Dishonesty in The Importance of Being Earnest

One of the major themes in The Importance of Being Earnest concerns dishonesty.

Consider the following concepts from your dialectic journal assignment:

• Humor: particularly epigrams
• Satire of social institutions: marriage, education, social class and religion
• References to earnest/Ernest and the title of the play
• The pursuit of pleasure

Write two paragraphs for this post:
1. How does dishonesty relate to each of these concepts? Write a few sentences on each.
2. What does Wilde seem to be saying about dishonesty through the characters and their speech and actions in the play?

Look through your dialectic journal entries to help you. You can refer to anything from anywhere in the play for this assignment.

Due Friday, January 28.