Allie Specht
Ms. Wilson
AP English
January 31, 2014
Prose Passage Two:
Algernon. What on earth do you do there?
Jack. [Pulling off his gloves.] When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring.
Algernon. And who are the people you amuse?
Jack. [Airily.] Oh, neighbours, neighbours.
Algernon. Got nice neighbours in your part of Shropshire?
Jack. Perfectly horrid! Never speak to one of them.
Algernon. How immensely you must amuse them! [Goes over and takes sandwich.] By the way, Shropshire is your county, is it not?
Jack. Eh? Shropshire? Yes, of course. Hallo! Why all these cups? Why cucumber sandwiches? Why such reckless extravagance in one so young? Who is coming to tea?
Algernon. Oh! merely Aunt Augusta and Gwendolen.
Jack. How perfectly delightful!
Algernon. Yes, that is all very well; but I am afraid Aunt Augusta won’t quite approve of your being here.
Jack. May I ask why?
Algernon. My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you.
Jack. I am in love with Gwendolen. I have come up to town expressly to propose to her.
Algernon. I thought you had come up for pleasure? . . . I call that business.
Jack. How utterly unromantic you are!
Algernon. I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is all over. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. If ever I get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.
Jack. I have no doubt about that, dear Algy. The Divorce Court was specially invented for people whose memories are so curiously constituted.
Algernon. Oh! there is no use speculating on that subject. Divorces are made in Heaven—[Jackputs out his hand to take a sandwich. Algernon at once interferes.] Please don’t touch the cucumber sandwiches. They are ordered specially for Aunt Augusta. [Takes one and eats it.]
Jack. Well, you have been eating them all the time.
Algernon. That is quite a different matter. She is my aunt. [Takes plate from below.] Have some bread and butter. The bread and butter is for Gwendolen. Gwendolen is devoted to bread and butter.
Jack. [Advancing to table and helping himself.] And very good bread and butter it is too.
Algernon. Well, my dear fellow, you need not eat as if you were going to eat it all. You behave as if you were married to her already. You are not married to her already, and I don’t think you ever will be.
Jack. Why on earth do you say that?
Algernon. Well, in the first place girls never marry the men they flirt with. Girls don’t think it right.
Jack. Oh, that is nonsense!
Algernon. It isn’t. It is a great truth. It accounts for the extraordinary number of bachelors that one sees all over the place. In the second place, I don’t give my consent.
Jack. Your consent!
Algernon. My dear fellow, Gwendolen is my first cousin. And before I allow you to marry her, you will have to clear up the whole question of Cecily. [Rings bell.]
Jack. Cecily! What on earth do you mean? What do you mean, Algy, by Cecily! I don’t know any one of the name of Cecily… as far as I remember.
(9-10)
Prose Analysis Essay Two
Wilde introduces us to a conversation between two well-off men, that lingers on the topic of romance and love. This discussion The diction used characterizes the men as superior, it is very elevated, and obvious that they think of themselves in that way as well. The short sentence structure also contributes to this point as they are very direct in their statements. They are very blunt with each other and that is expected.
In looking at the conversations they have of love it is obvious to see their approach is very lax. Wilde employs humor here to show the issues they have with falling in love, having serious relationships, and basically taking love to be something of real importance. When Jack tells Algernon that he has come for the purpose of proposing to Gwendolen, Algernon responds with, “I thought you had come up for pleasure?... I call that business.” (9) Their approach to love is very business like, it is viewed as a job; something that must be done rather than something they want to indulge in.
The use of short, direct sentences is instrumental in creating an environment where the characters are obviously comfortable with each other. They are direct with each other, they don’t mince words, and have no fear in saying exactly what is on their mind at that time. The use of repetition is also helpful in creating overemphasis for humor purposes. When Algernon wants to avert Jack from eating the cucumber sandwiches that are specifically for his Aunt Augusta he tells him to, “have some bread and butter. The bread and butter is for Gwendolen. Gwendolen is devoted to bread and butter.” (10) The emphasis here is making fun of the fact that Jack cannot eat something because it was put out for one specific person, and these are the lengths that they will go to.
The elevated diction used by the men further enhances their characterization as high class. This discussion occurs at an early part of the book, so the diction is important for setting up the rest of the book, and creating the culture that will be the subject of satire. This diction shows up as Algernon explains his thoughts on Jack proposing, “the very essence of romance is uncertainty. If I ever get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.” (9) Not only does this show how he believes himself to be better than others, but also, again, how he views love. He doesn’t see the necessity in marriage to fortify love, he instead believes it is the fact that their is no legal bond there that keeps love alive. This is an appropriate view for the time period where aestheticism was profound, and it was better people to have that openness in a relationship so as to explore whatever pleasure they desired as it came to.
Works Cited
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003. Print.