English 1130

Dorians Therapy DB Grade: 10/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! Dialogue between Dorian and his Therapist Therapist: Hello Dorian, how are you feeling today? Dorian: Hey Doctor. I'm actually feeling a little better today. I've decided to change some aspects of my life and be a bit more virtuous. Therapist: Virtuous? What could you possibly mean by that? Dorian: Well you see, there was death a couple of days ago. A hunting accident, and I can't keep my mind off of it. There's this huge part of me that's feeling guilty for the man's death. Therapist: Did you know him well Dorian? Dorian: No no, I only came across him once before, but he was the brother of a woman I had been betrothed to 18 years ago. Therapist: The same woman who you told me had committed suicide, Sybil right? Dorian: Mmhm Therapist: Oh, I see. You know Dorian, we never really got to fully talk about that. It was a traumatic event in your life. I think it would be helpful for you if you opened up more about Sybil and what happened in your relationship. Dorian: Nothing happened in our relationship, doctor. I realized that Sybil wasn't the one for me and she fell into a pool of grief after I broke it off with her. That's it. Sybil killed herself. Therapist: Okay. I want you to go back to the day that Sybil died. Picture where you were, and what you were doing. Dorian: Okay. I was thinking about her. I broke off our relationship the night before and I was feeling guilty. I wanted to make it up to her and apologize. But then Lord Henry came. And he told me of her death. Therapist: How did hearing about her death make you feel? Dorian: Nothing Therapist: That's a bit vague Dorian. How about you elaborate a little on that. Dorian: I thought that I should feel guilty. But I didn't. Not feeling guilty felt wrong, but it didn't bother me at all. It felt like she was no one to me and almost as I had never known her. Therapist: Did your friend, Lord Henry say anything that made you feel this way? Dorian: Lord Henry, no never. He's always made me feel better about my life. Actually, I'll be joining him visiting him today, after this appointment. Therapist: Tell me about him, tell me about Lord Henry. Dorian: I've already told you how we met eighteen years ago. And he's been a great friend ever since. Henry is my longest friend, who's always been there. He helps me out a lot you know. Sort of like you, he's a friend therapist, always talking with his words of wisdom. He loaned me this book a while ago. The yellow book and it's been an inspiration. I bought over a dozen copies for myself after reading it the first time. Therapist: An inspiration you say, would you by chance have a copy of this book on you? Dorian: Yes, I try to always have one. Here you go. *Dorian takes the book out of his bag and hands it to his therapist* *The therapist looks through the book while Dorian keeps talking* Dorian: I see a lot of myself in the main character of the book. He's a thrill-seeker. Someone who's constantly looking for ways to make himself happy. Therapist: And what about the other characters in the book? Do they like him? Dorian: Of course not! The man barely likes himself. In the book, you can clearly see that he knows that his actions are wrong. But, he just can't keep himself from seeking pleasure. Especially at other's expense. Constantly influencing people and wronging them. To be honest, I'd say that he is the antagonist of the novel. Therapist: And you see yourself in this character? Dorian: Uhhh..yes, I do. Therapist: Dorian: Heavens! Would you look at the time, I've got to run! *Dorian hurriedly gets up with an expression of shock on his face and grabs his belongings* Therapist: Okay Dorian, I think we have much more to discuss, so I'll see you next week, Tuesday. Dorian: Um Okay. Tuesday. *Dorian exits the room* -RESPOND TO A CLASSMATE-

Hawthorne DB #2 Grade: 9.5/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! "This, of course, must have been an ocular deception, assisted by the uncertain light."(Hawthorne) At this part of the story, the author is describing and saying why the serpent staff seemed to move and wriggle like a real serpent. My take on the light being mentioned here is to show confusion. Goodman brown is confused as to whether the serpent staff signifies good or evil, light or dark. The fragment "assisted by an uncertain light" is Brown wondering whether the staff is assisted by the holy light of God or the evil light of the devil. "he saw a red light before him, as when the felled trunks and branches of a clearing have been set on fire, and throw up their lurid blaze against the sky..."(Hawthorne) In the context of this part of the short story, the light mentioned in this quotation signifies the red blaze caused by the flames of hell. Goodman Brown sees that evil is occurring, and the red light is seen as a warning for him. The fire and lurid blaze that is mentioned expands on this light being evil and hell-like. "As the red light arose and fell, a numerous congregation alternately shone forth, then disappeared in shadow, and again grew, as it were, out of the darkness"(Hawthorne) My impression is that the light mentioned here signifies the cycle of good and bad. Sometimes good is at a higher level, and sometimes it is the opposite with bad being higher. In the above example, a red light is mentioned and I see that as signifying evil. At times evil rises, falls, and sometimes completely disappears. The light mentioned here also signifies that there are different types of people all around the world. Some in the spotlight and some hiding in the shadows. "In the interval of silence he stole forward until the light glared full upon his eyes."(Hawthorne) Just as mentioned before, the light mentioned in this part of the story signifies the light of evil and hell. At this point in the story, Goodman Brown has reached the ceremony. He is enveloped in the light of evil and it is right in front of him. He is finally facing the devil. Fire symbolizes a lot in this story, and I also think that fire symbolizes many things to Hawthorne as well. In my opinion, Hawthorne uses fire in this tale to show and express his grief for his ancestry. His ancestor was a judge during the Salem witch trials and I think he feels a sense of guilt about the fact that his ancestor was responsible for the death by fire, which many falsely accused women received. The fire also symbolizes hell and the devil throughout the short story. Wear water is generally seen as holy and pure, fire is seen and evil. It is signifying Goodman Brown's loss of innocence and the opening of his eyes. He is being introduced and accepted into a secret world of sin and the fire is seen as a symbol for sin. Lastly, fire not only signifies hell, but it also signifies hell-fire and the punishment that most major religions have prescribed to sin. The Serpent Staff- Traditionally when one sees a snake they think that that they are being punished, and associate the snake with the devil. This is because biblically the serpent is seen as an evil demon and represents the devil. The serpent is used to describe Satan in the bible and is said to have been in the garden with Eve. The serpent was the one who tempted Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and thus tempting her to divulge into sin. In my opinion, the serpent is the feeling of temptation, desire, curiosity, and sin wrapped up into a coil. In the story, the serpent staff helps Goodman Brown travel to the evil ceremony. It guides him towards darkness and shows him the way to it. The staff fulfills his curiosity, his desire, and his temptation. Thus, divulging Goodman into a realm of sin. The staff symbolizes the devil himself, and the devil that is within every human being. I believe that Goodman Brown was sleeping, and the entire tale was his dream. Many parts of the tale were unrealistic. For example, how the serpent staff was able to lead Goodman Brown to the ceremony. This is unrealistic and not possible for a simple real staff to do. Secondly, if Goodman had not dreamt of the entire ordeal, it would have been highly likely for him to have attended a witch meeting again. He could have simply gone into the forest at night again, or someone could have secretly mentioned the meeting to him afterward. He had his entire life for a second meeting, or for the mentioning of the witch meeting to occur, but that did not happen. This leads me to believe that what Goodman saw was a dream. Dreams can be just as real as anything that physically happens to us in the real world. Even though Goodman went through this entire situation in a dream, he mentally still went through it. It affected him just as much as reality does. However, this dream left Goodman scared and changed for the rest of his life. He was forever covered in a feeling of guilt and unhappiness that never left him. In reality, Goodman simply experienced an extremely vivid dream, but to him, his dream was a reality that left him paranoid. Goody Cloyse taught Goodman Brown the good and bad of life. To him, she had signified the good in life and use to be a reminder of God and religion. She had been the one who taught Brown his catechism since childhood. When Goodman sees Cloyse in the forest his faith in God is seen to become weaker. This is because Goody Cloyse was the foundation and basis of what Goodman's religious beliefs were. He sees Cloyse, someone who he believed had a strong connection with God, go to a meeting of witches. He then sees that she is an actual witch. Goody was such a significant person in Goodman's life that he begins to question and doubt everything he once learned. A huge part of Goodman was tied and intertwined with Goody Cloyse, and thus he begins to feel more inclined towards the dark community. In Goodman's mind, if someone as religious and spiritual as Goody Cloyse can do something so sinful and live with herself, he should be able to as well. This makes him feel like joining the dark community is okay. Goody Cloyse is one of the main symbols in the story, symbolizing the hypocrisy that hides within all people. (Specifically the puritans due to the author's ancestral relationship with puritans.) She increases Goodman's temptation to sin and helps him see the different faces people can have. She has an extremely high significance in the tale and is seen as one of the greatest influences on Goodman Brown. Hint: Talk about fire baptism for a better grade.

Stranger than Fiction DB Grade: 10/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! 1. The movie opens with Harold's monotony. What is the significance of this opening in light of the ending and in light of William Hazlitt's essay we read? The film starts by describing just how boring, average, and repetitious Harold's life is. It is completely mundane and has a lack of interest and variety. However, the movie starts like this to show the considerable amount of character development and changes that Harold will go through. For example, Harold use to brush his 36 teeth, 76 times. He use to count his steps, and always wear a tie to work. As the movie continues, Harold no longer counts how many brush strokes he makes, he no longer counts his steps and no longer wears a tie to work. He starts to live a life that is more spontaneous and enjoyable. In light of William Hazlitt's essay, you could say that Harold lacked Gusto in his life, prior to hearing the narration of his life story. As the film goes on, Harold can express himself more and lose his rigid demeanor. He sees the brighter aspects of life, and overall got happier and appreciates what is right in front of him. You could say, that Harold begins to have Gusto in his life by the end of the film. He is so content and happy with his life, to the point where he has even accepted death. 2. Who or what is driving Harold's plot? How can you tell? How does this relate to previous readings? Harold's plot is driven by the dreadful knowledge of his death. After he learns that his actions will soon lead to his imminent death, Harold is terrified. The desire to avoid his death and learn about what exactly kills him leads him to search for more information. You can tell that this is what drives him because of just how distressed he becomes when he returns home after hearing the narrator say 'imminent death'.When he returned home, Harold began to destroy parts of his furniture, throw objects, and mock the narrator's voice. The thought of dying, not only drives Harold's plot in this film but it also slightly drives Dorian Gray's plot in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian does not want to age and die. Thus, he preserves his soul in a painting that will last longer than the human body. This leaves him to become eternally immortal. Both Dorian Gray a Harold Crick wanted to avoid death and were not prepared to face it. 3. What is the significance of "little did he know"? What connections are there to other readings this semester? The phrase "little did he know" is used to show that the person being talked about has an unexpected future coming. When this expression is used, it is usually used to signify something negative that the person did not know. Little did he know is also used to show that what has happened here, will greatly affect the character. But, the character does not know it and will probably never know it. In Harold's story, little did Harold know that having his watch three minutes late would lead to him having a tremendous and death-like accident. This phrase can also be applied to the story of Dorian Gray. Little did Dorian Gray know that this portrait would lead to him to his death. Or, little did Dorian know that he would lead himself to his own death. 4. Compare this film to the essay by Jane Austen. How do formal literary conventions determine the plot and content of a work? (Obviously, use the essay and the film as examples.) The film, Stranger than Fiction, and the essay by Jane Austen have one strikingly similar aspect. In Jane Austen's essay, she describes how the heroine is controlled and affected by the men in her life. Overall, her life is determined by the actions that they take and by the things they want her to do and have. The men in her life determine her outcome. As seen in the following quotation, "- No sooner settled in one Country of Europe than they are necessitated to quit it and retire to another -- always making new acquaintance, and always obliged to leave them."(Austen). Right here, you can see that Heroine has to go everywhere with her father. Her status and worth are also determined by his status and thus, her life is determined by his decisions. Similarly, Harold Crick's life and his life's outcome is based on the decision of the author, Karen Eiffel. Whatever she writes down in her boo and decides, ultimately becomes Harold's life and outcome. For example, the author writes down that Harold makes a phone call, and thus he makes a phone call that rings precisely three times. This makes Ms.Eiffel similar to the father in Jane Austen's essay. And Harold similar to the Heroine. Formal literary conventions, like the ones mentioned, help with making the characters in a story and thus, help with the plot and the content of the story. They help with personalities, emphasis, and help the author form a rough outline of the character. Lastly, they help the story flow, keep the reader or watcher interested, as well as help with exactly how the stories are told. For example, the following is happening to this person, and this other person is the cause as to why it is happening, would be seen as a formal literary convention. It helps with character and plot and greatly influenced the content of the film.

Art vs. Reality DB Grade: 10/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! How and why is Dorian affected by art differently than by life/reality? Dorian Gray is affected by art differently than he is by reality for a multitude of reasons. In my opinion, the main reason why Dorian is affected by art in such a way is that he has begun to see art as a reality. He has attributed art to having such extraordinary power, that human beings do not have. Thus, leaving him to cherish and value art more than he values human souls and life itself. Dorian sees art as a better, lovelier imitation of life. This makes him see reality as dull and boring, and he sees art as more lively and enticing. Therefore, Dorian loves art because he sees greater beauty in art that is created by humans, rather than in humans themselves. It is human nature to be affected by the things we love. Dorian being in love with art, makes it so that he is affected differently by it, especially when art is compared to reality. As I see it, for Dorian, Art is seen as the woman he loves, versus reality, which can be seen as a random person on the street. Expanding on this, Dorian is affected by art differently due to his life being filled with the idea of Hedonism. He is consistently on the path of seeking pleasure and fulfilling his desires. Due to his love for art, he finds pleasure in it and the beauty portrayed by art. This leaves him far more affected by art rather than by reality. Art-life dichotomy as represented in Dorian and Sibyl's relationship and Dorian and Basil's relationship. Passage example The relationship between Dorian and Sybil, versus Dorian's relationship with Basil, have a vast difference between them. For starters, In Dorian and Sybil's relationship, Sybil was truly in love with Dorian. While Dorian was in love with her art. This can be seen within multiple passages in Chapter seven. "Without your art, you are nothing. I would have made you famous, splendid, magnificent. The world would have worshipped you, and you would have borne my name. What are you now? A third-rate actress?"(Wilde 65) In these couple of sentences from the story, you can see just how much Dorian values art over life. In my opinion, Dorian has been unable to form a dichotomy between both art and life. This is what eventually leads him to his downfall, as well as Sybil's death. Sybil had been able to separate art and reality, that is the reason why she could no longer act. After separating reality and art, she could no longer let her artistic world collide with her real one. Thus, making her leave her art. Dorian was the opposite, unable to form a difference between both worlds. The art-life dichotomy is represented differently in the relationship between Dorian and Basil. As I see it, Dorian has no love for Basil, aside from the fact that Basil's creation has given him infinite beauty. When it came to Basil, Dorian was able to form a dichotomy between art and life. Basil was also able to separate both of these worlds. He saw the life that Dorian as well as the beauty and art that Dorian portrayed. And, and eventually, he began to fall in love with both, to his dismay. Why do you think Dorian can't be parted from his painting? Examine specific passages. I do not think that Dorian can be separated from his portrait, due to his portrait being his very soul. The portrait entwined with his life and existence. And his body and mind have also come to realize this. "He hated to be separated from the picture that was such a part of his life"(Wilde 101) This specific line from a passage in chapter eleven, shows just how much Dorian could not stand being separated from his portrait. Not only can Dorian not be separated from the portrait due to his soul being captured in it, but he also cannot leave it alone due to the fear that someone else might find it. "during his absence someone might gain access to the room, despite the elaborate bars that he had caused to be placed upon the door...he would suddenly leave his guests and rush back to town to see that the door had not been tampered with and that the picture was still there. What if it should be stolen? The mere thought made him cold with horror"(Wilde 101) Dorian is afraid that people will see what is truly crawling underneath his skin. He doesn't want the people in his life to know just how horrendous he has truly become. This shows that he knows just how corrupt his soul is. Thus, leading him to hide it from others and keep it under lock and key. Lastly, Dorian is unable to part from his painting due to the want and need of seeing it. He constantly wants to see just how bad it is becoming. As I see it, Dorian loves seeing that he bears no physical mark of sin, but the painting does. He finds it remarkable and extraordinary. The portrait is his true identity, self, and soul, and thus he is unable to part with it even though it has become a hideous wretched thing. (In my opinion, Dorian destroying his portrait at the end of the novel, was not him parting with it, but it was him reuniting with it.) Hint: More passages from the second half of the novel when talking about Lord Henry -RESPOND TO A CLASSMATE-

Love in Dorian Gray Grade: 10/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! How would you describe love depicted in the novel? Love is seen several times throughout the novel. Starting with the physical love that Basil has for Dorian. He starts loving Dorian due to Dorian's ability to inspire him, and due to Dorian's beauty and handsomeness. However, this love later changes and starts to develop. But, from this moment in the story, you can see a glimpse of how love will be depicted in Dorian's life, as well as in the rest of the story, materialistic love. A few other loves are depicted in the story. Narcissistic love, aka self-love, artistic love, and love of one man for another. As the story continues, I see Lord Basil start to love Dorian. Meanwhile, Dorian only loves himself. Dorian tends to be completely self-absorbed with his beauty. He sees beauty and art in himself and has fallen in love with it. In this same way, he had fallen in love with the art of Sybil Vane's acting skills. When the art left her, the love for her left him. In this same way, when he realizes the horridness that is himself, as depicted in the portrait, he tries to destroy the part of himself that he no longer loves and which is no longer art. The homosexual romance that I see in the story, is the love that Basil has for Dorian. He is consistently trying to be there for him and help him. The love he has for Dorian started with Dorian's beauty but developed into something more. This love ends up being Lord Basil's downfall. Is there real love? As I see it, there is a little bit of real love within the story. I see real love for Dorian in Basil and Sybil. I also see real love for Sybil in her brother, James Vane. But that's it. The love that Dorian has for other people is far from being real. Love to me is a bond one soul has with another soul. Dorian was in love with images, talents, and beauty. And while art has it's own artistic soul, it is not the same as a human soul. Sybil, James, and Basil, however, were in love with the souls of people. Dorian was unable to form this type of connection with people and never was able to spiritually connect with people. By the end of the story, his soul had been so foul and decrepit that he could no longer love. Leaving him to be one of the only characters who never got to feel what true and real love is. What are the various types of love in the novel? And to what extent are they destructive or uplifting? As I've mentioned, there are three types of love in the story. Artistic love, Narcissistic love, and love between two men. This story depicted all these forms of love as destructive. It isn't like that all the time, but it was in Dorian's life. Sybil's love for Dorian ended her life. She was unable to live a life where she did not know his love. Similarly, Basil's love for Dorian led to his downfall. He trusted Dorian and didn't realize that Dorian had a seed of hatred slowly growing inside him. Ultimately, this led to Basil dying at the hands of Dorian Gray. Lastly, Dorian's narcissistic love for himself leads to his undoing. Dorian loved himself to such an extent, that when he saw his true self, he could no longer stand it. He tries to destroy the object that portrayed him in such a hideous light. He had not realized that the portrait was not simply an image of him, but was his true self. Thus, ending his own life while trying to destroy something he stopped loving. Dorian's love for himself, as well as other's love for Dorian, was destructive and led to ruination. The level of destructive love throughout the novel was immense and tremendous. Hint: Talk about the Homosocial relationship

Anticipation Guide of DG Grade: 2/2

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! I agree with the statement that beauty is an admirable pursuit and worth some sacrifices. Everyone views beauty differently, and some people see the beauty in things while others don't. Just as Confucius has said, "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.". Beauty is a vague concept, but I think that every individual is constantly trying to achieve and become what they think and believe as beautiful. For example, a person may see wealth as beauty. And thus, they will pursuit wealth through any means possible, for example, a greater education. In my opinion, anything that is worth pursuing, worth sacrificing for. Whether it is beauty or something else, until it is attainable, it is worth the sacrifice. I agree with the statement that art is only the reflection of the viewer. In my opinion, this statement corresponds with the quote by Margaret Wolfe Hungerford that, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Just as beauty is seen differently by everyone, art is also seen differently by everyone. People's minds interpret and understand things in different ways. Their experiences and emotions change their viewpoints in not just life, but in everything they see. And this includes pieces of art. Not only does art reflect the viewer's personality. But it also reflects their perception. A great example of perception in Art would be the following image: At first glance, some people see this picture as a vase. While others see it as two heads facing, and looking at each other. It all depends on perspective and viewpoints. Thus, leaving no right or wrong answer when it comes to art. I wholly agree with the statement that art does not moralize/set moral standards. This is my belief because it is my opinion that art, in general, is an opinion. Every human being has different values and moral standards. Something diverse, vague, and widely opinionated such as art cannot set standards, especially moral ones. People's perspectives on art and their definitions of morality change as they grow and age. They experience new things and change, just as art grows and changes along with time. It seems to me that art cannot set and moralize standards when art itself is constantly changing and being seen in different lights.

Dorian Gray Characters and Their 21st-Century Counterparts Grade: 9/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! Main Characters - So far in the story, The Picture of Dorian Gray, there are only a few main characters. The most important character is Dorian Gray. There are also currently three more characters that play important roles in the story. Those characters are, Lord Basil Hallward, Lord Henry Wotton, and Sybil Vane. Characters who are only mentioned around once so far in the novel are James Vane, Lord Fermor, and Lady Agatha. Describe Main Characters, use book examples - So far in the story, Dorian Gray is described as a handsome young man. He is a wealthy, impressionable, and youthful young man, that has yet to have many experiences in life. Dorian is seen as charming, innocent, and kind. However, by the time chapter eight rolls around Dorian has begun to slightly change. After the death of Sybil Vane, Dorian begins to fall under the influence and spell of Lord Henry Wotton. After realizing that his portrait will bear the marks of his evil and sin instead of his own physical body, Dorian decides that his own beauty, pleasure, and greed are above all else. He no longer cares about committing sin, since the portrait will be the one to bear the burden of his deeds and misgivings. "Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins—he was to have all these things. The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame: that was all."(Wilde) As long as Dorian does not age and still looks as beautiful as ever, he could care less about a canvas that is hidden away. "Not one pulse of his life would ever weaken. Like the gods of the Greeks, he would be strong, and fleet, and joyous. What did it matter what happened to the coloured image on the canvas?" (Wilde) When this occurs, the reader can see that Dorian's character is about to take a complete turn, one-eighty. Lord Basil Hallward is an artist that first introduces the audience to Dorian Gray. He is inspired by Dorian's beauty and is completely smitten with him to an extent. Currently Dorian is the muse of his art and he doesn't want to lose his form of inspiration. He tries to keep Dorian on a righteous path and hopes that he will stay away from the bad influences of Lord Henry. "Don't spoil him. Don't try to influence him. Your influence would be bad. The world is wide, and has many marvellous people in it. Don't take away from me the one person who gives to my art whatever charm it possesses"(Wilde) He is consistently trying to be a guiding figure, who gives Dorian advice and is a voice of soundness and reason for him. Lord Henry Wotton is a nobleman and friend of Basil Hallward. He is seen to have a way with words and has a great influence on Dorian's character. He is infatuated and intrigued by Dorian and Dorian's life from the moment he hears about him. Henry is constantly trying to manipulate Dorian by talking about immoral and sinful things, thus getting ideas of selfishness, greed, and pleasure stuck in Dorian's consciousness. "Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing"(Wilde) He is seen constantly criticizing the world and the victorian era but never seems to try and change what he sees as wrong. It is clear from the beginning of the story that Lord Henry is going to be the downfall of Dorian Gray. Henry is consistently trying to steal away the morality that Dorian has and slowly worms his way into Dorian's heart and mind with words. Teaching his that pleasure and worldly things are far better than morals, principles, and sensibility. "I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world." (Wilde) The last and final main character so far in the story has been Sybil Vane. She had been the love interest of Dorian Gray and was also announced dead in chapter eight. She was an actress from a poor family, that Dorian came across while watching a Shakespearean play at the theater. Her roles were usually the love interest in the plays. Dorian was immediately taken by her beauty and talent as an actress and believed that he had fallen in love. Soon after they were engaged and she falls in love with Dorian. Her love for him ruins her acting talent she can no longer fake being in love on stage. Now that she has found and fallen in love, she is no longer capable of acting out a false representation of love. " What could they know of love such as ours? Take me away, Dorian—take me away with you, where we can be quite alone. I hate the stage. I might mimic a passion that I do not feel, but I cannot mimic one that burns me like fire."(Wilde) When she tells Dorian this, Dorian realizes that he does not love her, but merely loved her acting talents. He immediately breaks off their relationship, leaving her heartbroken and devastated. She is unable to bear with her broken heart and commits suicide on the same night. Sybil is seen as a seventeen-year-old girl, who has barely experienced the passions of life. She was young, sensitive, and innocent. Sybil's brother James Vane is also mentioned in the story. He is her younger brother, but is constantly worried about her, and is extremely protective of her. He also does not trust Dorian. He says the following about Dorian during a conversation with Sybil, "He wants to enslave you", "I want you to beware of him", "if he ever does you any wrong, I shall kill him." (Wilde). Compare them to 21st Century people and explain I struggled a lot with this portion of the assignment and decided to go with fictional characters that were written in the 21st Century rather than real-life ones. Dorian Gray, reminds me of the character Sasuke Uchiha from the infamous Manga and Japanese Animated series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. Sasuke Uchiha starts off as a loving and adorable character, He has a family, consisting of his mom, dad, and older brother. After the brutal homicide of his entire clan, by his brother, Sasuke is still seen as a slightly lovable character. He stays on a good path, even though his brother killed his family and even though he has now been orphaned. However, this all starts to change when he meets Orochimaru and is convinced that in order to get the power he needs to kill his brother and avenge his family, can only be obtained by forsaking his friends and village. Sasuke is an impressionable young character that turns to the dark side when he realizes that being good is not worth anything to him. He sees that all the bad things he is doing are a burden that his brother holds and is accountable for due to his brother killing everyone but him. In my view, I see Sasuke as Dorian and Sasuke's brother Itachi as the portrait of Dorian. Just like Lord Henry was the starting influence that began to change Dorian's character and his view on life, Orochimaru is the character that did this to Sasuke. He made Sasuke see life as disposable and brainwashed him into thinking that power is all you need in life to succeed and get somewhere. Just like Henry and his power with words, Orochimaru weaseled his way into Sasuke's thoughts and made him abandon his old ideas of friendship, family, right, and wrong. I see the character of Basil Hallward in the main character of the series, Naruto. Naruto is seen as this guiding light for Sasuke. Constantly chasing after him and trying to help him get rid of this horrid influence that Orochimaru bewitched Sasuke with. He tries to reason with him and consistently fails. Yet, he is always there for Sasuke at the end of the day. Similarly, Sasuke is Naruto's muse, just like Dorian is Basil's muse. Naruto uses Sasuke as an inspiration to become stronger and better at what he does, just as Basil uses Dorian to influence and make his artistic talents better. Lastly, the only person I can think of, who represents a modern Sybil Vane would be Jim Carrey's late girlfriend Cathriona White. I've heard many accounts of women and men committing suicide after the loss of a partner, or a break-up. But Cathriona was the only one that I could currently come up with. She was a sweet girl, who fell in love, just like many other people. But when she lost the one thing that kept her going, she fell apart. Just like Sybil fell apart after her break-up with Dorian. Hint: Add page numbers for the work cited and think of your own comparisons who are famous.

Hawthorne Journal #1 Grade: 10/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! Poe himself sees Hawthorne's short stories as the ideal short stories. According to Edgar Allan Poe, Hawthorne is the master of the short story. According to Poe short stories can accomplish so much more, they are the perfect length. Short stories are seen to be the perfect length to create a single effect on the reader, versus no effect such as what can occur while reading a poem. Or more than one effect such as when reading a novel with several chapters. There are several characteristics and ideals that Poe believes are the requirements of the short story. One of these is for the story to have a single total effect on the reader. One more is for the story to be brief enough that the reader can read it in one sitting. Reading a story in one sitting has a completely different experience on a reader. It allows the author to take control of the reader's senses for that time. Just as Poe says, "During the hour of perusal the soul of the reader is at the writer's control." The writer gets the reader's full attention and the reader is undistracted by external forces during the story. The third characteristic that Poe likes to see in a short story is that there is one setting and there are only a few characters that are mentioned and given attention to. All the characteristics that Poe likes are featured in Hawthorne's tale. For example, the story must be brief enough to read in one sitting. Hawthorne's tale Young Goodman Brown is only a little over five thousand words long. Which takes the average reader approximately fifteen to twenty minutes to read. This can be done in one sitting and is one of Poe's criteria for the short story. The second criterion is for there to be only a few characters and one setting. The majority of the story takes place in the forest near the village. With the beginning and end scenes taking place in the village. This makes the main setting, the forest. There are also only a few characters in the story. The story only has one main character, Goodman Brown. And five side characters, with 2 that were slightly more important. With those two being Faith, Goodman Brown's wife, and The Old Man, who is seen as the devil. The last criterium is for the story to have a single total effect on the reader. This story has a beginning middle and end. With one plot, and no plot twist. It keeps the attention of the reader on one primary focus and point. The story illustrates the hypocrisy of the puritans and keeps the same flow and purpose throughout. Keeping one effect, one conflict, and one reason through the entire story. Thus, Hawthorne's tale follows all of Poe's criteria and is seen as a fit example of what Poe sees as the ideal short story and peace of literature.

Dorian Gray Context Grade: 8/10

THIS IS MY WORK! USE AS SAMPLE/EXAMPLE ONLY! Something that stands out and needs to be changed: Something that I believe and feels needs to be changed in the story is the relationship between Dorian Gray and Sybil Vane. Research it: For research, I looked at documents online that were written by other students. A lot of these documents were explaining how the relationship between Dorian and Sybil was seen as one-sided. Dorian only loved Sybil or thought he loved her due to his love and appreciation for artistic beauty. He thought that he was in love with Sybil when he was truly in love with her acting and with her talent. When Sybil lost her art, Dorian lost interest in her. Showing that he was in love with her materialistically and not realistically. He was not IN love with Sybil but was in love with the idea of her. How does researching this enhance our understanding of the story? Researching this helped me see Dorian's character in a different way. I knew that Dorian had been in love with Sybil's acting skills, but I did not realize that he was in love with the concept of art itself. I can see that him being in love with the beauty of art is going to be brought up a lot during the rest of the story. I have a feeling that he may also start to grow more conceited as he falls in love with his own beauty and reflection. In my opinion, the story has the current capabilities of going down a path such as the story of Narcissus. After realizing this I understood that Dorian's relationship with Sybil was extremely necessary to the story and to the development of Dorian's character. I didn't like how the relationship was merely based on looks, but I see that relationships during the Victorian era were extremely different than they are now in the 21st Century. Their relationship was materialistic but that was necessary to show how Dorian was changing and becoming a materialistic person due to Henry. Hint: Don't talk about how you looked at other students' work