The Significance Of Being Earnest, By Oscar Wilde

According to Barbara Tuchman, â€Å"satire is a wrapping of exaggeration around a core of society.† Satire exposes the absurdity embedded in society through exaggerated extremes of social norms. Satire is the hyperbolic expressions of absurdity, which provides clarity through sarcasm and offensive exaggerations to project a society’s ethics. In Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde exposes the absurdity of Victorian aristocratic social propriety. Wilde utilizes numerous ironic puns and sarcasm in order to satirize Victorian social responsibilities concerned with marriage, social masking, and education. Wilde’s play explores the notion of social responsibility within aristocratic life via the character’s dialogue on†¦show more content†¦Lady Bracknell’s interest in Jack’s money and reputation is similar to real aristocratic interest. Also, marriages in Victorian society are dictated by the parents choice in spouse. When Gwendolen tells her mother that she is engaged to Jack, Lady Bracknell is taken aback by the information and sternly states, â€Å" Pardon me, you are not engaged to anyone. When you do become engaged to one, I, or your father, †¦ will inform you of the fact† (Wilde 7). Through Lady Bracknell’s opposition to Gwendolen’s engagement, Wilde is able to show the audience how Victorian elite marriages are arranged so both families are mutually benefitted by each other s wealth and status. Parents of wealthy families chose their children’s spouse according to the spouses prestige and wealth in order to increment or sustain their own monetary funds and influence within society. Marriages in Victorian society are used a majority of the time as business propositions for selfish aristocratic reasons, not to celebrate two lover’s unification. Furthermore, Wilde exposes the duplicity of Victorian social life through the neologism â€Å"bunbu ry† and the name â€Å"Ernest† to attack aristocratic social responsibility and exhibit the importance of titles within the society. Social masking is used by the wealthy to allow themselves to be dismissed of social responsibility momentarily. When Jack and Algernon were engaged in the conversation regarding marriage, Algernon introduces Wilde’s neologism â€Å"bunbury†.Show MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Being Earnest Satire Essay1291 Words   |  6 PagesMaverick Yabut Professor Tina Regan ENGL 200 June 18, 2017 Satire in the Importance of Being Earnest Introduction Throughout Oscar Wilde’s play â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†, Oscar Wilde routinely uses satire throughout the story amongst character dialogue and actions to scorn the Victorian society audience. Oscar uses satire to mock love, and the concept of marriage as well as the Victorian-aristocratic class system and society mentality. The play is described as â€Å"A trivial comedy for seriousRead MoreCharacterization in the Importance of Being Earnest987 Words   |  4 PagesImportance of Being Earnest Among Oscar Wilde’s varied works, a prominent place has been assumed by a notoriously humorous play The Importance of Being Earnest. Such has been the play’s popularity to this day that countless efforts have been retaken so as to adapting it for modern age due to its scintillating language and the author’s surpassing skill at creating immortal characters. In the attempt to spell out the importance of characterization we shall look at how Oscar Wilde carefully mastersRead MoreThe Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde: Algernon Montcrieff - A Character Analysis1333 Words   |  6 PagesIt is a well known phenomenon that many authors lives are reflected through a character in their work. In Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest, the double life, or double identity, can be seen as the central metaphor in the play, epitomized in Algernons creation of Bunbury or Bunburying. As this term is the only fictitious word employed throughout the text, it is crucial to critically analyze not only its use and implications, but more importantly, the character who coins the term;Read MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1750 Words   |  7 PagesSymbols in The Importance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde takes place in 1895 and exposes the hypocritical social expectations of the end of the Victorian era. During the Victorian period, marriage was about protecting your resources and keeping socially unacceptable impulses under control. The play undeniable reveals and focuses satire around differences between the behaviors of the upper class and that of the lower class. Oscar Wilde uses comedic symbolism ofRead More The Double Life in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde1347 Words   |  6 PagesImportance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest appears to be a conventional 19th century farce. False identities, prohibited engagements, domineering mothers, lost children are typical of almost every farce. However, this is only on the surface in Wildes play. His parody works at two levels- on the one hand he ridicules the manners of the high society and on the other he satirises the human condition in general. The characters in The Importance of Being Earnest assume falseRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde913 Words   |  4 Pagesuntil they feel insulted, mostly due to the fact that humans don’t acknowledge their lifestyle flaws until others make them known. This concept has come to be the brick and mortar of the wry play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde The significance of the notion of being earnest is contradicted in the play, through Wilde’s clever use of words, characters digression of societal normalcy, and triviality of Victorian concepts. Cynical character Algernon asserts that women of Victorian societyRead MoreThe Double Life in the Importa1372 Words   |  6 PagesImportance of Being Earnest The Importance of Being Earnest appears to be a conventional 19th century farce. False identities, prohibited engagements, domineering mothers, lost children are typical of almost every farce. However, this is only on the surface in Wilde#8217;s play. His parody works at two levels- on the one hand he ridicules the manners of the high society and on the other he satirises the human condition in general. The characters in The Importance of Being Earnest assumeRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1674 Words   |  7 Pages An example of literature that reflects the queer phenomenon publically is presented in Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"The Importance of Being Earnest†. Besides the scenes where Algernon is shown eating muffins and cucumbers, to represent his inability to make a decision between men and women, there is an underlying theme of secrets and things that are kept hidden. The concept of bunburying was used as a coping method to de al with the pressure of societal standards. In order to save face and not look badRead MoreThe Importance Of Being Earnest By Oscar Wilde1418 Words   |  6 PagesThe Importance of Being Earnest is a comedy of manners in which Oscar Wilde satirizes the way in which the people of the Victorian Era act. The play itself follows Algernon Moncrieff and Jack Worthing, and their quest to get acquainted with their future fiancà ©es, Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax. Additionally, Wilde wrote the play during the aestheticism movement, which promoted the creation of art for art’s sake. Through the use of humor, irony, and sarcasm, Wilde highlights the artificialityRead MoreOscar Wilde’S The Importance Of Being Earnest Was Written1600 Words   |  7 PagesOscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest was written during the Modernism movement. Modernism was a literary movement that pushed back against the movement previously: Victorian/Realism. Wilde suggests that keeping up appearances was so significant during the Victorian ages that men engaged in bunburying: the idea that people take on a different persona, whether real or imagined, as an escape from their current life or in order to portray themselves in a better light. Wilde uses satirical

Dostoyevsky ‘Notes from Underground’ Critique Essay

â€Å"Notes from Underground† was published in 1864 as a feature presentation of his first 1860 issue â€Å"The Epoch†. â€Å"Notes from Underground† was written by the author during a time when he faced many challenges in his life. Dostoyevsky faced failure in the publishing of his first journal â€Å"Time†, his financial position was becoming weaker and embarrassing. Moreover, his wife was dying and his conservatism was eroded leading to a decline in his popularity with the liberal reading Russians and consequently, he became the focus of attack by the radical and liberal press (Fanger 3). Therefore, this research seeks to find how the author presents the aspect of â€Å"underground man† and how he approached Charles Darwin’s thoughts of man in â€Å"Origin of the†¦show more content†¦By the time the author had completed writing â€Å"Notes from Underground† the society had moved to liberalism and abandoned reasoning and en lightenment (Frank 35). This is clearly represented in this novel since by the end, as the author concluded that there was more to man than enlightenment and reasoning. The underground man is an educated, literate, forty year old financially stable man, who, lives in a modern society. As the novel progresses, the underground man remembers the days he used to work without any affection. The man lives now alone in a place described as unattractive where he is completely cut off from friends and family (Fanger 5). This situation provides an indication of the troubles underground man is going through for they do not arise from work, money problems or the lack of social interaction opportunities. This man has money, is educated and has plenty of social interaction opportunities but he’d rather remain in his solitude, Dostoevsky shows that in all respect the man has reached enlightenment (Frank 36). The problems of underground man are all concerned with what is happening to him from the inside. This man is suffering from a disease that arises from his lack of feeling completely healthy. Though the novel has depicted many medical discussions on doctors, liver problems, medicines, the real disease is emotional distress. The entire first section of the book is about how emotionally troubled the undergroundShow MoreRelatedEnglish Literature- an Episode in the Life of an Author5918 Words   |  24 Pagesirrational universe. Jean Paul Sartre’s â€Å"no exit† Presents three people locked into a situation from which there is no escape and who eventually realize that â€Å"hell is other people.† Existentialism and absurd theater present alienation-The loss of sustaining religious belief. -The sense of anxiety and guilt. -The growing conviction that life was at bottom meaningless. Central to the existentialism. Critique of the traditional idea that within each individual has an â€Å"essence† A universal, defining characteristics

Rich World Poor World Free Essays

Debt is made when one party owes party money (Sofas, 2005). Just like people, governments of both developed and developing nations borrow money in order to function well and to maintain their economies (George, 1994). Debt is the economic mode that promotes economic activity in the global market (Lombard, 2004). We will write a custom essay sample on Rich World Poor World or any similar topic only for you Order Now The acquisition of debt comes through loans, grants and aid that are provided to developed and developing nations by multilateral creditors and bilateral lenders George, 1994). These creditors are international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (MIFF), the World Bank (WEB) and other banking institutions (Millet Toasting, 2004). The international community with their neo-liberal approach and capitalist notions of eradicating poverty was through, economic growth and development (Schaeffer, 2009). Due to increased profits (petrol-dollars) made off increased oil prices developing countries were encouraged and some even coerced to borrow money from developed nations in the sass’s and sass (George, 1994). Although their profits were invested in Western banks it did not yield impressive returns thus encouraging the global South to acquire debt (George, 1994). The global South grasped the opportunity and borrowed money to advance their infrastructure (roads and dams) and also fund industrial projects in their countries Airman, 2006). Some countries even borrowed more money what they needed. So keen the developed nations were to borrow money that they disregarded any moral and ethical standards they might have had, and granted loans knowingly, to corrupt governments and military regimes (George, 1994). Unfortunately like everything else this spending spree did not last and came to a sudden halt in the sass’s, which even left the United States economy in a recession (Study Guide, 2012). Developing countries had borrowed so much money that domestic currency and macro- economies collapsed, paralyzing everything Airman, 2006). This created the first international debt crisis of the inalienable era (George, 1994). When Mexico announced their inability to make debt repayments in 1982, it shocked the financial community (Ambition, 2004). The impact of the debt crisis affected the entire global racket, causing interests to rise, commodity prices to fall, and income earnings to fall (Lombard, 2004). All this eventually made it difficult for developing nations to make debt repayments. The Western nations acted quickly and gained control of their economy and for them the debt crisis was soon over (George, 1994). Unfortunately the debt crisis and the nightmare for the poor developing countries were far from being. In fact it had only Just begun when they found themselves faced with much bigger debt than they initially acquired this despite having made repayments since the sass’s (George, 1994). Even though Mexico was the first to default on their debt panic (Lombard, 2004). Growing concerns for the financial stability of the lending institutions, major creditors, and international financial institutions, sought new strategies to address the lending criteria in order to bring debt relief (Millet ; Toasting, 2004). This resulted in the implementation of the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiatives (HIP), and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiatives, under the supervision of the World Bank and the International Monetary fund (Sofas, 2005). According to the MIFF and the World Bank these organizations were the answer to the bet crisis (Sofas, 2005). The notion that the debt crisis is over, is purely a myth and we will see. This essay will reveal the causes and impacts that resulted from these debt relief organizations, and incinerate the myth of the debt crisis having been addressed. The debt crisis affected the lives and dreams of many people living in developing countries Airman, 2006). Debt is nothing new but as the debt crisis grew the gap between the rich and poor widened Airman, 2006). A country debt is not just measured by the size of their particular debt, but also clearly how it impacts or effects that nation’s economy Airman, 2006). A country GAP (gross domestic product) per capita is also a clear indication of a countries capacity to not only service their debt, but to also ensure that the health and well-being of their citizens are met (George, 1994). If this does not happen then clearly there is a problem, not Just a financial one but a humanitarian one (George, 1994). This was the result for many poor developing countries that led to the debt crisis Airman, 2006). But it was not only developing nations that had debt, United States is the world’s biggest debtor tit $6 trillion being owed at 2002 Airman, 2006). The total debt owed by developing nations in the world came to 2. 5 trillion dollars in 1999 Airman, 2006). In Nicaragua (Latin America) their debt repayments in 2004 consumed 43% of their total earnings Airman, 2006). Many commentators argued that the debt crisis was also due to irresponsible lending by the Western Nations (Millet ; Toasting, 2004). Like the Bhutan nuclear power station in the Philippines, that was built on a volcano in 1974 Airman, 2006). A clear indication where misleading advice caused poor developing overspent to make wrong decisions Airman, 2006). A nuclear power plant that had never ever been used, but a debt that was incurred with interest are expected to still be repaid Airman, 2006). What exploitation of the poor! The Jubilee 2000 (social justice group) lobby’s that debt crisis be recognized and that unjust debt like the Philippines be cancelled Airman, 2006). They argued that poor countries cannot afford to make repayments without meeting the basic needs (education, food, healthcare) of their citizens (Cheer, 2002). They maintain that debt was conducted on unfair terms and contracted illegally (Cheer, 2002). Jubilee argues that all debts be forgiven because it perpetuates a balance of power Voluble Debt Campaign, 2007). The solution for the debt crisis was restructuring the debt of developing and developed countries (Millet Toasting, 2004). The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank formed Structural Adjustments Programmed (SAPS), to provide debt relief and bring it to sustainable levels in order to maintain repayments (Millet Toasting, 2004). SAP’s were conditionality’s set up specifically for poor developing countries to meet their debt repayment obligations (Cheer, 2002). They squired that poor developing countries raise interest rates, cut government barriers on trade, increase their export production and even cancelled subsides on local food production and healthcare (Cheer, 2002). This was met with criticism and caused outrage in the world. Critics argued that the West used controlling measures to control the economic policies in the poor developing counters Voluble, 2000). When Jamaica signed up with the MIFF and SAP conditionality’s, they experienced catastrophic impacts Airman, 2006). Social service spending dropped 50% between 1980 and 1986, unemployment rose, living conditions deteriorated, infant illumination, poverty levels increased and even school pass rate dropped by 50% Airman, 20060) Not only poor developing countries had conditionality’s imposed but even developed nations like New Zealand experienced the wrath of the Miff’s Airman, 2006) SAP’s were abandoned and the MIFF and World Bank launched the Highly Indebted Poor countries Initiative (HIP) in 1996 (Cheer, 2002). The HIP was implemented to act as an international relief mechanism, in order to reduce bilateral, multilateral and commercial debt to a â€Å"sustainable level† in poor developing counties (Cannot Mammogram, 2009). The principle objective was to reduce debt burdens and to ensure that no poor country through restructuring was compromised, that would cause them to default on their debt repayments (Cannot Mammogram, 2009). In other words, their mission was to assist to a certain point and then ensure that the creditors and lenders still got their money! Just like the SAP’s, the Hip’s initiative came with conditionality’s (Cohen, 2000). The eligibility criteria required that a country be very poor, have no unsustainable debt burden and have a reformed policies track record, all under the guidance of the MIFF and the World Bank, of course (Cohen, 2000). This eligibility process was further imposed with more conditionality’s until a country came to the â€Å"completion point† (George, 1994). The HIP was met with criticism because only 30 countries benefited under the HIP intuitive, and that the eligibility process took too long causing further danger to poor developing countries (Cohen, 2000). The â€Å"one size fits all† notion was unfortunately not working, because they failed to address the real issues of the inability of countries being able to provide for the basic needs of their citizens Airman, 2006). Jubilee activists pressured the MIFF and the World Bank with a petition at the 68, with the mission to write off all debt completely (Cohen, 2000). The enhanced HIP initiative was then launched and implemented. The enhanced HIP initiative was to provide stronger, faster, deeper and broader debt relief (Cohen, 2000). The 67 and bilateral creditors promised 100% debt relief for highly indebted poor countries (Cohen, 2000). This was unfortunately empty promises. Further protests and pressure to â€Å"drop the debt† led to Millennium Development Goals (MEG) being launched in 2000, as a benchmark for measuring the reduction of poverty (Sofas, 005). Meg’s were goals set to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty, to achieve universal education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve material health, combat HIVE/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development (Sofas, 2005). In conjunction to this the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MIDI) was launched in 2005 at the â€Å"Make Poverty History campaign in the UK (Sofas, 2005). MIDI was about granting debt relief and their requirement was Although many countries benefited from debt relief, only 23 countries reached implosion point and 10 reached the decision point. The HIP initially promised to cancel $63. 4 billion, but only $45. 4 billion delivered in April 2008 Airman, 2006). In April 2008 MIDI promised $50 billion cancellation, but cancellation delivered only $42. Billion Airman, 2006). All this structures and organizations that were set in place only looked to help poor developing countries on a superficial level (Cheer, 2002). The impacts of the debt crisis led to devaluation of local county currencies as inflation increased. Import costs rose, debts increased proportionally and there were he rise in export (Cheer, 2002). Employment opportunities were not enough to offset these losses. Poor dev eloping countries made loans on the notion that their export taxes would be able to repay or maintain their loans (Cheer, 2002). Government’s commitment to pay their debt came with conditionality’s that exhausted their economies, unemployment increased due to income and living standards declined. When health care and food subsidies were cancelled by international creditors it forced food prices to soar causing families not able to feed themselves. This led to malnutrition and poor health. According to Jubilee Campaign (2000) Just like debt, Aids is a ‘killer† and although sickness and diseases adversely affected men, it hurt both women and children (Cheer, 2002). The burden of meeting their debt repayments caused some to compromise on the health status of their citizens (Cheer, 2002). South Africa has the largest HIVE/Lads infected population 4. 2 million) more than 12% of its people and this affects their employment market (Cheer, 2002). A health crisis that caused the health of lawyers, doctors, ordinary workers and teachers unable to be active in their Job market, further affecting the countries social economy (Cheer, 2002). Teachers that had HIVE/AIDS are unable to work, then unable to buy medication which ultimately leads to ill-health and even death (Cheer, 2002). Disease, epidemics and pandemics places a huge burden on a countries health sector (Cheer, 2002). Children from these families suffered too because when one parent was affected some were kept home so the other could go work. If both suffered from Hides it often left children orphaned (Cheer, 2002). Girls in unemployed families were often kept home, while boys were sent to school because the cost of education was too dear. This increases the gender inequality in developing countries (Cheer, 2002). Due to unemployment, rise in prices and taxes most people in developing countries were living well below the poverty line (Thrall, 2008). According to Thrall (2008), the economic and social development of the world’s poorest countries is perhaps the greatest challenge facing society at the present moment (Thrall, 2008). Over 1 billion of the 6 billion populations live in absolute poverty and suffering malnutrition (Cheer, 2002). The MIFF and the World Bank entrapped highly indebted poor countries with foreign debt that far exceeded heir entire national yearly income (Cheer, 2002). In 2000, the debt repayments of sub-Sahara African countries were about 38% of their individual country budgets (Cheer, 2002). This is unreal and even immoral, that a country earnings through import and export, is overshadowed by an unbearable burden of debt repayments (Cheer, 2002). When debt repayments affects the basic needs of any country, and a country is unable to maintain their social obligations of providing health, education by the window society survival is really slim. Hughes (1999) argues that debts hooked not be forgiven because the debt crisis is the developing nations own fault. Corrupt governments caused their countries to be in this situations and conditionality’s are they only way to maintain control (Hughes, 1999). There are too many flaws in the so called economic model, and we have created a society where material gain supersedes moral and ethical commitments and standards. I believe an erosion of trust erupted, because of the exploitation of the poor by the rich colonists. The fallacy of promoting poverty reduction and debt relief had surfaced, ND exposed that the Western strategies was built on greed and power. So has the debt crisis been addressed, unfortunately not? If the international community is serious about the Hip and the MIDI initiatives then their design needs to be improved in favor of developing countries. The focus should be less on filling the coffers of the West but, instead maximize burden sharing. Have a heart and share in the burden of the developing nations by ensuring that projections are more realistic. The HIP and the MIDI could maybe become responsible for ensuring that the international community commit to reducing poverty and reach their millennium goals. The mission to transform societies, improve the lives of the poor, eradicate poverty, encourage and enforce the right to healthcare, education and economic growth, is what true development is all about. By completely writing off, deleting all foreign debt gives all countries an opportunity to start afresh. This then could be the start of bridging the gap between the wealthy West and the poor South. The creation of a new world order where there is no suffering and the right to live is not questioned, but encouraged, the way it should be. How to cite Rich World Poor World, Papers