The Importance of Being Earnest paragraph

For my first point I used Algernon's quotes on the unromantic and business like qualities of marriage to show how the social standards and expectation of the time demanded so much self repression regarding love and romance, making the pursuit of pleasure a rule breaking endeavor from the start. i also took the chance to show how Wilde's life experiences provided him with the personal knowledge necessary to portray such an accurate account of Victorian marriage. For my second point i used quotes from both Miss Prism and Chasuble to not only reinforce the business like quality to marriage, but also showing how loveless marriage really is and how that's excepted, or even expected in their society. for my last point i bring up two different quotes, one from Aunt Augusta and one from a conversation between Cecily and Algernon. these quotes allude to the idea that breaking the rules, chasing your passions, and doing all those other things that are taboo, is fun and exciting. the more oppressive and strict the laws of social conduct become, the more exhilarating it is to break them. Being bad is fun. For transitioning into the next paragraph talk about the previously mentioned ways the pursuit of pleasure was portrayed, relating it back to our main overall ideas, and sum up all three point of my paragraph.

Muy importante para mi grupo!

ok so instead of me talking about both marriage and just random things other people say throughout the play, I'm thinking it can be more focused on direct opinions that the characters have, or exact things they say. that way satire of marriage and things like 'behaving well and feeling well are very different things" can go together under the same topic. yeah? good? so then because this topic is about direct quotes while both of yours are about big underlying themes, then i was wondering if i should still be in the middle? whatcha think?

The Importance of Being Ernest/Victorian Research

My research on the Victorian era regarding marriage especially, has given me a more accurate vision of Victorian social life. Far more accurate than I would have had without such prior knowledge. Knowing the extent to which women were basically bought and sold under the pretense of marriage has helped me to catch the small truths that Wilde exposes through the use of his caviler characters. In one instance Algernon expresses his thoughts on marriage by saying that "it is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a diffident proposal" referring to the business like aspect of marriage regarding property and money. On another occasion he actually comes out and says quite plainly that proposing is a matter of business, not of pleasure. knowing the truth behind these words makes them so much more than playful jabs at the institution of marriage, but like a political statement, addressing the flaws in the society of the time.

Likewise, the research I did on the polarized gender roles of the Victorian era gave me a very different background with which to analyze the piece. The stereotypes of women portrayed throughout Wilde's play, though very different, all share key traits that tie into the general view of women at the time. Traits such as being irrational and self absorbed. Cecily is a perfect example of the self absorbed nature I'm referring to. When Gwendolyn asks if she can view her through her glasses, Cecily replies that she wouldn't mind at all and is "very fond of being looked at. Also, Cecily's obsession with her diary and her own thoughts just accentuate how absorbed with herself she really is. on the other hand, the way both Gwendolyn and Cecily describe their fondness for the name Ernest, and how it accounts for so much of the affection they feel for the guys they like, displays how very irrational the young girls are.The same with Lady Bracknell's "suitable gentleman" list, judging how suitable a man is by not only his fortune, but also the location of his homes, his parentage and whether or not he has healthy habits like smoking. Knowing beforehand the fairly low standing of woman in society and their place in it as being one of only passion and emotion, makes understanding the construction of Wilde's characters and the weight of the stereotypes he portrays all the more interesting.

The Idea

An idea was shared
so pure and so true
Preaching with wisdom
of the life no one knew

A life of equality
Of freedom and joy
Where no one could trick you
With some sinister ploy

So accepted it was
By all those involved
Not knowing that soon
It would all be dissolved

Not knowing their ideals
So pure and so true
Would be mangled so strangely
letting havoc ensue

Seeking a leader
To guide them along
They fallowed, oblivious
To it all going wrong

And when they saw through
Disguise after disguise
Each truth was shielded
By still more lies

So though they worked harder
And ate so much less
They still didn’t see
That they’re lives were a mess

That the thoughts from before
Were far from today’s
And their lives had turned sour
In so many ways

No, they just kept working
Day after day
Believing the lies
That kept coming their way

Life Lessons

Throughout my life my mother always requested that I step back and find compassion and understanding for my peers, even if I didn't like them. So when I came home from my first days of first grade, it was with this message in mind that she advised me. I'd complained to her about the oddities of one of my fellow first graders, explaining her agitating behaviors, and it was then that my mother spoke up, declaring that "maybe she just needs a friend." At the time, her insight only confused me.

However, once the message sank in, and ever sense, I've had a nagging voice in the back of my mind reminding me to see from a different perspective, to think of the thoughts and emotions of others. I'd suddenly realized that other people had thoughts and emotions in the same way that i had thoughts and emotions. For a first grader, the epiphany was epic. I'm sure this lesson is learned by everyone as they grow up, but for some reason this lesson haunts me stronger than most. It's easy for me to over complicate a situation by analyzing the impact of my actions too closely, and I often have to take a second and chill out. So, both a blessing and a curse, I've learned to see multiple sides to situations and conflicts, no matter how strong my opinions.

Friend Characterization

For years me and my friend Emmalene have confronted the vast differences between us. As little kids I was the one who'd yell after the person who stole our wall ball, demanding that they return it, me who would tell her when I and why I was mad. If someone stole our wall ball she'd watch in disbelief before going to get another, when angry or frustrated she wouldn't say a thing. when going out to play I payed no attention to the affect of dirt and grime on my clothes, where as she and been taught otherwise. Later, when we started cooking and baking tasty treats, she came with a cookbook and I came with the kitchen cabinet. She'd go step by step, adding 1/4 cup of butter, then one cup of sugar, while I threw in pinches and dashes of anything I could get my hands on. She'd give me one of her "you are so very crazy" looks and her disapproval and disappointment were very clear. She grew up with sisters, correcting and critiquing her every move, where as I grew up with an older brother whom I both worshiped and despised. A brother who only taught me the ways of video games and capture the flag, and whose worst criticism was that I couldn't make the right sound for a gunshot.

Emmalene and I grew up as complete opposites, an aspect of our relationship that seemed to surface at every encounter. when we were younger it was my opinionated and outspoken nature that contrasted so well with her quite, tentative self. Her family was conventional, straight laced, where as mine was wild and accepting. She was complacent and receptive to other peoples opinions, where as I was oppositional and suborn. Even now, despite all of the ways we have changed, Emmalene and I still have several differences ranging from our appearance to the opinions and values we both hold strong.

Early Memory

In the school year of 2000-2001 I remember the day Olympia was hit by a tremendous earthquake. I was in kindergarten at the time, sitting at a little table, eating a snack with my favorite red teddy bear. We'd gone through the drill before; hide under a table, stay away from windows, but it didn't quite prepare me for the rush of fear i felt when i realized what was actually happening. My little heart started pounding profusely as I got up from the table and promptly ran across the room to hide under another. Even at the time I recall thinking this was silly.

We sat there waiting patiently for the directions from our teacher, our eyes peering wildly at each other from beneath the desks. This was probably the most exciting thing any of us had experienced, and it was both thrilling and dangerous, taking our breath away. Finally an announcement was sounded instructing our teachers to escort us from the building. A sea of hands and feet scrambled out from under the desks and we were then ushered into a sloppy line in front of the door. We were told to leave everything, that they'd bring it to us later, but i spotted my teddy across the room and new what i had to do. Slipping out of line, I weaved between my classmates as fast as my little feet would take me, seizing my teddy from the table and scurrying back just as we made our way out the door, my teddy safe and sound.