Monday, February 25, 2013

Dorian Gray 1-4 Fishbowl

For the new kids, someone show them how to live blog. Thanks! Also, I need someone to keep track of who speaks in the inner circle conversation.

58 comments:

  1. Why is Dorian so much more impressionable than Basil?

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  2. Despite all of the things Lord Henry has said about marriage, such as them not knowing of each others business and better not talking, why do you feel Dorian trusts the idea of marriage, still? Might he have another goal other than love planned behind this?

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    1. I think that Dorian is still a trusting and loving person. He hasn't been fully corrupted by Lord Henry's ideals. Dorian knows how his mother altered her repuation for love and he is most likely enchanted by that lovely romantic story and would like one for himself.

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  3. Does Basil or Lord Henry seem to have more influence over Dorian and why?

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    1. Lord Henry clearly has more influence over Dorian, probably because of his wealth. Basil, while talented, is an artist with little money, and not high in society the way a wealthy lord would be.

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    2. It definitely seems as though Lord Henry has much more influence over Dorian. From each of these chapters, we can see Lord Henry's eloquence and he seems to know what he is doing in a much greater way. Lord Henry appeals to Dorian's likes and dislikes and in this sense, he influences Dorian more.

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    3. I think Lord Henry has more of an influence over Dorian because Lord Henry is someone who Dorian can look up to. He is a successful man who is very intelligent, which we know from his monologues, while Basil is an just a struggling artist.

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    4. At this time in the book i believe that Lord Henry has a greater influence on Dorian. But, I wouldn't be surprised if Basil, by the end of the book would a greater influence on Dorian.

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    5. In chapter three Lord Henry shows is he trying very hard to have a great influence over Dorian. When Dorian attends the luncheon Lord Henry dominates the conversation using afhroisms to impress the audience then leaves with Dorian at the end having shown much influence over him.

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    6. Lord Henry has much more influence. Basil has known Dorian for several months before Lord Henry meets him and his ideals haven't rubbed off on Dorian. After just one short conversation between Dorian and Lord Henry, Basil accuses Lord Henry of corrupting Dorian by saying, "This is your doing Harry" (Wilde 28).

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    7. Lord Henry has a lot more influence over Dorian even in the few hours he has met him. Basil doesn't show as much color in his emotions as Henry does. Dorain is intrigued by Henry and therefore subconsciously being influenced by Henry.

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  4. Lord Henry states that beauty ends where intelligence begins. sometimes it may seem where one has the other, the other falls short. I do not agree with this i believe people can be well rounded. However, sometimes in society it may seem this way because of social norms.

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    1. I would have to agree with you Colton, people can be very well rounded. I also disagree with Lord Henry's statement that beauty ends where intelligence begins, because Intelligence is actually quite beautiful.

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    2. I think this idea is still present in our society today. Yes many people are very well rounded but there is still the sterotype. One example portrayed in movies and the media is that models are very beautiful but not intellegent, nerds are smart but never the best looking kids. I'm not saying this ideal is true but it is still portayed throughout our culture today.

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  5. Do you think that Oscar Wilde wrote his sexual orientation into the book in any way?

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    1. Yes i believe he does. I think he exutes his sexual orientation when Basil is describing Dorians physical beauty. Oscar Wild talks about his friends in such a way that itb seems like he is lusting for them

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    2. I think he at least references it when he explains how infatuated Basil is with Dorian.

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    3. After knowing Wilde's background and his saying about art, we know that he wishes to publish his work to the public who believe that the artist does not put his personal qualities into the story. This would become useful when he does yet no one suspects it. Plus we see many traits of him in Lord Henry, with his clever sayings and his negative views of marriage, giving the image of women in this work a grotesque role thus far.

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    4. I think that he might have because of Dorian's kind of obsession with Basil and fond of Basil he really is in the book.

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    5. I think so because he talks a lot about the beauty of man, not woman. Most men talk about how beautiful and desirable women are, but Wilde is showing his own sexual opinions by talking about the beauty and lust for man.

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    6. Since we've read the first few chapters, We can see a recurring theme of homosexuality. The theme is not defined, it is only hinted from the words and the way that Wilde describes Dorian's relationship with Basil. I think that since Wilde is so good at depicting the way that these Lads feel about each other, that it is a true reflection if Wilde's sexual orientation.

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  6. Earlier we talked about the idea that Wilde did not want people to read deep into his text and analyze it. However, some also think that Wilde put his own experiences into the story. Does Wilde's life seem to be apparent in the book so far?

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    1. I think Wilde's life is very apparent in the book. Many of the views and experiences of the characters are the views and experiences of Wilde himself.

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  7. Lord Henry has absolute influence over Dorian, with his intellectual phrases and tone that seem to make him one of the most insightful and artistic people in the land. We already know Dorian has taken so much into account with his response to Basil's portrait: "'Lord Henry Wotton is perfectly right. Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old I shall kill myself'" (Wilde 29).

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  8. Why does Lord Henry become fascinated with Dorian after he learns more about his past?

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    1. Because he thinks that Dorian has a very interesting past, and he likes the fact that he could possibly have influence over him.

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    2. I think he was fascinated with Dorian before he learned about his past, and I think that he wanted to know more about where he came from. And also about where he got his beauty from

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    3. I think he is fascinated with Dorian because the painting is beautiful, and it intrigues him. I also think he is gay.

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    4. I think he becomes more intersted in Dorian because he has a unique past. Dorian isn't your traditional person. He has a story and an interesting one at that which makes him even more appealing to Lord Henry.

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  9. How are Wilde's hedonistic beliefs shown in the story?

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    1. The way that he illustrates the importance of beauty.

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    2. In almost every paragraph there is a description of something beautiful so Wilde's beliefs are shown through the beauty portrayed in the book.

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  10. Lord Henryis not the voice of society, but the voice of change. he sees a lot of wrongs in the world and trys to change people to his views of the world. He is trying to conform Dorian to how he sees one should fit into society

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  11. When Lord Henry tells Dorian that youth is the only thing worth having, do you think he exposes his fear of growing older? Do you think he is having trouble accepting that he is no longer as young as he used to be?

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    1. Due to the fact that he cares so much about beauty, I think that he probably is having trouble accepting this.

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    2. I think it is his way of venting about him growing older and just had to express his emotions somewhere about his fear of age and what better place then what he likes to do in his writings.

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    3. Yes I do think that he is struggling with realizing that he isn't always going to be young and beautiful. When he first saw his painting he realized that he is even a little older then he was when he was painted, and that things are always changing.

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    4. Lord Henry definitely shows he fears of growing older, and seems to want Dorian to have fun when his young because it goes down hill when people get older.

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    5. Yes I think he does expose a fear of growing old, because Lord Henry is always admiring Dorian's young characteristics, and maybe Dorian remind Lord Henry of himself when he was that age.

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    6. I think Lord Henry admires Dorian's extreme good looks and he realizes that he was once more attractive, so he knows Dorian will most likely lose his appealing looks. I think Lord Henry is just giving Dorian a warning or a heads-up of what's ahead in his life.

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    7. We have learned that youth is the center of beauty, according to Lord Henkry, who obviously has a great influence over Dorian with his charm and intellect. If this is true, then Dorian also believes Henry when he compliments his attractiveness. One and one add together, creating the overall affect that, being human, Dorian will one day grow older and therefore lose his beauty. Upon realizing how significant a trait beauty is upon Dorian, he will not take such fact easily into account, believing the portrait- representing everything that is good about him, will only exist in a picture.

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    8. I think Lord Henry is also showing that he regrets his past. He wishes that he used his youth more effectively and cherished his looks when he still had them.

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    9. Lord Henry knowd that he is growing older and is living out the rest of his beauty. He has some regrets from his past and he wants to make sure that he wont make the same ones as he grows older. I think that he also sees some of himself in Dorian and wants to make sure that Dorian doesn't screw up like he did.

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  12. I don't know is Basil is in love with Dorian, or if he is in love with the idea of Dorian. By idea i mean his youth and innocence that Basil wishes he had back.

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    1. I think it's hard to tell right now, because with the immense amount of time Basil has spent on the portrait, I can't tell if he is just in love with his art and making his painting perfect, or he is in love with Dorian and wants to spend as much time as possible with him

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  13. ANSWER THIS QUESTION!!! so is Dorian the youngest out of the three. also, are Basil and Lord Henry older than he is. Is this why Oscar Wilde talks about Dorian being so impressionable?????????????

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    1. Lord Henry has also said that you could only be beautiful or smart, just one or the other. He also included that it is much better to pursue beauty. Yes Dorian is younger than them, yet because Basil and Henry are only intellectual, beauty takes the odds and has Dorian have so much influence over the group already.

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    2. Yes he is, also you repeated the question in two different forms. (FYI). I'm not very sure about the impressionable thing.

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    3. Lord Henry is very impressionable on everyone because he is the oldest of the group. Plus because Dorian is the youngest I think he sort of looks up to Henry for wisdom.

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  14. During the dinner party, what is the reason that Lord Henry states that he is able to sympathize with everything except suffering?

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    1. I think he says this because he has always been wealthy. He was probably born into wealth and accumulated his own money through his own life and escapades. Therefore, he has never experienced poverty and does not realize what it's like to not have necessities

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    2. Lord Henry has never known suffering, because he has always been so wealthy. He can't sympathize with it because it's just alien to him.

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    3. He believes that a person should go through one's life's appreciating beauty and on the pursuit of pleasure other than trying to remove pain.

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    4. Suffering isn't beautiful- Lord Henry doesn't want to do with anything or anyone that isn't beautiful, therefore I think he tries to pretend ugly things don't exist or at least they don't affect him.

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    5. He believes that everyone should be able to have beauty and that there should be no suffering. He has never had to suffer and is not able to sympathize with it because of that.

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    6. Henry likes strong and beautiful emotions and suffering is everything that is not beautiful. He views suffering as weak.

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  15. So it is my understanding that yes, Basil and Henry are more intellectual than Dorian so you could argue that Dorian would be more impressionable to their influence. however, Henry and Basil could be influenced by Dorian because of his beauty, which in this book takes the odds over intelligence.

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    1. Dorian does not have influence over Henry at all, it is clear Henry wants to use Dorian as a puppet. And Henry only Admires the beauty.

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