WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 4 ANALYSIS OF HUMOR IN THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST The Importance of Being Earnest is replete with two elements: pun and paradox. These two are played up immensely to present a very humorous approach to cultural criticism. In essence‚ it is a satirical comedy on the aristocratic class during the Victorian Era. The text is full of epigrams that expose the characters’ views on lying‚ marriage‚ reputation‚ society‚ gender‚ romance and love. Additionally‚ the play keeps
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Victorian era is a time viewed by strict moral values. The play’s humor takes part with characters maintaining a false identity to break away from the social obligations. Being truthful‚ sincere‚ or serious could be the idea of earnestness. It will also reveal the true definition of honesty versus the Victorian definition of honesty. The comedy of this play shows several of the ways that the characters make fun of the moral strictness of the Victorian era. In The Importance of Being Earnest‚ there is
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The Importance of Being Earnest is a play that trivializes many things: the Victorian society‚ the nature of marriage and especially the concept of human identity. While identity is typically considered to be something concrete‚ the characters within the play are constantly in flux. This is especially evident in Jack‚ whose forms his identities as he goes through life. He transforms from a nameless baby in a handbag‚ to Jack the thriving member of the countryside bourgeois‚ then further on to become
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Is The Importance of Being Earnest A Realistic Fiction? Realistic fiction is stories about imaginary people and/or events that can actually happen (Cullinan‚ 1989). The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde may seem realistic but‚ in fact‚ it is not. Fictional characters of the Victorian Period and various occasions of ridicule represent nothing but sarcastically mirror the reality of the Victorian society. The characters look humane and world view seems to be based on the Victorian society
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English 11-2 19 April 2013 The Importance of Being Earnest Pseudo-Relations Undertaking countless adventures‚ Shawn and Gus have built an unbreakable bond‚ symbolizing true friendship and the priceless benefits of companionship. The television show Psych‚ is the epitome of bonds built through time‚ as the main characters strive to save Santa Barbara‚ California from mayhem by causing havoc of their own. In the same way‚ Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest‚ introduces relationships
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The Importance of Being Socially Acceptable. Often times we find ourselves living a double life at the very least and sometimes we even share multiple variations of ourselves with the world. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of being Earnest there is a strong central theme of living a dual life and then doing what is socially acceptable even when mocking the idea as the ridiculous concept that it is. From the beginning of the play Algernon Moncrieff is showcased as an irresponsible dandy who is not
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Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest” is a play that epitomizes the Victorian age. “The Importance of Being Earnest” a man named Jack who goes by the alias Earnest‚ and Algernon who goes by Bunbury. These men are living double lives‚ and by them doing so‚ they would not be considered an ideal Victorian man. Earnest and Algernon come up with these names so that they can get away from their daily lives to be along in the country. During the Victorian age‚ it was common for women to
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The Importance of Being Victorian: Oscar Wilde “The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either‚ and modern literature a complete impossibility” (Wilde 14). As a brilliant writer of the 1800’s‚ Oscar Wilde devoted the majority of his works towards unveiling the harsh truths of the Victorian society. Leading a life of deception himself‚ he chose to showcase his distastes for the social injustice he saw around him with unrestrained humor. Being the first
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Oscar Wilde’s satirical depiction of Victorian Society in The Important of Being Earnest comments on the absurdity of their inability to recognize the difference between the important and unimportant. Characters in the play often make trivial matters into serious matters and vice versa‚ although there are times where issues are treated appropriately. However‚ the whole idea of what is important is subjective‚ and in a Victorian Era context‚ matters such as social status and proper etiquette were
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have not been leading a double life‚ pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.” (IOBE P.24). Most people would not create another life in order to obtain happiness as their own should give them enough pleasure. In Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest‚ not one‚ but two characters end up leading a double life with the same name. Jack Worthing is an upper-class man who lives in the country being Cecily Cardew’s guardian. When not in the country but in the
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