The Importance of Being Earnest

could be seen in both the 18th and 19th century where some men refused to fire at their opponent or fired at the air, whether that is for humanity or for self-interest. The code demanded that during the duel the offended party would be fired upon in earnest. Yet, this prospect became ambiguous, but it conferred the maximum of possible advantages to the offended party. When challenged the gentleman gained the right to shoot to satisfy animosity, whilst his opponent would not attempt o kill him in…

expect lasting security, peace, or even good business from a dictator. Roosevelt stressed the importance of standing up for American ideals with the famous saying: “Those, who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” To respond to the impending threat of war, Roosevelt declared that the United States must begin wartime preparations in earnest. As part of this push, the US would need to actively aid countries who were already at…

Devotion, submission, and the recognition of an omnipotent being is the essence of Islam, and what Omar Ibn Said dedicated his life to, among many other Muslims (Module 14:Islam, Part 3) . The Qur’an means to read or recite, and this is essential to the praise of Allah and to gain knowledge of one’s duty as a Mohammedan (Module 12: Islam, Part 1). Although, Omar was a slave and did not have access to the Qur’an he had memorized many surah’s (Chapters) and could read and write in Arabic something…

economic struggles within his family. His father worked as a storekeeper and a pencil making business owner while his siblings focused on being his teacher throughout his early years. Thoreau got a glimpse at an early age of what it meant to be narrow minded. He witnessed his family’s singular drive of attaining money to better them off with finances. With Thoreau being the brightest of the children, his family helped him attend Harvard where he would struggle to distinguish himself. Years later…

Introduction to Author Oscar Wilde was a Anglo- English author, playwright, novelist, critic and poet. He was a popular literary figure in late Victorian England, known for his brilliant wit, flamboyant style. After graduating from Oxford University, he lectured as a poet, art critic and a leading proponent of the principles of aestheticism which emphasized aesthetic values more than moral or social themes. This doctrine can be clearly summarized by the phrase ‘art for art’s sake’. In 1890, he…

Humanity is made, not given Ambrosia and elixirs, representing immortality, were thought to be the panacea for all of man’s problems. For immortality to be considered worthy, man must enjoy the world around him. Gilgamesh is seeking immortality with the gods, but fails to relish what he is given to him until he witnesses the death of his friend Enkidu and fails his quest for holiness. The Epic of Gilgamesh begins with the eponymous character causing his people of Uruk to “suffer from his…

connotation it holds. In comparison, Cristina of Lives of the Saints is associated with the snake when Vittorio notices blood on his mother’s leg after hearing a scream from the stable, and Cristina tells him, “[…] I’ve been bitten by a snake” (Ricci 8). Being bitten by this snake is a “curse” that is attached to her throughout the rest of the novel. Further, in The Glass Menagerie, the jonquils are reaffirmed as symbolic to Amanda’s pride (in regards to her appearance and her past), when she…

everything to do with the world that is affected by humans and corrupt. He is on the side of the spectrum that cannot run away from his past, for the damage has already been done. This is a prime example of symbolism because two literary characters are being utilized to represent two opposite ideas and what affects human society has on them. This fall from humanity is also a theme used in Wilde’s “The Fisherman and His Soul” (Nassaar…

Death of the Moth, detailing the struggle of a moth against the inevitability of death. The moth’s earnest efforts to live in its last moments turns the meaning of life into a matter of choice: a choice between wholeheartedly living or passively surviving; a choice between taking control of your life or letting death take control of you. In the face of inevitable death, Woolf relayed the importance of this choice in an individual’s…

Guilty as Charged In terms of any sexual or romantic encounter, it is at upmost importance that both parties are in mutual agreement of what is unravelling. In Earnest Hemingway’s short story “Up in Michigan” the story is told through the lens of a young girl named Liz Coats who finds herself in a situation where sexual consent is in question after her encounter with a man. Through Hemingway’s rhetoric devices, the evidence is laid out clearly that Jim Gilmore sexually assaulted the victim Liz…