The Picture of Dorian Gray #1

             In the first two chapters of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, Lord Henry, and Dorian Gray are immediately interconnected. It appears that a love triangle, or a triangle of affection has formed between the three characters. Basil Hallward introduces Lord Henry to Dorian Gray, and they are immediately intrigued by each other. Basil Hallward and Lord Henry are now competing for the attention of Dorian Gray. The relationship is illustrated in Hallward’s response when Henry and Gray leave: “As the door closed behind them, the painter flung himself down on a sofa, and a look of pain came into his face” (Wilde 22). Hallward’s reaction illustrates the romantic side of his relationship with Gray, because if they were just friends he would have not been upset about Gray going to the theater with Henry.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Preface

            In the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde gives short sayings about the purpose of art. He makes it clear that artists do not make art for a moral purpose. He writes “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written” (Wilde vii). Wilde’s comment about aesthetic philosophy is that art is a judgment of aesthetics and what defines beauty, not what is moral and immoral.  Aesthetic philosophy focuses on the nature of art and beauty, and not the moral purpose. Wilde follows the philosophy because he just wants art to be accepted as beautiful and nothing more.

            Wilde’s tone toward the audience is playful and he also clearly states all of his viewpoints. The preface is made up of short sentences that are concise thoughts. Wilde wants his audience to understand exactly what he believes in. He does not lead his writing up to interpretation. He also maintains a playful tone because the last line in the preface is “All art is quite useless”(Wilde viii). Wilde clearly does not believe that art is useless because if he really did, he would not spend as much time thinking about art. The playfulness of the preface gives the audience a glimpse of how the rest of the book will be written. 

The History Teacher Outline

Thesis: In the poem The History Teacher, a teacher attempts to protect his students from history by telling different versions of the truth. The negative impact of his teaching is expressed through the understatement of events, irony, and the symbol of the life that these children are a part of.

Understatement:

The teacher takes events in history and takes the literal meaning of the word described. Due to his teaching, students now have a false perception of the world that they live in. When student do not understand the past, they cannot have an understanding of the consequences of their actions.

Example: “The Spanish Inquisition was nothing more than an outbreak of questions” (Lines 7-8).

The students instead of learning the raw facts of the Spanish Inquisition they were taught nothing and the conversation was just made up of questions.

Example: “The War of the Roses” (Line 11). The teacher made a war up about something positive, and now students do not understand the negative connotation of war.

Irony:

Example: “to torment the weak and the smart, mussing up their hair and breaking their glasses” (Line 15-18). Despite the teachers want to make the world a perfect place the students still illustrate their evil nature by bullying other students. This is ironic because the teacher did not want to discuss the violence that had occurred in the past, because he wanted to protect his students. In reality his students are violent and do not need to be protected.

Example: “in the Boer War told long, rambling stories designed to make the enemy nod off” (Lines 21-22).

The irony is that the teacher is not even making history more interesting, instead he is making history boring for the students.

Symbol:

Example: “past flower beds and white picket fences” (Line 19).

The teacher now is walking home, and he walks past flowers and white picket fences. His surroundings are a symbol of his student’s lives because they live also in an idyllic world. The realization is if he does not teach them history then who will explain to these students that the world is not a perfect place.

1984 Reading #9 Notes

Pg186- The war that is happening currently in Oceania is the same war they that they have been fighting for years. The difference is that every few years Oceania’s alliances change.

“The primary aim of modern warfare is to use up the products of the machine without raising the general standard of living” (188) - Oceania remains in a war to use up resources to ensure that they are still in control of people’s needs.

Pg189 – In the past society believed that the future society was going to be richer and more knowledgeable. In actuality the present society in Oceania is more impoverished and has not increased their knowledge. The lack of change is due to the fact that society cannot learn more if thinking is not encouraged.

Pg190- The idea that wealth cannot become evenly distributed, because the illiterate people in the society would then have the ability to learn. The impoverished people would then see that the minority group that has all the wealth has no real function.

Pg190- Hierarchical society needs poverty to stay in control. The Party has to make sure that goods are being produced but not distributed.

Pg196- People from Eastasia, Eurasia, and Oceania never talk to each, because they would then realize that everything that they had been told to each has been a lie.

Pg197- The philosophies of the three Superstates are actually identical and have similar social systems.

Pg199- There is a continuous war and as a result war does mean peace in Oceania.

Pg102- People are physically better off than they were in the past, but there has been no increase in wealth.

Pg205- The invention of print made it easier for the party to manipulate the Public’s opinion.

Pg207- As long as the people are not aware that they are oppressed they will never revolt.

Pg208- Big Brother is the focus of all of the party’s beliefs.

Pg212- In Oceania they have ability to change fact instantly, and the Inner Party’s willingness to not only believe the facts, and know the facts.

Pg214- To commit Doublethink one must be aware of what they are doing, but not have a complete understanding of Doublethink, because thinking about Doublethink is in fact committing Doublethink.

Pg216- The names of the ministries illustrate how the Party changes facts. 

1984 Reading #3

‘“Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thought-crime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it”” (Orwell 52).

             

Winston is speaking to Syme, who is working on writing the new Newspeak dictionary, and Syme is talking about the future of Newspeak. The goal of Big Brother is now made clear because he wants to make communicating and having free thoughts nearly impossible. By cutting words out of the language comrades will then be unable to communicate their own ideas, making thought-crimes impossible because people will not even have the words to express what is happening. When Big Brother eliminates the possibility of independent thoughts, people will no longer be able to commit rebellious acts. Syme also seems to be excited about this idea, and he does not see the problem with Big Brother’s goal. Syme will still disappear because he is smart enough to figure out what is going to happen in the future, and this makes him a threat to Oceania’s society.