Analysis of Conflict in Oscar Wilde’s the Importance of Being Earnest

First Act, Part I

Conflict is a clash of actions, ideas, desires and wills. Conflict in this act of drama divided into two parts :

1. Inter conflict :

a. Person against person

Conflict between people is the conflict between the characters in this drama.

For example:

- “Jack. …you have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside. It is a very ungentlemanly thing to read a private cigarette case.”(Par 4 lines 2-4, page 7)

- “Algernon… It is perfectly absurd your saying that your name isn’t Ernest. It’s on your cards”(par 5 line 4-5, page 8)

- “Algernon… I’ll reveal to you the meaning of that incomparable expression as soon as you are kind enough to inform me why you are Ernest in town and Jack in the country.” (par 4, page 9)

b. Person against environment

This conflict is a kind of conflict such as external force, physical nature, society, or fate.

For example:

- “Algernon. My dear fellow, the way you flirt with Gwendolen is perfectly disgraceful. It is almost as bad as the way Gwendolen flirts with you”(Par 9, page 4)

- “Algernon. Well, my dear fellow, you need not eat as if you were going to eat it all. You behave as if you were married to her…” (par 7, page 5)

- “Algernon. Well, in the first place girls never marry the men they flirt with…”(par 1, page 6)

- “Jack…When one is placed in the position of the guardian, one has to adopt a very high moral tone on all subjects. It’s one’s duty to do so. And as high moral tone can hardly be said to conduce very much to either one’s health or one’s happiness…”(par 3 lines 3-6, page 10)

- “Algernon… she will place me next Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her husband across the dinner-table. That is not very pleasant. Indeed, it is not even decent. And that sort of thing is enormously on the increase. The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one’s clean linen in public. ” (par 5 lines 7-13, page 11)

- “Algernon… My dear fellow, it isn’t easy to be anything nowadays. There’s such a lot of beastly competition about.”(par 8 lines 1-2, page 12)

- “Lady Bracknell… I never saw a woman so altered; she looks quite twenty years younger.” (par 1 lines 3-4, page 14)

2. Inner conflict

Conflict of person against herself/himself: a kind of conflict with some element in her/his own nature; maybe physical, mental, emotional, or moral.

For example:

- “Lane. I didn’t think it polite to listen, sir.”( page 1, par 4)

- “Jack… in order to get up to town I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany, and gets into the most dreadful scrapes.”(par 3 lines 6-9, page 10)

- “Algernon…I have invented an invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury, in order to go down into the country whenever I choose…”(par 1 lines 3-5, page 11)

- “Jack…if Gwendolen accepts me, I am going to kill my brother, indeed I think I’ll kill him in any case. Cecily is a little to much interested in him. It is a rather bore. So I am going to get rid of Ernest.”( par 1 line 1-4, page 12)

- “Algernon…nothing will induce me to part with Bunbury, and if you ever get married, which seems to me extremely problematic…”( par 2 lines 1-2, page 12)

- “Jack…that is nonsense. If I marry a charming girl like Gwendolen, and she is the only girl I ever saw in my life that I would marry, I certainly won’t want to know Bunburry.”(par 3, page 12)

Oscar Wilde’s the Importance of Being Earnest Act II

Oscar Wilde’s the Importance of Being Earnest Act II

The main conflict in this part is about Person against Person; where in this case are Algernon against Jack and Gwendolen against Cecily.

1. Jack vs Algernon

In this part, story began with the pretence of Algernon who came to Manor House, Cardew’s residence, as Ernest Worthing. His arrival was purposed to meet Cecily and propose her. Because he knew that Cecily was admired and interested much in Ernest, so he decided to pretend as Jack’s brother. Furthermore, in the process of propose, unexpectedly the real Jack came to the house and ruined Algernon’s plan. At the same time, Jack’s plan of telling the terrible condition of his brother Ernest to Cardews was a mess too. Actually, Jack wanted to tell that to accomplish his plan to marry Gwendolen by getting rid of Ernest’s character.

For example:

- Jack“No. he died abroad; in Paris, in fact…” ( par 10, line 1, page 45)

- Algernon. “ Brother John, I have come down from town to tell you that I am very sorry for all the trouble I have given you, and that I intend to lead a better life on the future.” [Jack glares at him and does not take his hand](par 6, page 49)

- Jack.” … it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite in experienced in doing anything of the kind. However, I will tell you quite frankly that I have no brother Ernest. I have no brother at all. I never had a brother in my life, and I certainly have not the smallest intention of ever having one in the future.” (par 6, page 70)

2. Cecily vs Gwendolen

There was a misunderstanding between Gwendolen and Cecily about Ernest who they believed as the same person that propose them, but actually the Ernest was different. Ernest who proposed Gwendolen was Jack and another Ernest who proposed Cecily was Algernon.

For example :

- Gwendolen. ”My darling Cecily, I think there must be some slight error. Mr. Ernest Worthing is engaged to me…”(par4, line 1-2, page 64)

- Cecily. “…I am afraid you must be under some misconception. Ernest proposed to me exactly ten minutes ago.”(par 5, page 64)

POSTMODERNISM IN BARBIE DOLL

POSTMODERNISM IN BARBIE DOLL

Beauty, smooth, romantic, elegant, and sweet, these words to be icon advertisements Mattel for Barbie doll. Those words also appear in Business week, Forbes, the Los Angles Times, and also US News and world report when they are report about Barbie. Many child and adults also choose same words for explain about Barbie. These words also defined as feminism upper class modern. These characteristics also explain about heterosexual feminist, young woman feminist. Barbie is icon of community for upper class in western countries today. In the other side, Barbie becomes icon of the world. Many women and children like Barbie doll. They want to be beauty like Barbie’s. They consider that Barbie doll as icon perfect beauty for women. In fact, Indonesian artist often make over her body and face in order that look like Barbie doll as perfect women, like Krisdayanti, one of diva pop in Indonesia try to make over her body and face to get perfect beauty same like Barbie doll. Barbie as icon feminism can influence all women in the world for change herself become perfect beauty. Therefore, Barbie is a commodity modern/ postmodern. Barbie haven’t problem and nothing have his social problem. Her politic is promotion of a product and imaging. She’s style also the lightness of being with connecting with postmodern. According to Rojek (1995: 140) explain about “postmodern connecting modernity with heaviness of being is psychology with domination responsibility, morality, and had cold feet… postmodernism explain about postmodern connected with lightness of being with performance, alteration, and anomaly as a part from human being”. In short, we can know that icon can be growing contradict and paradox always become “shadow” in postmodern viability.

Fundamentally dialectical materialism is concept of history, it struggle between social class. The productive capacity of society is the foundation of society, and as this capacity increases overtime the social relation of production, class relation, evolve through this struggle of the classes and pass through definite stages (primitive communism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism). These concepts always repeated until now.

Marx’s theory portrayed society like a league table. It means that society involves competition between social group/class. His theory explains that society must be class. Like high class, middle class and upper class.

In other side, capitalism also result of social class there are bourgeois and proletariat tend to exploitation. Bourgeois is (politic) or relating to the middle class. It supports the interest of capitalism, not communist. Mainly interested in possessions and social status. Proletarian is the class of workers who don’t own the means of production and who earn their living by working for wages Esp. in industry. We can see in Indonesia, many labors get not enough pay average with their work. Its ironic situation when they don’t receive pay because their factory was bankrupt. They like proletarian which just work to bourgeois them.

Capitalism also causing the class conflict, class alienated from each other.

The capitalist mode of production is distinguished by how the owners of capital extract this surplus from workers—all prior class societies had extracted surplus labor, but capitalism was new in doing so via the sale-value of produced commodities. Marx argues that a core requirement of a capitalist society is that a large portion of the population must not possess sources of self-sustenance that would allow them to be independent, and must instead be compelled, to survive, to sell their labor for a living wage. In conjunction with his criticism of capitalism was Marx's belief that exploited labor would be the driving force behind a revolution to a socialist-style economy. This cycle of the extraction of the surplus value by the owners of capital or the bourgeoisie becomes the basis of class struggle. This argument is intertwined with Marx's version of the labor theory of value asserting that labor is the source of all value, and thus of profit.

The effect of capitalism; capitalism causing many effect, one of them is dehumanization. The workers become a like machine. They must extra worker to bourgeois without extra time and minimum wages. This is problem also still happen in Indonesia especially, where some people become labor which minimum wage with extra job. For example, they must work from 07:00 am until 02:00 pm (following UMR) but its not if they are free labor (buruh serabutan). It causes labor strike in the world over. Exploitation is use or treats sb/sth in an unfair and selfish manner for ones own advantage or profit. Indonesia in the past, the labor also gets exploitation from colonist. Until now many worker from Indonesia which get job in own country and foreign also get exploitation from “bourgeois” them.

The reasons of labor strike are dissatisfaction with company policy, Salary and incentive problems, Increment not up to the mark, Wrongful discharge or dismissal of workmen, Withdrawal of any concession or privilege, Hours of work and rest intervals, Leaves with wages and holidays, Bonus, profit sharing, Provident fund and gratuity, Retrenchment of workmen and closure of establishment, Dispute connected with minimum wages. Its problem causes many labors in Indonesia often strike. However, Indonesian government was organize law/UU about labor and give day for labor.

The strength of Karl Marx’s theory are this theory base on class struggle which become history until whenever to keep relevant on contemporary society where customer not only between labor’s group and capitalist, but there are new class on customer. Marx’s theory also support in the long time or many era because it can be discussing about exploitation and alienation. It’s deliberately about this theory was appeared new theory like hegemony and feminism.

The weakness of Karl Marx’s theory is after many years, the labors can’t get a freedom (win) toward their right and the billionaire keep has more power. This problem can be explain that this theory show relation about reality which happen in society but in other side, also utopian because base it own assumption about power of instrument of production.

THE WAY OF REASONING

THE WAY OF REASONING

The people want to study in America must obtain the visa from embassy or consultants. In reality, foreign students are difficult obtain the visa. They must persuade the consular officer to grant their visa. The way people think about thing what they consider relevant, true. How they reach conclusion varies according many factor, including our cultural background. The culture influence the way people think about things like article “Cultural and System of Though; Holistic versus Analytic Cognition” by Richard Nisbett. Thus, he said that the American tend to focus on the object and pay relatively less attention to the context in their perceptions and thoughts. In contras to Japanese and other Easterners who pay relatively more attention to the concept. Every country has different how they think about thing. American always speaks and writes direct to the point. They include only the ideas and information directly and obviously related to the topic at hand. They suppose to make their points clear, meaning that they should focus explicitly on the information, they wish convey and downplay the context. American always organizes their mind and plan. Do anything with step by step. The most important element of a proof is the fact. American assumes there are facts of life, of nature, and universe. The most reliable facts, in the American view, are those in the form of quantities specific numbers, percentages, rates, ranking, or amounts. American also accepts information and ideas that arise from their own experience or that of others they known and trust. American regards the sense of sight as the most reliable. This American trust in fact is accompanied by a general distrust of emotion. American is famous for their pragmatism that is their interest in whether a fact or idea has practical consequences. American believes in some theories and in certain rules of logic, of course, but in general they are suspicious of theory and generalizations unless they are associates with specific fact. American tends to believe they can study individual things, place them in categories, and learn how things in the category operate or behave and devise rules for understanding their responses. Some religious Americans ascribe certain kinds of events to God’s will. But these intangible factors are not usually held responsible for what happen to people. American look at the context or the relationship among many objects when they seek to understand causes. In conclusion, foreign in America should know that American will consider them not logical, too emotional or fuzzy minded if they include seemingly irrelevant ideas in their speech or writing. American less attention to the context but if they use speech or write, they always to the point. American also doing something step by step (organization), they make a plan for anything, they also need a fact for support their data or opinion and thinking about cause and effect to anything.

RESEP SEHAT MEMBUAT SAOS DARI PEPAYA

Saos Pepaya

Bahan

400 gr Pepaya matang
20 ml Minyak Salad
50 gr Bawang Merah, cincang
20 gr Bawang Putih, cincang
20 gr Sereh
10 gr Jahe
30 gr Gula Putih
20 ml Cuka Putih
150 ml Sari Cabe (Chili Juice)
Air
Garam dan Merica

Cara Membuat

1.Tumis Bawang Merah, Bawang Putih, Jahe dan Sereh hingga wangi .

2. Masukkan pepaya, sari cabe dan aduk hingga mendidih

3.Tambahkan air, gula, cuka dan garam

4.Angkat dan saring

5.Sajikan dalam botol

THE COMMUNICATIVE STYLE OF AMERICANS

Communicative style refers to several characteristics of conversations between individuals, according to Barnlund (1989): (1) the topics people prefer to discuss, (2) their favorite forms of interactions in conversation,(3) the depth to which they want to get involved with each other,(4) the communication channels ( verbal or nonverbal) on which they rely and (5) the level of meaning (factual versus emotional) to which they are most attuned.

When they first encounter another person, Americans engage in a kind of conversation they call “Smalltalk”. The most common topic of Smalltalk is the weather. Sometimes they are talking about wealth, sport, according to the life situation. But Americans unlike talking about body weigh. Americans are explicitly taught not to discuss religion and politics because it’s thought to be “controversial” and discussing a controversial topic can lead to an argument. Whereas, in other country consider politics and religion to be excellent topics for informal and debate.

The typical conversation between to Americans take a form can be called repartee. Americans engage in far less ritual interaction than do many other cultural groups. A third form of interaction, one Americans tend to avoid is argument. If an argument is unavoidable, Americans believe it should be conducted in calm, moderate tones and with a minimum of gesturing. A fourth and final form of interaction is self disclosure. In many cases, conversations with a large amount of Smalltalk usually produce little self disclosure.

Cultural backgrounds influence the degree to which people want to become closely connected with other people outside their families. Notice that many American self help books are target to people who are ”too depend” on others and who may need help achieving a proper level of sufficiency. Foreigners will want to realize that American often have difficulty becoming “close friends” with each other, not only with unfamiliar people from other countries.

American’s think important to be able to speak up than on nonverbal behavior to convey their message. Home convey message to people about such topics as degrees of formality and concern with social status. Aspect of non verbal behavior consist of appearance, body movement and gesture, facial expression, eye contact, space and touching, silence.

Some steps for minimize the negative effect of differences in these habits: be aware of human action & reaction that come under the label “nonverbal communication” and realize that such behavior is largely culturally based, learn as much as possible about American nonverbal communication habits and practice it, don’t, however, develop an exaggerated idea about the effects of differences in nonverbal communication, try to avoid interpreting what others mean and evaluating their behavior based on your own ideas about appropriate nonverbal behavior.