Answer the following questions about your character to help you with your interpretation. Post these to your page in the wiki.
What does your character want in the chosen scene?
Hamlet wants to be left alone; he is quietly reading. Polonius wants to read into Hamlet.
What does the character do to get it?
Polonius tries to make small talk, and Hamlet insults Polonius (discretely) several times.
What obstacles stand in his or her way?
Hamlet's cynicism?
How does your character really feel about what is happening in the scene? How can you tell?
Hamlet knows that Polonius told Ophelia to reject him, so he seems to be piqued about it. Polonius believes that Hamlet is madly in love with his daughter.
What do other characters say about your character in the scene?
Polonius thinks Hamlet is insane and in love, while Hamlet thinks Polonius an old fool.
What does the character’s language reveal about his or her personality? Think about the meaning behind his or her words. Write down a few phrases he says that might demonstrate something about his personality or are characteristic of his mode of expression.
How does this scene add to your knowledge of the character?
Hamlet is cynical, he jests to Polonius. Hamlet is reading, so it further supports the supposition that Hamlet is well read and intelligent. Polonius is a very proud man, he believe that Hamlet does not know him because he calls him a "fishmonger."
Job vs. Oedipus
Comparison
1. Both start at the height.
2. Both seek an explanation.
3. Both cannot avoid God's will.
4. Question/ underestimate the power of God/ gods.
5. Messenger and Elihu bring about an understanding.
6. Both would prefer to not have existed than to suffer their fate.
7. Both have romantic elements.
8. Both are quite innocent.
9.
10.
Contrast
1. Oedipus does not have a guiding figure .
2. Oedipus accuses his friends, but Job is accused.
3. Jocasta is a guiding figure, but Job's wife leads him in the wrong direction telling him to curse God and die.
4. Oedipus reaches a tragic end, but Job is granted, forgiveness, longevity, and
5. God's forgiveness is demonstrated in Job, but in Oedipus, everything is decided by fate.
6. Play versus story format.
7. Job was written much earlier than Oedipus.
8. Imagery of birth in Job.
9. Design vs bet(?)
10.
The Bible as Literature: The Book of Job AP English How do you cite a quotation from the Bible? Please don’t forget that OWL Purdue is the preferred grammar source for KIS.
In your first parenthetical citation, you want to make clear which Bible you're using (and underline or italicize the title), as each version varies in its translation, followed by book (do not italicize or underline), chapter and verse. For example:
Ezekiel saw "what seemed to be four living creatures," each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (New Jerusalem Bible, Ezek. 1.5-10).
If future references employ the same edition of the Bible you’re using, list only the book, chapter, and verse in the parenthetical citation.
When is the word bible capitalized and when is it not?
When the word is referring to the Holy Bible (noun) it should be capitalized; when bible is an adjective, it should not be capitalized (ex: bible text).
Write the MLA citation for the Bible.
The Bible
Give the name of the specific edition you are using, any editor(s) associated with it, followed by the publication information. Remember that your in-text (parenthetical citation) should include the name of the specific edition of the Bible, followed by an abbreviation of the book, the chapter and verse(s). (See Citing the Bible on the In-Text Citations – The Basics page, which you can access by following the appropriate link at the bottom of this page.)
The New Jerusalem Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Print.
Copy and paste 5 of the most important lines from Job. Cite the locations correctly.
CHAPTER 1
21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
CHAPTER 2
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
CHAPTER 10
1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
Why is this word important?
Iniquity: immoral or grossly unfair behavior
This word is important because it relates to sin. One of the discussions of Job is that God is fair and only punishes those that commit iniquity.
List one other word that people who read Job should know.
Eschew: deliberately avoid using; abstain from
Find 2-3 figures of speech. Copy and paste the lines and identify what figure of speech is used.
Is the Book of Job a tragedy, romance, history, or comedy?
Who is Elihu and why is he important? Who might he compare to in Oedipus?
▪
Half the class needs to compare Job to Oedipus. The other needs to contrast. Please create a chart or diagram. If you compare consider the characters, chorus, themes, setting, the role of the gods. If you contrast, please do the previous, but consider your deeper knowledge of the Bible and the deep differences in salvation between Greek theology (as represented in Oedipus) and Christian theology. Additionally, both groups should consider the role of rulers as stated in both works of literature. Each group needs 10-15 comparisons or contrasts.
Works Cited
Clausson, Nils. ""Culture and Corruption": Paterian Self-Development versus Gothic Degeneration in Oscar Wilde's the Picture of
Dorian Gray." Papers on Language & Literature 39.4 (2003): 339. Questia. Web. 2 Feb. 2010.
Dickinson, Peter. "Oscar Wilde: Reading the Life after the Life." Biography 28.3 (2005): 414+. Questia. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Huggins, Mike J. "More Sinful Pleasures? Leisure, Respectability and the Male Middle Classes in Victorian England." Journal of
Social History 33.3 (2000): 585. Questia. Web. 2 Feb. 2010.
Liebman, Sheldon W. "Character Design in the Picture of Dorian Gray." Studies in the Novel 31.3 (1999): 296. Questia. Web. 1
Feb. 2010.
Seagroatt, Heather. "Hard Science, Soft Psychology and Amorphous Art in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'." Studies in English
Literature, 1500-1900 38.4 (1998): 741. Questia. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.
First Draft
"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much"-- these words were spoken by Oscar Wilde, a man known for his singular wits, devotion to dandyism, and (at the time) for his infamous trials, the like of which was unheard of in conservative Victorian England where the questionable was doubtless committed, but always swept under the rug . Although the trial represents one of the most dramatic moments of Oscar Wilde's life, not many of his readers are acquainted with his turbulent last years, consisting of a lawsuit, trials, imprisonment, and hard labor. This paper will discuss the major factors of Wilde's life which influenced his work as well as the loss of identity in the works The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest."
In order to understand a work, it is crucial to understand the author as best one might. Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on the 16th of October, 1854 to successful writer parents; his mother was a poet and journalist ,and his father, a gifted ear and eye surgeon who wrote books on archaeology and folklore on his spare time. Oscar was schooled at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, and finally at Oxford University. It is at Oxford where biographers suspect that Wilde first encountered homosexual ideals through ancient Greek literature--a significant portion of the Oxford curriculum. According to Evangelista, sexuality began to be used as a "critical category" in the study of literature from the 1860s, a short while before Wilde began attending college (2). At the age of thirty, Wilde married Constance Lloyd, and they had two sons--Cyril and Vyvyan. In 1891, seven years after his marriage, Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray which came complete with homosexual undertones. The same year, he began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, and in 1893 his marriage ended. The play, "The Importance of Being Earnest" was written in 1895 shortly before Wilde, ironically, sued the Marquis of Queensberry, his lover's father, for accusing him of homosexuality. When he lost the trial, Wilde was arrested and sentenced to two years in hard labor for "crime of sodomy." His health broken by hard labor, and his reputation tarnished, Wilde spent the last years of his life penniless and traveling through Europe.
The Picture of Dorian Gray focuses on the loss of a young man's innocence through society. Young Dorian Gray comes to London from the country, and is introduced to Basil Hallward, an artist, and to Lord Henry Wotton, a satirical dandy, through his former acquaintance. Through Basil, who paints a portrait of Dorian, Dorian sees the true extent of his beauty for the first time; through Henry, Dorian decides to relinquish his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Dorian's first ill deed, causing the suicide of Sybil, produces a tremendous guilt on the young man's conscience. However, Henry perverts the truth by telling Dorian that he had allowed Sybil to experience real love and to die without having to suffer old age--he tells Dorian that he had done a good deed by breaking Sybil's heart. Dorian believes Henry in order to relieve himself of guilt, and the first transformation takes place on his portrait--his innocent smile turns into a smirk. So where does the loss of identity come in? Dorian Gray was by nature good-hearted and pure, however, he becomes tainted and depraved through exposure to society. His portrait, his dual identity, which we will explore more in depth later on, serves to further deface his identity.
Henry and Basil both seem to represent a different angle of Oscar Wilde's self. Henry, most thought of to represent Wilde, is a dandy by definition-a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance-with caustic and cynical wit. Henry is the force that manipulates Dorian, and at the same time, serves Dorian's id--the primary impulses. Henry uses Dorian to live the hedonistic life he, himself, is too afraid to live. Basil, on the other hand is the only ethical figure in the novel besides Sybil (except that Sybil lacks his self-restraint); he, too, is in love with Dorian, but refuses to feed his id. Although Basil is homosexual, and therefore, not considered entirely innocent according to Victorian social law, restrains his love from either morality or fear of rejection. As a reluctant homosexual, Basil seems to represent the superego of Oscar Wilde, what Wilde, according to the social norms of the period, should have strived to be. The artist serves as the superego, the critical conscience. While a functioning identity must have an ego, the compromise between one's id and superego, Dorian murders Basil, thus, leaving himself unprotected from his id. Perhaps this twist of plot in the novel represents WIlde's inner turbulence: without Basil, his superego, Oscar becomes Henry, his id, and loses his ego as well as any hope of becoming a whole identity.
In "The Importance of Being Earnest," Jack and Algernon create dual identities as well as assume the identities of others to escape Victorian social mores. Jack creates Earnest who is a wayward brother of his to escape from the country, and enjoy the pleasures of city life without tarnishing his reputation as Cecily's guardian. Algernon, on the other hand, creates Bunbury, a "permanent invalid", whom he can rely on to be in a "relapse" whenever he wants to skip a tedious engagement (Wilde 123;127). The conflict of the play is that in order to win the love of his life, Gwendolyn, Jack must solve his identity crisis. Lady Bracknell demands that he finds his real family, and Gwendolyn is hopelessly in love with his pseudonym, Earnest. Although not expressed profoundly in the play, Jack is also at a loss as to where he belongs: he was found a train station, raised and named by a millionaire, and enjoys inconsistencies like creating dual identities and moving fro the country to the city and back and forth. To half of the people he loves, he is Jack, and to the other half, he is Earnest. Nonetheless, in the end, Jack find out that he was named after his father, Earnest. Although most of the major characters are portrayed as blundering fools in love, the Earnest and his family reach a happy ending.
Comparing the loss of identity in The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest," what is the factor that allows Earnest to live and flourish while Dorian is condemned to death and failure? One would find it easier to start from the beginning by finding the cause of identity loss. Dorian trades his soul, and therefore his identity, for youth and beauty while Earnest trades his name for pleasure, but also Cecily's repute and happiness. Both Dorian and Earnest engage in pleasure and hedonistic activities, but it seems the Dorian far outdoes Earnest's ginger ales and club visits. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde is quite straightforward, saying what he has to say through the voice of his characters, however, in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Wilde is subtle, and his point is nearly imperceptible in this satire of Victorian upper-middle class ideals. In the latter work, it is important to note that, Wilde is not embracing Victorian ideals, but mocking it. In that sense, it is more caustic and cynical than The Picture of Dorian Gray. However, in the end, Earnest survives for his sincerity.
It is no coincidence that Oscar Wilde's protagonists, or rather, his tragic antagonists seem always to be battling some sort of identity crisis. Dorian loses his soul, Earnest knows not what to call himself; in addition, other plays such as "Lady Windermere's Fan" also deal with dual identities. It is obvious that a novelist's work impacts his novel; a poet's, his poetry. It is important to note that this man, Oscar Wilde, invented a persona: that of the dandy. The dandy, so well displayed by Henry Wotton, Dorian Gray, and Algernon, was the persona that Wilde had created for himself. However, Wilde so filled to the brim with caustic wit and devil-may-care attitude was projecting a subconscious knowledge of his nonexistent identity.
To analyze the identities of Wilde's characters, one needs to look at the author himself. The stages of Wilde's life is what creates such a schism between the tones of The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest." When he wrote the former, Wilde was struggling with his newfound identity: a "sodomite" in the words of the British government; when he wrote the latter, he was well-established in society, one the top of his game as chief and foremost playwright of the english language. There is a great discrepancy in tone. In his novel the self-discovering Wilde is hateful toward society, choosing to have no mercy upon Dorian and his companions, he only spares his representation--Henry Wotton. In "The Importance of Being Earnest," Wilde has come to accept society (although his society would never do the same for him in the events that followed after the premier of the same play); everyone is forgiven, Ms. Prism who lost a baby, Algernon who indulges in a life of pleasure, and Jack who lies about his name. The characters themselves are innocent and quite simple minded, so the change of attitude toward society that Wilde experienced.
Thesis: Oscar Wilde was a man known for his wit and eccentric personality, however, his insecurity and lack of an identity shows through in his works The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest."
I. Introduction
A. Hook: something interesting from Oscar Wilde's life.
B. Summarize the paper without giving away the twist since the essay will be worked backwards.
1. Give a short biography of Wilde's life, including only crucial moments.
2. Explore the identity of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Earnest (as known as Jack) in "The Importance of Being Earnest."
3. Exploration of why the main characters of both works lose their identity.
II. Body Paragraph # 1: a short biography of Oscar WIlde's life with more detail on what part of his life has impacted his work.
A. Birth and education.
B. Years at Oxford and other universities where he probably came in contact with the idea of homosexuality.
C. Marriage.
D. Trials.
E. Penalty for losing the trial .
III. Body Paragraph # 2: Loss of identity in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
A. Dorian Gray's loss of innocence, of conscience, of the natural process of life.
B. Henry Wotton, how he makes witty and cleaver remarks to hide his emptiness and cowardliness. Reflection of Wilde. The id.
C. Basil Hallward, another reflection of Wilde. The Superego.
IV. Body Paragraph # 3: Loss of identity in "The Importance of Being Earnest."
A. Earnest tries to fit in, but cannot. He must assume responsibility, so he creates an alternate personality.
B. Algernon creates a new identity that is not himself to give himself freedom, he only assumes the role of someone else himself to win Cecily.
V. Body Paragraph # 4: Compare and contrast the loss of identity in both works
A. Why do both lose identity?
B. The question of the beginning is why does this fracture of identities happen; the second, why does Earnest (Jack) survive while Dorian dies?
C. Is it because Earnest's motives are pure-to protect Cecily and Gwendolen-or because in The Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde is seriously considering society while in "The Importance of Being Earnest" Wilde is mocking it?
VI. Body Paragraph # 5: Present thesis (that both work reflect Oscar Wilde's own loss of identity).
A. It is true that Oscar WIlde was known to have both wit and a unique personality.
B. However, his works not pertaining to the two discussed, but also "Lady Windlemere's Fan" and others, display a theme dealing with loss of identity and self.
C. Living at a time when homosexuals were condemned and openly ostracized, Wilde hid his sexuality and most likely felt himself to be displaced from the world around (or rather surrounding) him.
D. Henry Wotton, most likely a character Oscar Wilde had derived from himself, is constantly trying to analyze the people around him. He makes witty comments-like Wilde-and never shows his true feelings. Perhaps, Wilde's eccentricity is just a cover to hide an emptiness he could only express through reflection in his characters.
VII. Conclusion
A. Explain how the essay's main points flowed until it reached the thesis.
B. Make a statement about Victorian Society and Wilde's life and how it may have affected him.
C. End with a direct quote from Oscar Wilde (?).
Answer the following questions about your character to help you with your interpretation. Post these to your page in the wiki.
What does your character want in the chosen scene?
Hamlet wants to be left alone; he is quietly reading. Polonius wants to read into Hamlet.
What does the character do to get it?
Polonius tries to make small talk, and Hamlet insults Polonius (discretely) several times.
What obstacles stand in his or her way?
Hamlet's cynicism?
How does your character really feel about what is happening in the scene? How can you tell?
Hamlet knows that Polonius told Ophelia to reject him, so he seems to be piqued about it. Polonius believes that Hamlet is madly in love with his daughter.
What do other characters say about your character in the scene?
Polonius thinks Hamlet is insane and in love, while Hamlet thinks Polonius an old fool.
What does the character’s language reveal about his or her personality? Think about the meaning behind his or her words. Write down a few phrases he says that might demonstrate something about his personality or are characteristic of his mode of expression.
How does this scene add to your knowledge of the character?
Hamlet is cynical, he jests to Polonius. Hamlet is reading, so it further supports the supposition that Hamlet is well read and intelligent. Polonius is a very proud man, he believe that Hamlet does not know him because he calls him a "fishmonger."
Job vs. Oedipus
Comparison
1. Both start at the height.
2. Both seek an explanation.
3. Both cannot avoid God's will.
4. Question/ underestimate the power of God/ gods.
5. Messenger and Elihu bring about an understanding.
6. Both would prefer to not have existed than to suffer their fate.
7. Both have romantic elements.
8. Both are quite innocent.
9.
10.
Contrast
1. Oedipus does not have a guiding figure .
2. Oedipus accuses his friends, but Job is accused.
3. Jocasta is a guiding figure, but Job's wife leads him in the wrong direction telling him to curse God and die.
4. Oedipus reaches a tragic end, but Job is granted, forgiveness, longevity, and
5. God's forgiveness is demonstrated in Job, but in Oedipus, everything is decided by fate.
6. Play versus story format.
7. Job was written much earlier than Oedipus.
8. Imagery of birth in Job.
9. Design vs bet(?)
10.
- The Bible as Literature: The Book of Job AP English How do you cite a quotation from the Bible? Please don’t forget that OWL Purdue is the preferred grammar source for KIS.
In your first parenthetical citation, you want to make clear which Bible you're using (and underline or italicize the title), as each version varies in its translation, followed by book (do not italicize or underline), chapter and verse. For example:Ezekiel saw "what seemed to be four living creatures," each with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (New Jerusalem Bible, Ezek. 1.5-10).
If future references employ the same edition of the Bible you’re using, list only the book, chapter, and verse in the parenthetical citation.
When is the word bible capitalized and when is it not?
When the word is referring to the Holy Bible (noun) it should be capitalized; when bible is an adjective, it should not be capitalized (ex: bible text).
- Write the MLA citation for the Bible.
The BibleGive the name of the specific edition you are using, any editor(s) associated with it, followed by the publication information. Remember that your in-text (parenthetical citation) should include the name of the specific edition of the Bible, followed by an abbreviation of the book, the chapter and verse(s). (See Citing the Bible on the In-Text Citations – The Basics page, which you can access by following the appropriate link at the bottom of this page.)
The New Jerusalem Bible. Ed. Susan Jones. New York: Doubleday, 1985. Print.
- Copy and paste 5 of the most important lines from Job. Cite the locations correctly.
CHAPTER 121 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
CHAPTER 2
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
CHAPTER 10
1 My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Why is this word important?
Iniquity: immoral or grossly unfair behaviorThis word is important because it relates to sin. One of the discussions of Job is that God is fair and only punishes those that commit iniquity.
- List one other word that people who read Job should know.
Eschew: deliberately avoid using; abstain from- Who is Elihu and why is he important? Who might he compare to in Oedipus?
▪Half the class needs to compare Job to Oedipus. The other needs to contrast. Please create a chart or diagram. If you compare consider the characters, chorus, themes, setting, the role of the gods. If you contrast, please do the previous, but consider your deeper knowledge of the Bible and the deep differences in salvation between Greek theology (as represented in Oedipus) and Christian theology. Additionally, both groups should consider the role of rulers as stated in both works of literature. Each group needs 10-15 comparisons or contrasts.
Works Cited
Clausson, Nils. ""Culture and Corruption": Paterian Self-Development versus Gothic Degeneration in Oscar Wilde's the Picture of
Dorian Gray." Papers on Language & Literature 39.4 (2003): 339. Questia. Web. 2 Feb. 2010.
Dickinson, Peter. "Oscar Wilde: Reading the Life after the Life." Biography 28.3 (2005): 414+. Questia. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Huggins, Mike J. "More Sinful Pleasures? Leisure, Respectability and the Male Middle Classes in Victorian England." Journal of
Social History 33.3 (2000): 585. Questia. Web. 2 Feb. 2010.
Liebman, Sheldon W. "Character Design in the Picture of Dorian Gray." Studies in the Novel 31.3 (1999): 296. Questia. Web. 1
Feb. 2010.
Seagroatt, Heather. "Hard Science, Soft Psychology and Amorphous Art in 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'." Studies in English
Literature, 1500-1900 38.4 (1998): 741. Questia. Web. 1 Mar. 2010.
First Draft
"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much"-- these words were spoken by Oscar Wilde, a man known for his singular wits, devotion to dandyism, and (at the time) for his infamous trials, the like of which was unheard of in conservative Victorian England where the questionable was doubtless committed, but always swept under the rug . Although the trial represents one of the most dramatic moments of Oscar Wilde's life, not many of his readers are acquainted with his turbulent last years, consisting of a lawsuit, trials, imprisonment, and hard labor. This paper will discuss the major factors of Wilde's life which influenced his work as well as the loss of identity in the works The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest."
In order to understand a work, it is crucial to understand the author as best one might. Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on the 16th of October, 1854 to successful writer parents; his mother was a poet and journalist ,and his father, a gifted ear and eye surgeon who wrote books on archaeology and folklore on his spare time. Oscar was schooled at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, and finally at Oxford University. It is at Oxford where biographers suspect that Wilde first encountered homosexual ideals through ancient Greek literature--a significant portion of the Oxford curriculum. According to Evangelista, sexuality began to be used as a "critical category" in the study of literature from the 1860s, a short while before Wilde began attending college (2). At the age of thirty, Wilde married Constance Lloyd, and they had two sons--Cyril and Vyvyan. In 1891, seven years after his marriage, Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray which came complete with homosexual undertones. The same year, he began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, and in 1893 his marriage ended. The play, "The Importance of Being Earnest" was written in 1895 shortly before Wilde, ironically, sued the Marquis of Queensberry, his lover's father, for accusing him of homosexuality. When he lost the trial, Wilde was arrested and sentenced to two years in hard labor for "crime of sodomy." His health broken by hard labor, and his reputation tarnished, Wilde spent the last years of his life penniless and traveling through Europe.
The Picture of Dorian Gray focuses on the loss of a young man's innocence through society. Young Dorian Gray comes to London from the country, and is introduced to Basil Hallward, an artist, and to Lord Henry Wotton, a satirical dandy, through his former acquaintance. Through Basil, who paints a portrait of Dorian, Dorian sees the true extent of his beauty for the first time; through Henry, Dorian decides to relinquish his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Dorian's first ill deed, causing the suicide of Sybil, produces a tremendous guilt on the young man's conscience. However, Henry perverts the truth by telling Dorian that he had allowed Sybil to experience real love and to die without having to suffer old age--he tells Dorian that he had done a good deed by breaking Sybil's heart. Dorian believes Henry in order to relieve himself of guilt, and the first transformation takes place on his portrait--his innocent smile turns into a smirk. So where does the loss of identity come in? Dorian Gray was by nature good-hearted and pure, however, he becomes tainted and depraved through exposure to society. His portrait, his dual identity, which we will explore more in depth later on, serves to further deface his identity.
Henry and Basil both seem to represent a different angle of Oscar Wilde's self. Henry, most thought of to represent Wilde, is a dandy by definition-a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance-with caustic and cynical wit. Henry is the force that manipulates Dorian, and at the same time, serves Dorian's id--the primary impulses. Henry uses Dorian to live the hedonistic life he, himself, is too afraid to live. Basil, on the other hand is the only ethical figure in the novel besides Sybil (except that Sybil lacks his self-restraint); he, too, is in love with Dorian, but refuses to feed his id. Although Basil is homosexual, and therefore, not considered entirely innocent according to Victorian social law, restrains his love from either morality or fear of rejection. As a reluctant homosexual, Basil seems to represent the superego of Oscar Wilde, what Wilde, according to the social norms of the period, should have strived to be. The artist serves as the superego, the critical conscience. While a functioning identity must have an ego, the compromise between one's id and superego, Dorian murders Basil, thus, leaving himself unprotected from his id. Perhaps this twist of plot in the novel represents WIlde's inner turbulence: without Basil, his superego, Oscar becomes Henry, his id, and loses his ego as well as any hope of becoming a whole identity.
In "The Importance of Being Earnest," Jack and Algernon create dual identities as well as assume the identities of others to escape Victorian social mores. Jack creates Earnest who is a wayward brother of his to escape from the country, and enjoy the pleasures of city life without tarnishing his reputation as Cecily's guardian. Algernon, on the other hand, creates Bunbury, a "permanent invalid", whom he can rely on to be in a "relapse" whenever he wants to skip a tedious engagement (Wilde 123;127). The conflict of the play is that in order to win the love of his life, Gwendolyn, Jack must solve his identity crisis. Lady Bracknell demands that he finds his real family, and Gwendolyn is hopelessly in love with his pseudonym, Earnest. Although not expressed profoundly in the play, Jack is also at a loss as to where he belongs: he was found a train station, raised and named by a millionaire, and enjoys inconsistencies like creating dual identities and moving fro the country to the city and back and forth. To half of the people he loves, he is Jack, and to the other half, he is Earnest. Nonetheless, in the end, Jack find out that he was named after his father, Earnest. Although most of the major characters are portrayed as blundering fools in love, the Earnest and his family reach a happy ending.
Comparing the loss of identity in The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest," what is the factor that allows Earnest to live and flourish while Dorian is condemned to death and failure? One would find it easier to start from the beginning by finding the cause of identity loss. Dorian trades his soul, and therefore his identity, for youth and beauty while Earnest trades his name for pleasure, but also Cecily's repute and happiness. Both Dorian and Earnest engage in pleasure and hedonistic activities, but it seems the Dorian far outdoes Earnest's ginger ales and club visits. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde is quite straightforward, saying what he has to say through the voice of his characters, however, in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Wilde is subtle, and his point is nearly imperceptible in this satire of Victorian upper-middle class ideals. In the latter work, it is important to note that, Wilde is not embracing Victorian ideals, but mocking it. In that sense, it is more caustic and cynical than The Picture of Dorian Gray. However, in the end, Earnest survives for his sincerity.
It is no coincidence that Oscar Wilde's protagonists, or rather, his tragic antagonists seem always to be battling some sort of identity crisis. Dorian loses his soul, Earnest knows not what to call himself; in addition, other plays such as "Lady Windermere's Fan" also deal with dual identities. It is obvious that a novelist's work impacts his novel; a poet's, his poetry. It is important to note that this man, Oscar Wilde, invented a persona: that of the dandy. The dandy, so well displayed by Henry Wotton, Dorian Gray, and Algernon, was the persona that Wilde had created for himself. However, Wilde so filled to the brim with caustic wit and devil-may-care attitude was projecting a subconscious knowledge of his nonexistent identity.
To analyze the identities of Wilde's characters, one needs to look at the author himself. The stages of Wilde's life is what creates such a schism between the tones of The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest." When he wrote the former, Wilde was struggling with his newfound identity: a "sodomite" in the words of the British government; when he wrote the latter, he was well-established in society, one the top of his game as chief and foremost playwright of the english language. There is a great discrepancy in tone. In his novel the self-discovering Wilde is hateful toward society, choosing to have no mercy upon Dorian and his companions, he only spares his representation--Henry Wotton. In "The Importance of Being Earnest," Wilde has come to accept society (although his society would never do the same for him in the events that followed after the premier of the same play); everyone is forgiven, Ms. Prism who lost a baby, Algernon who indulges in a life of pleasure, and Jack who lies about his name. The characters themselves are innocent and quite simple minded, so the change of attitude toward society that Wilde experienced.
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Research Paper Outline
Thesis: Oscar Wilde was a man known for his wit and eccentric personality, however, his insecurity and lack of an identity shows through in his works The Picture of Dorian Gray and "The Importance of Being Earnest."
I. Introduction
A. Hook: something interesting from Oscar Wilde's life.
B. Summarize the paper without giving away the twist since the essay will be worked backwards.
1. Give a short biography of Wilde's life, including only crucial moments.
2. Explore the identity of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Earnest (as known as Jack) in "The Importance of Being Earnest."
3. Exploration of why the main characters of both works lose their identity.
II. Body Paragraph # 1: a short biography of Oscar WIlde's life with more detail on what part of his life has impacted his work.
A. Birth and education.
B. Years at Oxford and other universities where he probably came in contact with the idea of homosexuality.
C. Marriage.
D. Trials.
E. Penalty for losing the trial .
III. Body Paragraph # 2: Loss of identity in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
A. Dorian Gray's loss of innocence, of conscience, of the natural process of life.
B. Henry Wotton, how he makes witty and cleaver remarks to hide his emptiness and cowardliness. Reflection of Wilde. The id.
C. Basil Hallward, another reflection of Wilde. The Superego.
IV. Body Paragraph # 3: Loss of identity in "The Importance of Being Earnest."
A. Earnest tries to fit in, but cannot. He must assume responsibility, so he creates an alternate personality.
B. Algernon creates a new identity that is not himself to give himself freedom, he only assumes the role of someone else himself to win Cecily.
V. Body Paragraph # 4: Compare and contrast the loss of identity in both works
A. Why do both lose identity?
B. The question of the beginning is why does this fracture of identities happen; the second, why does Earnest (Jack) survive while Dorian dies?
C. Is it because Earnest's motives are pure-to protect Cecily and Gwendolen-or because in The Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde is seriously considering society while in "The Importance of Being Earnest" Wilde is mocking it?
VI. Body Paragraph # 5: Present thesis (that both work reflect Oscar Wilde's own loss of identity).
A. It is true that Oscar WIlde was known to have both wit and a unique personality.
B. However, his works not pertaining to the two discussed, but also "Lady Windlemere's Fan" and others, display a theme dealing with loss of identity and self.
C. Living at a time when homosexuals were condemned and openly ostracized, Wilde hid his sexuality and most likely felt himself to be displaced from the world around (or rather surrounding) him.
D. Henry Wotton, most likely a character Oscar Wilde had derived from himself, is constantly trying to analyze the people around him. He makes witty comments-like Wilde-and never shows his true feelings. Perhaps, Wilde's eccentricity is just a cover to hide an emptiness he could only express through reflection in his characters.
VII. Conclusion
A. Explain how the essay's main points flowed until it reached the thesis.
B. Make a statement about Victorian Society and Wilde's life and how it may have affected him.
C. End with a direct quote from Oscar Wilde (?).
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