The Picture Of Dorian Wilde And Lord Henry Wotton And...

The male characters in both texts form their friendships with a goal of self-advancement in mind. In The Picture of Dorian Gray the friendship between Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray is based on personal benefit. Lord Henry draws his pleasure from placing his own ideals into a younger, more apt body. He frequently discusses the, â€Å"exercise of influence,† describing it as, â€Å"terribly enthralling,† (Wilde ?). Lord Henry interjects his own ideals into Dorian’s mind through their discussions on the proper way to live life. Dorian, being manipulable, adopts Henry’s theories as fact. Henry exploits Dorian’s self-indulgence for personal pleasure. In return, Dorian derives his pleasure from living out the self-loving lifestyle that Lord Henry has†¦show more content†¦Dorian uses these illustrious items to forget the constant molding of his own soul. When Dorian confronts his poisoned soul he determines that it is, â€Å"sick to death,â⠂¬  and decides that salvation is impossible. In The Importance of Being Earnest Jack and Algernon’s constant Bunburying cause them to become distrustful. Rather than admit to their deception, both characters tell more lies in order to avoid scrutiny. When Jack is questioned about the whereabouts of his imaginary brother, Ernest, he reveals: CHASUBLE. Your brother Ernest dead? JACK. Quite dead (ask how to cite). Likewise, when Algernon is asked about his non-existent friend, Bunbury, he explains, â€Å"‘Oh! No! Bunbury doesnt live here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In fact, Bunbury is dead,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (cite). Through this, Wilde shows that male friendships are based on selfish-habits and avoiding responsibilities. The males in both texts expose their own faults through hypocrisy. During a conversation between Dorian and Henry, the topic of influence arises. Dorian asks Henry why his friend, Basil Hallward, has deemed him a negative influence. Henry, the man whose main source of pleasure is placing his own ideals and theories on others, reasons that there, â€Å"‘is no such thing as a good influence,’† because, â€Å"‘to influence a person is to give him one’s own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions,’† (Wilde). This hypocrisy exposes HenryShow MoreRelatedThe Picture of Dorian Gray: C orruption Through Aestheticism1464 Words   |  6 PagesThe Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is the story of moral corruption by the means of aestheticism. In the novel, the well meaning artist Basil Hallward presets young Dorian Gray with a portrait of himself. After conversing with cynical Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian makes a wish which dreadfully affects his life forever. If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that I would give everythingRead More Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: The Character of Lord Henry Wotten1670 Words   |  7 PagesCharacter of Lord Henry Wotten of The Picture of Dorian Gray  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this essay is to explore the character of Lord Henry Wotten, from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde once said: I only know that Dorian Gray is a classic and deservedly. With this in mind, this essay is aimed at looking at how Lord Henry Wotton manipulates various conversations and how he effects the story with his challenging speeches, which is the reason The Picture of Dorian GrayRead More Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay examples1731 Words   |  7 PagesOscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde. The genre of this novel can be classified as a comedy of manners or a gothic novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. Another version with an additional six chapters was published in 1891. One of the major themes in the novel was the Supremacy of Beauty and Youth. A very attractive man has a portrait painted of himself, and after being warnedRead More Manipulation in Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray 2501 Words   |  11 PagesManipulation in Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray  Ã‚        Ã‚  I do not think that one person influences another, nor do I think there is any bad influence in the world, Oscar Wilde uttered when under trial (Hyde 353). Although this statement may be true, one of Wildes most famous works shows a great deal of the effects of people shaping one another, causing one to wonder about Wildes sincerity in that statement. The Picture of Dorian Gray shows variations on the existence and purposesRead More Essay on The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book996 Words   |  4 Pages The Picture of Dorian Gray as a Moral Book nbsp; The Picture of Dorian Gray was a remarkably well-written book due to the reaction of its themes by society.nbsp; In the preface of the novel, Wilde introduces the opinion that ...there is no moral or immoral book.nbsp; Books are well written or badly written.nbsp; That is all.nbsp; Numerous views can be taken upon this fastidious comment.nbsp; Many would agree that Wilde is justifiably correct because the preface was written with theRead MoreThe Relationship between Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton1374 Words   |  6 PagesSet in the late 19th Century, Oscar Wilde wrote his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which is a story about debauchery and corruption of innocence and well known as a Gothic melodrama. Violent twists and a sneaky plot make this novel a distinct reflection of human pride and corrupt nature. Before we examine the quality of the error that Dorian Gray commits, we should first examine his friends and their relation to him because Dorian falls into this error with a little help from his friendsRead MoreMWDS The Picture of Dorian Gray1426 Words   |  6 PagesMWDS : The Picture of Dorian Gray ! AP English IV Title of Work: The Picture of Dorian Gray Author: Oscar Wilde Date of Publication: 1890 Genre: Gothic Biographical Information Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 to Sir William Wilde and Jane Wilde, the second of three children. Wilde studied at Oxford, and joined the Freemasons in 1878 after failing to join the Oxford Union. After graduation, he went home to Dublin and began writing poems. The Picture of Dorian Gray was his first and onlyRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1432 Words   |  6 PagesIn The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, we see how the different characters show their love of beauty and pleasure and the affects they have on the main character: Dorian Gray. Each of the three main characters, Basil Hallward, Lord Henry Wotton, and Dorian Gray portray a part of how the author felt about himself and the world around him. â€Å"Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks of me: Dorian what I would like to be- in other ages, perhaps† (qtd. in Bloom pg. 117)Read MoreEssay about The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde497 Words   |  2 PagesThe Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde In the book, The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, there is a character named Lord Henry Wotton. He is the storys antagonist and whom critics often think most resembles Oscar Wilde. Wilde remarks Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks of me: Dorian what I would like to be-in other ages perhaps. Within the preface of The Picture Of Dorian Gray, there lie the lines Those who go beneath the symbol do so at theirRead MoreThe Theme of Decadence in the Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde1553 Words   |  7 PagesThe theme of decadence in The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde Staring from the definition found in the dictionary, the decadence is a literary movement especially of late 19th-century France and England characterized by refined aestheticism, artifice, and the quest for new sensations. [1] In decadence, important is not necessarily what is seen, but the hermeneutics: what man feels when he sees the creative result of this feeling. It is the current that requires a co-operation

The Secret Circle The Divide Chapter 4 Free Essays

As she walked home from school that afternoon, Cassie finally had a moment to herself to think. Diana and some of the others were going into town to shop for spring festival outfits. You need a spring dress for the spring festival, Suzan had insisted when Cassie said she was feeling too tired to shop. We will write a custom essay sample on The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 4 or any similar topic only for you Order Now But Diana interjected on Cassie’s behalf, saying if she was tired it was best to rest. Did that mean Diana didn’t really want her there? Cassie wished she was feeling more confident about her friendship with Diana, but it seemed out of sorts, just like everything right now. Cassie decided to walk the longer, more scenic route home along Cherry Hill Road, where rows of Kwanzan and dwarf bing cherry trees would be on the brink of blooming. It was a blustery March day, and the sound of the wind in the trees was her favorite. She stopped walking for a moment to look up at their leaves, to watch them shake and dance overhead until she was dizzy. â€Å"This is my turf,† a voice behind her said. She glanced around and saw a black leather jacket and black jeans. â€Å"Nick,† she said. â€Å"I walked this way to be alone, so maybe you’re on my turf.† She was trying to sound playfully sarcastic. Then she immediately ruined it by adding, â€Å"But it’s really nice to run into you.† She noticed him shift uncomfortably at the sappy comment, but more of the same started sputtering from her mouth. â€Å"It’s just . . . we’ve hardly gotten to talk lately,† she said. â€Å"And we never hang out anymore.† Nick’s face appeared cold. No smile, not even a hint of one. He obviously didn’t feel the same way. He looked away and patted his jacket pocket for his cigarettes. Then he remembered he’d quit, so he stopped patting and stood still. â€Å"I miss you, Nick,† Cassie heard herself say. And she immediately wished it hadn’t come out sounding so needy and pathetic. Nick had been this way – aloof and closed off – since Cassie and Adam got together. The rational part of her brain knew he was only shutting her out because he’d been hurt, but the other part of her brain, the irrational part, didn’t care at all about that and just wanted him back in her life. She touched the soft leather of his jacket and asked, as innocently as she could, â€Å"Don’t you miss me at all?† A pang of agony shot across his face, like she’d stabbed him in the stomach with a sharp knife. â€Å"Cassie,† he said. He was about to say something important. She could tell by the gentle tone of his voice and the way he was struggling to find the right words. It was so difficult for him to express his emotions that to watch him working so hard at it now made Cassie’s heart melt a little. This was the tender side of Nick not many people had access to. â€Å"Cassie, listen,† he said. But just then Adam drove up, honking his horn. â€Å"Hey, you two,† he called out. â€Å"Want a ride?† Shoot. What terrible timing. She and Nick were finally getting somewhere. But the moment was lost. Nick’s face, which had opened itself up briefly, closed again, tighter and more secure than a vault. â€Å"Do you want a ride home?† Cassie feebly asked him. The sight of her with Adam was the last thing Nick needed, and Cassie knew it. â€Å"I’ll pass,† he said, with the coldest voice he could muster. â€Å"But you’d better go,† he added, when he noticed Cassie’s hesitation. â€Å"Your chariot awaits.† Cassie was torn. For a split second she imagined their alternate future, the one where Adam didn’t pull up, where she and Nick talked the whole long walk home beneath a canopy of trees. She didn’t want to let this possibility go. But she knew not to push Nick too far. After all, her loyalties were to Adam, and they always would be. Nick started shuffling away in the opposite direction of home. Cassie rushed to catch up with him and whispered into his ear. â€Å"You may have earned the right to wall ow a bit,† she said. â€Å"But I’m not going to let you go that easily.† Then she jogged back to Adam’s car, opened the door, and climbed inside. The interior of Adam’s car always smelled the same. It was the sweet musk of autumn leaves and gasoline, oiled leather and rubber, and it never failed to make Cassie feel a charge. Adam looked her over, analyzing every inch of her face with his piercing blue eyes. â€Å"I thought you were going out dress shopping with the girls.† â€Å"I didn’t feel like it.† He rested his warm hand on her knee. â€Å"Cassie, are you sure everything’s okay?† She gazed out the window and didn’t answer. â€Å"Was Nick giving you a hard time back there?† â€Å"What? No, of course not. If anything, I was giving him a hard time, trying to get him to be my friend again.† Adam returned his hand to the steering wheel and gripped it so tightly, his knuckles whitened. â€Å"He needs time.† â€Å"I know.† Cassie watched the more ordinary streets of New Salem give way to Crowhaven Road and decided to change the subject. â€Å"Did you get a weird feeling from the new principal today?† she asked. â€Å"No, why? Did you?† â€Å"Kind of, but I’m not sure,† Cassie said honestly. â€Å"I think I want to ask Constance about it. Maybe she knows a spell or something that can show us his true nature.† Adam tried to suppress a smile. â€Å"I think you’re being a little paranoid, Cassie. Rightfully so, after all we’ve been through. But honestly, the only thing I found freaky about the principal is that Faye is into his son.† â€Å"I know, you’re probably right.† Cassie returned her gaze out the window. She noticed a black sedan behind theirs and strained to see if it was one of their friends. Not too many cars had a reason to turn onto Crowhaven Road. â€Å"Cassie,† Adam said. â€Å"Listen to me. Black John isn’t haunting us anymore. He’s gone. We won.† In spite of all of Adam’s sensitivity, it bothered Cassie that he still glossed over the fact that Black John, though evil, was her father. Whenever Adam mentioned him, it was always, He’s gone, gone forever – which of course was a good thing, but Adam could at least acknowledge that his death was confusing for her. â€Å"I think I’d still like to go see Constance,† she said. â€Å"Will you drop me off there, please?† Adam got quiet then, which meant he had the sense to know he’d said something to upset Cassie. They were just about at Constance’s house now, so he let up on the accelerator and slowed to a stop. Cassie noticed the black car behind them also stopped. It then made a sharp U-turn and headed back to the main road. Weird, she thought. At first no one answered her knock, but then Cassie saw Constance’s gray head of hair appear in the front window. She waved her birdlike hand at Cassie and then opened the door. â€Å"Are you here to see Melanie?† she asked. â€Å"She’s not home from school yet.† â€Å"Actually, Aunt Constance, I came to talk to you.† â€Å"Uh-oh. What’s wrong?† She led Cassie across the spotless hardwood floor to the parlor, where she’d been having tea. Cassie had grown quite comfortable in this house since her mother had stayed there when she was ill. It was similar to Cassie’s own home, but in much better shape. The walls were freshly painted, the silver was polished to a shine, and there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. The parlor smelled like the oill soap used to clean wood. Constance refilled her will ow-patterned teacup and poured a cup for Cassie. Then she sat back in her large rocking chair. â€Å"What’s on your mind?† she asked. â€Å"Nothing, really,† Cassie said. â€Å"I guess I just came to ask your advice.† â€Å"About what?† Constance was thin and regal, but she looked almost childlike, rocking back and forth in her chair. â€Å"I’ve been feeling kind of uneasy lately,† Cassie said. Constance stopped the rocking and rested her feet flat on the floor. â€Å"You’ll have to be more specific if advice is what you want, dear.† â€Å"Believe it or not, I’m really trying.† Cassie set her teacup down. â€Å"I guess part of it is that I know I should be happy. The Circle defeated Black John, and my mother is well again. And I have Adam, who loves me very much.† â€Å"But?† â€Å"But I can’t seem to relax.† Cassie leaned in close to Constance and began speaking more softly. â€Å"Like today, when our new principal was introduced. I started to feel all shaky, right there at the assembly. I know it wasn’t about him, but how do I know, or how can I tell. . . . Oh, I don’t know.† â€Å"How can you tell the difference between instinct and anxiety?† Constance smiled. Cassie nodded. â€Å"There’s only one way,† Constance said. â€Å"Years of practice. That’s one of the biggest challenges of having the sight.† She leaned back in her chair and appeared lost in her own thoughts for a moment. Then her thin red lips formed a smile. â€Å"Your grandmother was the same way,† she said. â€Å"What you call nervous. If you only knew how many times she woke me up from a sound sleep, crying about a bad omen that turned out to be indigestion.† Constance started laughing so hard, tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She reached for a tissue and patted them away before she went on. â€Å"I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make light of it. But it’ll get easier with time, Cassie, you can be sure of that.† â€Å"So what you’re saying is there’s no magic way to know for sure who’s good and who’s evil, no spell to test the principal’s true nature?† Constance resisted the urge to start laughing again. â€Å"Honey, if only that spell did exist, it would have been the first one I showed you.† She looked at Cassie lovingly. â€Å"Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to peace of mind.† When Cassie made no reply, wrinkled lines appeared between Constance’s eyebrows. â€Å"Practice your daily meditations and your invocations,† she said. â€Å"Cultivate tranquility as best you can.† It was simple advice, but Cassie left Constance’s house feeling just a little bit lighter. How to cite The Secret Circle: The Divide Chapter 4, Essay examples

Council kills 2 grants to visual arts centers sex, quality at issue in panel

Council kills 2 grants to visual arts centers: sex, quality at issue in panel-picked applications Essay The National Council on the Arts, the presidentially appointed advisory body for the National Endowment for the Arts, set off yet another NEA controversy in late January when it overturned two Visual Arts grants that had been recommended by the peer review panel. The Franklin Furnace Archive, a New York avant-garde art center, was denied a $25,000 grant for its upcoming visual arts program. ming while Highways, a Los Angeles gallery, lost a recommended $5,000 grant, as a result of sexually explicit materials submitted with their applications. After viewing 15 minutes of a 70-minute tape of performance artist Scarlet Os appearance at the space, the council voted 17-1 to reject the Franklin Furnace grant application. Im a champion of the avant-garde and respond to whats going on sexually today, said council member Wendy Luers, but the tape had no artistic merit. Had it been someones work like Mapplethorpe I would have been bleeding down the table to support it, because it would have been artistically significant. If Martha chose to submit that video, she did it for a reason. And I had no choice other than to vote against it. The Highways gallery grant was overturned by a closer 10-7 vote with one abstention. The 25 photographs that had been submitted with the gallerys application were felt by the council to be of mixed quality and raised questions about the quality of judgment about work the gallery might present in the future. Poet and council member Donald Hall, the sole council member who voted against rejecting the Franklin Furnace grant, defended the panels recommendation during the council session, saying, I would actually prefer to follow the panel and that is what I think the honorable thing is to do. To act out of fear of what will be said of us is beneath our dignity and beneath the dignity of the arts. If we have panels which are making aesthetic judgments, who are themselves chosen because they have the knowledge within their own fields, I think we should trust them and stand behind them, believing that their judgments are better informed than our own. The Visual Arts Program panel that initially recommended the grants saw only two minutes of the Scarlet O videotape submitted by Franklin Furnace. The panel did not view the entire tape because they did not consider a performance tape relevant to a visual arts application. But panel chairman Renny Pritikin, director of a San Francisco exhibition space, told the Washington Post that he didnt think the sexual content would have bothered the panelists. Pritikin sent a letter of protest to the council, suggesting that the grant should not have been overturned on the basis of the videotape alone regardless of its artistic merit, but that the application in its entirety should have been considered. The federal budget for  fiscal year 93 that President Bush presented to Congress in late January included the Administrations appropriation request of $176 million for the NEA, an amount that would maintain federal arts funding at the 1992 appropriation level. In contrast, the National Endowment for the Humanities received a request for $187.1 million for 1993 a 6.3 percent increase for the agency that would for the first time, raise the annual budget for the NEH above that for the NEA. In accordance with the Endowments three-year reauthorization legislation passed in 1990, the 1993 budget request includes a 5 percent increase in funds allocated to state arts agencies for bloc grants and underserved communities, bringing the total funds distributed to state arts agencies to 35 percent of all NEA program funds, up from the 20 percent earmarked for the states in 1990. The proposed budget also reflects support for the NEAs funding priorities: arts education; expanding opportunities for international programs; increasing access to the arts through support for presenting organizations; and stabilizing arts institutions by way of major Challenge grants. The play "Merchant of Venice" EssayBRIEFLY NOTED   In response to a letter from Theatre Communications Group supporting the inclusion of language stressing the contribution of the arts in President Bushs AMERICA 2000 educational strategy, the U.S. Department of Education has asserted that the arts are already sufficiently emphasized. A return letter from the DOE points out that one of the six new national education goals that comprise the strategy makes clear that competency is sought in a variety of challenging subjects, which must include the five core subjects but does not exclude others, such as the arts and music. The letter also pointed out that the department has received funding to develop an assessment system to measure the progress of the AMERICA 2000 plan and the learning of school-age children in the areas of music, visual arts, theatre and dance. The Philadelphia City Council passed a law in December t the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, a nonprofit corporation which will provide financial support for arts and cultural institutions and activities. Although there is no current funding for the plan and despite an anticipated five-year budget for the city which would severely limit new spending   there are indications that some modest funds might be forthcoming for the new authority. In a rare bit of good news for New York cultural institutions, Mayor David N. Dinkins recently released a preliminary four-year financial plan for New York City which includes drastic cuts to many city agencies, but contains no cuts in funding to the Department of Cultural Affairs. Although the budget for the city arts agency was reduced nearly 30 percent in fiscal 92, the new plan maintains the current arts-funding level, stating, In recognition of the importance of the citys cultural institutions and their education programs, the beneficial impact they have on the local economy, and the effects of the reductions taken in previous years, the plan contains no further expense reductions during the four-year period. The New York State Council on the Arts new planning committee, appointed by chairman Kitty Carlisle Hart, has determined that, despite 1992 funding cuts, a basic minimum of audits and staff site visits must be provided to maintain the integrity of the councils work. While certain funding categories will be eliminated and funds available will be reduced, the committee plans to continue the councils recognition of the importance of general operating support to arts organizations and to ensure that projects initiated by individual artists will continue to be funded. As a means of dealing with the cutbacks, the council plans to extend multiyear grants and limit the number of separate requests an applicant organization can make in a given year. The city of Providence, R.I. has agreed to loan Trinity Repertory Company $1.2 million in federal funding to be repaid over a 20-year period. The loan, which is believed to be the largest city-backed loan of its kind made to a nonprofit theatre, will come from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development and will be guaranteed by the city and collaterized by the theatres building and land. In addition to the HUD loan, a consortium of local banks will make a short-term loan of $225,000 to Trinity, also to be guaranteed by the city, to meet immediate cash flow needs.