Male Character Analysis in The Importance of Being Earnest

In Oscar Wilde’s  The Importance of Being Earnest, earnestness is correlated with diligence, seriousness, and sincerity. That being said, it is difficult to find many characters in the play who would possess such qualities. The two male protagonists certainly do not display much earnestness despite the fact that at one time of this comedic play or another, they each take on the name Ernest. Take a closer look at the double life of respectable Jack Worthing and irreverent bachelor Algernon Moncrieff. Growing up Jack Worthing Act One reveals that protagonist John Jack Worthing has a most unusual and amusing backstory. As a baby, he was accidentally abandoned in a handbag at a railway station, exchanged for a manuscript. A wealthy man, Thomas Cardew, discovered and adopted him as a child. Jack was named Worthing, after the seaside resort which Cardew visited. He grew up to become a wealthy land-owner and investor and became the legal guardian of Cardew’s young and beautiful granddaughter Cecily. As the central character of the play, Jack might seem serious at first glance. He is far more proper and less ridiculous than his dandified friend Algernon Algy Moncrieff.  He doesnt take part in his jokes and tries to uphold a certain image. In many productions of the play, Jack has been portrayed in a somber, straight-faced manner. Dignified actors such as Sir John Gielgud and Colin Firth have brought Jack to life on stage and screen, adding an air of stature and refinement to the character. But, do not let appearances fool you. Witty Scoundrel Algernon Moncrieff One of the reasons Jack seems serious is due to the stark contrast between him and his friend, Algernon Moncrieff. Compared to Algy, a young man of frivolous and playful nature, Jack almost appears to represent morals that the Victorian society was so after. Of all the characters in The Importance of Being  Earnest,  it is believed that Algernon is the embodiment of Oscar Wilde’s personality. He exemplifies wit, satirizes the world around him, and views his own life as art’s highest form. Like Jack, Algernon enjoys the pleasures of the city and high society. But he also enjoys eating, values sophisticated attire, and finds nothing more amusing than not taking himself and the rules of society seriously. Algernon also loves to offer urbane commentary about class, marriage, and Victorian society. Here are a few gems of wisdom, compliments of Algernon (Oscar Wilde): On relationships: marriage is demoralizingâ€Å"divorces are made in heaven† On modern culture: â€Å"Oh! It is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn’t. More than half of modern culture depends on what one shouldn’t read.† On family and living: â€Å"Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who haven’t got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest instinct about when to die.† Unlike Algernon, Jack avoids making strong, general commentary. He finds some of Algernons sayings to be nonsense. And when Algernon says something that rings true, Jack finds it socially unacceptable to be uttered in public. Algernon, on the other hand, likes to stir up trouble. Dual Identities The theme of leading double lives runs through the entire play. Despite his faà §ade of high moral character, Jack has been living a lie. It turns out that his friend has a double identity as well. Jack’s relatives and neighbors believe him to be a moral and productive member of society. Yet, Jack’s first line in the play explains his true motivation for escaping his country home. He says, Oh pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere? Despite his proper and serious outward appearance, Jack is a hedonist. He is also a liar. He has invented an alter-ego, a fictional brother named â€Å"Ernest, to help him escape his dreary and dutiful life in the country: When one is placed in the position of guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects. It’s one’s duty to do so. And as a high moral tone can hardly be said to conduce very much to either one’s health or one’s happiness, in order to get up to town I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes. According to Jack, living morally doesnt make one healthy nor happy. Algernon has also been leading a double life. He has created a friend named â€Å"Bunbury.† Whenever Algernon wants to avoid a boring dinner party, he says that Bunbury has fallen ill and Algernon is free to escape off to the countryside, seeking amusement. Even though Algernon compares his Bunbury with Jacks Ernest, their double lives arent the same. Jack changes into a different person when he becomes Ernest; he even goes so deep within his lie as to bring props when he announces that Ernest is dead. In comparison, Algernons Bunbury offers simply an escape. Algernon doesnt suddenly change into a different person. In this way, the audience might start wondering who the bigger trickster of the two is. This is further complicated when in Act Two, Algernon intensifies Jack’s situation by posing as his delinquent brother Ernest and capturing Cecilys interest. What Is What? Truth Vs. Fantasy The ongoing back and forth between truth and lies, fantasy and reality, becomes even more complex when we realize that Gwendolen, Jacks fiancà ©e, fell in love with him when he was pretending to be Ernest. Her rationalization is that someone named Ernest must be a very trustworthy and honorable gentleman, which is in direct contrast with Jacks original reasons for inventing Ernest. So did Gwendolen fall in love with the real Jack/Ernest—the social delinquent—since they did meet in the city, or did she merely fall in love with the name Ernest, and therefore really with Jack, as he is known in the countryside? Finally, when Jack proclaims that he has been telling the truth the entire time, it becomes yet another questionable statement. On one hand, it is a fact that his real name is Ernest, but he didnt know it until that very moment. It is now up to the audience to answer the truth question for themselves—if a lie ends up being a truth, does it erase the initial deception that went into building that lie? Along the same lines, when Jack admits at the very end of the play that he has now realized for the first time in [his] life the vital Importance of Being Earnest, the ambiguity is very palpable. Is he simply talking about the importance of being named Ernest? Or is he talking about the need to be serious and honest? Or, Jack voicing Wildes own beliefs, that what is, in fact, important is NOT being earnest—serious and honest—and instead of questioning the standards of Victorian society? This is the power of Wildes artistry. The lines between whats true and important and what is not are blurred and the contemporary society of his audience—the Victorian age—is put into question. The Loves of Their Lives Algernon and Jack get entangled in their dual identities and the pursuit of their true love. For both men, the importance of being Ernest/earnest is the only way to make it work with their hearts true desires. Jack's Love for Gwendolen Fairfax Despite his deceptive nature, Jack is sincerely in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, the daughter of the aristocratic Lady Bracknell. Because of his desire to marry Gwendolen, Jack is anxious to â€Å"kill off† his alter-ego Ernest. The problem is that she thinks that Jack’s name is Ernest. Ever since she was a child, Gwendolen has been infatuated with the name. Jack decides not to confess the truth of his name until Gwendolen gets it out of him in Act Two: It is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind. However, I will tell you quite frankly that I have no brother Ernest. I have no brother at all. Fortunately for Jack, Gwendolen is a forgiving woman. Jack explains that he arranged a christening, a religious ceremony in which he will officially change his name to Ernest once and for all. The gesture touches Gwendolen’s heart, reuniting the couple. Algernon Falls for Cecily During their first encounter, Algernon falls in love with Cecily, Jack’s pretty 18-year-old ward. Of course, Cecily does not know Algernon’s true identity at first. And like Jack, Algernon is willing to sacrifice his namesake in order to win his love’s hand in marriage. (Like Gwendolen, Cecily is enchanted by the name â€Å"Ernest†). Both men go to great lengths in order to make their lies become the truth. And that is the heart of the humor behind The Importance of Being Earnest.

People with Learning Disability - 784 Words

To make sure that people with learning difficulties are able to live in their flats independently and not go through any abuse, there are various strategies to help them such as: Protection of Vulnerable Adults scheme (POVA) The Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme was July 2004 was introduced to protect vulnerable adults such as people with learning disability who are aged 18 years and over in care settings. Employers or managers are required to check the POVA list when employing workers, carers or volunteers who are in regular contact with vulnerable adults. They also have a responsibility to refer care workers to the POVA list if they have harmed vulnerable adults in their care. When an individuals name is placed on the†¦show more content†¦From this, we are able to find out if they are being abused. They wouldn’t hesitate when talking about the abuse. Partnership with service users also means care professionals helping service users to recognise when a relationship is abusive. Care workers can help them to know more about how to protect themselves by knowing their rights and how to complain. Thus, potential abuse can be minimised by working in partnership with service users. Strategies between professionals and within organisations It is vital to have effective communication between professionals and organisations so that service user is protected. When there are any changes such as improvement in service users or degrading in their health conditions or if there is a suspicion of abuse, information must be shared by communication. By communicating, they are able to monitor the service users well being and they can be up to date with information of service users. 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Oxford Brookes University Bsc in Applied Accounting Free Essays

I will use this report writing oopportunity to practice and practically implement my learning in evaluating business and financial performance of a business which spreads its activities from one continent to another. 1. 3 Reasons behind choosing XY For me and for my family’s clothing needs I found XY as a better place to buy as it sells better and fashionable cloths at lower price. We will write a custom essay sample on Oxford Brookes University Bsc in Applied Accounting or any similar topic only for you Order Now But, this is not what attracted my attention. I got interested on XY because in this time of recession and money crisis while all high street giants struggling to survive I found XY continuing to open new stores in different locations in every few months. Not only that, Interbrand ranked in their latest 2009 report XY as the world’s 2X no. brand with 11% increasing brand value from last year to 15,375m USD. Last year XY was ranked number 2X. XY is in the top position as a high street apparel brand. It seems XY is becoming more popular hence mearns greater market. 1. 3. 1 XY history Present is the result of history; I always enjoy it so decided to look back where everything really begun. A former Swedish salesman, named Exxx Pxxxx, discovered an amazing clothing retail concept during his trip to the United States. He noticed high turnover can be achieved by lowering the sales price. After came back home; in 1947, he opened a store exclusively for women’s clothing in Vxxx, Sxxx. He named the store ‘X’. Swedish for hxxx. In 1968 Exxx Pxxxx brought men’s concept in his retail store and changed its name to ‘XY’. He continued to add new concepts like clothing for children, young people, trendy people and sportive people. To stimulate growth in home and abroad, XY went public with a listing in Sxxxx Stock Exchange in 1974. XY started its business using concept ‘fashion at low price’ but later developed to ‘fashion and quality at best price’ The Pxxxx family still 4 holding the largest share of the company stock, leaving control securely in the family’s hands. 1. 3. 2 X;Y at present day ‘Before you can really start setting financial goals, you need to determine where you stand financially. ’ – Bach, David X;Y is a rapidly growing business. Every year it is expending its market, i. e. stores, steadily. According to X;Y annual report 2008; by the end of financial year 2008 X;Y Group had 1,738 stores globally. In the year 2008 X;Y opened 216 stores worldwide and entered in five new different markets (Japan, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia). In 2009 X;Y Group planning to open 225 new stores. Though X;Y mainly provide clothing at competitive price but they also have PST range which offers exclusive and expensive clothing collection. Around 73,000 employees helping X;Y to run and grow. Source: X;Y Group Annual Report 2008 1. 3. 3 Business to compare I was thinking around which organization I shall choose to compare. I browsed through websites of top clothing retailer’s e. g. Primark, Gap, Topshop, and Zara. 5 Then I found Inditex Group (owner of Zara) as the most appropriate business for comparison with X;Y Group as, in terms of revenue, Inditex is the top largest clothing retailer in the Europe and X;Y is the second. Though clothing ranges of Inditex mainly includes high priced items unlike X;Y’s main ranges but both of them highly expended their operation beyond their originate country. Inditex have 4,430 stores in 73 countries while for X;Y the number is 1,738 in 34 countries. Inditex Group includes fashion brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho and Uterque. Zara is the most popular brand among others of Inditex Group. Interbrand, in their year 2009 report, ranked Zara in no. 50 according to brand value (6,789m USD) while X;Y ranked number 2X with 15,375m USD brand value. 1. 4 Aims and objectives The aim of this research and analysis project is to establish an evaluation of the business and financial performance of X;Y Group based on financial reports, comments and projections made by board members and using the views of other stakeholders. My project will evaluate the financial performance of X;Y over financial year-ending 2006 to 2008 and assess its future prospect. Economic decisions taken by stakeholders are highly dependent on the financial performance of the relevant company. Now-a-days stakeholders are getting more and more interested on management’s performance and internal control. Management’s ability in taking effective long-term decisions is very important as taking efficient short-term decisions. Shareholders are concerned about short-term return e. g. ividend and share price but they are also very concerned about managements’ plan on future growth, expansion, roadmap on how to deal with expected or not-expected adverse conditions. I will use various rations e. g. profitability ratios, efficiency ratios, investment rations during my report writing process. In addition, I will do SWOT analysis, as it is a key 6 instrumental framework to assess the overall business position, to identify t he strength, weaknesses, threats and opportunities for X;Y. 2. INFORMATION As this report is the first of its kind I am doing so I had to start from the very beginning. I had to understand what type of report I was going to do, what type of format I shall use, how can I gather information and how can I use those in writing this report and on above all of these where will I find relevant information. I discussed about the report writing techniques I shall use and information source I shall use with my senior and fellow sstudents who already wrote this type of report for their university degree. I attended an introductory meeting in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ where Mr †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pointed out possible sources of information. I browsed through websites of X;Y and Inditex. I downloaded and printed out the annual report of last three years. I also read through the Chairman’s report and CEO’s report to understand business and financial performance from their point of view. I also read through newspaper reports on X;Y and Inditex. I used Google search engine and Yahoo Finance to find out news related to these two businesses. 2. 1 Source of information I divided my source of information in two groups; primary source and secondary source. As far as this business and financial performance report concern I really not necessarily had to collect information through primary source. More importantly, the secondary source of information was so sthrong that it made using primary source insignificant. The main sources I used during preparation of this report are as follows: 7 Published financial statements of X;Y Group and Inditex Group (Year ending 2006, 2007, 2008) I found financial statements as the main source of information as this gives us the financial knowledge of the both companies and very relevant to my chosen topic area. But, more importantly financial statements are audited by independent auditors and provides high level of assurance and great deal of reliability. Chairman, CEO and Directors statements These statements gives information which highlights business performance, i. e. specific areas where the business done well or areas where business is finding difficulties. These statements also give future strategies and plans business willing to and going to adopt and implement. These statements also ensure stakeholders on business plan on how they will adopt or eliminate expected or unexpected risks. How to cite Oxford Brookes University Bsc in Applied Accounting, Papers