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Biography of Oscar Wilde, Irish Poet and Playwright

Born Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills Wilde, Oscar Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was a popular poet, novelist, and playwright in the late 19th century. He wrote some of the most enduring works in the English language, but is equally remembered for his scandalous personal life, which ultimately led to his imprisonment. Fast Facts: Oscar Wilde Full Name:  Oscar Fingal OFlahertie Wills WildeOccupation: Playwright, novelist, and poetBorn: October 16, 1854 in Dublin, IrelandDied: November 30, 1900 in Paris, FranceNotable Works: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, Lady Windermeres Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being EarnestSpouse: Constance Lloyd (m. 1884-1898)Children: Cyril (b. 1885) and Vyvyan (b. 1886). Early Life Wilde, born in Dublin, was the second of three children. His parents were Sir William Wilde and Jane Wilde, both of whom were intellectuals (his father was a surgeon and his mother wrote). He had three illegitimate half-siblings, who Sir William acknowledged and supported, as well as two full siblings: a brother, Willie, and a sister, Isola, who died of meningitis at age nine. Wilde was educated first at home, then by one of the oldest schools in Ireland. In 1871, Wilde left home with a scholarship to study at Trinity College in Dublin, where he particularly studied the classics, literature, and philosophy. He proved himself to be an excellent student, winning competitive academic awards and coming first in his class. In 1874, he competed for and won a scholarship to study at Magdalen College, Oxford for another four years. During this time, Wilde developed several, widely differing interests. For a time, he considered converting from Anglicanism to Catholicism. He became involved with Freemasonry at Oxford, and later became even more involved with the aesthetic and Decadent movements. Wilde scorned â€Å"masculine† sports and deliberately created an image of himself as an aesthete. However, he was not helpless or delicate: reportedly, when a group of students attacked him, he singlehandedly fought them off. He graduated with honors in 1878. Society and Writing Debut After his graduation, Wilde moved to London and began his writing career in earnest. His poems and lyrics had been published in various magazines previously, and his first book of poetry was published in 1881, when Wilde was 27 years old. The next year, he was invited to make a lecture tour of North America talking about aestheticism; it was so successful and popular that a planned four-month tour turned into nearly a year. Although he was popular with general audiences, critics eviscerated him in the press. In 1884, he crossed paths with an old acquaintance, a wealthy young woman named Constance Lloyd. The couple married and set out to establish themselves as stylish trendsetters in society. They had two sons, Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886, but their marriage began to fall apart after Vyvyan’s birth. It was also around this time that Wilde first met Robert Ross, a young gay man who eventually became Wilde’s first male lover. Wilde was, by most accounts, a loving and attentive father, and he worked to support his family in a variety of pursuits. He had a stint as editor of a women’s magazine, sold short fiction, and developed his essay writing as well. Literary Legend Wilde wrote his only novel – arguably his most famous work – in 1890-1891. The Picture of Dorian Gray eerily focuses on a man who bargains to have his aging taken on by a portrait so that he himself can stay young and beautiful forever. At the time, critics heaped disdain on the novel for its portrayal of hedonism and fairly blatant homosexual overtones. However, it’s endured as a classic of the English language. Over the next few years, Wilde turned his attentions to playwriting. His first play was a French-language tragedy Salome, but he soon shifted to English comedies of manners. Lady Windermeres Fan, A Woman of No Importance, and An Ideal Husband appealed to society while also subtly critiquing it. These Victorian comedies often revolved around farcical plots that nonetheless found ways to critique society, which made them immensely popular with audiences but riled up more conservative or straitlaced critics. Wilde’s final play would prove to be his masterpiece. Debuting onstage in 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest broke away from Wilde’s â€Å"stock† plots and characters to create a drawing room comedy that was, nonetheless, the epitome of Wilde’s witty, socially-sharp style. It became his most popular play, as well as his most praised one. Scandal and Trial Wilde’s life began to unravel when he became romantically involved with Lord Alfred Douglas, who introduced Wilde to some of the seedier side of gay London society (and who coined the phrase â€Å"the love that dare not speak its name†). Lord Alfred’s estranged father, the Marquess of Queensbury, was livid, and an enmity between Wilde and the marquess sprung up. The feud reached a boiling point when Queensbury left a calling card accusing Wilde of sodomy; an infuriated Wilde decided to sue for libel. The plan backfired, since Queensbury’s legal team mounted a defense based on the argument that it could not be libel if it was the truth. Details of Wilde’s liaisons with men came out, as did some blackmail material, and even the moral content of Wilde’s writing came under criticism. Wilde was forced to drop the case, and he himself was arrested and tried for gross indecency (the formal umbrella charge for homosexual behavior). Douglas continued to visit him and had even tried to get him to flee the country when the warrant was first issued. Wilde pled not guilty and spoke eloquently on the stand, but he did warn Douglas to leave for Paris before the trial ended, just in case. Ultimately, Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years’ hard labor, the maximum allowed under the law, which the judge decried as still not sufficient. While in prison, the hard labor took a toll on Wilde’s already-precarious health. He suffered an ear injury in a fall that later contributed to his death. During his stay, he was eventually allowed writing materials, and he wrote a lengthy letter to Douglas that he could not send, but that laid out a reflection on his own life, their relationship, and his spiritual evolution during his imprisonment. In 1897, he was released from prison and immediately sailed to France. Final Years and Legacy Wilde took the name â€Å"Sebastian Melmoth† while in exile and spent his final years digging into spirituality and railing for prison reform. He spent some time with Ross, his longtime friend and first lover, as well as Douglas. After losing the will to write and encountering many unfriendly former friends, Wilde’s health took a steep decline. Oscar Wilde died of meningitis in 1900. He was conditionally baptized into the Catholic Church, at his wish, just before his death. At his side to the end was Reggie Turner, who had remained a loyal friend, and Ross, who became his literary executor and the primary keeper of his legacy. Wilde is buried in Paris, where his tomb has become a major attraction for tourists and literary pilgrims. A small compartment in the tomb also houses Ross’s ashes. In 2017, Wilde was one of the men formally given posthumous pardons for convictions of previously-criminal homosexuality under the â€Å"Alan Turing law.† Wilde has become an icon, much like he was in his time, for his style and unique sense of self. His literary works have also become some of the most important in the canon. Sources Ellmann, Richard. Oscar Wilde. Vintage Books, 1988.Pearson, Hesketh. The Life of Oscar Wilde. Penguin Books (reprint), 1985Sturgis, Matthew. Oscar: A Life. London: Hodder Stoughton, 2018.

Deception Point Page 104 Free Essays

Where’s Michael? She didn’t see him. Her panic lasted only an instant as a new fear descended. Overhead, the Triton’s shredded winch cable let out an ominous whipping noise as the braids unraveled. We will write a custom essay sample on Deception Point Page 104 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Then, there was a loud snap, and Rachel felt the cable give way. Momentarily weightless, Rachel hovered above her seat inside the cockpit as the sub hurtled downward. The deck disappeared overhead, and the catwalks under the Goya raced by. The soldier trapped in the claws went white with fear, staring at Rachel as the sub accelerated downward. The fall seemed endless. When the sub crashed into the sea beneath the Goya, it plunged hard under the surf, ramming Rachel down hard into her seat. Her spine compressed as the illuminated ocean raced up over the dome. She felt a suffocating drag as the sub slowed to a stop underwater and then raced back toward the surface, bobbing up like a cork. The sharks hit instantly. From her front-row seat, Rachel sat frozen in place as the spectacle unfolded only a few feet away. Delta-Two felt the shark’s oblong head crash into him with unimaginable force. A razor sharp clamp tightened on his upper arm, slicing to the bone and locking on. A flash of white-hot pain exploded as the shark torqued its powerful body and shook its head violently, tearing Delta-Two’s arm off his body. Others sharks moved in. Knives stabbing at his legs. Torso. Neck. Delta-Two had no breath to scream in agony as the sharks ripped huge chunks of his body away. The last thing he saw was a crescent-shaped mouth, tilting sideways, a gorge of teeth clamping down across his face. The world went black. Inside the Triton, the thudding of heavy cartilaginous heads ramming into the dome finally subsided. Rachel opened her eyes. The man was gone. The water washing against the window was crimson. Badly battered, Rachel huddled in her chair, knees pulled to her chest. She could feel the sub moving. It was drifting on the current, scraping along the length of the Goya’s lower dive deck. She could feel it moving in another direction as well. Down. Outside, the distinctive gurgling of water into the ballast tanks grew louder. The ocean inched higher on the glass in front of her. I’m sinking! A jolt of terror shot through Rachel, and she was suddenly scrambling to her feet. Reaching overhead, she grabbed the hatch mechanism. If she could climb up on top of the sub, she still had time to jump onto the Goya’s dive deck. It was only a few feet away. I’ve got to get out! The hatch mechanism was clearly marked which way to turn it to open. She heaved. The hatch did not budge. She tried again. Nothing. The portal was jammed shut. Bent. As the fear rose in her blood like the sea around her, Rachel heaved one last time. The hatch did not move. The Triton sank a few inches deeper, bumping the Goya one last time before drifting out from underneath the mangled hull†¦ and into the open sea. 126 â€Å"Don’t do this,† Gabrielle begged the senator as he finished at the copy machine. â€Å"You’re risking your daughter’s life!† Sexton blocked out her voice, moving back to his desk now with ten identical stacks of photocopies. Each stack contained copies of the pages Rachel had faxed him, including her handwritten note claiming the meteorite was a fake and accusing NASA and the White House of trying to kill her. The most shocking media kits ever assembled, Sexton thought, as he began carefully inserting each stack into its own large, white linen envelope. Each envelope bore his name, office address, and senatorial seal. There would be no doubt where this incredible information had originated. The political scandal of the century, Sexton thought, and I will be the one to reveal it! Gabrielle was still pleading for Rachel’s safety, but Sexton heard only silence. As he assembled the envelopes, he was in his own private world. Every political career has a defining moment. This is mine. William Pickering’s phone message had warned that if Sexton went public, Rachel’s life would be in danger. Unfortunately for Rachel, Sexton also knew if he went public with proof of NASA’s fraud, that single act of boldness would land him in the White House with more decisiveness and political drama than ever before witnessed in American politics. Life is filled with difficult decisions, he thought. And winners are those who make them. Gabrielle Ashe had seen this look in Sexton’s eyes before. Blind ambition. She feared it. And with good reason, she now realized. Sexton was obviously prepared to risk his daughter in order to be the first to announce the NASA fraud. â€Å"Don’t you see you’ve already won?† Gabrielle demanded. â€Å"There’s no way Zach Herney and NASA will survive this scandal. No matter who makes it public! No matter when it comes out! Wait until you know Rachel is safe. Wait until you talk to Pickering!† Sexton was clearly no longer listening to her. Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out a foil sheet on which were affixed dozens of nickel-sized, self-adhesive wax seals with his initials on them. Gabrielle knew he usually used these for formal invitations, but he apparently thought a crimson wax seal would give each envelope an extra touch of drama. Peeling the circular seals off the foil, Sexton pressed one onto the pleat of each envelope, sealing it like a monogrammed epistle. Gabrielle’s heart pulsed now with a new anger. She thought of the digitized images of illegal checks in his computer. If she said anything, she knew he would just delete the evidence. â€Å"Don’t do this,† she said, â€Å"or I’ll go public about our affair.† Sexton laughed out loud as he affixed the wax seals. â€Å"Really? And you think they’ll believe you-a power-hungry aide denied a post in my administration and looking for revenge at any cost? I denied our involvement once, and the world believed me. I’ll simply deny it again.† â€Å"The White House has photos,† Gabrielle declared. Sexton did not even look up. â€Å"They don’t have photos. And even if they did, they’re meaningless.† He affixed the final wax seal. â€Å"I have immunity. These envelopes out-trump anything anyone could possibly throw at me.† Gabrielle knew he was right. She felt utterly helpless as Sexton admired his handiwork. On his desk sat ten elegant, white linen envelopes, each embossed with his name and address and secured with a crimson wax seal bearing his scripted initials. They looked like royal letters. Certainly kings had been crowned on account of less potent information. Sexton picked up the envelopes and prepared to leave. Gabrielle stepped over and blocked his way. â€Å"You’re making a mistake. This can wait.† Sexton’s eyes bored into her. â€Å"I made you, Gabrielle, and now I’ve unmade you.† â€Å"That fax from Rachel will give you the presidency. You owe her.† â€Å"I’ve given her plenty.† â€Å"What if something happens to her!† â€Å"Then she’ll cement my sympathy vote.† Gabrielle could not believe the thought had even crossed his mind, much less his lips. Disgusted, she reached for the phone. â€Å"I’m calling the White-â€Å" Sexton spun and slapped her hard across the face. Gabrielle staggered back, feeling her lip split open. She caught herself, grabbing on to the desk, staring up in astonishment at the man she had once worshiped. Sexton gave her a long, hard look. â€Å"If you so much as think of crossing me on this, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life.† He stood unflinching, clutching the stack of sealed envelopes under his arm. A harsh danger burned in his eyes. When Gabrielle exited the office building into the cold night air, her lip was still bleeding. She hailed a taxi and climbed in. Then, for the first time since she had come to Washington, Gabrielle Ashe broke down and cried. How to cite Deception Point Page 104, Essay examples

Prehistoric Art~Cave Paintings Essay Example For Students

Prehistoric Art~Cave Paintings Essay Many have agreed that survival ND ceremonial reasons contribute the most to the meaning behind the cave art. Some still believe they were being decorative, and some of them might have been, but we dont really know. We wonder where the idea first started, this form of art. I think that someone wanted to express their feelings by showing it to others and they started drawing it out. They didnt have any other ores urges, so they just used the walls of the cave. This grew into a common system throughout the people, and eventually it grew towards the art we have today. It may not seem like it, but its true. Everything has a base, and cave nettings were the base to the art we have today. Thats why I think they are so important and people should really learn more about them, It was a magnificent accomplishment, in my opinion. It provided a way to show telling. This also contributes to the purpose of the cave art, Novo that people could show their feelings, I think they gained more confidence in themselves. After a good hunt, they might have created a drawing on the wall so that everyone could see their success. That was a big factories their confidence levels because they were able to actually show people their successes and be admired for them. What feelings were the people trying to portray? I think that survival was one of the main things the people expressed, because that was their life. Their life Vass characterized by hunting and animals. This is why there are so many animals in cave paintings, because that was their way Of surviving. ROR the cave people, art served as life, art and reality were one, and the image was the animal. This quote describes these people very well. Once they discovered art, it become a part of their life and they used it to portray their life, which, like said before, was mostly about animals and hunting. There are some cave paintings that are not animals, though. Some are of the people instead. I think that the paintings were strictly based on what the people were thinking or what they saw. They kept it simple, but it still had so much meaning. Some shamans are said to have used the cave art as a ceremonial resource. It was a way to make something permanent, by putting it on the wall, One example is when a group of people would show that they agreed with the shaman by putting their handprint on the wall, This helped tremendously with the start of expressing beliefs and opinions, It is also interesting to look at the tools the people used to make these paintings. They did not have many resources back then, so they created their own, We look back at the tools used in the Lascar Cave. There were various byes of tools; engraving tools, pigments, painting tools, and others. The engraving tools they used were, obviously, rocks and stones. But they used the rocks and stones very creatively. The pigments they used were mostly made up of minerals such as clay and hematite. This did not provide them with many colors, which is why all of the paintings have basically the same color scheme. After a While, the artists of the Lascar started experimenting and created a type of crayons. They did this by adding juices from plants and fat from animals to their pigments. This helped a lot when trying to paint on different textured surfaces throughout the cave. The artists became even more creative whenever they started using tubes and other things to create different patterns. Bones were also used to help create the paintings by helping making pigments or different shaped tools. Never really know the true meanings behind all of the various cave paintings, but we do have good theories. Survival, ceremonial, expression, and even magical theories have been proposed regarding these early works of art, and no one theory has been 100% proven, but I like the mystery to the paintings. .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 , .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .postImageUrl , .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 , .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:hover , .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:visited , .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:active { border:0!important; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:active , .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8 .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7e1d7047855ff479c20da23a6489cbc8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Our Hearts Grow Tender with Childhood Memories EssayIt makes them more interesting to me, which helps me experience the expressions the artist wanted to portray when they made the paintings. But, it goes without saying; cave art is the base of art today and is very important in the timeline, We can still relate back to cave art today, which means it was important. As Marshall Mclean said, Ads are the cave art of the 12th century. They will always be a crucial part of art history.