AP group assignment

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Importance of Being Earnest

The big picture

Form three-person groups. Each group must complete one of the options in part I and present a partially memorized scene from part II.

I.  Choose one of the following two topics. In your three-person group, locate at least three examples that support your position. Present to the class.

A.              In the play as a whole, Wilde is largely concerned with demonstrating the difference between conventional morality (what people are supposed to do or be) and actual morality (what people really do). Thus his characters demonstrate a code of behavior that represents the reality that Victorian social convention pretends to ignore.

B.              In an interview, Wilde said the play “has as its philosophy that we should treat all the trivial things of life seriously and all the serious things of life with sincere and studied triviality.” Using THREE examples, show how this philosophy applies to ONE of the following in the play: death, politics, money, property, food, or marriage.

C.              The lovable scoundrel Algernon illustrates the author’s aesthetic principles by turning his life into a work of art.

We will present our oral "essays" in class #33 then move on to working with selected scenes, which will in turn be presented the following class. For purposes of organization and precision and to prevent randomness and vague improvising, you are encouraged to have a note card with your example and brief commentary about the relationship between your example and the position you wish to advance.

II.         Choose an excerpt of approximately two or three pages, preferably one that begins with a character’s entrance and ends with that or another character’s exit. Practice delivering the lines and prepare to present it to the class. You need not memorize the entire scene, but each member of the group must memorize at least ONE speech of at least 30 words. Presentations will take place during class #34.