Being Ernest means that he will be able to marry his love, Gwendolen Fairfax, a pompous and oblivious woman who believes that it is her destiny to marry an “Ernest” and that the name Ernest “produces vibrations”. Something as insignificant as a name can make or break this engagement which contributes to the criticism of the Victorian society because such a trivial detail is more important than the emotional connection and love they share. A majority of the conversations taking place amongst the characters are about irrelevant and shallow topics such as: who ate Aunt Augusta’s favorite cucumber sandwiches.

Jack continues the journey to the country by completing it by saying that his brother Ernest has passed away and he pretends to be mourning the death of his imaginary alter ego while Algernon Moncrieff randomly appears and claims to be Jack’s brother Ernest. Algernon is on a quest to woo Jack’s ward, Cecily Cardew, who is very anxious and determined to meet Ernest. The theme of separating reality from fiction is a major problem for Cecily. She has convinced herself that she has met Ernest (Algernon) before and claims that he has done things when in reality he did not. By incorporating the idea of separating reality from fiction Wilde enhances the ridiculous and pompous attitudes occurring in the play and the time period.

At this point in the play, both Cecily and Gwendolen believe that they are engaged to Ernest. When the two eventually realize that they have been deceived they immediately become the best of friends which contributes to the theme of hypocrisy because a few moments before they were insulting one another, with proper manners, of course. This scene is significant to Wilde’s critical view of the society because the two girls are fighting with one another but neither one of them is allowed to lose composure because it would be “improper” and  “immoral”; so instead of using foul language and human emotions to express their anger they use petty retaliations such as putting sugar in the tea and serving cake although bread was requested. After the two girls had finished their childish argument, they confronted the men and discovered that they were being deceived the entire time and neither one of them is engaged to Ernest, so naturally, they are able to be friends. This scene is hypocritical because the two girls were just insulting one another, and now they are on the same team because they have been deceived.

The final act of disregarding significant topics occurs in the last scene where Jack discovers that he is related to Algernon. Jack reveals the handbag expecting to have an emotional and tender moment of awakening and Miss Prism is in disbelief because she is relieved to have the handbag back because it was a “great inconvenience.” Instead of having raw, human emotions that would be expected at a time like this the reaction is heartless and trivial. Wilde uses this trivial and pompous attitude to criticize the morals of the Victorian society; they claim to have manners and morals, however, when it comes to the important human emotions and topics such as: death, marriage, and realizing you have a long lost family, the society ignores it and continues to discuss silly and insignificant items, like a hand bag and cucumber sandwiches.

The journey from the city to the country side revealed the immature behavior of the characters. Jack’s journey is ironic because he starts off claiming to Gwendolen his name is Ernest and then when he is in the country he “kills off” his brother Ernest, and in the end he is really Ernest after all. The play criticizes the importance of being earnest, because none of the characters were able to talk about honest and serious topics. They were only able to focus on the status, morals, and manners that the Victorian society claimed acceptable.

“Getting Through” by: Deborah Pope

“Getting Through” by: Deborah Pope Analysis pg. 322-323:

                In the poem “Getting Through” by Deborah Pope the main literary devices used are metaphors and imagery to create the theme of frustration towards love.

                The comparisons in the metaphors used by Pope reveal frustration and annoyance with the speakers love for the significant other such as: “a chicken too stupid to tell its head is gone” or “like a train off its track toward a boarded-up station, closed for years”. The speaker expresses through these metaphors that her love for this person is irrational, uncontrollable, and unconditional which is revealed through this specific metaphor: “so I go on loving you, my heart blundering on, a muscle spilling out what is no longer wanted.” The metaphors help the theme of irrational and frustrating love that is expressed in the poem because metaphors compare two different ideas that are not relatable to one another.

The distraught imagery in the poem is an essential part of the overall theme of frustration with love. The speaker uses vivid images such as “a phone ringing and ringing in the house they have all moved away from,” this image reveals the speakers frustration and confusion with why she loves this person because the phone cannot be answered therefore, the speaker will not know the reason why she loves this person. The image of “a chicken too stupid to tell its head is gone” displays the speaker’s frustration with loving this person because she does not know the reason why. It is not logical to her why she loves them because of the image of a chicken running around aimlessly without a head is not an image typically associated with love, but rather confusion and frustration.

Reflection:

                I think the poem is relatable because it expresses the frustration that comes along with loving a person unconditionally without even really knowing why. The metaphors help get the point across that the speaker is internally frustrated with being unconditionally in love with this person that she compares it to a chicken running around with its head chopped off. The poem is realistic and honest, the author does not sugar coat her frustration, she cleverly states it in a metaphor.

“Good Times” by: Lucille Clifton pg. 277

Analysis:

In the poem, “Good Times” by Lucille Clifton the homespun diction contributes significantly to the overall meaning and experience of the poem by portraying the speaker as an innocent child who appreciates the simple day-to-day experiences. The speaker uses poor grammar and an uneducated vocabulary to reinforce the innocence of the child, such as: “these is good times” and “the lights is back on”. The speaker is portrayed as a child by the way the speaker refers to his/her parents as “My Daddy” and “My Mama”. This also contributes to the homespun diction and the theme of innocence and appreciation that is displayed by the speaker by using phrases like: “good times” and “everybody is drunk and dancing in the kitchen”.

Lucille Clifton uses simple but effective imagery that gives the idea of a family that does not have a lot of money but appreciates each other’s company. The imagery, similar to the diction, is not shown with immense detail but rather simple and provincial words that expose the significance of the poem. The image of the speaker’s father paying the rent so the electricity can be turned back on and the speaker saying that “they is good times” shows how the family does not need expensive,  over the top things to be happy. The most significant image in the poem is when the family is drunk and dancing in the kitchen this simple image really expresses the overall theme of the poem which is appreciating family. The family in the poem does not have an extreme amount of wealth but they do have each other and that is what the “good times” are made of.

Reflection:

                My interpretation of the poem is to focus on the positive things in life and to not think so much about money. Appreciating the simple things in life like dancing in the kitchen with your family is more important than worrying about what you don’t have.

 

 

 

               

 

 

The Handmaid's Tale

 

 

One of the themes portrayed in the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is the role that women have in society and the allusions used to create them. In Gilead, there are only so many positions women can fill and none of them include having a career or a voice. The positions that the women living in the society must fill are very specific and have no opportunities for individualism. They are not able to hold a position of power; such a position is only reserved for the men in the society. The few roles that woman can undergo are Wives, Marthas, Handmaids, and Jezebels. The role of a Wife is to be supportive of her husband, no matter what he may do. A Wife must be loyal and obedient, however the Wives are unable to become pregnant that is why the Handmaids are used. The last purpose of the wife is to raise a child. Marthas are the cooks and housekeepers. They tend to the members of the household; they will also be nannies to the child once it is born. Handmaids are only supposed to be a vessel for impregnation and the undergo a horrifying ceremony once a month which is purely for the purpose of becoming pregnant, nothing having to do with love or affection. The Handmaids are considered property of the Commander, they are not called by their own name but a name that refers to the Commander that she is currently with. And lastly, the Jezebels are purely used for their physical appearance and sexual ability. The Jezebels reveal the hypocrisy within the society. Woman must be pure and holy, but when men need to cut loose they are allowed to participate in vulgar and unholy activities. The ideas and laws of Gilead are extreme and very literal interpretations of the Bible. While religion should be joyful and fulfilling, the religious aspects of Gilead are quite disturbing and frightening, specifically in the scenes regarding the monthly Ceremony and the double standards concerning the promiscuous activity among the Commanders and the Jezebels. Throughout the novel, women have no voice or even an opinion regarding the way the society is run. Gilead is a society dominated by men that are claiming to be “protecting” the woman when in reality they are stripping them of their freedom to make decisions and voice their opinions. Women are perceived as foolish temptresses that must keep their place in society. In the scene on the novel where one of the Handmaids is explaining her experience of being gang raped and her peers around her are chanting that it was her fault and that she was asking for it. That is why the women in the society are not allowed to have a voice, because they would not be “protected”. The only sense of power Offred feels is when she swivels her hips underneath the long, concealing red outfit to antagonize the guards that were watching. The women of Gilead have no power in anything that they do, even death. The Handmaids’ rooms must not have light fixtures because they could try to hang themselves. Women are not even remotely close to being equal to the males in this society and this idea can also be reflected in our world today. In many places woman are only supposed to be at home with the children and the laundry. Even people in the United States of America feel that women should not be going to college to become more educated and pursue fulfilling careers. This novel, even though the ideas are pushed to the extremes, does relate to the roles women have in our society today and how women are viewed.

 

“‘He asks, are you happy,”’ says the interpreter. I can imagine it, their curiosity: Are they happy? How can they be happy? I can feel their bright black eyes on us, the way they lean a little forward to catch our answers, the women especially, but the men too: we are secret, forbidden, we excite them. Ofglen says nothing. There is a silence. But sometimes it’s as dangerous as not to speak. “‘Yes, we are very happy,”’ I murmur. I have to say something. What else can I say?”(29) This passage stuck out the most to me because it portrays how in Gilead, there is no such thing a happiness, freedom, or love. She has to respond she is happy to what the interpreter asks because she feels that is the only response. Offred questions whether she is happy or not. Gilead offers not opportunities of happiness. This passage is an example of how the Handmaids were not considered human beings, but vessels. It shows how happiness does not exist.

 

I liked this novel because it opened my eyes to how hypocritical our society is and how some people still have these certain ideas of what women should be or do. Margret Atwood uses The Handmaid’s Tale to try and make the reader realize that some of the viewpoints of women expressed in Gilead are still occurring in our society. The use of horrifying images, like the Ceremony, forces the reader to analyze the way our society views and treats women. Margret Atwood is attempting to change the way the world depicts women as objects and not as human beings. The extremely sexist views in the novel make the reader take a moment and consider the society that we are currently living in and think of ways that it can be changed for the better.