Day 16

English Literature - Day 16

                    We are learning to analyse the final conversation between Cecily and Lady                                                     Bracknell.

At the beginning of Act 3, the two female protagonists managed to forgive their lovers and all the couples reunite. Suddenly, Lady Bracknell enters and was quite astonished to see her nephew, Algernon and Cecily holding hands. When Cecily was introduced to Lady Bracknell, she coldly bowed to her. Later, she asked Jack mockingly whether Cecily was connected to any of the larger railway stations. Lady Bracknell was insulting Jack, as she recalled when he said that he was found in a handbag at the Victoria station.

With Jack’s multiple unsatisfactory replies, she asked Gwenloden to depart. All over sudden, with some hope she asked Jack about her money. When Lady Bracknell came to know that Cecily had one hundred and thirty thousand pounds in the Funds, her attitude towards Cecily had changed. This implies that she only change her opinion about Cecily, due to money and wealth. She herself had married Lord Bracknell, for the same purpose and encourages all to have a mercenary marriage.

She also told Cecily that she is beautiful, but her dress and hair should be altered.  She is also being quite judgemental about Cecily's looks. And this showed that Lady Bracknell was not convinced about how Cecily had looked. Before when Lady Bracknell did not know that Cecily had money, she looked at Cecily, as a countryside girl, who had no family. But at this point, her view had changed.

Lady Bracknell was now tempted to make Algernon marry Cecily (most probably, so that Algy can get money). Now that Jack had the power, he refused the request of the two getting married, as he thinks that Algy is unfaithful. (Maybe, because he wanted to take a revenge from Lady Bracknell, as she didn't accept Jack's proposal). Jack said that the moment Lady Bracknell will accept his marriage proposal, he will happily let his ward marry her love. And indeed, she had agreed!

Overall, I had enjoyed this play, and also thought that it was cleverly written by Oscar Wilde. 

Day 15

English Literature - Day 15

                                          We are learning to identify themes within a drama text.

Now, we are going to closely take a glance at the end of Act II, which we named it the "Theme of food". Actually, there are many themes in this play like: marriage, honesty (from the name "Earnest"), but today it's food. Then we wrote brief information describing how Oscar Wilde had shown food in order to generate humour in this scene. And here it is:

                                
                                   Muffins

A gif on Jack and Algernon fighting for muffins

Right in the end of Act II, Cecily and Gwendolen find out that both men are lying. The most amusing part is that during the climax of this play, both protagonists (the main characters), Algernon and Jack are simply talking about food, which was totally irrelevant to their problem caused.

I believe that Oscar Wilde has used the theme of food to create comedy, as Wilde created humour by Algernon eating muffins, instead of going to Cecily and asking for forgiveness, which was quite surprising to the audience. This is shown when when Jack says "How can you sit there, calmly eating muffins...you seem to me to be perfectly heartless." This implies that Algernon doesn't seem to care, whether the ladies are angry or not, and just calms himself down.

And, also when Jack got angry at Algernon, as he was eating them in a greedy manner, that he told Algy to go away. As reffering to this quote " I suppose a man may eat his own muffins in his own garden." This implies that both gentleman are upset with other,as they can't get the ladies happy.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde has cleverly used the "theme of food" to generate humour



Click here to see a video on the "muffin scene"

Day 14

English Literature - Day 14

                                We are learning to analyse how Cecily and Gwendolen first met.

Today, we will be looking or rather analysing the scene in which Gwenloden meets Cecily. Here is a brief summary of how Gwendolen got along with Cecily during the start, middle and end of their conversation:

Gwendolen saying to Cecily, "I never travel without my diary.
One should always have something sensational to
 read in the train."

There is an intriguing scene in Act II, which was on page 33-39, when Cecily met Gwendolen. The purpose of Gwendolen to arrive at Jack's house, was to meet her beloved Earnest. Since Jack wasn't avaliable, Gwendolen had to meet Cecily. And during the start of their conversation, they passed on alot of angelic and saintlike comments, which then turned into amusing, mocking, unpleasant ones.

They started off with a firm handshake, introducing themselves and taking their respective seats, which looked quite formal. 

Gwendolen thought that Cecily was that she was a sweet girl. And she was quite confident about it. This was illustrated when Gwendolen said "What a very sweet name!" and "My first impressions of people are never wrong". This proves my point, as it seems like Gwendolen has found her younger sister. She starts talking more casually and informally with Cecily.

As the conversation carries on, they start to know about their cultural backgrounds and family beliefs. All over sudden, the topic changes to Mr. Worthing. Here both the characters are looking at each other quite suspiciously, when they don't know that they had been trapped in a confusion.

The altercation began when Cecily mentioned proudly "I am Mr. Worthing's ward". To which Gwendolen wickedly replies "I cannot help expressing a wish you were — well, just a little older than you seem to be and not quite so very alluring in appearance." This flagitious and sinful thought of Gwendolen seems to show jealously and enviousness towards Cecily, as she is petrified that Earnest might fall in love with his ward.

The tension starts to build up of this play, when Cecily mentions the name "Earnest". They both had said that it is going to be published in the newspaper, and Cecily thought that Gwendolen was mean and harsh, as reffering to this quote "Do you suggest, Miss Fairfax, that I entrapped Ernest into an engagement? How dare you? This is no time for wearing the shallow mask of manners. When I see a spade I call it a spade." This means to say that Cecily used a metaphor to describe Gwendolen being a spade, as she is acting harsh on her.

Cecily and Gwendolen eating tea cakes, bread/butter and tea

They were even mean when they were calmly eating tea cakes, bread/butter and tea. Cecily cunningly adds more lumps of sugar, to save her love from Gwendolen.

Later, Algernon and Jack appear in the scene to admit that they are not "Earnest". Before leaving, they asked about their brother, Earnest. Jack and Algy were ashamed to admit that Earnest was just a made up character, so both the woman quite clear that they were not getting married to anyone.

Cecily and Gwendolen feeling cheated

Feeling cheated and decieved, they left the room together. As referring to this quote "An admirable idea! Mr. Worthing, there is just one question I would like to be permitted to put to you. Where is your brother Ernest? We are both engaged to be married to your brother Ernest, so it is a matter of some importance to us to know where your brother Ernest is at present." To which Jack replies "Gwendolen—Cecily—it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind. However, I will tell you quite frankly that I have no brother Ernest. I have no brother at all. I never had a brother in my life, and I certainly have not the smallest intention of ever having one in the future." This means to say that both women felt pity on each other, and become sisterly to each other again.

To sum up, Oscar Wilde creates tension, as it has already reached the most interesting part of the play.

Day 13

English Literature - Day 13

                                          We are learning to identify irony within a text.

Today, we will be closely looking at Cecily's diary, as it has been mentioned a lot in the play. So here was a task in which we were supposed to write section of her diary describing her relationship with Earnest:

Dear Diary,

Today is the best day ever, as Earnest has proposed to me exactly 10 minutes ago. He is a very precious gift for me. The best gift I could have got this Valentines. However, I don't know why he doesn't remember that we have been engaged for the past 3 months.

Lastly, I just wanna thank Uncle Jack for introducing his "wicked" but "naughty" brother Earnest. As a witness, we were near this dear old tree. I have even had a bangle and a ring that signifies our true love. 


Yours Sincerely,

Cecily Cardew

Day 12

  English Literature - Day 12

                                          We are learning to look at the second act closely. 

Today, we looked at the various scenes in Act II. And we all found quotes that were hilarious, amusing and surprising, and also showed the Ancient Victorian culture. These are the most exciting quotes that we have picked:

• "That is a great disappointment. I am obliged to go up by the first train on Monday morning. I have a business appointment that I am anxious. . . to miss?"

This quote was said by Algernon to Cecily. At first, he said he was supposed to take the first train on Monday morning. But, suddenly he thought that Cecily likes naughty guys, so this was his chance to stop anybody from invading their privacy. And when this idea stroke in his mind, he suddenly says "...that I am anxious....to miss".

• "Oh well! The accounts I have received of Australia and the next world, are not particularly encouraging. This world is good enough for me, cousin Cecily."

This quote was once again said by Algernon to Cecily. He was comparing Australia and the place where one goes after death to his own world in England. We must not forget that this writer wasn't English, instead he is Irish.

• "Dear Mr. Worthing, I trust this garb of woe does not betoken some terrible calamity?"

This boring quote was said by Doctor Fredrick Chasbule, he uses quite high vocabulary here. (So, we presume him to be a human dictionary) 

To conclude, there were many more quotes that very interesting. However, I have only picked up the most important ones.

Day 11

                                   English Literature - Day 11

                                          We are learning to perform the interview.

We were discussing about the interview between Jack and Lady Bracknell. As this play had a comedy genre, it was slightly hilarious and amusing. This activity was done by Tanisha, Amber and me, each reading Bracknell's line, while Karan, Megh and Saksith read Jack's line. 

So what made the interview between Jack and Lady Bracknell so memorable?

Click here to see the video on the interview scene

There were many phrases in the play (all said by Lady Bracknell), that were very catchy and appealing to the audience. It also shows some of their cultural beliefs and backgrounds during the Victorian Era.

Examples:

"Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone". Here she has used oxymoron (opposite words), because the word "ignorance" and "fruit" don't match together. As ignorance is a very negative word, and fruit is something that we find very sweet.

Jack says "Do you mean the fashion or the side?". Lady Bracknell answers "Both". There was a little element of comedy in that sentence, as it is impossible to change both. If you change both, you will still be on the unfashionable side. She also says that it was the unfashionable side, that meant to say that the richest people follow the latest trends, even during that time. However, I didn't find it quite hilarious, but people at that time would have probably laughed.

Jack gave a satisfactory reply to Lady Bracknell's question about whether he smokes or not. Lady Bracknell says "I glad to hear it. A man should always have an occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men as it is". This meant to say that during that time looking busy and wealthy was much more important than health, and people in London are not very health-conscious.

The content above shows all hilarious comments on Jack, which is why this play is still famous. (Because of it's comedy genre)

Day 10

                                                        English Literature - Day 10

                                              We are learning to make a drama.

Today, we made a reduced drama on "The Importance of Being Earnest. Click to see the video below.

Starring:

Megh as Algernon Moncrieff (Algy)

Saksith as Jack Moncrieff/ Earnest Worthing

Karan as Lane/ Miss Prism (in the second scene)/ Dr. Chasbule

Tanisha as Cecily

Shruti as Miss Prism (in the first scene)/ Lady Bracknell (Aunt Augusta)

Amber as Gwendolen

Day 9

                                        English Literature - Day 9

                                           We are learning to analyse the playscript.

Today, we were looking at the actual play, which comprises three acts. And we noticed that the vocabulary is quite advanced in the play. We also saw many differences in the actual play and the adapted version in the film.

For example: In the adapted version, Jack and Algy were in the bar, but in the play it says that they were in Algy’s flat. We also read pages 2 and 3, where Karan played Lane, Megh played Algernon (Algy) and Saksith played Jack. To view the playscript, please click here.

Words definition:

Page 2

• Invariably -In every case/in every occasion/always
•   Demoralising - Cause someone to lose confidence/ hope
•   Languidly - Lacking energy
•  Lax – Not strict/ severe

Page 3

• Customary - Usual
• Shropshire- region and counties
• Extravagance - waste

Page 4

• Constituted - made or put together
•   Frantic - Insane / mad / desperate

Page 5

•    Absurd – Senseless
•  Fondest – affection

Page 7

•          Scandalous - shocking and upsetting
•          Absurd – Unreasonable/ Stupid

Page 8

•          Sententiously – Many points in one shot
•          Cynical – lack of respect

Page 9

•          Gravely – serious/ sad
•          Distressed – affected with/ stressed/ worried
•          Accustomed – Usual / Used to it

Page 11

•          Glibly – perform with ease, naturally
•          Metaphysical -  Abstract reason
•          Speculation - to consider a subject

Day 8

                              English Literature - Day 8

                                        We are learning to make a tension diagram.

Day 7

                                        English Literature - Day 7

                                     We are learning to describe relationships in the play.

We looked at how every character is related to each other, and we made a simple drawing, like this:

To put this drawing into simple words: Algernon (Algy) and Earnest (Jack) are best friends, as they have mutual friends and personalities. Earnest has come to the city, to propose to his will-be finance Gwendolen. On the other hand, Gwendolen's mother, Lady Bracknell wants to know about Mr. Worthing (as she must have thought it was inappropriate to just call him "Earnest"). 

Algy is now interested in Jack's niece, Cecily. He too lied to her that his name is "Earnest". And so, he starts flirting with her, and telling her how sweet she looks (most probably for her blonde hair!). When he proposes to her, then they come to know that none of them were Earnest. 

To satisfy both the ladies, they thought of christening their names to "Earnest". But, both of them forgave, and story ends by Jack realising that he was Algy's younger brother, and that he was named "Earnest Moncrieff, after all!

Miss Prism and Doctor Chasuble are additional characters in the play.

Day 5 and 6

                          English Literature - Day 5 and 6

We are learning to understand the man behind the play... (the writer of "The Importance of Being Earnest)

Introduction

Today, we looked at Oscar Wilde, who was a famous and renowned poet and writer in Ireland. He wrote many popular plays like the "An Ideal Husband" and "The Importance of Being Earnest". Also a novel called "The Picture of Dorian Gray". (But the film adaptation was just named "Dorian Gray".

A Brief Biography (short notes)

Oscar Wilde was born on 16th October 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. His father, William Wilde was a highly-praised doctor and his mother, Jane Francesca Elgee was a poet (this may have encouraged him to become one). He had a very high economic strata.

 His occupation was a writer, poet and playwright during the Victorian Era. Wilde was a gay, as he also had a relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas (who was very snobbish and arrogant). It was unacceptable to tolerate gay couple at that time. So Douglas's father didn't approve his son's relationship with a renowned writer. Oscar wasn't happy with that and so he took the matter to the court and sued Douglas' father. Then, he won the case by showing Wilde's text, which shows attraction towards boys. Wilde was imprisoned for 2 years, then he stayed in Paris, where he united with Douglas. He died on 30th November 1990.

Famous Quotes:

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
"I can resist everything except temptation."
"America had often been discovered before Columbus, but it had always been hushed up."
“BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS ALREADY TAKEN”
“It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.” 

Question: Is Lady Bracknell a "class snob?"

Homework - 27th Aug 2013

Quote 1: “To be born, or at any rate bred in a handbag, whether it have handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life which reminds one of the worst excesses of the French revolution, and I presume you know what that unfortunate movement led to?”

Quote 2: “The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did it would prove a serious threat to the upper classes, and probably lead to acts of violence in Grosvenor Square.”

Answer:

Yes and no. Yes, because I think Lady Bracknell is a class snob, as illustrated from this source. She thinks that the lower class people are very unfortunate and ill-fated and contrasts it with the French Revolution. It could mean that the people might behead the child in the handbag, as it was similar to what happened in the French Revolution. (Where the king was executed) She also talks about family decencies and its outcome/result (if they didn't care about the handbag!), as referring to the first quote.

No, because she thinks it’s the upper class’s fault that the child was left in the handbag. She had planned to take a serious action over it. So that means that she is not totally biased towards upper class people. She also thinks that education was still available for the baby in the handbag, as referred to the second quote.

Day 4

                                                English Literature - Day 4

We are learning how the Victorian class system is represented in the text.

Today, we looked at a “Frost report” which shows about the three class systems which are: Upper, middle and lower class. And also how they looked at each other in terms of behaviour  They also had massive differences in height. Like the Upper class were taller than the Middle-class, and the Middle-class were taller than the Lower class.

 This was illustrated in the triangle form.We also saw sources that showed us a lot of differences in the class system. Which are:

Lower-class system: The picture illustrates that they look like people from lower class, as the room in the background looks quite dark and they don't even have space to hang their clothes to dry. The house doesn't look like a big bungalow, instead it looks like a small 1-floored house. And the woman in the picture also shows that she is working, not sitting and feeling relaxed. Additionally, the little girl in the right side of the picture looks like as if she is not educated. Instead, she works in her house and helps her mom. They have got all their needs, but not their wants.

Middle-class system: The picture demonstrates that they come from Middle-class families, as they have bows and ribbons on their heads. They also carry parasols (as an alternative of umbrella), which usually were carried by ladies. They are also wearing dresses which are full-sleeved, as they don't really need to work. There are beautiful buildings in the background, which they could afford. They have got all their needs, and a few wants, as well.

Upper-class system: This picture shows that they are very wealthy, as they have got great sense of dressing and look extremely glamorous and elegant. The background of a scenery is a very innovative idea, which is still modern. The woman and the man have 4 children, which shows couples during that time planned for more children as they could afford one. They have got all their need and wants (how lucky were they!).


Video to the "Frost Report"

Day 3

  English Literature - Day 3

       We are learning to place a text in historical context

We saw many evidences of the Victorian society which were:

 Fashion – Usually, the upper class men wore 3 layers of clothing, like: a shirt, tie, another shirt and a coat on top of it. It is mainly because they wanted to give the impression of being very formal. Or it could also be because of weather in England. Ladies, who were rich, usually wore massively heavy ornaments and nets around their faces, which look ridiculous (in my opinion!).  The middle class women wore a dull and unexciting dress, which looked quite tight.

The class system – There was a massive difference between upper, middle and lower classes. The servants thought it wasn't polite to hear their master play music or talk. The natures of higher class were usually very cheerful and energetic, while the lower class sad or depressed (not always).

Technology –Train was the latest transportation during the Victorian Era. The chandelier was also available in casinos. There were no pens at that time; they used to write with feathers. There were also no inventions of engine in boats; instead they used to row the boat. (which was indeed a lot of hard work!) As an alternative of car, there were only bullock carts. Instruments like cello and piano were also a way in which people would love to listen to music.

Others – The thing that disappoints me (a little) during the Victorian Era is that they didn't really think that men were equivalent to women. It was illustrated when Cecily thought German was boring. The thing that was in mind was "Why they haven't showed men learning German?" 

There were many queries in mind which were there while watching the play, but slowly I have started understanding it. 

Video about the Victorian fashion