Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest and Heart of Darkness

Oscar Wilde’s comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a satire of everything stuffy and constrictive in the 19th and early 20th century. It shows the modern reader how different life was back then, and also how much remains the same. The play explores the theme of the relations between the sexes. It also highlights the way that all of us cherish illusions about ourselves and others.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Heart of Darkness specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Wilde spares no one. Everyone is ridiculous. John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, for example, are self-centered and, of course, almost entirely idle. The fashionable, urban, Gwendolen Fairfax is a schemer, but her supposedly unsophisticated rural counterpart, Cecily Cardew, is equally calculating. The dowager Lady Bracknell plays the game of marriage politics, is un-motherly, and a sn ob. Even Miss Prism, the governess, is a foolish and fallible creature. Canon Chasuble seems totally unconnected with spirituality. They are all skewered with equal ferocity. Only the butlers seem relatively free of idiocies. The social constraints on women and men in expressing their feelings for one another are also parodied. A modern couple would not have to answer to Lady Bracknell to obtain permission to marry. On the other hand, girls still fantasize about boys they like. Today, however, they might post blog posts of fan fiction instead of writing an imaginary diary, as Cecily did. Wilde also satirizes the class distinctions that obsessed so many people. For example, Algernon deplores the lax morals of the servant class. However, he himself lives by fibs and outright lies. This play holds up a mirror to all of us, even after a century. People are foolish and they don’t always see themselves or others honestly and fully. Wilde shows us this with immense humor. The Heart of Darkness, exploring the impact of interior Africa on European colonials, seems at first glance to be filled with racist references. However, this impression dissipates when the story is more closely examined. Conrad actually seems deeply sympathetic with the indigenous people, and their oppression and near-enslavement by the colonial personnel.Advertising Looking for essay on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The descriptions of the landscape provide a vivid sense of the way that Europeans felt when confronted with an utterly alien landscape, flora, fauna, and people. Conrad, for example, repeatedly notes the darkness and the thickness of the forest, even a short distance from the shore, and speaks of the darkness at its center. He is talking here as much about the unknown rather than an absence of light, although rain forests can be dark. The skillful speech of Mr. Kurtz is even described as being light c oming out of the deep darkness of the continent. The author is trying to convey the complete lack of fit between most of the expectations, behaviors, planning and responses of the colonials, on the one hand, and the realities of the continent itself, on the other. In spite of the greater firepower that the colonials possess, Conrad shows the reader, disease and madness claim many casualties. This reminds the modern reader of the way that high tech armies throw themselves at trouble spots around the world, and end up baffled and ineffective. The land, the climate, the terrain, and the people, just make overcoming the local situation nearly impossible. This novel makes the extraction of ivory and other resources seem all the more ludicrous, and wasteful of lives. Conrad makes a powerful and moving argument against the whole colonial enterprise, in spite of using the racist locutions that were common in his era. This book should perhaps always be read in concert with some literature by Africans themselves, just to give a different perspective on the region and its issues. This essay on Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and Heart of Darkness was written and submitted by user Harlow Hebert to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Chapter 8 Ancient Greece Essays

Chapter 8 Ancient Greece Essays Chapter 8 Ancient Greece Paper Chapter 8 Ancient Greece Paper Essay Topic: Literature 1. What kinds of landforms are found in Greece? rocky mountains, water, peninsulas, islands, rugged coastline *Few small valleys and coastal plains provide flat land for farming and villages. 2. How did the sea help shape early Greek society? Travel across the mountains and seas was difficult, so communities were isolated from one another. The people created their own governments and ways of life. They spoke the same language, but were separate countries. 3. What 3 seas did the Greeks depend on to find food and a way to trade? south Mediterranean Sea west Ionian Sea east Aegean Sea (Eejeeun) *This is how they exchanged ideas with other countries. 4. How might the difficulty of mountain travel have been a benefit to the Greeks? They were able to create their own governments and ways of life. They saw themselves as separate countries. 5. What was the first major civilization to develop in Greece? Minoans They built an advanced society on the island of Crete. *best ship builders of their time *ships carried wood, olive oil, and pottery for trade *a huge volcano erupted causing a giant wave and led to end of their civilization 6. How were the Minoans and Mycenaeans similar? They were the first to start trading by sea. Both traded in Crete. 7. What is a polis? Greek word for a city-state 8. Why do you think the Greeks built their cities around a high acropolis? If another country was attacking they would be safe and fight off the war from inside. 9. What are aristocrats? rich landowners *They ran the citys economy. They also served as generals and judges. 10. How were oligarchy and tyranny different? Oligarchy is a government which a few people have power. Tyranny is 1 leader who help power through the use of force. 11. Describe the democracy created by the Cleisthenes. All citizens in Athens had the right to participate in creating the citys laws. Voting was done by a show of hands. Major decisions needed about 6,000 votes. Later they selected citizens to decide which laws they should discuss. 12. How did Pericles change Athenian democracy? He believed people participating in government was very important. He paid people who served. He also encouraged to introduce democracy to other parts of Greece. 13. What type of democracy did Athens have? They were conquered by Macedonia. The king ruled his country. Nobody could make any decisions without his approval. The people still met to discuss laws, but the King had to approve it. After a new king, the democracy ended forever. 14. In what situations would a representative democracy work better than a direct democracy? Representative democracy works better for larger countries because their are too many people to gather together (like U.S.). We elect people to represent us and make decisions on laws. 15. What is a mythology? a body of stories about gods and heroes that try to explain how the world works 16. Why did the ancient Greeks create myths? The ancient Greeks didnt have explanations for thunder, earthquakes, and volcanoes like we do today. They believed their gods caused these events to happen and they created myths to explain the gods actions. 17. What are Homers most famous works? Iliad (tells the story of the last years of the Trojan War) 18. How are fables different from myths? *myths explain why things happen *fables are stories that teach lessons 19. In what areas have Greek myths influenced our culture? *We have the Olympics every 4 years. The ancient Greeks honored their Gods by holding contest at Olympia (a city in southern Greece). *Homers poems influenced later writers. *Words of songs are called lyrics after Greek poets. 20. How did the geography affect the development of the Greek city-states? The city-states were spread along the Mediterranean Sean and the Black Sea. These locations made it easy to trade with others. 21. How did the concept of the polis affect the growth of the Greek colonies? It marked the beginning of the classical age. It had great achievements. 22. What roles did Draco, Solon, and Peisistratus play in the history of Greek government? *Draco created a new set of laws for the Athens (very harsh too strict) *Solon created laws that were much less harsh (all free men living in Athens became citizens) *Peisistratus He became the ruler (he help the power through use of forcearmies) 23. What means rule by a single person? monarchy 24. What means the study of life? archaeology 25. Is something that is microscopic very small or very large? very small 26. What type of ancient Greek literature would most likely describe the deeds of a great hero? epic 27. What was the main cause for the independence of city-states in ancient Greece? the Greeks location on the sea *They became colonies instead of city-states 28. Athens was ruled by a single person under the type of government known as? Tyranny 29. The citizens assembly in ancient Athens was an example of? Direct Democracy (all citizens were part of government decisions) 30. Being surrounded by water makes the Greeks better? sailors 31. What were the 2 early Greek civilizations? Which one wasnt actually Greek and which one was? Why? Minoans didnt speak the Greek language Mycenaeans- were first to speak Greek and first to be considered Greek people. 32. Which type of government is done by a small group of aristocrats? Oligarchy 33. Which type of government was led by Peisistratus? Tyrant he took over the oligarchy government 34. Who started the 1st democracy? Why? Cleisthenes He started it because he didnt like the aristocrats running the government 35. Who is Pericles and how did he affect democracy? He encouraged the Athenians to take pride in their city. He believed that participating in government was just as defending Athens in war. He paid those who served in government and spread the word. 36. What city-state first used democracy? Athens 37. Who brought an end to democracy in Athens? Macedonians their King had all power 38. Who are 5 major Greek gods? Hephaestus god of metalworking (designed armor) Demeter goddess of agriculture Zeus king of the gods Poseidon god of the sea Apollo god of the sun 39. What is the story of Demeter? She created the seasons *She missed her daughter in winter and didnt let plants grow *When her daughter comes home, its summerplants grow 40. What is the story of Theseus? He traveled to Crete and killed a terrible monster that was half human and half bull. 41. What was the story of Jason? He sailed across the seas in search of treasure and fought enemies the whole way. 42. What was the story of Hercules? *Most famous story He fought many monsters and performed nearly impossible tasks (like killing a snake with 9 heads) 43. What are 3 major types of Greek literature? And who was the famous writer for each? 1. Epic Homer 2. Lyric Sappho 3. Fables Aesop 44. What are some major Greek influences we see today? Olympics, English words (odyssey and titanic), Atlas Mountains, Europe, Titans team, Jupiters moon (Io), Hercules