Dorian Gray Said/Done Analysis

In "The Picture of Dorian Gray", Oscar Wilde often uses helpful writing tools in order to get his message across. In the passage we chose on page 81, many messages can be found due his use of many rhetorical strategies. Through his use of hyperbolic language, the conclusion is easily made that Dorian is somewhat oblivious to reality and naive when it comes to his feelings for Sybil. Rather than simply saying he loves her, Dorian uses phrases such as "Why, the whole world is nothing to me compared to her" (Wilde 81). Exaggerative language such as this proves that Wilde is not simply trying to convey the message that Dorian has strong feelings for Sybil, but also the fact that he may be somewhat naive towards these feelings and unaware of how to control them. Along with hyperbolic language, Wilde uses specific mannerisms and direct dialogue to convey yet another message. This message is the idea of Hallward and Henry being the equivalents of foil characters. A foil character is one used to serve as a contrast to another, usually more primary, character. In this short passage alone, we see the different opinions of Hallward and Henry, which lead to showing us how their personalities differ in general. By saying that "Hallward laid his hand upon his arm" (81), Wilde easily uses Hallward's compassion to emphasize Henry's cold straightforwardness. Both of these examples of rhetorical strategies may lead to conclusions that one could use to foreshadow later events. Dorian's naiveness may suggest that he will be easily influenced in a more important situation later in the story, while the differences of Hallward and Henry's personalities may suggest that they will both become very influential characters, influencing Dorian in both good and bad ways.

Dorian Gray Blog #3

From what we have read of "The Picture of Dorian Gray", one might assume that Oscar Wilde is a misogynist. Although one might assume this, it is not necessarily true. In order to be considered a misogynist, Wilde would need to show his audience on different occasions that he does, in fact, have a strong hatred for women. He does not sufficiently do so in "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Although he does make a few comments that are arguable, that still does not mean that it is necessarily how he feels in real life. Even though many authors do write what they know and feel, many also write things in order to portray the specific characters in their stories. In Wilde's case, he very well may have been simply saying misogynist like things, simply in order to get across the true character of Lord Henry. By making Lord Henry a possibly misogynist and extremely disagreeable man, Oscar Wilde is successful in giving his audience a bad first impression of Lord Henry in order to set him up for all other bad things he will do during the novel. I believe that all of these things prove the argument that one cannot say that Oscar Wilde was a misogynist based statements and dialogue written in the text.

Dorian Gray Blog #2

Lord Henry is a character that demands the attention of, not only Dorian and other characters in the novel, but of all those who read "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Lord Henry's blunt honesty and straightforwardness set him apart from all other characters. For some reason, human beings are fascinated by those who speak their minds and are unwilling to compromise themselves or the truth for anyone they meet, which is how we have seen Lord Henry act thus far. These characteristics quickly cause Dorian Gray to become completely enticed by Lord Henry, allowing what he says and does influence him directly. At this point, Lord Henry sees Dorian as a young man that he can easily manipulate. Due to Dorian's upbringing, manipulating him is not going to be a very difficult process. He will soon find himself pondering Lord Henry's outlandish views on certain subjects and letting them get to him. Lord Henry makes clear his belief that "Genius lasts longer than Beauty", which quickly makes Dorian fear what will come of him when his beauty begins to fade. This shows that Dorian allows Lord Henry's perspective affect him much more than a confident young man would, revealing that he is already being shaped into a victim dependent on the "intellect" of Lord Henry.

Dorian Gray Blog #1

Dorian Gray is a young man who is the product of a broken family. Through Basil's artistic portrayal of him, one would think he is not only a beautiful, but a strong, independent, and mysterious man. This is not the case. Because of the lack of an influential role model in his life, Dorian has grown to be very naive and easily influenced. These are not good qualities to have, especially when dealing with a character such as Lord Henry. Lord Henry is a manipulative man who, from the start, attempted to take advantage of Dorian and his passive personality. Due to this passiveness, Lord Henry did not only attempt, but succeed in winning over Dorian's attention. Dorian had met many people in his life, but "they had not influenced his nature. Then had come Lord Henry Wotton with his strange panegyric on youth, his terrible warning of its brevity. That had stirred him at the time, and now, as he stood gazing at the shadow of his own loveliness, the full reality of the description flashed across him" (Wilde 27). This goes to show that Dorian had let Henry's opinions influence him after only knowing him for a short amount of time, proving that he will quickly turn out to be a product of Lord Henry's influence.

Why did Eliot title his poem a "Love Song"?

The fact that T.S. Eliot titled his dreary poem a love song is an example of irony. For anything to be considered a love story/song, it must follow a certain layout. In T.S. Eliot's poem, there is only one main character who argues with himself throughout the entire poem, and for something to be considered a love song, it must involve both a man and a woman directly. This poem is the exact opposite, only showing Prufrock to be arguing with himself. This struggle is, in fact, an aspect of a love story, but because in his case it is a struggle within himself, it doesn't count. Another important aspect of a love story is the ending. For something to be officially considered a love story or a love song, it must leave the audience feeling somewhat emotionally satisfied. T.S Eliot's "love song" does the exact opposite. His use of personification and imagery to paint a dark scene in the readers mind never takes a significant turn to the cheer the reader up towards the end. The dreary tone remains throughout the entire poem. If he had changed it to represent that Prufrock turned out happy in the end, and the readers felt satisfied, this poem would at least fulfill one aspect to bring it closer to being an actual "love song". It is ironic that this poem is titled a love song because Eliot goes against all actual aspects of a love song, which succeeds in throwing the readers off and leaving them wondering his motives in titling it a love song.

The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock Analysis

There are many different conflicts seen in The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, one of the most glaring being that of Prufrock versus society. All throughout this poem, Prufock hints at the fact that he needs to choose between the society he finds himself in and the one he thinks he should be a part of. Although this is an internal conflict, it affects Prufock in many ways. It represents how even a man who is educated and of a higher class than many can find himself struggling with happiness. Prufrock seems to be in a dark place with himself, repeating "I grow old...I grow old", making it clear that he is aware that he should be settling down and moving to the high society, but for some reason not taking advantage of that knowledge. This struggle between two very different worlds influences Prufrock in his decisions of moving from woman to woman and involving himself in a shady society. If there was not such a gap between the society of those who have "toast and tea" and who spend too much time in "one night cheap hotels", Prufrock would have never faced this internal struggle between the two.

Pride and Prejudice Blog #6

After reading Pride and Prejudice, I believe that Jane Austen intended for her readers to interpret the first line of her novel with a sense of satire. If Jane meant it literally, she would not involve characters with such differing opinions and views on society as she did. This is clear because she specifically stated that "a man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (5), rather than saying that all men seek to be married. She then introduces her readers to two examples of very fortunate men, but makes their personalities very different. If she had intended to give her readers the impression that she was serious in when saying her opening line, she would form these two men to be perfect examples of what she stated. They, in fact, are not. Mr. Darcy, for example, does not go out to flirt with women whom he deems suitable for marriage, as one would think a man "in want of a wife" (5) would do. He tends to keep to himself and come off somewhat cold. In the end of the novel, both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley end up marrying, but that does not mean that Jane Austen meant that literally all men of fortune search for a wife. The only part of that opening statement that I believe was meant to be taken literally was when she stated that "it is a truth universally acknowledged" (5). By saying this, Jane wanted her readers to understand the magnitude of that society's view on the importance of marriage. Marriage in that society was, in fact, seen with that much importance, leaving only the rest of her statement to be meant satirically. Not only is the rest of this statement said with satire, but it also contains a strong use of hyperbole, exaggerating that all wealthy men fervently search for wives, only to prove that to be false throughout the rest of the story.