The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In what ways is Oscar Wilde mocking Victorian society in his drama The Importance of Being Earnest?
  Criticism and satire are ubiquitous in the play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Not only does Wilde blasts against the snobbery, self-importance, ignorance, and idleness of the...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  lady bracknell character profile
  Lady Bracknell could probably be labeled the antagonist of the Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest. She is the force standing in the way of Jack and Gwendolen's marriage. As...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How are Jack and Algernon similar to and different from each other in The Importance of Being Earnest?
  Jack and Algernon are similar in that they are both determined and committed to please the women they love. For instance, they are both willing and even make plans with the Reverend to change their...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Comedy “tends to endorse the values of society.” Write an essay in which you explore the ways in which this claim does and does not hold true for The Importance of Being Earnest. What does the...
  The Importance of Being Earnest is generally defined as a "comedy of manners," which is a satire that pokes fun at and critiques the values and mannerisms of the upper class. As such, Oscar Wilde...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon observes, "Women only call each other sister when they have called each other a lot of other things first." How does the development of the relationship...
  This quote by Algernon describes Cecily and Gwendolen's first meeting in The Importance of Being Earnest. In order to understand how this meeting comes about it is important to understand the main...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How does Oscar Wilde satirize his audience in The Importance of Being Earnest, and what may he be trying to evoke from the audience?
  In his satirical play The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde ridicules the superficiality of his Victorian society audience and their values and behavior. As his title suggests, Wilde...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest, what is Wilde trying to say about writing and writers considering Prism's novel, Cecily and Gwendolyn's diaries, and the fact that Chasuble has written nothing?
  Subtitled A trivial comedy for serious people, The Importance of Being Earnest is charged with puns and ironies that directly juxtapose society and reality, making the audience realize the extent...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How does The Importance of Being Earnest do a good job of addressing hypocrisy?
  Hypocrisy exists when one pretends to be something one is not or pretends to believe something one does not, or it can refer to behavior that would seem to contradict whatever it is that one claims...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What, precisely, is a bunburyist? How are Algernon and Jack both bunburyists?
  "Bunburying" is practiced in The Importance of Being Earnest by both Jack (although initially unbeknownst to him) and Algernon, who actually coins the word in the play and later reveals that Jack...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest, identify uses of hyperbole.
  Hyperbole is a type of figurative language that uses exaggeration for emphasis or humor. Much of the humor in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is either hyperbole, understatement, or...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How are love and marriage treated in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde?
  As the complete title of the play specifies, The Importance of Being Earnest is "A trivia comedy for serious people." This means that those themes which are universally considered, or treated, in a...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How does Oscar Wilde produce humour in The Importance of Being Earnest?
  In The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde utilizes wit and satire to create a humorous effect. Wilde’s plays are famously witty. He plays on words to create exchanges with minor...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Contrast the play The Importance of Being Earnest with the 2002 film.
  Personally, I really enjoyed Parker's take on the play. The actual differences were in the interpretations behind the scenes. Cecily is so hopelessly romantic that she is constantly in a dream...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  By the end of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, has Jack learned the importance of being Ernest, earnest, or both?
  I think Jack has learned both. By the end of the play, Jack understands the importance of being Ernest, the man, because, in learning that his real name actually is Ernest, Jack acquires a family...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Justify the title The Importance of Being Earnest.
  The title has a dual meaning as it pertains to the play as a whole. First, the title's significance lies in the denotation of the word "earnest." Defined as a quality of being sincere, the word is...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, explain the play as a satire on victorian society.
  The play offers as satirical view of the highly-formalized and overly-mannered behavior of upper-class Victorians. One scene that portrays these mannerisms in a very exaggerated way is the one in...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What aspects of The Importance of Being Earnest are realistic, and which are not?
  The Importance of Being Earnest is a Victorian satire that pokes fun at Victorian morality and social order. The double life of Jack in an effort to cover up his unacceptable behavior while in...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Algernon believes marriage is demoralizing and dull, Gwendolen and Cecily only want to marry because of a unique name, and Lady Bracknell uses marriage as a stepping stool for nobility. What is...
  Jack is quite romantic and does believe in love and commitment. He shows his ability for commitment by taking care of Cecily in the country and becoming her guardian. He also seems to have a...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What is irony used for in The Importance of Being Earnest?
  Irony is created when what one expects is different from what happens in reality. It can be dramatic (when the reader knows more than the character/s), verbal (when someone says the opposite of...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What is the significance of the repetition of the word absurd in The Importance of Being Earnest?
  The word “absurd” is used twelve times in The Importance Of Being Earnest. Primarily, the repetition of this word, and of the idea of absurdity, links to the comic tone of the play. The central...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  "Although literary critics have tended to praise uniqueness in literary characterizations, many authors have employed the stereotyped character successfully." Considering The Importance of Being...
  First, there is a problem with a statement to the effect that "literary critics" value uniqueness. While some literary critics do, others do not. In fact, the notion that originality is a virtue in...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Why or how is The Importance of Being Earnest funny? Is there a difference between being witty and being funny?
  The Importance of Being Earnest falls under the category of Comedy of Manners. This genre aims to mirror the behaviors and dynamics of the "polite" society of the upper and middle classes. However,...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Jack and Algernon both create fictional identities for their own convenience in The Importance of Being Earnest. Are there any important differences between their deceptions?
  There are several important differences I can think of here. 1. Jack is dedicated to his ward, Cecily, and the life he lives under what he believes to be his real name and real persona is the life...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest, how does Oscar Wilde poke fun at the institutions of religion and education?
  You might like to consider the way in which Wilde satirises both of these institutions through their representative figures. Miss Prism for example is clearly his chief vehicle for satirising...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Discuss Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest as a comedy of manners.
  A comedy of manners must be set within a first-world society where money, social standing, and manners are required to be taught and executed at every turn. Within such a setting, satire usually...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Please analyze the following quotation from The Importance of Being Earnest: "I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and...
  Lady Augusta Bracknell, aunt of Algernon and mother of Gwendolyn expresses this phrase during her interview with Jack Worthing, where she is weighing whether Jack is a suitable future husband for...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  On what page number can I find this quote in the The Importance of Being Earnest: "Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone."
  The actual page number will differ depending on the publication; however, this quote usually comes approximately nine pages into Act I of Oscar Wilde's play (and because I am getting my version...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  importance of being earnest Talk about the plot of The Importance of Being Earnest in terms of character and in terms of structure.
  You can read a detailed plot summary here at enotes at the following link. http://www.enotes.com/important-earnest/summary A very brief overview of the play: Two men, Algernon and Jack, pretend to...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How is food symbolic in The Importance of Being Earnest?
  In the play, there are several places which indicate that a character's relationship with food seems to be symbolic of their adherence to, or failure to abide by, social rules and conventions. For...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How does Oscar Wilde look down upon the country in The Importance of Being Earnest?
  The theme of "country life versus city life" is a resounding topic in Victorian comedies of manner, such as The Importance of Being Earnest. A comedy of manner is a piece of written literature that...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How do puns and paradoxes contribute to the satirical tone in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
  The main contribution of puns and paradoxes to the satirical tone of the play is the fact that they intensify the humor of the satire by presenting contrasting ideas that are both ridiculous and...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Analayse the comic appeal of The Impotance Of Being Earnest by Qscar Wilde?
  Algernon. Did you hear what I was playing, Lane?Lane. I didn’t think it polite to listen, sir.Algernon. I’m sorry for that, for your sake. I don’t play accurately—any one can play...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What is the function/significance of Algernon in The Importance of Being Ernest?
  In the play The Importance of Being Earnest , by Oscar Wilde, the character of Algernon Moncrieff is the reflection of Jack Worthing, only with a more marked tendency for mischievous behavior....

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnestis Wilde suggesting homoerotic behavior in Lady Bracknell and Jack's discussion of Lady Lancing who went to see the French maid? Lady B: "after three months her own...
  There is no doubt that Wilde does fill the majority of his works with innuendos which, whether homosexual or not, do point to Wilde's extreme dislike for the Victorian ideal of the institution of...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, what changes Lady Bracknell’s mind about Algernon and Cecily’s marriage?
  In Oscar Wilde's satire of British social mores, The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell is the play's central personification of England's enduring obsession with socioeconomic status and...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Please analyze the following quotation from The Importance of Being Earnest: Algernon: "Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them"
  From a literary and historical perspective, Algernon is in part referring to a common 19th century tendency of the middle classes to adopt a policy of what is called "Grundyism". Grundyism is...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest may be treated as a social document. Discuss.
  The play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde may be treated as a social document under the same scope of many other comedies of manners of its generation. In other words, the widespread...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  The Importance of Being Earnest "A sense of humor keen enough to show a man his own absurdities will keep him from the commission of all sins, or nearly all, save those that are worth committing."...
  This quote seems like something Algernon would say. He is the most witty of the characters in the play, and has a fun, yet devilish side to his personality. He likes to keep things interesting by...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest, how does Oscar Wilde use symbolism in his social commentary?
  The symbolism that we find in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is mostly situated around the items that constitute the different ways in which Jack and Algernon indulge in their...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  How is the consumption of food used as a symbol in the play? What does food stand for in the play? How does Oscar Wilde use symbolism in his social commentary? Use examples from the play
  In act one, we see Algernon eat all of the cucumber sandwiches meant for Lady Bracknell. He will not allow Jack to eat any of them. When Jack exclaims that Algernon has been eating them all along,...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Analyze the comic appeal of Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest with close reference to the text.
  "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a comedy which criticises its society's practices and customs. Some of the comedic elements is Lady Bracknell's monologue on being an invalid. The play also...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Whom do girls never marry, according to Algernon?
  Algernon tells Jack that girls never marry the men they flirt with. For this reason, he is fairly sure that Jack will never end up married to Gwendolen, because the two of them have an ongoing...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest,  who is Egeria, and why might Chasuble refer to Miss Prism in this manner?
  Act II of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest shows the flirtatious relationship between the reverend Dr. Chasuble and the prude Miss Prism as they meet during one of Chasuble's...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In The Importance of Being Earnest which union -Jack's with Gwendolen or Algernon's with Cecily proves to be more likely to succeed?
  Using evidence from the playThe Importance of Being Earnestas far as the traits of all four characters involved, Jack with Gwendolen, and Algernon with Cecily, the chances of any of the two couples...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What use does Wilde make of the contrast between the city and the country life and values in The Importance of Being Earnest? This question needs an answer that describes the difference of city and...
  The contrast in a work of literature between the simple, pure innocence of country life versus the sophisticated, worldly excitement of city life, certainly wasn't a theme invented by Oscar Wilde....

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  What is Oscar Wilde's attitude towards Socialism and the lower class in "The Importance of Being Earnest"? What is Oscar Wilde's attitude towards Socialism and the lower class in "The Importance of...
  Well, I don't necessarily think this play is directly satirising the lower classes or Socialism, but there is one main quote that addresses the lower classes in Act I of this hilarious play, which...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  In "The Importance of Being Earnest", what does Jack have written on his calling card? what does jack have written on his card
  "Mr Ernest Worthing, B.4 The Albany, W." is written on his cards. Not only does Algy have one of them in the first act, he produces it to the Cecily's Merriman when he first arrives in the...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  "Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful." -Molly Irvins. Write a short explanation which discusses the quotation relates to the satire of Oscar Wilde's The Importance...
  A discussion of this quotation should certainly address the topic of power. What makes a person powerful or powerless? We tend to think of powerful people as those having education, money, high...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Use Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of being Ernest to predict the lives of the two main couples in 15 years. Use textual evidence to support your claim.
  Algernon will return to his bachelor-like ways and bunbury again behind Cecily's back. In Act I, he admits to making up an excuse to see a sick friend named Bunbury just so he can get out of town...

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• The Importance of Being Earnest
  Please analyze the following quotation from The Importance of Being Earnest: "Lord Bracknell would be highly displeased if he learned that was the way in which you wasted your time and money" Lady...
  The complete expression as told by Lady Bracknell upon hearing Dr. Chasuble announce the impending christening of Jack and Algernon is: The idea is grotesque and irreligious! Algernon, I forbid...

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