Wednesday, February 26, 2014

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - DISCRIMINATION AND CHARACTER IN TKAM


Discrimination and Character in TKAM

What is the accepted practice of discrimination (how the majority of people believe it is okay to treat someone; who you are allowed to interact with and how) in Lees fictionalised version of 1930s Alabama?

Make a list of all the social rules you can think of that are mentioned in the book or part of your understanding of the historical context.

Race:
If you are black: e.g. you must sit at the back of the bus and use separate taps, toilets, and schools; you must not offer to shake the hand of a white person.

If you are white: e.g. you must not allow a black person to call you by your first name; you must date and marry other white people.

Class:

If you are upper class/hold a job: you have higher status, you use money

If you are lower class/dont hold a job: you keep to yourself, dont mingle with society, you barter

Gender:

If you are a man: you must provide for your family; you own the females in your family; you must be physically tough and not emotional

If you are a woman: you receive less respect and status in society; you must wear dresses



Work with your partner to determine which characters reinforce (acts in accordance with, or perpetuates racism or classism) these accepted practices of racial discrimination or discrimination based on class, and which characters challenge (acts or speaks out against discrimination, realises it is wrong, or is shown to be moral or kind despite being the victim of discrimination).

For each character, note down which type of discrimination they reinforce or challenge, and examples of how they do this. NOTE: characters may both reinforce and challenge accepted practice.



Reinforces
Challenges
E.g. Mayella Ewell: while Mayella challenges racial discrimination somewhat by seeking out sexual relations with Tom Robinson, her actions following their encounter help to reinforce these ideas. By going along with her fathers lie, Mayella assists in condemning a man for the colour of his skin. Because Tom is black, she and her father believe his testimony wont stand up against theirs in court. Rather than admit she sought Tom out (and risk further social isolation), Mayella passively allows societys preconceptions to condemn him.
Mayella is also the victim of class discrimination. As a Ewell woman, she is left to her fathers cruel whims, with almost no outside contact or friendship and no prospects of a better life. She is a prime example of the role social status and gender play in determining the fate of Maycomb residents.
E.g. Atticus Finch: he acts against racial prejudice and discrimination when he represents Tom Robinson to the best of his ability despite societys belief that his word means less than that of a white man/woman. He also teaches Scout to see things from others perspective, and not to judge someone until you know them (which can apply to not judging based on skin colour). He also tells Scout not to use terms like n***er.
Atticus gentle and respectful manner with the Cunninghams (allowing them to pay with goods instead of money, treating Walter like an equal at the dinner table) reveals that he also challenges his societys class-based discrimination.
Aunt Alexandra
Calpurnia
Bob Ewell
Miss Maudie Atkinson
Mrs Dubose
Jem Finch

Heck Tate

Mr. Dolphus Raymond

Link Deas





Mr Underwood
Tom Robinson
Mr. Walter Cunningham
Water Cunningham
Scout Finch

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - PREJUDICE - ANALYTICAL ESSAY

A good example of a PEEL essay on PREJUDICE in TKAM. I have changed it from first person to third person and edited the text to read a little better. 
Human beings tend to make assumptions about others based on the criteria such as a person’s clothing or skin. However, people rarely realize that these assumptions can lead to violence and strife. In other words, prejudice ruins and sometimes even destroys society; it causes people to lose all compassion and understanding for their fellow human beings. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39)**. People often fail to examine a situation from a different viewpoint because their opinions are biased, and the result is the failure to judge others accurately. InTo Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows readers how prejudice causes people to believe in rumours, judge others by their race, and deem the beliefs of others unacceptable.
As a form of prejudice, rumours can cause a great deal of harm to the individual who is being targeted. Rumors can easily obscure the truth about a person because they are basically lies, opinions, and incorrect observations about the individual in question. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is the prime example of an individual who has suffered from this form of prejudice. As young children, Jem and Scout Finch are led to believe that Boo Radley is a horrifying bogeyman. Unfortunately, their opinion of him has been influenced by the widespread accepted beliefs of Maycomb. A few examples of these beliefs are, “People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze, it was because he had breathed on them” (10). In reality, none of these rumours hold any truth whatsoever. In fact, Arthur (Boo) Radley isn’t only a victim of prejudice; his own insane family held him prisoner for years. Despite his traumatizing experiences, through his actions in the book, readers learn that Boo is actually a very good person. In fact, Harper Lee compares him to a mockingbird throughout the story because of his efforts to help Jem and Scout. Eventually, Arthur even saves Jem and Scout when Bob Ewell attempts to murder both of them. In the final consideration, Boo Radley’s situation proves rumours to be an extremely harmful form of prejudice.
In addition to rumours***, racism causes people to lose all compassion and empathy for their fellow human beings. Being a typical southern town during the Great Depression, Maycomb is a society where racism against African-Americans is rampant. Atticus proves this when he says, “Why people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (117). The citizens of Maycomb exhibit this behavior when Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, an African-American who has been accused of rape. Unfortunately, there is only one possible solution for the trial, and Tom Robinson is convicted. Even though the prosecution has no credible evidence, Robinson’s race is enough for the jury to convict him. Atticus even states that a colored man’s word is useless against the word of a white man (295). To make matters worse, Tom attempts to escape from prison; unfortunately, the decision ends his life. Overall, racism is a form of prejudice that undermines every aspect of humanity and causes human beings to judge others with contempt.
When it comes to another person’s beliefs, prejudice is rampant. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch and his children are exposed to this form of prejudice before and during Tom Robinson’s trial. Instead of succumbing to the hatred and bias Maycomb exhibits toward Negroes, Atticus chooses to do the right thing. Atticus states his opinion when he says, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday…whenever a white man does that to a black man no matter who he is…that white man is trash” (295). As a result of their beliefs, the Finches are criticized ruthlessly by their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, this criticism turns into violence when Bob Ewell decides to act on his grudge against Atticus. However, instead of going after Atticus, Bob Ewell decides to attack Jem and Scout. Fortunately, Arthur Radley intervenes and prevents the murder of both children. In the final analysis, To Kill a Mockingbird shows readers how people can be utterly ruthless when judging another person’s beliefs
Throughout human history, prejudice has caused more strife and violence than almost anything else. Despite mankind’s advances, prejudice and discrimination still undermine civilization. In fact, the capability to destroy other human beings through contempt and bias has remained largely the same for thousands of years. Sometimes children can be deprived of their innocence with the horrors of prejudice which is true in the case of Jem and Scout. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows readers just how damaging prejudice really is when it is caused by rumours, race, and another man’s beliefs.
**
Normally, you would not use a quote in the introduction.
***Good link to previous paragraph
By Cullen Knowles
http://chspineneedle.com/2012/11/09/examining-prejudice-in-to-kill-a-mockingbird/

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - PRACTISE EXAM QUESTION

QUESTION:

To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a time of widespread discrimination, especially in the American south. How has the author, Harper Lee, used characters and events in the novel to reinforce the accepted practice of discrimination?


USING THE ANALYTICAL STRUCTURE OF C.T.A., P.E.E.L and T.A.G., a model answer could read something like this...

C(ontext) -
  • Broad Statement on the essay focus. 
  • General statement identifying the text, author and plot summary
T(hesis) - 
 Your personal response/statement to the question. All paragraphs must link back to the Thesis.

A(rguments) -
Usually 3 main Points which support your thesis in the form of topic sentences.

INTRODUCTION:

The Great Depression was an event that affected many countries in the 1930s. When the stockmarket crashed, the economic repercussions were felt worldwide. It was a hard time, as people struggled to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. This depression was the major background event to the storyline of To Kill a Mockingbird, where the main character and narrator, Scout Finch, lives with her older brother Jem and her widowed father Atticus in a small town, Maycomb County. Atticus, a lawyer, makes just enough to keep the family comfortably out of the poverty that affects many of the townspeople. The central theme of the novel is how a white lawyer, Atticus, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a poor, notoriously vicious man, Bob Ewell. Racial tensions in Maycomb flare, Scout and Jem become targets of abuse from the townspeople, and the generally accepted discrimination rises to the surface. In her novel, Harper Lee uses characters such as Aunt Alexandra, Dolphus Raymond and Mrs Dubose to demonstrate sexism, prejudice and racism. The character Aunt Alexandra combines sexism with racism, Dolphus Raymond suffers the town's prejudice as he lives with a black woman and Mrs Dubose's long-held racist attitudes are typical of the townspeople.


YELLOW - broad statement on the topic
BROWN - general statement on the topic
GREEN - plot summary
PINK - thesis
 BLUE - arguments (3) using characters (3)

PEEL PARAGRAPHS

POINT ONE - Aunt Alexander

From the time she arrives at Atticus' Finch's house to turn Scout into a lady, Aunt Alexander's sexist and racist attitudes are obvious. 


  • go on to explain her opinions re Scout (sexism) while leaving Jem alone
  • explain her dislike of having Calpurnia in charge of the children (racism)
  • give one example (quote) to reveal her sexist/racist attitudes

POINT TWO - Dolphus Raymond

Dolphus Raymond demonstrates how prejudice blinds the townsfolk who are determined to think the worst of him because of his choice of a black woman and how he has fathered two coloured children. 


  • explain the hierarchy of the town with black people on the bottom
  • explain how long-held attitudes allow the prejudice towards Dolphus
  • explain why he pretends to drink whisky and be drunk 
  • give an example - from his chat to the children outside the courthous explaining how children would understand him, but adults (long-held prejudices) wouldn't. 

POINT THREE - Mrs Dubose

Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose is an old and bitter woman,  a neighbour of Atticus Finch, and sees no problem with expressing her racist views, even to Scout and Jem.


  • explain the character of Mrs Dubose, yelling at the children when they walk by
  • explain why Jem has to read to her
  • give example of her racist attitudes towards Atticus, Tom Robinson- quote

CONCLUSION - 

T(hesis) - revisit
A(rguments) - essay summary, revisit Introduction
G(eneral statement) to wrap up essay.

Like Mrs Dubose, the townsfolk of Maycomb County have long accepted discrimination as a way of life. The trial of Tom Robinson is the polarising event, which brings these racist attitudes to the surface.

Monday, February 24, 2014

CANON - YEAR 12 - ANALYTICAL ESSAY - NOTES AND STRUCTURE

Depending on the question...such as 'What is the value of literature?' or 'Why is the novel still relevant today?'

For this unit, you will have studied novels such as:


  • 1984 
  • Brave New World
  • Pride and Prejudice
  • The Picture of Dorian Gray
  • Emma
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
  • The Great Gatsby...

INTRODUCTION:

CONTEXT:

  • General statement explaining the Canon of English/Western Literature
  • Why your novel (name of novel, author, year, title) is in the Canon
  • Your novel's literary excellence - language, themes, word useage...
  • How it answers humanity's deepest concerns...is relevant...is timeless (depending on question)
  • Continuing impact on readers (e.g. written 63 years ago...still relevant)
THESIS:

Your answer to the question in the form of a statement which answers the key words.

3 ARGUMENTS:

Depending on question, is your novel still relevant because of its:

  • political value? 
  • historical value? 
  • ethical value? 
  • moral value? 
  • artistic value? 
  • philosophical value? etc...
Go to the Analytical Essay post for more information on the structure, but it follows...

Context
Thesis
Arguments 
(This can alternatively be - C, A, T)

Point 
Explanation
Example/s - evidence, quotes, paraphrase...
Link to THESIS and next POINT
(3 TIMES)

Thesis (revisit, restate partially/in full)
Argument summary revisiting INTRODUCTION
General statement to wrap up essay. No quotes.

METAMORPHOSIS - FRANK KAFKA - REFLECTIVE SPEECH

EXAMPLE TASK:

For an audience of your peers, present a reflective speech that EXPLORES the power of literature to INFLUENCE the lives of readers. Begin with Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS as a springboard to DISCUSS your own TRANSFORMATION over the past five years and the IMPACT that literature has had on your personal metamorphosis.

HOW TO APPROACH THIS TASK:


  • Consider CONNECTIONS between the experience represented in Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS and your own life - e.g. consider the connections with your personal development over the past five years (physical, emotional, mental, attitudinal changes...) e.g 'When I was a child...'
  • IDENTIFY significant texts - BOOKS, NOVELS, ARTICLES, POEMS, LYRICS that have changed the way you see/experienced the world.
  • SYNTHESISE these elements into a Reflective Speech that explores the transformative power of stories.
FURTHER NOTES - beginning your thesis:

Literature has the power to transform the way we see/experience our world...

Which novels etc have marked your personal journey - broader socio/cultural context, unique identity and transformation, literature represents themes (alienation, family dynamics, human identity, change...)

How has literature lead to your metamorphosis over the past five years?

'GOOD' LITERATURE TO DISCUSS:

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - Jem and Scout's transformation throughout novel, from acceptance of the town's racist attitudes, to agreeing with Atticus' words about how to treat others. (So many themes in this one...)

LORD OF THE FLIES - How a happy tribe can transform into fierce warriors, uncaring of human life, with murder and mayhem resulting. (DYNAMICS)

THE BOOK THIEF - How courage transforms under the harshest circumstances. How people can survive through resilience, determination and pure fate. (Liesel's courageous life was saved by pure fate - her love of words saved her life as it meant she was hidden in the basement writing...)

So...look for novels that have deep themes that you might be able to discuss in relation to the topic - transformation.

SATIRE - NOTES - DEFINITION - TOOLS OF SATIRE

SOME NOTES ON SATIRE:

Satire is usually meant to be funny. Its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit as a weapon.

Direct social commentary via satire - the writer tackles serious issues, often incurring the wrath of the crowd (often the very people the satire is directed at - e.g. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, OSCAR WILDE. (poking fun at the upper classes, a comedy of manners - outward respectability and conformity...keeping up appearances)

A writer is trying to tell humans how NOT to act.

When writing about satire, ask yourself -


  • what was the author's intention?
  • who/what is the target of the satire?
  • what language does the author use? What 'tone' does this create?
  • what specific tools of satire has the author used? (check list below)


TOOLS OF SATIRE


  • strong irony
  • exaggeration
  • parody
  • juxtaposition
  • comparison
  • analogy
  • double entendre/puns (The title: THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST...)
  • subversion
  • reversal (depicts flaws in commonly-held attitudes that benefit one group over another)

CHINESE CINDERELLA - ADELINE YEN MAH - NOVEL - YEAR 8 - AUTOBIOGRAPHY - VOCABULARY

VOCABULARY FROM THE NOVEL 'CHINESE CINDERELLA'

Learn how to spell these words. Look up the meaning in the dictionary. Write sentences to learn the meaning of any new words.

Reluctant
Gingerly
Dialect
Solemnly
Fragrance
Involuntarily
Relish
Favouritism
Procured
Akimbo
Commotion
Consolation
Prominent
Burrowing
Incur
Menacing
Tentatively
Sheaf
Participate
Revive
Aversion
Suspiciously
Renowned
Obedience
Momentarily
Ravenous
Rigid
Bewildered
Peril
Downcast
Riveted

Palpable
Endurance
Pleadingly
Defiance
Grotesque
Desolate
Height
Irrevocably
Curiosity
Adversity
Towered
Sinister
Forbidding
Adjust
Restrain
Atrium
Protective
Fantasise
Imposing
Emanating
Indefinable
Suppressed
Lustre
Opaque
Radiance
Euphoric
Predicament
Cringe
Resemble
Combined
Imperiously

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

FEATURE ARTICLE - DOCUMENTARY - STRUCTURE


Feature Article Planning Sheet


                                                                                                                                                                   

Topic: What is the social issue?

Audience: Who are you targeting? Which newspaper does your article appear in? Are you being conscious of the nature and style?

Truth: What is the version of truth presented in your documentary?

Opinion: What is your opinion, view or stand point on the way the documentary has positioned you? Does it matter that this documentary only presents one version of truth? If it only presents one truth, is it successful in positioning viewers to accept it?



Content: What information will you include to achieve your purpose? Will you use sequences, quotes, specific references to particular clips/devices? Remember you must RESEARCH your topic, allude to alternative ‘truths’ and attitudes of mind. What strategies, devices and techniques do the documentary makers use to position the viewer?
  




Angle: What are you hoping to communicate to your audience? Of what are you trying to persuade them? Is your tone serious?


Technical aspects
Headline
Get the readers’ attention!

By-line

Kicker
Be witty – keep the readers interested.

Lead
Contextualise the social issue and nature of the documentary.

Body 1
Perhaps deal with a particular ‘sequence’ and the devices used in it?
Start listing notes re. examples you will use to substantiate your thesis.

Body 2



Body 3



Conclusion
Style You may choose to use:
o  First person
o  Irony
o  Rhetorical questions
o  Descriptive language
o  Variety in sentence length
Format
o  Photos and captions
o  Columns
o  ‘Throw out’ quotes

Remember: This is not about your opinion on the social issue; it is about what the
documentary makers have done to try to make you think a certain thing. Whether
you agree with what they have done will be conveyed inherently in the tone, language
 and content you use to persuade your reader that the documentary was or wasn’t
 successful in positioning you to accept a certain version of truth.


TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - PARAGRAPH WRITING

PARAGRAPH POINTERS: PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH USING “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” by HARPER LEE

Most paragraphs have three main parts:

·       The topic sentence (the POINT in the PEEL paragraph).
·       The supporting sentences. These start with an EXPLANATION of your point, followed by EXAMPLE/S or EVIDENCE in a PEEL paragraph.
·       The concluding sentence. This links to the THESIS of your essay, or links to the POINT of your next paragraph. If you’re writing a stand-alone paragraph, your concluding sentence will summarise your paragraph.

SO LET’S PRACTISE:

The first part of the paragraph is called the topic sentence/POINT. This sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

READ the paragraph below. Look for the topic sentence/POINT.

In literature, the author expresses his/her attitude towards the subject primarily through the characters and events. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee feels strongly the need for human understanding and conscience, especially in regards to the attitude of the whites to the negroes of Maycomb County in the 1930s. The main character and narrator, Scout Finch, uses forthright observations which are often humourous, but which reveal much about the attitudes in the South, as the reader follows her progression from prejudice and intolerance to understanding. Her journey is carefully guided by her father, Atticus, who teaches Scout and her brother Jem to “…appreciate the good qualities in people and understand the bad qualities by treating others with sympathy…trying to see life from their perspective.” In this, the author successfully reveals her attitude towards the themes of the novel through the characters of Scout, Jem and their father, Atticus.

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:
1.     What is the topic/POINT? _________________________________________________________
2.     Rewrite the second and consequent sentences, which are the supporting sentences. How do these sentences use facts and descriptions to offer an EXPLANATION for the topic sentence? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.     Write down the EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE used to back up the EXPLANATION. Is this a good example? Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.     The last part of the paragraph is the concluding sentence. It ties together all the sentences in the paragraph. Copy the concluding sentence here. In what way could this link to a THESIS?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHINESE CINDERELLA - NOVEL - YEAR 8 - PARAGRAPH WRITING USING THE TEXT

PARAGRAPH POINTERS: PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH USING “CHINESE CINDERELLA” by ADELINE YEN MAH

Most paragraphs have three main parts:

·       The topic sentence (the POINT in the PEEL paragraph).

·       The supporting sentences. These start with an EXPLANATION of your point, followed by EXAMPLE/S or EVIDENCE in a PEEL paragraph.

·       The concluding sentence. This links to the THESIS of your essay, or links to the POINT of your next paragraph. If you’re writing a stand-alone paragraph, your concluding sentence will summarise your paragraph.

SO LET’S PRACTISE:

The first part of the paragraph is called the topic sentence/POINT. This sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about.

READ the paragraph below. Look for the topic sentence/POINT.
Adeline Yen Mah suffered years of mental and physical abuse as a child. This abuse began when her mother died shortly after giving birth to her; in Chinese culture she signified ‘bad luck’. Adeline was left to suffer under a cold and manipulative stepmother, Niang. Adeline’s father never questioned her sadistic acts to his children, particularly Adeline. Adeline kept the abuse from her classmates as long as possible, saying, “…I was desperate to keep up the pretence that I came from a normal, loving family. I couldn’t possibly tell anyone the truth…I was held responsible for any misfortune and was resented for simply being around.” For this reason, Adeline’s mental and physical continued throughout her childhood and early adolescence.

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

1.     What is the topic/POINT? _________________________________________________________
2.     Rewrite the second and consequent sentences, which are the supporting sentences. How do these sentences use facts and descriptions to offer an EXPLANATION for the topic sentence? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3.     Write down the EXAMPLE/EVIDENCE used to back up the EXPLANATION. Is this a good example? Why? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4.   The last part of the paragraph is the concluding sentence. It ties together all the sentences in the paragraph. Copy the concluding sentence here. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

PRACTISE WRITING YOUR OWN PEEL PARAGRAPH USING THE FOLLOWING QUOTE:

'Everyone needs a lot of everyday courage in their lives.'

First, ask yourself, what is courage?

One dictionary meaning is: ...the quality that enables people to face difficulties, danger and adversity without giving up...

Then ask yourself, how does Adeline show courage? Write about it...

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST - OSCAR WILDE - PLAYS - SATIRE - ESSAY




"The Importance of Being Earnest" as a Satire




            The Importance of Being Earnest is a short play written by Oscar 
Wilde, who lived during the Victorian Era. The play itself has a very 
deep meaning, criticizing the people of the Victorian Era, yet it seems quite 
trivial. However, people from the Victorian Era did not realize that they 
were the ones being criticized, since it was Wilde’s most successful 
work. This shows that Oscar Wilde was a very clever man, who 
managed to trick people, as he was well aware that people do not 
like to be lampooned. The Importance of Being Earnest is therefore 
a cleverly subversive criticism of the audience it was meant to entertain.
            The people of the Victorian Era were true hypocrites. To this day, 
people know the Victorian people were hypocrites; perhaps the rigid 
expectations of the Era gave them no choice. The people of the Victorian 
age are known for being “moralizers”. They felt like they had to lie all 
the time, but then when someone found out, they would try to find a 
way to escape. This kind of things happened especially among the 
middle class and the upper class and Wilde demonstrates this 
through the characters in the play, especially Algernon Montcrieff 
and Jack Worthing. Their reason for lying was they had no other way
 to keep their reputations. 
            Daily life during the Victorian Era was very restricted. In some 
ways, appearance also became a major concern for the people of 
the Victorian Era. Men had to restrain themselves from openly gambling, 
being unfaithful to their wives, or marrying below themselves. Algernon 
well knew that the Victorians were living a lie when he declared the 
English morals were no better than the French who were unfaithful to 
their wives all the time.
            To state his opinions in a satirical manner, Oscar Wilde used 
his skills in literary style. For example, he used puns. One of the 
examples of his puns would be the title of the book itself. “Earnest” 
in the title of the book, meaning very genuine and open, is a pun 
because Jack who pretends be Earnest, is not earnest at all. He 
pretends to be Jack in the city and Ernest in the country. This proves 
that Wilde wanted to show his audience that they were hypocrites 
because the way they acted in the public was different from the way 
they acted in their private lives.
            Another example of his skills in literary style would be 
epigrams and contradictions. He used epigrams throughout the book. 
One of the examples is the character Miss Prism. She said, “No married
 man is ever attractive except to his wife.” First of all, she states the 
obvious. However, married men can also be attractive to other women. 
Here, Wilde tries to attack marriage during that time. An example of his contradictions is the line of Algernon, “What a fearful liar you are, Jack.
 I have not been called back to town.” This is another form of hypocrisy, 
where Algernon seems to contradict himself. He lies to everyone about 
being his brother, Ernest. Now he says that Jack is lying that he has 
been called back to town. This proves that Oscar Wilde was a clever
 and witty man with critical thinking and hard opinions about the people 
of the Era he lived in.
            Oscar Wilde also used his characters as cleverly subversive 
symbols. One of the examples would be Jack. Jack himself is a 
hypocrite in many ways. He pretended to have a brother called 
Ernest, so that he is able to do whatever he wanted and still keeps 
his reputation. He considers many things a taboo subject to talk 
about, such as modern culture. This is the example of people who 
demanded respect, but wanted to do unrespectable things.
            Another significant character that shows hypocrisy is Lady 
Bracknell. She is a symbol of the upper class of the Victorian Era. 
At first she disagrees that Algernon should marry Cecily. However, 
when she finds out that she has “a hundred and thirty thousand
 pounds in the Funds”, she totally changes her mind when she says
 that Cecily is “a most attractive young lady”, now that she looks at 
her. This shows that Lady Bracknell only cares about money. She 
even thinks that her daughter’s and nephew’s partners should have 
wealth.
            The Importance of Being Earnest is truly an impressive work 
of Oscar Wilde. It is a clever book, a very subversive one too. It criticized
 the audience it was meant to entertain. The historical evidence of the 
Victorian Era supported this because they were hypocrites who needed 
to be criticized in the hope of bringing about change. Wilde criticized 
his audience by using clever literary style and hidden symbols in his 
characters. Therefore, the purpose of Wilde’s work, which was to criticize
 his hypocritical audience, was successfully achieved.   


http://felixessays.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/the-importance-of-being-earnest-as.html













Works Cited
“Victorian Age.”  Amicicg Altervista. 05 October 2012
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Ed. Moliken, Paul, and Lisa Miller. Prestwick,
House ed. Clayton, Delaware, Prestwick House, Inc., 2006.