Literature critical reading THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST‚ A TRIVIAL COMEDY FOR SERIOUS PEOPLE by the Irish writer and poet Oscar Wilde‚ is a comedy about the customs and seriousness of society around Victorian values of that time. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is an excellent example of what a satire is‚ by the use of satirical devices such as irony‚ sarcasm and farce to show the society in a ridiculous way. In the play‚ Wilde often satirizes the Victorian society and all the rules that weren’t
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Paper The Importance of Being Earnest This novel‚ The Importance of Being Earnest‚ elaborates on the importance of telling the truth. You have two best friends‚ Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing‚ who create other people in their life. The plot of the story brings to the forth the concept of being honest. For example‚ Algernon admits that for him to be seen as polite‚ he makes up an invalid friend called Bunbury. On the other hand‚ Jack also comes up with a fake brother called Earnest. The aim
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Samantha Soto Gilchrist AP English IV 28 October 2012 The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest is a play by Oscar Wilde that can be viewed as a satire on the moral compass of people living in the Victorian era. The moral standards of the time held the ideas of sincerity and honesty on a high pedestal. To be Earnest would most likely fall between the two ideals; the first definition of the word earnest is “Serious in intention‚ purpose‚ or effort” and this can be a trait
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The Importance of Being Earnest Questions Themes (Feel free to see the questions related to the themes at http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/) Lies and Deceit Marriage Respect and Reputation Society and Class Gender Versions of Reality: Romance Love Foolishness and Folly Epigrams Define an epigram. What do the following epigrams say? Keep track of epigrams in the play. “Education is an admirable thing‚ but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing
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Explore how Wilde brings to life the two different characters in this passage and what does the passage reveal about their relationship with each other? This is an extract taken from the First Act of the play The Importance of Being Earnest which is written by the English writer‚ Oscar Wilde in the 19th century. This play is a comedy of manners‚ which satirizes the values during the Victorian Era. In this extract‚ the setting is only in the city - specifically in Algernon’s flat in Half-Moon
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AFFINITY. Oscar Wilde was a prominent playwright of the Victorian era‚ and a personality to say the least. His biting humour and keen wit produced many popular plays and quotes of the time‚ and are still well known today. A satire is a play engaging the use of humor‚ irony‚ exaggeration‚ or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is one of his better-known satires‚ effectively ridiculing many of the Victorian values that were of the greatest
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Teacher’s notes LEVEL 2 PENGUIN READERS Teacher Support Programme The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde Act 1‚ pages 1–6 (line 8): The play begins in the sitting room of Algernon Moncrieff ’s flat in London. Algernon is expecting a visit from his aunt‚ Lady Bracknell. Before she arrives‚ his friend‚ Jack Worthing‚ visits him. Jack declares that he intends to marry Lady Bracknell’s daughter‚ Gwendolen. Algernon points out that Jack has overlooked the problem with another girl called
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Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy that used the figure of the upper class dandy to critique the narrow-mindedness of the middle class in the 1890s. What makes this play so funny is that the upper class is illustrated as silly when they try to mock the earnest middle class. Proud characters who were bred in high society‚ such as Lady Bracknell and her daughter Gwendolen‚ may think that they are making particularly nasty snubs‚ but they do not seem to realize that Wilde cleverly plays
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and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest satirize conformity through the fetishization of products of Empire‚ status‚ and traditional sexuality in order to characterize society
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Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. Through the various characters like Jack and Cecily‚ it is clear to see common traits that appear to group the woman and the men into their two distinct categories. This belief that is shown in the play is explicitly written about in “The Women of England: Their Social Duties and Domestic Habits.” In this essay‚ Sarah Stickney Ellis maps out all of the expectations for women to act in that society. She not only states the apparent importance of it‚ but then
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