My Last Blog Post

This week in AP Literature we are debriefing from takin the AP exam. In my opinion I felt very prepared for this exam, the open question was a breeze. I had so many options to choose from and I am glad that we read all the books we read. Compared to other people I have talked to I felt with more books to choose from I had more of an opportunity to write on something different than everyone else. Doing all our outlines and practicing open questions really helped me feel confident. I felt extremely prepared for the multiple choice portion of the test, I laughed at the first passage (you know those sonnets, so easy). I am so glad that I got analyze and practice on real exams. Going though the right answers and analyzing what makes them right and what makes the other answers wrong. The most beneficial activities that we did in the class would be the dozens of times writings that we did in class. I am glad that we got that practice, once again it made me feel extremely confident about the three essays. The books that we read this year also gave me a lot of options to write about and gave me a lot of practice at close reading. After all of the stress and all of the sleepless nights, I really enjoyed the class. So suggestions for next years class would be to keep it the same, maybe add some more time to teach Earnst a little deeper. I am so glad I took this class, I feel extreme prepped for college after this year.

Earnest Blog #2

This past week in AP Literature we have been reading and analyzing Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest. One of the most prominent themes that we were supposed to highlight, was Oscar Wilde making the serious aspects of life trivial and the trivial aspects of life serious. Oscar Wilde especially makes this known within the characters that hold upper class statuses. Wilde makes a clear distinction between the upper lower classes, by showing that the upper classes have the flexibility to act irresponsibly when the lower class takes responsibility for the upper classes immature actions. The classes play a very important role within the play, the social structure present certain barriers that each of the social class have to abide by. Another important theme within the play is also the lack of knowledge and lies, actually lies create this sense of lack of knowledge, and without the truth how can one know anything.

                The most important line in the play is “We live,” “in an age of surfaces.” Lady Bracknell says this line, it is ironic that she says this because her motives are driven precisely on material and “surfaces.” Lady Bracknell is the power center throughout the whole play, she is filled with masculine qualities that over power many of the men within the play. She sets an example for the other women in the play, such as Gwendolyn, Gwendolyn is merely the product of her mother’s influence as well as the effects of the upper class society in the city. Whereas Cecily creates her power, she hasn’t been influenced by anyone other than her governess, who she despises; Cecily creates her own influential stature, her creativity and naivety give her power over the lower class within the country society. The men in the play lack power, but they have the influence to dictate what happens in terms  of who gets hurt and how their action affect other people. The difference between men and women within the novel is that the women how knowledge and are well informed and conscious about how their actions affect other people. On the other hand, men in the play don’t know how their actions are going to influence other people, in this the women have much of the power in this topsy-turvy world that Wilde is trying to hold up to the Victorian society.

                The setting within the play also plays a huge role within differentiating the relationship between the characters. The two main setting are the city (aka London) and the Country. Obviously London is suppose to represent the wealthy scene where morality is loosely affected, in London people can get into “scrapes” and repent there scenes. The country represents the truth, everything is revealed in the country, and the impureness of the city is taken seriously at one point in the country, but then it is taken trivally when it is revealed that the country is really where the money is located. After it is revealed the Cecily is the richest out of all the characters she is respected and considered desirable.