Book Report- The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. London. Ward, Lock & Company: 1891.

Reason, Type and Setting: The Picture of Dorian Gray is a mystery that takes place in the late 1800's in London. I selected this book because I have always like Wilde's style.

Plot: In the beginning of the novel the main character Dorian is introduced to Lord Henry on the day he was going to have his picture painted by Basil Hallward. Henry "corrupts" Dorian's innocents and introduces him to a new world of pessimism and doubt. At this point Dorian wishes that all the evils would portray on his beautiful painting rather than on his own face and body. He also wishes all his ageing and any signs of deteriorating health will show on the painting as well. Dorian learns this and soon figures that he can live a sinful life and it will never be reflected on to him. The Painting is a mirror of his soul. Eventually the evil consumes him so much that he eventually gets so upset by the person he has become that he decides to stab the painting and as a result he kills himself.

Character: Dorian Gray is a handsome young man at the beginning of the novel and a handsome young man at the end. The only difference is that over the years his soul has become an ugly, old and mean person. I chose this character not only because he is the main character but more because his life and the things that he does become such a powerful metaphor. While Dorian is innocent his soul is pure and it wasn't the knowledge that he could change that changed him but more the path he chose that had made him such ugly person figuratively even though it wasn't literally. In the end of the novel he finally realised how horrible of a person he had became he tried o kill his soul and by doing so he just killed himself.

Evaluation: I did really enjoy the novel and the witty style of Oscar Wilde. Not only was the book entertaining it also had a strong moral and ethical themes. The author tried to show the reader how despite how clean and nice you may look to others, if you have an ugly soul and mind then that will take over the type of person you are. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone interested in a captivating and unique book.

I'm not sure if I would have acted the same way as Dorian. It is hard when you are never taught to think for yourself and then you all of a sudden you are given insight that you don't know what to do with. I have never been in that position so I couldn't know how I would react. Hopefully it wouldn't be the same as Dorian.

Author, Context and Trivia: Oscar Wilde also wrote: Ravenna, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, The Decay of Lying, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories, Intentions, Salome, The House of Pomegranates, Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, The Duchess of Padua, The Sphinx, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Oscar Wilde was an existentialist and well known during his time. I have not read any other books like this one but i would like to read more.

Indict America

I would like to indict the American government on their environmental and conservation policies.

Current Event- Crazy Coffee!!

URL: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/10/coffee.dung/index.html#cnnSTCText

Source: CNN.com

Summary: This special and unique coffee comes from the feces of an Indonesian jungle cat. After the cat eats only the best coffee beans, the beans go through the cat's digestive track. Only 573 pounds of this coffee is produced each year. The beans are sold in London for a high price (of $100 per shot), but on the other hand the profit from this luxury coffee all goes to charity.

Vocabulary- Week 13

The young intern revered her mentor and was impressed with his knowledge.


I was in a state of vertigo after i got off the crazy roller coaster.


The man threatened to sue the woman for the way she slandered him and his religion.


My mom always told me not squander away my money.



As people get older they begin to quell their old habits, like my habit to say "like".



revere - to regard with respect tinged with awe; venerate
vertigo - a dizzying sensation of tilting within stable surroundings or of being in tilting or spinning surroundings.
punitive - serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment
slander - serving for, concerned with, or inflicting punishment
squander - to spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully (often fol. by away).
panache - a grand or flamboyant manner; verve; style; flair:
forlorn - desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance.
quell - to suppress; put an end to; extinguish
concision - concise quality; brevity; terseness.
libel - defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures.
defamation - the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny
misdirection - a wrong or incorrect direction, guidance, or instruction

Current Events- FAA

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23942137/
Source: MSNBC
Title: Congressman: FAA actions displayed ‘malfeasance bordering on corruption
Summary/Significance: Scandels within the airlines are safety concerns for passanfers. With checks not as often as they are supposed to be, these oversights could be the difference of life and death. It is scary to think that situations like this are still happening even after 9/11, with so many other people in the world "out to get us" why would people be essentailly helping them when we make conditions ounsafe for ourselves?