Art And Art In Oscar Wildes The Picture Of Dorian Gray

The Oxford dictionary defines the word art as â€Å"the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power†. This definition of art, however, has witnessed various developments over time. To examine the first part of the definition, today art has expounded its boundaries and does not stand limited to paintings and sculptures. The word art has found an extension into literature, dramatics, photography and performing arts. The appreciation of art for its beauty and emotional power has persisted over time. However, paralleled to the same has persisted the debate over the purpose of art-‘art for†¦show more content†¦Various gothic elements can be seen throughout the novel. It becomes evident that it is Lord Henry that impersonates the Devil. He corrupts Dorian’s mind with his hedonistic idealism and influenc e. At several points in the novel he is referred to as Harry, and the word ‘old Harry’ is often used synonymously to the Devil. The atmosphere of the novel and the ambience it creates, adds to the dark mysteries of gothic art. â€Å"The lamp cast fantastic shadows on the wall and staircase. A rising wind made some of the windows rattle† (Wilde 229). The novel is full of supernatural elements. First and the foremost is the picture of Dorian Gray that ages and degrades while the man himself remains youthful. In exchange for eternal youth and beauty he sells his soul, â€Å"I would give my soul† (Wilde 43). The yellow book that Dorian receives from Henry seems to be a fascinating ominous charm that ruins the mind and life of the former. The makes â€Å"all sins of the world pass in dumb show before him† (Wilde 183) and he is unable to emancipate himself from it. One can thus conclude that art was a medium of escape, an escape from the living reality, e levated into a world of imagination. An artist then becomes a mediator in providing an imaginative or supernatural space to the spectators. Thus, art becomes an experience of the unimaginable. Though some of Wilde’s ideals may seem to be inspired by romanticism, itShow MoreRelated How Art Relates to Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay908 Words   |  4 PagesHow Art Relates to Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel about a young, handsome, and vain man who has his portrait painted, and impulsively wishes that he could forever remain just as handsome as he is in the painting -- that the painting would age instead of him. He gets his wish in a most eerie way; as, with passing years, he becomes increasingly dissolute and evil, while the changes that one would expect to appearRead MoreThe Influences of Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray1582 Words   |  7 PagesThe Influences of Oscar Wilde Throughout his life Oscar Wilde had many strong influences exerted upon him. 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The Movie Park Avenue Money, Power And The American Dream

The Truth behind a Dream It is easy for a person to put away a dream as a mere fantasy that cannot be achieved in life. For this reason, people never take the opportunity to evaluate the true facts behind that dream. In the documentary â€Å"Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream† by Director Alex Gibney, an analysis of the true facts behind the ‘American dream’ is presented (Lee). Similarly, the poem â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† by Wilfred Owen speaks about the true facts of a war that people foolishly dream to go to for honor (Owen). The two are distinct in the sense of their nature. The first piece by Gibney is a documentary film while the second one by Owen is a poem. For this reason, they apply different strategies to put across their themes to their audiences. Despite the clear distinction between the two, there exist clear similarities in trying to analyze the true facts behind a dream. The documentary directed by Gibney, analyzes the true facts of the gap between the poor and the rich in the America dream. It shows that the gap has been increasing over the last thirty years. The Park Avenue that passes through Manhattan (where the rich stay) and South Bronx (where the poor stay) shows this distinction (Lee). The two are separated by a river making the gap appear smaller but in real sense it wide. The intended audience of this documentary is the American population, especially the rich. In the documentary, the tone is negative especially towards the rich people whoShow MoreRelatedStructural Racism And Racial Equity Analysis Essay1850 Words   |  8 Pagesa better life here in the states, â€Å"The American Dream†. However, is the â€Å"American Dream† really a dream or a nightmare for these immigrants. The whole thought of the American Dream is that everyone has an equal opportunity in America, but this is truly not the case. 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Effective Satire in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater G Essay Example For Students

Effective Satire in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater G Essay od Bless You Mr. RosewaterEffective Satire in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Satire is a technique used in literature to criticize the faults of society. An excellent examle of contemporary satire is Kurt Vonneguts novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. The author tells the life of Eliot Rosewater, a young and affluent man troubled by the plights of the poor. Eliot is the President of the Rosewater Foundation, a sum of money worth approximately $87 million. Using this position, he does everything he can to help the poor. This charity giving is socially unacceptable to the wealthy, particularly Eliots father Senator Lister Ames Rosewater. Vonnegut uses caricature, irony, and tone to satirize the lack of care the rich have for those socially beneath them. Vonnegut satirized the rich by exaggerating prominent features to portraying Senator Rosewater as a snob. He is characterized as heartless, shallow, and mean; seems to care only about his family name and public image. Senator Rosewater has no pity for the poor in his heart, I have spent my life demanding that people blame themselves for their misfortunes. (62) The most evident flaw of Eliots father is how he worries what people will think of him. When Eliot first opens the Rosewater Foundation and gives out money to those in need, Senator leaves him alone to do as he chooses. However, when the young and unlearned lawyer Norman Mushari begins trying to prove Eliot insane and to shift the money to Fred Rosewater, a distant relative in Rhode Island, Senator crusades to prove the opposite. Everyone is asked, even Eliots ex-wife Sylvia DuVrais Zetterling, for proof. Senator Lister Rosewater simply brushes aside Sylvias pain to question her. What did he seem like there in Paris? the Senator wanted to know. Did he seem sane enough to you then?' (64) Senator goes to the small town of Rosewater, Indiana, where Eliot is living and meets with him. Worried by what he sees, Senator plots with attorney Thurmond McAllister to m ake the jury believe Eliot is fit and able. Senator only cares about Eliot when the family name is endangered. Another hideous aspect of the Senators personality is his cruelty towards his son. He disapproves of ...that drunk gypsy I call sonEvery time Im forced to look at him I think to myself, What a staging area for a typhoid epidemic! Dont try to spare my feelings, Sylvia. My son doesnt deserve a decent women. He deserves what hes got, the sniveling camaraderie of whores, malingerers, pimps and thieves. (53) This has no hint of paternal compassion. These attributes of Senator Rosewater are exaggerated to satirize the lack the wealthy feel. Vonnegut ridicules the richs arrogance by using situational irony. Situational irony is when what occurs is the opposite from what is expected. This happens in relevance to how the affluent people perceive their popularity. Rich people think that since they are sophisticated, refined and knowledgeable people must like them. In truth, men an d women of the upper class tend to look down on the others, and believe that they will always be perfect people. Hes got fiber, hes got spine, the Senator said. Hes experimenting. Hell come back to his senses anytime hes good and ready. This family never produced and never will produce a chronic drunk or a chronic lunatic.' (24) Therefore, the lower classes despise the rich, and Eliot tries to explain why to his father: ...its a heartless government that will let one baby be born owning a big piece of land, the way I was born, and another baby born without owning anything. (88) Although Eliot is wealthy and people are happy for the financial aid, it was the compassion he shows for them that made them love him so. Those down trodden men and women did not care that Eliot is, an athlete gone to lard, a big man, six-feet-three, two hundred thirty pounds, pale, balding on all sides of a wispy scalplock. He was swaddled in the elephant wrinkles on war-surplus long underwear. (49) This sloppy appearance embarrassed snobbish Senator Rosewater. It was not money, as the wealthy thought, that made Eliot so popular and loved, but the care and understanding he gave to people a clear example of situational irony. Vonnegut uses tone to complete the picture of the affluents cruelties and how nauseating they exploit their power. The tone, or overall feeling the author is trying to impart, of this novel is disgust. Disgust at how greedy people are, how heartless the rich are, and how cruel humans really can be. Greediness is shown mainly with Norman Musharis interest in the Foundation. He takes advantage of the poverty of Fred Rosewater and tries to exploit this for a personal gain. The story of his Professor Leonard Leech and the good advice that he gave about how the lawyer can often take as much as half the bundle, and still receive the recipients blubbering thanks (9) is abominable and shocks the readers at how one person could be entirely rotten. However, his plan back fires and the money remains within the Indiana side of the family. This minor plot is strung throughout the story to invoke feelings of abhoration towards Mushari. Vonnegut used his syntax to show readers the lack of care and selfishness of the rich. Words such as, depressing when referring to Eliots clothes; a buzzard feast, a buzzard feast talking about the Rhode Island Rosewaters; and the description of what Senator believes Eliots clients are: criminals. All of this contributes to the disguist and disappointment in the ruling and wealthy class the overall tone of this book. All of these ways of satire come together in the last chapter to show that it is possible to have the best of both worlds. Vonnegut uses his novel to criticize the lack of care the rich have for those socially beneath them. They are rude and heartless because they see no benefits in it, no immediate rewards. However, Eliot does. He understands that human beings must be nice and care towards one another. Alt hough he returns to sophistication in the end, he continues with his principles of helping the poor by adapting all of the children of Rosewater. This is the perfect solution to their problem, since now there are heirs to the control of the Rosewater Foundation and all of those down trodden children are provided for. By caricaturing Senator Rosewater, using situational irony to make compassion more popular than money, and describing the mood as disgusting Kurt Vonneguts novel God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater is a complete satire of the lack of emotions the affluent have for the poor. .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 , .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .postImageUrl , .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 , .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:hover , .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:visited , .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:active { border:0!important; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:active , .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7 .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ua1733361ccc2bec3cf389771fec03ee7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Quintessential Rebel Essay