Ernest

I actually watched The Importance of Being Ernest the past summer on a lazy 'let's watch amazon prime movies because they are free' day. So, when you said not to watch the movie, a guilty conscience pulled my mind. Even though I don't remember everything and the memory of the movie is very dim, I felt that the movie followed the play in sequence. Of course, with all the AP Literature knowledge in me, if I were to watch the movie again, I am sure I will be analyzing the faults of the movie. I really enjoyed reading The Importance of Being Ernest in class because the students really put in the effort to read their parts with an accent. Coming from third period, I know only a couple of people who would have tried their British accents. Second period's enthusiasm and friendly atmosphere makes reading plays a lot more entertaining and engaging.

The day we started learning about Oscar Wilde and about his witty way of saying many ironic yet truthful message, I went to tutor a sixth grader. When I was tutoring, I noticed their calender had a little quote below the month of April, "A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough" by Benjamin Franklin. When I read that, I was like Wilde! and then thought, 'oh, what AP Lit does to my life' :)

I really liked reading the play especially for its witty comments. Since I don't have a talent for writing, I always admire people with the ability to make profound statements. My favorite scene in the play is in Act 3 with Lady Brackwell sweating under Jack to try to get Algernon and Cecily to marry as quickly as possible. The total shift from 'Algernon should not marry a ward' to 'Algernon has to marry a heiress' is very funny. When Jack says, "How extremely kind of you, Lady Bracknell!  I have also in my possession, you will be pleased to hear, certificates of Miss Cardew’s birth, baptism, whooping cough, registration, vaccination, confirmation, and the measles; both the German and the English variety" and she replies, "Ah! A life crowded with incident, I see; though perhaps somewhat too exciting for a young girl.  I am not myself in favour of premature experiences" I mean the way she thinks the 'premature experiences' are too exciting for a little girl is very laughable. She does not think in terms of reality but only about the social status expectations. Anyways, the superficiality of Lady Brackwell's thoughts is revealed deeply when Jack mentions the fortune of Cecily. The comment on how people judge people's profile based on wealth, beauty, and education is still so prevalent in today's society. Society in Wilde's time is not very different from ours. I think the most amazing thing about literature is that the social commentaries are always relatable. The human race fails to grow and change. Even though the 21st century is so bent on trying to promote equality, society is only self centered and wishes to judge others to boost its own confidence.