Graham's Magazine

Victoria is a new independent film that leaves you at the edge of your seat and with your heart racing throughout the entire movie. It centers around a naïve and inexperienced Spanish girl named Victoria (Laia Costa) who after meeting new friends finds her night quickly spiraling out of control when they recruit her as a getaway driver for a bank robbery. The film starts off by playing into a typical Berlin stereotype- the first scene is set at a nightclub. Victoria is dancing alone among…

Paul Coelho stressed that “Whatever you decide to do make sure that it makes you happy.” The pursuit of happiness is shown in the novel The Alchemist, written by Paul Coelho, and the New York Times “The Pursuit of Unhappiness” by Darrin McMahon. In The Alchemist, a young shepherd named Santiago decides to leave his current lifestyle after having his dreams read by a gypsy, and travels the world to find the Pyramids of Egypt and its treasure. Coelho encourages his readers to follow their dreams…

Life can change at any moment for which we have little control over. In the essay “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, she expresses her thoughts on having Multiple Sclerosis and how it significantly changed her life. She provides the reader with various sad and personal stories which would make one’s life miserable. However, when addressing her condition and its effect on her life, she keeps a calm and positive tone. One cannot control what happens in life, but it is possible to control one’s…

A Pretty Face The Victorian era’s heavily influential patriarchal standpoint became the basis of the misogyny seen during this time. Men would often regard the women as nothing more than second class citizens and even as their own property- these views only attributed to the sentiments and feelings they had towards them. If ever women should seek a voice in that society men would take immediate action to force them into uncomfortable situations as they did not perceive women as actually…

There are not many short books that can leave a memorable and lasting impression on the reader, but The Picture of Dorian Gray is certainly among one of them. First published in 1890, the book tells the tale of A young man, Dorian Gray, who becomes infatuated with his beauty after a conversation with Lord Henry Wotton, who he met through his friend, Basil Hallward, the true culprit of the tragedy, for he was the one who painted the portrait of Dorian, which became the symbol of corruption within…

Dark desires and forbidden pleasures of gothic novels are at the center of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Turn of the Screw. The novels explore the relationship between the corrupted and the corruptor. The gothic novels The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James share the idea of corruption, but in different ways; The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of moral corruption and extreme narcissism while The Turn of the Screw tells of corruption of…

In Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray both want to achieve beauty. Frankenstein wants to create beauty in the form of another creature. Dorian wants to maintain his beauty, like in his portrait. It seems that both Victor and Dorian show us their view on the importance of beauty through their monsters, but it seems to show us two different consequences that occur for the pursuit of beauty. A theme that seems to run through both novels is obsession.…

The Picture of Dorian Gray Writing Assignment 1. Analysis of an Important Character Lord Henry Wotton plays a major role in the development of Dorian Gray’s character. Even before the two main characters’ first meeting, Lord Henry is already known for having a “very bad influence over all of his friends...”, in the words of Basil Hallward (pg 19). Lord Henry opens a door to a new, dark world for Dorian, causing him to become obsessed with youthfulness and appearance. Dorian becomes enchanted…

The Monster Within When one hears the word “monster,” the stereotypical horror, the hair-raising cliché is often pictured. While the commonplace image is found to an extent in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Oscar Wilde defies the custom in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Both novels, however, stress that it is not one’s outward appearance that makes a monster, it is the lack of responsibility for their actions that creates a monstrosity, whether it be a man or beast. The authors emphasize…

Taking place in England during the 1890s, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde tells the tragic story of a young and beautiful man named Dorian Gray. Artist Basil Hallward becomes infatuated with Dorian and his beauty after capturing a glimpse of him at a party. Basil invites Dorian over to paint a portrait of him, but Dorian is soon swept under the influence of Basil 's friend, Lord Henry Wotton. He tells Dorian that beauty and youth are the essence of humans ' existence, and because of…