1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.
Although there are many memorable and monumental scenes in the novel A Picture of Dorian Gray, none are as revealing as the scene with Sibyl and Dorian in the greenroom. Although Dorian starts out the novel as an innocent, good looking, and sweet boy, associations with Lord Henry changes his views and innocence. The scene with Sibyl and Dorian in the greenroom marks the first incident where Dorian does not behave as gently and sweetly as he had previously in the novel.
The transition from Dorian being gentle and in love to a man absorbed in lust and looks makes the scene important to the rest of the novel. The reader sees a sweet young boy who resists Lord Henry's teachings of corruption change into someone who hates himself for following Lord Henry's words so diligently. Dorian, who had previously told Lord Henry that his love for Sibyl made him forget all of Lord Henry's teachings, throws away Sibyl and her pleas without a second thought. He had fallen in love with her for her acting, but just as quickly fell out of love with her when her acting faltered one night. Him pushing her away as she approaches him shows that he is not only upset with her bad acting, but thoroughly disgusted with her. Her pleas are meaningless to Dorian. Dorian looks down on her as if she is worthless to him. This is shown as she gets down on her knees to plead, "She crouched on the floor like a wounded thing, and Dorian Gray, with his beautiful eyes, looked down at her, and his chiseled lips curled in exquisite disdain" (Wilde 90). This huge leap in emotions shows the reader how he does not care for her any longer despite her pleas. His treatment of her changes so drastically that it further highlights this transition from innocence to corruption.
As a result of the scene with Sibyl and Dorian, Dorian's portrait shows change from a smile to a slight grimace. Not only does Dorian experience the first change in the picture from this moment, he also realizes that he cannot be aged or changed from his actions. This new discovery influences the rest of his actions in the novel, making the scene with Sibyl even more influential. It truly makes the scene more effective as it marks a turning point for the rest of the novel.
I think that this is pretty well written. I'm glad that I read that book, so that I'm able to better understand the play. You do a pretty good job explaining the scene and how it ties into the rest of the book, but you didn't really explain why it's so effective. Since I read the book, I understand why this part of the book is important and memorable, but other who haven't probably will have a hard time understanding.
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce! This is a well written post, however I found it a little bit confusing because I have not read this book. So, in the first paragraph I didn't see how the last sentence related to the rest of the paragraph, because Lord Henry wasn't mentioned at all yet. Then I kept reading the essay, and began to understand because you mention him later. Also, in the last paragraph Dorian's portrait is mentioned, but I don't know what the context of it i. Is the whole point of the story that he's getting the portrait done? I suppose that I didn't understand the point of that, because I hadn't read the book, so I think adding a few more details to the essay would be a good idea, so people who haven't read the book, like me, can understand it a little better. Other than adding some details, I think it was well-written. :) Nice job!
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done! i think you supported your topic very well giving nice textual evidence and thats hard to do if you don't have the book on hand or haven’t read it in a while. But i kind of have to agree, there was a little confusion with me too and i had read the book so just clean up and explain more.
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