R1.1 Literary Elements / Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW4wR7-iOMg How do Lady Bracknell's interactions with Jack characterize her?
It characterizes her as harsh, superficial and overly concerned with societal norms.
Verbal, Situational, Dramatic
What are the rhetorical appeals?
Ethos, pathos and logos.
What figure of speech does Lady Bracknell's use and what mood does the statement help to create: "To lose one parent... may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness,"
Hyperbole. Comedic, satirical, absurd or ironic mood.
[Lane presents several letters on a salver to Algernon. It is to be surmised that they are bills, as Algernon, after looking at the envelopes, tears them up.]
What is a word that could replace surmised without changing the meaning of the sentence?
Guessed, assumed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZK9pY1dA74 How does Gwendolen’s obsession with marrying a man named Ernest characterize her? Why would Wilde give his characters such strange ideals?
It characterizes her as superficial, shallow and foolish. It adds to the mockery of the upper class by showing how trivial their concerns are.
What are 4 characteristics of satire and how are they present in the play?
Exaggerated (characterization), Social Critique (victorian era), Humorous (Irony and other comedic devices) and Implied (Dry wit with implied jokes / social commentary).
https://youtu.be/VHVxpLDEAo8?si=nqtWco2V3nz7bUuM What rhetorical appeal is Jack using to convince Lady Bracknell to let him marry Gwendolyn?
Pathos to evoke sympathy
How does Gwendolyn's comparison of names to music help contribute to the absurd mood of the play?
Gwendolen Jack? … No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations …
Algernon Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.
What is a word that could replace lax without changing the meaning of the sentence?
relaxed, not strict, loose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TI2MT0eoSo
How does the film clip emphasize and convey themes of deception in comparison to the text?
What is an example of dramatic irony?
The audience knows the truth about the sandwiches, Earnest's origin and Cecily while other characters do not.
What rhetorical appeal is Jack using:
Jack May I ask you then what you would advise me to do? I need hardly say I would do anything in the world to ensure Gwendolen’s happiness.
Ethos to make himself appear credible as a loving partner.
"The very essence of romance is uncertainty?” Is he being ironic? In what ways does the action of the play support this statement?
Yes, verbal irony. The "uncertainty" of who is Earnest, who knows the truth about Earnest, and how others will react to the truth all contributes to the romantic conflict and plotline of the play.
Algernon The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility!
What is a word that could replace tedious without changing the meaning of the sentence?
boring, tiresome, dull
How does Wilde develop his writing style?
Wilde uses comedic devices such as irony, puns, paradoxes, and hyperboles to develop a witty and sarcastic writing style.
How does the title of the play create a sense of irony and contribute to the meaning of the play.
Verbal irony and a pun playing on the meaning of "Earnest" (honest) and the importance of honesty as Jack's conflicts revolve mostly around his lies.
How does Wilde use hyperbole as a rhetorical device to highlight the triviality of the character's concerns?
Act 1 has a multitude of foreshadowing. Choose one instance from the text you believe to be foreshadowing and make a prediction.
Gwendolen [Glibly.] Ah! that is clearly a metaphysical speculation, and like most metaphysical speculations has very little reference at all to the actual facts of real life, as we know them.
What is a word that could replace metaphysical without changing the meaning of the sentence?
abstract, theoretical
Write a universal theme statement based on Act 1 about marriage, deceit or morality.
Answers may vary.
What does the use of irony help to convey Oscar's perspective about the Victorian Era?
Wilde uses irony to emphasize his implied mockery of the upper class by highlighting their hypocrisy, trivial concerns and superficial natures.
How does Algernon use Bunbury to persuade his aunt that he must miss certain social obligations.
He both uses Bunbury to establish his credibility as a caring individual who would NEVER want to disappoint his aunt while ATTEMPTING to appeals to pathos to evoke sympathy - Bracknell has none.
How does Wilde's use of epigrams [witty, concise statements] contribute to the satirical mood of the play?
Jack Oh, that’s nonsense, Algy. You never talk anything but nonsense.
Algernon Nobody ever does.
Gwendolen [Glibly.] Ah! that is clearly a metaphysical speculation, and like most metaphysical speculations has very little reference at all to the actual facts of real life, as we know them.
What is a word that could replace Glibly without changing the tone?
nonchalantly, unconcerned