Physical Travel in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

       In the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, the physical journeys of main characters Jack and Algernon, reveals the satirical statement about the old Victorian English society made by the work as a whole. 

      The meaning of the work as a whole is a satirical statement about the old Victorian English society, the pretentious, shallow/superficial, and frivolous lifestyle that has evolved past the substance life has to offer and instead dwells in a weird convoluted blend of false emotions, obsession of status, and always being polite and agreeable. The physical journeys include when Jack goes to London (where his name is Earnest) from the country, where Cecily is, he goes by Jack and when Algernon goes to the country, he is Bunbury and when he is in London he goes by Algernon. Where they takes their lives more seriously, they go by their true names. Names are of much importance in this play. They let everyone know all their family history and their status. They leave their "important" life to go else where, their no one knows them and they can purge themselves of poor unacceptable behavior and not have their names attached to those actions. Everyone performs as the people they are expected to be, not who they really are. Jack and Algernon's names represent society's influence on how they live their lives and who they should be, whereas Burnbury and Earnest represent their true selves without inhibitions or responsibilities (this is the time when true character is shown). Where ever Jack and Algernon travel to, they are only characterized further which adds to the meaning of the work as a whole. In this society, your name and facade are all that matters and to please you cannot act the way you want to, all emotions, actions, and desires are executed properly and not offensively. These displays of emotions are not real and therefore the society is not an accurate depiction of human nature. This makes the statement about society that it is all very convoluted, frivolous, too detailed-orientated to see the big picture, and unfulfilling (None of them have purpose in their life so they are making one up and raising the stakes of their "game"). An extended metaphor throughout the play is  traveling on the surface of the world and living on the surface of life. Both are physical and action-orientated while missing the satisfying depth of intellectual thought and deep authentic emotions felt. The product of life without substance, displays of emotion, and legitimate connections with people, is The Importance of Being Earnest. Algernon is a symbol for this ridiculous society(his nonsensical accusations and justifications stem from the world not having to make sense because their is no understanding of it anyway). It is ironic how the society stresses education and success only for the purpose of people thinking more highly of those people, not for self embetterment. Education provides status and one's status provides the connotation of upper-class; therefore, one does not need to prove or have substance. 

      This is how the character's Jack and Algernon's travels add to the meaning of The Importance of Being Earnest as a whole.

'Sound and Sense' Poetry Analysis

Speaking (on page 318 #259)

Imagery and Diction

                                  In Speaking, by Simon F. Ortiz, the natural and idealistic imagery creates a scene depicting innocence, growth, and spiritual connection/awareness. The nature imagery includes trees, ants, cicadas, crickets, and bubbles. Nature is represented as beautiful, innocent, and spiritually wise. The narrator's infant son is characterized in the same way as nature. The infant is also small like the insects are and their spiritual power is understated. The infant can speak to nature although the narrator has lost the ability to speak the language. The nature imagery also contributes to natural relationship and life cycle of these characters. Children grow and also forget the language and become fathers themselves, a cycle that has proceeded for millions of years prior. The proud and simple diction also contributes to the meaning of the poem as a whole. The narrator is not surprised by what is happening, but it is almost magical to him and this is reflected in his diction of awe.This is a profound experience and it is also understated with plain and simple diction; which, accentuates the theme of nature as being simple yet powerful. The diction is also proud. The narrator goes from, "This is he, my son. This boy is looking at you. I am speaking for him." to "They listen to this boy speaking for me." In the cycle of life, the son will one day be able to speak for his parent and it is part of nature.

Personal Interpretation

                                 I interpreted Speaking as nature speaks a different, more spiritual language. We, as infants, are simple and spiritually connected as nature is. Therefore, we understand each other. However, as we grow older, we make life more complex in our society and we forget about our spirituality and forget to speak the language. The narrator clearly understands how profound the experience is because he recounts it with a tone of awe and a sense of pride in his son. It is natural for a fathers son to grow up and take care of him. Growing up is something that has happened for millions of years. The awe and magic is the sight of how we fit into this world.

Desert Places (on page 289 #224)

Imagery and Tone

                             The imagery in Desert Places contributes greatly to the meaning of the poem as a whole. The imagery includes snow falling fast in the night, a field with weeds and stubble poking through a layer of snow, animals in their lairs, desert places, and "...empty spaces between stars-on stars where no human race is." The imagery of snow falling fast in the night is representative of death that is coming soon for the narrator. White represents cleansing or purifying. The weeds poking through the covering snow represents the unfinished conflicts in the narrator's life or the sins that he or she have committed and can still see the effects of it. The snow has covered the rest of the events in their life; however, some of the occurrences have grown above the rest and are so much more significant that they are still visible. The imagery is monotone, peaceful, and safe. This contributes to the meaning of the poem. Deserts are monotone, unchanging, and filled with the unknowns. The space between stars is empty and therefore black. The blackness is filled with the unknown and this adds to the tone of the poem as well. The tone of this poem is flat, plain, unvarnished, and apathetic. The tone is established with lines such as, "with no expression, nothing to express", "loneliness includes me unaware", "They cannot scare me", and "I am too absent-spirited to count." The narrator has heard much of what people say about death; yet, he knows that they have not died before and they have inaccurately depicted the events. People are always afraid of the unknown (the space between stars) and the narrator states that the star that he is heading too has never been inhabited by the human race. The feels comfortable with death which is described as he is much nearer to home than they are.

Personal Interpretation

                                 I  interpreted Desert Places as a journey through the unknown, and one having their own experience with the after life. The narrator's tone is unwaveringly non emotional and he or she negates all preconceived connotations with death. The imagery says that this time is eternal, safe, and purifying. People must experience these travels for themselves and the narrator speaks of his experiences. 

The Handmaid's Tale

Analysis

             The topic and theme I would like to discuss from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is the human nature to survive in oppressive and dangerous conditions. This topic is explored by Margaret Atwood thoroughly using the characters Offred, Serena Joy, and Moira.  Each character has different opportunities and power based on their positions in Gilead. Offred, being a hand maid, has no power in this society unless she becomes pregnant. Offred is an intelligent woman, as we see from her scrabble games with the Commander, and she decides to adapt to Gilead’s oppressive society in which women’s lives are in danger if they do not obey their male ruler’s commands. The fact that Offred is intelligent suggests that she has thought through every possibility of leaving this terrible life, but her opportunities are limited and her human nature to survive has paralyzed her free will. Offred does in fact make it out of Gilead; however, this is pure chance because she did nothing to free herself. Offred is a symbol of the The topic and theme I would like to discuss from The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is the human nature to survive in oppressive and dangerous conditions. This topic is explored by Margaret Atwood thoroughly using the characters Offred, Serena Joy, and Moira.  Each character has different opportunities and power based on their positions in Gilead. Offred, being a hand maid, has no power in this society unless she becomes pregnant. Offred is an intelligent woman, as we see from her scrabble games with the Commander, and she decides to adapt to Gilead’s oppressive society in which women’s lives are in danger if they do not obey their male ruler’s commands. The fact that Offred is intelligent suggests that she has thought through every possibility of leaving this terrible life, but her opportunities are limited and her human nature to survive has paralyzed her free will. Offred does in fact make it out of Gilead; however, this is pure chance because she did nothing to free herself. Offred is a symbol of the majority of how people react in dangerous situations, such as in the Holocaust. The majority of people accepted they had no power in their situation and let what was going to happen to them happen. Serena Joy has more power than Offred as she is a wife. She is an example of how people with more power than others in an oppressive situation oppress those below them. Another woman who suppresses others who do not have as much power as she does is Aunt Lydia. Also, Serena Joy, as a wife, has power over Offred and Serena almost gets joy from suppressing Offred. All women are suppressed in Gilead and still, in most cases, women continue to suppress each other. It must be human nature in crisis to think only of yourself is the point that Margaret Atwood makes. Moira is a symbol of someone who fights for freedom and does not succeed, leaving them to accept their situation with greater hopelessness after having tried and failed.  Moira works a degrading illegal job in Jezebels after having failed to escape Gilead. The men’s lives in Gilead are not at constant risk; yet, they find themselves just as uneasy as the women. 

“Ordinary, said Aunt Lydia, is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary” (Atwood 33).

                   This quote relates to my analysis of human nature in situations of crisis. Aunt Lydia tells the women of Gilead that they will become used to the ways of Gilead and chillingly, Offred starts to feel emotionless as she stared at the new dead bodies being punished by having their dead body displayed on the wall for all to see their crime. To survive, Offred and people within our society conform to feel comfort. Even if citizens do not agree with how their lives are being controlled, subconsciously or consciously, we as humans accept our environment to carry on with our lives.

Commentary

                I really enjoyed this dystopian novel just as I enjoyed the others we have read this year. The novel’s commentary on the society we live in by evoking indignation on numerous social issues or traditions held in our society by exaggerating them in an alternate, observable society is appealing to me. The exaggerated comparisons allow social issues to be put into perspective, a useful tool for change. The Handmaid’s Tale had a purpose greater than telling a story or perhaps simply a more effective impact to create energy for change.