Hi, Allie, I also wrote an essay to the 1987 prompt about social/political changes. I read your essay and noted some similarities and differences between our authors (I researched Khaled Hosseini). First and foremost, I found it interesting that both of our authors worked towards a similar end goal of social and/or political reform and that, even though they lived in different eras and wrote in different genres, they did so subtly through their literary works. I also thought the point you made about Wilde’s use of satire was interesting and extremely effective. For example, in your essay you included the line, ‘“I love acting. It is so much more real than life’” (Wilde 65) and analyzed it as, “Normal life was so much of an act itself, this act of perfection they had to always put on, that acting in a play became more showing of a person’s true self.” This is a very simple idea but also one with many layers, effectively shown through Lord Henry’s character. However, my author did not use satire to criticize society—instead, he depicted the most extreme scenarios in order to showcase his views and to warn against the consequences that will follow if Afghanistan stays on its current path. Back to your presentation—I would also like to say that I appreciated your explanation of the aesthetic movement, one that I was previously unfamiliar with; it made the presentation much easier to follow especially since the aesthetic movement was such a prominent influence in Wilde’s writing.
Allie, I wanted to start off by saying that I really liked your reason behind your food extra credit. Not only was it delicious but also I thought it was very funny how you related it to Wilde's writing since he focuses on appearance and your food looked very appealing. It is interesting how he used wit and humor in his writing and I think your own wit and humor was paralleled to his own, which I though was very smart to do. I enjoyed reading your open prompt essay because I feel you did a great job at explaining how Wilde's ideas differentiated from that of the Victorian Period. I think it is very interesting that he was part of a movement that only cared about the appearance and didn’t think there was a deeper value. I think you did a great job of explaining how he used characters like Lord Henry to help get his different views across.
Hey Allie! I thought your analysis of Wilde’s works was right on point. It was clear how Wilde crafted a satire of his society’s superficiality through your textual evidence, and I thought your inclusion of Wilde’s belief in the aesthetic movement added another layer of depth to your analysis. There was a point in that regard, however, that I found somewhat paradoxical; if Wilde was a proponent of beauty for the sake of beauty, why did he craft so many of his works in such a light that criticized such a notion? This was the question I was wondering throughout your presentation, but when I read your open question analysis, I think I may have a better understanding. Perhaps Wilde was an advocate for beauty for the sake of beauty in art—sculptures, paintings, music, etc.—but not so much with humans. Wilde could have been such an avid supporter of the aesthetic movement because he believed that art was the only thing that should be beautiful simply to be beautiful, because that is what art is made for; humans, on the other hand, are more than empty vessels made to be looked at. Humans should have depth, humans should have character, humans should look beyond appearance to what’s inside themselves, because humans are not pieces of art. In this interpretation, Wilde’s criticisms of his society’s obsession with appearance don’t seem to be so much contradictory as they are corroborative.
I'm sorry, I didn't include parts of my reflections in the sheet I submitted to Ms. Wilson because they didn't add much in the way of content to the reflection, and I copied my post from that submitted sheet. Do excuse me for commenting again! I'd just like to compliment you on the in-depth analysis that pervaded your presentation. Yours was one of the first I saw that actually broke down the text stylistically and and conveyed your author's purpose on a higher level. There wasn't a moment where I felt that your textual evidence, poetry, or background information didn't contribute to the goal of your presentation, and that focus made it incredibly easy to follow and to understand. For going so early in the week, you truly set the standard for the rest of the presentations. Excellent work!
Hi, Allie, I also wrote an essay to the 1987 prompt about social/political changes. I read your essay and noted some similarities and differences between our authors (I researched Khaled Hosseini). First and foremost, I found it interesting that both of our authors worked towards a similar end goal of social and/or political reform and that, even though they lived in different eras and wrote in different genres, they did so subtly through their literary works. I also thought the point you made about Wilde’s use of satire was interesting and extremely effective. For example, in your essay you included the line, ‘“I love acting. It is so much more real than life’” (Wilde 65) and analyzed it as, “Normal life was so much of an act itself, this act of perfection they had to always put on, that acting in a play became more showing of a person’s true self.” This is a very simple idea but also one with many layers, effectively shown through Lord Henry’s character. However, my author did not use satire to criticize society—instead, he depicted the most extreme scenarios in order to showcase his views and to warn against the consequences that will follow if Afghanistan stays on its current path. Back to your presentation—I would also like to say that I appreciated your explanation of the aesthetic movement, one that I was previously unfamiliar with; it made the presentation much easier to follow especially since the aesthetic movement was such a prominent influence in Wilde’s writing.
ReplyDeleteAllie, I wanted to start off by saying that I really liked your reason behind your food extra credit. Not only was it delicious but also I thought it was very funny how you related it to Wilde's writing since he focuses on appearance and your food looked very appealing. It is interesting how he used wit and humor in his writing and I think your own wit and humor was paralleled to his own, which I though was very smart to do. I enjoyed reading your open prompt essay because I feel you did a great job at explaining how Wilde's ideas differentiated from that of the Victorian Period. I think it is very interesting that he was part of a movement that only cared about the appearance and didn’t think there was a deeper value. I think you did a great job of explaining how he used characters like Lord Henry to help get his different views across.
ReplyDeleteHey Allie!
ReplyDeleteI thought your analysis of Wilde’s works was right on point. It was clear how Wilde crafted a satire of his society’s superficiality through your textual evidence, and I thought your inclusion of Wilde’s belief in the aesthetic movement added another layer of depth to your analysis. There was a point in that regard, however, that I found somewhat paradoxical; if Wilde was a proponent of beauty for the sake of beauty, why did he craft so many of his works in such a light that criticized such a notion? This was the question I was wondering throughout your presentation, but when I read your open question analysis, I think I may have a better understanding.
Perhaps Wilde was an advocate for beauty for the sake of beauty in art—sculptures, paintings, music, etc.—but not so much with humans. Wilde could have been such an avid supporter of the aesthetic movement because he believed that art was the only thing that should be beautiful simply to be beautiful, because that is what art is made for; humans, on the other hand, are more than empty vessels made to be looked at. Humans should have depth, humans should have character, humans should look beyond appearance to what’s inside themselves, because humans are not pieces of art. In this interpretation, Wilde’s criticisms of his society’s obsession with appearance don’t seem to be so much contradictory as they are corroborative.
I'm sorry, I didn't include parts of my reflections in the sheet I submitted to Ms. Wilson because they didn't add much in the way of content to the reflection, and I copied my post from that submitted sheet. Do excuse me for commenting again!
DeleteI'd just like to compliment you on the in-depth analysis that pervaded your presentation. Yours was one of the first I saw that actually broke down the text stylistically and and conveyed your author's purpose on a higher level. There wasn't a moment where I felt that your textual evidence, poetry, or background information didn't contribute to the goal of your presentation, and that focus made it incredibly easy to follow and to understand. For going so early in the week, you truly set the standard for the rest of the presentations. Excellent work!