NOVEL - JASPER JONES AND TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - COMPARING TWO CHARACTERS

JASPER JONES AND TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – COMPARING TWO SIMILAR CHARACTERS

Mad Jack Lionel/Boo Radley

Mad Jack Lionel: ‘Mad Jack is a character of much speculation and intrigue for the kids of Corrigan. No child has actually laid eyes on him. There are full-chested claimants of sightings and encounters, but they’re quickly exposed as liars. But the tall stories and rumours all weave wispily around one single irrefutable fact: that Jack Lionel killed a young woman some years ago and he’s never been seen outside his house since...A popular test in Corrigan is to steal something from the property of Mad Jack Lionel. Rocks and flowers and assorted debris are all rushed back proudly from the high dry-grass sprawl of his front yard to be examined with wonder. But the rarest and most revered feat is to snatch a peach from the large tree that grows by the flank of the cottage like a zombie’s hand bursting from a grave. To pilfer and eat a peach from the property of Mad Jack Lionel assures you instant royalty’. (pp. 3-4)

Boo Radley: ‘Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was high, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people’s chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions’. (p. 15)

What purpose do the Boo Radley’s and Mad Jack Lionel’s of the world fulfill?

In TKAM Scout and Jem are obsessed with the idea of touching the Radley place and passing a note to Boo; just as in Jasper Jones the children are obsessed with stealing peach pits from Mad Jack Lionel.

In what ways is the Jasper Jones character Mad Jack Lionel a Boo Radley parallel?

MAD JACK LIONEL	BOO RADLEY
a character of much speculation and intrigue for the kids of Corrigan	a character of much speculation and intrigue for the kids of Maycomb -  ‘a malevolent phantom’
No child has actually laid eyes on him.	No child has actually laid eyes on him.
claims of sightings and encounters	claims of sightings and encounters – Boo supposedly crept out at night when the moon was high and peeped in windows
Jack Lionel killed a young woman some years ago and he’s never been seen outside his house since...	Any crime that took place was Boo’s work
A popular test in Corrigan is to steal something from the property of Mad Jack Lionel – peach pits	Jem, Scout and Dill steal something from the property of Boo Radley – want to touch his place and pass a note to Boo
Rocks and flowers and assorted debris are all rushed back proudly from the high dry-grass sprawl of his front yard to be examined with wonder	Jem, Scout and Dill are fascinated by Boo Radley’s yard

NOVEL - JASPER JONES by Craig Silvey - VOCABULARY

VOCABULARY FROM ‘JASPER JONES’ by Craig Silvey

WORD	MEANING	SENTENCE
Contradictory
Applaud
Reviled
Reconciling
Scapegoat
Brutality
Facade
Sullied
Aspersions
Snide
Petty
Compromise
Hyprocrite
Abusive
Savage
Confine
Conflicting
Flawed
Egregious
Unrepentant
Misdemeanor
Convenient
Abrogate
Feral
Aloft
Aptitude
Pariah
Suspicion
Complicit
Intervene
Cowardice
Austere
Banter
Speculate
Irrefutable
Rumours
Debris
Malevolent
Morbid
Intimidate
Yobbish
monosyllabic
Moronic
Tolerance
Prejudice
Discrimination
Racism
prowess

http://www.sajones.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Reading-Guide-v22.pdf

PLAY - THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST - VOCABULARY

Vocabulary Study Sheet

The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde

(cover the right side of the sheet to quiz yourself)

allusion He alluded to Susan without mentioning her name. an indirect reference candid I gave them my candid opinion honest and direct capacious she carried a capacious bag large in capacity celibate celibate priests abstaining from (i.e., never having) sexual intercourse or: an unmarried person who has taken a religious vow of chastity contempt -- as in: feels contempt towards him Familiarity breeds contempt. lack of respect -- often accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike or disgust credulous The trick would fool none but the most credulous. gullible (being too willing to believe) domestic -- as in: domestic happiness They share the domestic chores. relating to a home or family eccentric The home was built and then abandoned by an eccentricbillionaire. unconventional or strange; or a person with such traits elaborate Will you elaborate on your comment that...? to have or pay attention to details and complexity; or to add details or: to exaggerate an action gravity -- as in: moment of utmost gravity She suddenly realized the gravity of her situation. serious -- typically a manner or feeling that is serious and solemn heresy a hard-line form of Sunni Islam that condemns all other strains as heresy opinions or actions most people consider immoral impetuous -- as in: an impetuous decision an impetuous display of spending and gambling impulsive (acting suddenly without much thought) -- often with an unfortunate consequence indifferent About a third are in favor of the change, a third are opposed, and a third are indifferent. without interest -- in various senses such as: unconcerned unsympathetic impartial not of good quality (which may imply average or poor quality depending upon context) indignant She was indignant, but agreed to be searched when they accused her of shoplifting. angered or annoyed at something unjust or wrong lax Lax safeguards contributed to the oil spill. lacking in strictness or strength metaphor He was speaking metaphorically when he referred to being mugged by reality. a figure of speech in which a word is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity -- as when Shakespeare wrote, "All the world`s a stage." ostentatious Although wealthy, the family is not ostentatious. intended to attract notice and impress others -- especially with wealth in a vulgar way philanthropy Her primary interests are family and philanthropy. helping others -- especially donating money to worthy causes; or an organization that does so pretense The country maintains a pretense of a free press. an appearance or action to help one pretend quixotic a quixotic law that was supposed to end excessive influence of special interests in government impractical due to excessive romanticism or idealism reconcile -- as in: reconciled their differences She reconciled her checking account statement. to bring into agreement refute The speaker refuted his opponent`s arguments to prove or attempt to prove that something is false reproach She reproached him for being thoughtless and lazy. a criticism; or to express criticism resignation -- as in: accepted it with resignation Come what may, she seems resigned to her fate. acceptance of something undesired as unavoidable or the lesser of evils speculate -- as in: don`t know, but I`ll speculate philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years to guess without certainty; or to reflect (think) deeply upon a subject supercilious Her mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air. showing arrogant disdain of those one views as unworthy tedious endured another of her tedious lectures boring -- especially due to the amount of something that must be endured utilitarian -- as in: utilitarian furniture She likes plain utilitarian kitchenware. designed for usefulness rather than beauty or style vacillate She was determined and did not vacillate in the least. to change one`s mind back and forth between conflicting ideas or: to sway back and forth vulgarity Her vulgarity was a turnoff. of bad taste -- often crude or offensive or: of unsophisticated (or common) -- especially of taste

For more vocabulary, click here for online vocabulary

PLAY - THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, OSCAR WILDE. VICTORIAN ERA.

To read the play online as an e-book, click here.

Victorian Life and The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest, written in 1895, acts as a play set in the present, that is, 1895. This comedy's humor sources in poking fun at society and its members. The play was not widely popular when it was first produced simply for the fact that people do not enjoy laughing at themselves. However, the humor of this play transcends time because the more time passes the more we are able to laugh at the traditions and customs, that once seemed all important, which are now trivial. Although, over one hundred years later, modern audiences still find The Importance of Being Earnest comical, there are some references that we do not understand since we have not experienced the political context. For instance, the characters make several political references to late 1800s British government and political powers. 

The Importance of Being Earnest acts as a depiction of daily life in the Victorian Era of England. 

Gardens: Wilde sets much of this play in the garden at the country house which accurately fits in with new trends of the Victorian Era. During this time, gardening had become a new fad in the upper class. Many public gardens were being built because the upper class felt that gardens would help the lower classes decrease their drunkenness and improve their social skills. 

Tea: One custom that became increasingly popular in Victorian England was the tradition of taking afternoon tea. This practice was displayed predominately by the upper class. One of the main scenes of Wilde's play takes place while enjoying afternoon tea. 

Vacation: During the Victorian Era, people were increasingly able to take vacations to other cities. This was in part due to the development of the train system, a move from an agricultural society and the creation of bank holidays, days that were designated by the government as public holidays. Increased ability to travel and take holidays help the reader to understand why Jack and Algernon are able to take off for the country to go Bunburying as they please.

Mourning Clothes: Wearing black to display mourning for a loved one was customary in Victorian England. A widowed wife would wear black for up to two years to mourn her husband's death. The house would also be prepared to mourn: clocks would be stopped, window curtains would be closed, and mirrors would be covered. When Jack arrives to tell Miss Prism and Cecily about his brother's death, the stage directions tell us that he is dressed in mourning clothes and wearing black gloves.

Education: As we see with Cecily and Miss Prism, education for the upper class students took place in the home with a private tutor. Schooling was not mandatory throughout the 1800s, but the richer children normally received schooling in the home just as Cecily does.

Religion: Religion played a large part in the daily lives of the Victorian English people. Many people during this time period attended church regularly. Baptism is a sacrament of the Christian Church and Wilde illustrates this aspect of Victorian culture through both Jack's and Algernon's desires to be baptized as Ernest. 

A Review

"Life is too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it," wrote Wilde in one of his first plays, Veraor The Nihilists. Long interested in the combination of the serious with the trivial, Oscar Wilde experimented with different proportions of each in his plays like a baker trying to get the perfect sugar to salt ratio in chocolate chip cookies. By the time Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest he had perfected his recipe.

The Importance of Being Earnest is funny all the time. There is nothing earnest about this play, at least on the surface. It’s a satire of the Victorian era, when an intricate code of behavior governed everything from communication to sexuality. The most important rules applied to marriage – always a popular topic in Victorian plays, and one that interested Wilde, who was married to a woman but sexually involved with men.

During the Victorian period, marriage was about protecting your resources, and keeping socially unacceptable impulses under control. We can see this at work in the The Importance of Being Earnest, usually when the social referee, Lady Bracknell, blows her whistle. Her two main concerns are class and money. Jack is a no-go because he doesn't know who his parents are (i.e., his class is unknown). Lady Bracknell is concerned that he might be a butler in disguise who will squander her daughter Gwendolen’s wealth. One character in particular, Cecily, becomes a lot more interesting when her fortune is mentioned. The ridiculous end of the play – three engagements in five minutes – is a "happy" one because everyone gets together. But think about it – they only get together because their social and economic fitness for each other is demonstrated.

 Why Should I Care?

Who are the people in The Importance of Being Earnest, who do they want to be, and how does the identity they choose affect their choice of a spouse? Generally speaking, the characters are young, unattached people looking for the future. They have the ability to define themselves. Jack knows nothing about his past. Algernon can’t remember what his father looked like and says they weren’t on speaking terms. Cecily is an orphan, creating herself in a diary full of fictitious events. Jack and Algernon are ready to change their names. Only Gwendolen has a strong link to the past (i.e., to Lady Bracknell). With perhaps the exception of Gwendolen, these characters could choose to recreate themselves in a unique and unconventional way.

But they don’t. According to Wilde: if you give a person an opportunity to invent himself, he will choose to be exactly who he should, according to social rules.

What a relief we don’t live in Victorian England. No rules in America, man, no rules in Australia? Aren’t we free to be who we want to be?

Really? There are no expectations? No unspoken rules? No opportunities to disappoint your family with your choices – of school, of career, of romantic partner? Maybe there are expectations and rules after all. The question of how much control we have over our identity – and the life path that comes with it – is still incredibly relevant to us today.