The Importance of Being Earnest

          In Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Being Earnest, he uses frivolous and superficial characters to shape a comedy full of satire to create a picture of the upper-class before the turn of the 20th century. Wilde depicts these characters as frequently traveling from one place to another, throughout Enland. At each of these different physical locations, the protagonists, Jack and Algernon, assume
 their alternate identity of Jack's fictional brother Ernest. The transformation of each man into Ernest was a deceptive trick designed to make their women of interest fall in love with them.  Similar to the transformation of each man's persona from one place to another is Algernon's use of his friend, Bunbury, who was fabricated by Algernon to provide him with an excuse to flee from undesirable social situations. The dishonesty presented by each of the shallow men lead to detection of their ploys by their female counterparts. Oscar Wilde uses the movement of characters from one location to another to allow the characters to shape alternate identities. It is these alternate identities that lead to the entanglement in the men's stories and the revealing of the meaning of the work as a whole, that lies and deception may lead to a character's downfall.
        Throughout The Importance of Being Earnest,  Jack Worthington is depicted a superficial man that engages in a deceptive second life. In his hometown of Hertfordshire, Jack is a hard working man that possesses the responsibility of taking care of his ward, Cecily. However, when traveling to other locations such as London, Jack transforms himself into his fictional brother Ernest, for occasions when he wants to cut loose. With his physical movement from one location to another, Jack is able to become two separate beings. Jack uses his identity as Ernest when winning the affection of Gwendolyn, but it is his swapping of identities that leads to his downfall and the potential loss of Gwendolyn. Jack's deception of his love is revealed when Algernon, who is also posing as Ernest, is in the same room with Jack and each man's fiance. Similar to Jack, Algernon is able to use his physical movement from his home to Jack's manor to establish his identity as Ernest as well. When the truth is revealed about each man's false identity their wives-to-be are shocked and repulsed, leading to the potential destruction of each relationship. A destruction that was founded by the journey from one location to another.
      In addition to nourishing alternate identity of Ernest, assumed by both Jack and Algernon, and allowing the web of deception to survive, the change of location from one place to another also contributes to Algernon's ability to construct his fictional friend Bunbury. Bunbury was created by Algernon, and established to be one of his dearest friends, despite living in different areas of England. Due to this separation of location, no one but Algernon was aware that Bunbury was made-up. Algernon used Bunbury as an excuse to get away from his life for a while, or to avoid unwanted social situations among his upper-class companions, by claiming that he was ill and that Algernon must go visit him. The physical journey of Algernon to his imaginary friend was one of deception and shrewdness, and allowed his to trick those around him. However, Algernon was eventually tripping over his own lies and instead of confessing that Bunbury was fabricated, he was forced to "kill" him off, forever negating any future attempt of his to use Bunbury as an escape.
       Throughout the play The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde uses the journey of superficial and wealthy characters from one location to another, to establish the idea that lies and deception may lead to one's downfall. The characters Jack and Algernon, each use their journey to lands other than their homes to assume the fictional identity of Ernest Worthington. This sly trick attempted by the two men was realized and almost resulted in the loss of their potential wives. Similarly, Algernon was able to make journeys away from unwanted situations by visiting Bunbury, his fabricated friend that no one knew was made-up do to their physical separation from their location. The discovery of the fact that  Bunbury was a lie was narrowly avoided however it forced his creator to kill him off, forever preventing any further use of his treasured escape. Through the use of the journeys of superficial characters from one location to another, Oscar Wilde was able to establish the meaning of The Importance of Being Earnest, that lies and deception may lead to one's downfall.

Poetry Assignment: "Delta" Adrienne Rich pg. 391

Analysis:
    In the poem "Delta," the author uses imagery depicting a shattered and ruined scene, along with a defiant and triumphant tone to convey that the speaker has overcome the faults of their past and is ready to continue moving forward.  The poem by Adrienne Rich opens with the lines, "If you have taken this rubble for my past raking through it for fragments you could sell."  The author paints the picture of broken down debris sitting at the bottom of a river delta.  The speaker correlates their past with this destroyed material to show that they are of no meaning to them and as the "fragments" sit at the bottom of the inferred river delta, these mistakes are to be forgotten. The speaker mentions a potential adversary sifting through the sedimentary rubble in search of something of value. Because the rubble represents the mistakes of the speakers past, it is likely the person looking through the fragments do not plan on helping the speaker move on from their mistakes, but rather use it against them.
    In response to the person rummaging through the pieces of the speakers past, the speaker says to that person, "know that I long ago moved on deeper into the heart of the matter."  Here, the author uses apathetic diction to lead to the idea that the speaker does not mind the investigation of their past. This apathetic diction contributes to the triumphant tone. The apathetic speaker seems to just brush off the this invasion of privacy because they know they have triumphed over their past fouls. While the tone of the second stanza remains triumphant, a shift can be seen from a neutral stance to an aggressive approach. "If you think you can grasp me, think again," this line shows that the speaker goes on the attack against the one who insists on bringing up their past. The line infers that the speaker knows that one cannot get an accurate judgement of their character and being based solely on their past mistakes. When the speaker says "my story flows in more than one direction," the loose and natural diction developed by the choice to use the word flow contributes to a tone of moving forward. The speaker does not wish to dwell on the rubble of their past and plans to flow forward down the other tributaries of life.

Reflection:
    To me, the central message of this poem, to move on from your mistakes, is an extremely valuable lesson. Like the speaker in the poem, I believe that in order to be happy and move on in life, you cannot dwell on past mistakes and regrets. This also may be the case when overlooking the mistakes of other around you. In my personal experience, it has been important for me to not focus on my mistakes but rather make decisions that could benefit me instead.

Poetry Assignment: "good times" Lucille Clifton pg 349

 Analysis:          
                 In the poem "good times" by Lucille Clifton, the author uses repetition and a childlike, innocent tone to convey the central message of always to focus on the good times in life.  The author of this poem made common use of the repetition technique when writing "good times." The title is repeated throughout, emphasizing the importance that good times have on the speaker. Lines seven and eight, along with 15 and 16, consist of nothing other than "good times; good times." This isolates the theme and idea possessed by the speaker that one should always focus on the good times.  The repeating lines "good times" seem to be occurring because of the shift from the potential bad times that have seemed to have ended at the beginning of the poem. "My Daddy has paid the rent and the insurance man is gone and the lights is back on," points to the end of troubling times and entrance to the good times emphasized by repetition. The final line of the poem uses one last repetition to drill in the idea " oh children think about the good times." This can either be a statement claiming that children only think about the good times, a concept that can be envied by adults, or a command telling children to think about the good times in order to forget about their troubles.
                 Lucille Clifton uses poor grammar and uneducated diction to develop a childlike feel and the tone of innocence that often accompanies a child. The author makes use of "My Daddy" and "My Mama" to illustrate that the speaker is of a younger age that still is dependent on their parents. Statements like "the lights is back on" point towards the poor grammar used by children. Lines 9-14 may best portray a tone of innocence, "My Mama has made bread and Grampaw has come and everybody is drunk and dancing in the kitchen and singing in the kitchen oh these is good times." In these lines not only the child speaker is innocent but their whole family is. The family is "drunk and dancing in the kitchen and singing in the kitchen." The state of being drunk in this poem likely represents a state of bliss and obliviousness. The family is too busy caught up in their good times to see that the time they have is limited and is will likely be threatened soon. However, like the speaker points at, the central meaning of the poem is to always focus on the good times. With all of the family holding a childlike attitude of innocence and obliviousness, they can forget about all of their troubles and focus on the good times.


Reflection:  
                  I believe that the message of this poem, to focus on the good times in life, is an extremely important one. If a person carries this theme with them, it can aid them in getting through even the toughest of times.  My personal experience of the poem has lead to me being convinced that the best way to get through troubling times or forget about a rough period of time, is to only think of the good times and the moments within them.

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale  is composed of countless criticisms of today's society. On page 57, through the use of a pillow as a symbol for faith, Atwood conveys her belief that religious faith has become outdated in modern society. The symbol created by the author in this particular passage is an old, faded pillow with the word "FAITH" printed on it. Immediately, the word faith can be attributed to religion. Regarding the pillow, the author wrote, "This is a cushion once used elsewhere, worn but not enough to throw out" (Atwood 57). This line, along with the faded appearance of the pillow, points to the current irrelevance of Faith. It is acknowledged that Faith once had its purposes, but at this point in time it serves little purpose to most. However, it is noted that this pillow is not quite worn enough to be thrown out. Religious Faith provides one something to fall back on in times of trouble or distress and never remains completely irrelevant in one's life. The resting place for the pillow in this scene is a window seat described as "too narrow for comfort" (57). This description points to the author's possible belief that the required followings of certain organized religions have become too narrow-minded and opposed to change. In some religions, a worshiper is unable to form their own opinions on certain issues due to the strict guidelines enforced by their religion, which tends to push some away from their Faith. Through the use of this faded pillow, Atwood is able to convey her belief that religious faith has become outdated in modern society.                                One of the dominant ideas that is found in this novel is the condemning of women as sexual objects, not only in the fictional society of Gilliad but also in real, modern society. With this idea ever present, this particular passage stood out to me. This passage occurs when Offred and Nick are to have intercourse, " ' There's no need to be brutal,' I say. Possibly he feels used. Possibly he wants something from me, some emotion, some acknowledgment that he too is human, is more than just a seedpod" (Atwood 262). I found this passage interesting due to its complete contrast to one of the central ideas found in the novel. This passage addresses the possibility that men too, especially Nick in this situation, have the ability to feel used. In this case, Offred realizes that Nick may feel like nothing more than a "seedpod"  and be degraded for being used sexually just as the Handmaids. In a way, this passage illustrated the emotional similarities that can be shared by both men and women and proves that certain feelings cannot be limited to a gender.                                                                    
                   I would classify reading The Handmaid's Tale as an overall positive, and enjoyable experience. I found it impressive that Margaret Atwood was able to get her various criticisms across without sacrificing the elements of a great story. However, I do feel somewhat deprived of an ending. The author did such a great job in creating a main character that the reader is able to sympathize with, that I believe as readers, we deserve a more complete ending without any loose ends. It is a shame that the ending left a sour taste in my mouth because I really enjoyed reading this novel.