Narrative Task: The Picture of Dorian Grey. Group work.

Answer the questions below and post them in the discussion tab created in schoology. Your answers should be posted by 1800, 22nd Oct 2011. 1.Analyze the story. Fill in the levels with your summaries based on the story. Exposition = The young, pure and innocence Dorian Gray Rising action = Climax = Basil hallward was stabbed to death by Dorian Gray Falling action = Resolution = The death of Dorian Gray Chapters 1 and 2 introduce three major characters. They are Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward. Dorian Gray is the main character of the story. I describe him as pure at heart and full of youthful beauty. 2. [Lord Henry]: "When is she Sybil Vane?" [Dorian]: "Never." (p53) Sybil Vane's soliloquy (p75-6): "Before I knew you, acting was the one reality of my life. ... You came ... and you freed my soul from prison. You taught me what reality really is. .... You had made me understand what love really is. ... Suddenly it dawned on my soul what it all meant..." What is Sybil's significance? Why does she commit suicide? What impact does her death have on Dorian? 3. "I was a school boy when you knew me. I am a man now. I have new passions, new thoughts, new ideas. I am different, but you must not like me less. I am changed, but you must always be my friend." (pg 106) Based on the text above, describe Dorian Grey's character before and after the painting. 4. The painting is a symbolic object in the story. Explain the representation of the painting. Give examples to support your answer. 5.What is the importance of sin and redemption in the novel? Is there any redemption for Dorian?

3. "I was a school boy when you knew me. I am a man now. I have new passions, new thoughts, new ideas. I am different, but you must not like me less. I am changed, but you must always be my friend." (pg 106) Based on the text above, describe Dorian Gray's character before and after the painting.

. Dorian comes from an unhappy family with a dark, tangled history. He is the grandson of Lord Kelso and the son of Kelso's daughter, Margaret Devereux. Lady Margaret was an extremely beautiful woman who married a penniless, low-level soldier, as Lord Fermor recalls. Kelso reportedly hired "some Belgian brute" to insult the husband and lure him into a duel, in which he was killed. Lady Margaret was with child: Dorian. She died within a year or so of the duel, leaving Dorian to be raised by a loveless tyrant. Kelso is dead and probably left his fortune to Dorian. The mother had money of her own, so Dorian should be well off financially. Dorian Gray appears in the opening of the story as an ideal, handsome and full of youthful beauty in the eyes of Basil Hallward, a painter. His picture was painted by Basil Hallward who admired everything he saw about him. He told Lord Henry that Dorian 'is all my art to me now' (page 13). Little did we know the characteristic of Dorian before the painting. According to Lady Agatha, Lord Henry's aunty, Dorian was stated as a very earnest and had a beautiful nature. He was going to help her in the East End. (page 18) . Lord Henry Wotton, a nobleman who imagines fashioning the impressionable Dorian into an unremitting pleasure-seeker. He then realized his youth and physical attractiveness as he looked at himself in the picture. He was afraid of being old and the picture will remind him of his youthfulness. He wished that the painting will grow old and he would remain young forever. He had no idea that his wish would become his reality. As referred to page 106, Dorian was telling Basil Hallward that he was not the same person he first met long before. He was grown up now and not a school boy anymore. Basil Hallward took his personality as his turning-point in his art. Dorian's turning-point was when he met Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian had met two very different men in his youth that had given him a big influence in his character. At first, he met Basil Hallward who adored his appearance. He brought good influence to him such as appreciating art. Then, he met Lord Henry. He was the bad influence and the main reason of Dorian's changes in his character. They met when the process of painting Dorian's picture by Basil Hallward was at the final stage. Later, he became enthralled with his idea of a new hedonism. He began to indulge in every kind of pleasure, moral and immoral. Dorian once showed his 'good side' when he believed that he was deeply in love with Sibyl Vane, an actress and was willing to sacrifice all social standing for her. Then, he changed his mind when he rejected her after watching her bad performance. Back at home, he noticed the first change in his painting. He realized that his wish came true. He wanted to reconcile his action towards Sibyl but it was too late when he found out later that she committed suicide. Lord Henry succeeded in convincing him that it was not his fault. Dorian was afraid of himself which was reflected in his portrait. He hid the picture in the old schoolroom, with the help of Mr. Hubbard. He also afraid of someone would see his real self in the portrait.. He was also easy to be influenced. He had read the yellow book Lord Henry sent him

and he is fascinated. As the years pass, Dorian spends his wealth indulging his sensuous pleasures with perfumes, musical instruments, jewels, and embroideries. Disgraceful rumors begin circulating, staining Dorian's reputation. He then turned himself to become a heartless, cold-blooded killer. On the eve of Dorian's thirty-eighth birthday, Basil visits him right before he's scheduled to leave to Paris. He advised him on preserving his good name. Impulsively, he murdered him after he showed him the picture. He was also good at lying and pretending. Everyone seemed so fond of him because of his appearance in manners and physical attraction. He also lied to James Van when he ambushed him and almost killed him. After the death of Basil Hallward and James Van, he started to look back and vowed to change his life and be good, despite Lord henry's protests. Here, it had shown that he had a desire to repent. He tought he had done his first good deed when he "save" Hetty, the country girl who had fallen in love with him. He was totally disappointed when he discovered the figure in the portrait had appeared to have a hypocritical smile. This enraged him and he took the knife which he used to stab Basil and stabbed the picture. The life of Dorian ended here. No one would ever know what really happen when he stabbed the picture. There was a horrifying scream and his servants found the picture restored and an old man lying on the floor with a knife through his heart. He was later identified as Dorian. For me, he was a failure because he failed to choose the good lifesyle between two different influences in his life and he also failed to establish and live by his own moral code.

5.What is the importance of sin and redemption in the novel? Is there any redemption for Dorian? According to http://oxforddictionaries.com (23 October 2011) sin is defined as an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law. As Basil Hallward gave his last advice to Dorian, he also mentioned that "sin is a thing that writes itself across a mans face. It cannot be concealed." (page 155).

There are two meanings of redemption as I referred to http://oxforddictionaries.com (23 October 2011). First, it is defined as the action of saving or being saved from sin, error or evil. Second, the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt. As we are to see the importance of sins and redemption in this novel, we could see that Dorian Gray does not seek redemption, and does not embrace his sins. He is the reflection of what humans are facing today. There are many influences from different people we meet in our life. As for Dorian, he had to face two major influences and at the end of the day he had destroyed his own life because of the choice he had made between the two influences. As we referred to Rosanna Eklund journal entitled The Evil In Dorian Gray (14 February 2007); Dorian Gray first cruel act mentioned was when he wittingly breaks Sybil Vane's heart. After that, he realized that his wish had came true. The portrait had shown the first traces of his sin. He initially wanted to make amends. Sybil Vane's death brought him a sense of regret for a while but under Lord Henry's influence, he then made decision to devote his life to pleasure-seeking. There were rumours about Dorian and we would never knew if these rumours are true or not. One thing for sure, the picture of him became hideous and uglier every time he did immoral deeds. Dorian continued to change as the novel continued. Dorian went from a young, beautiful man who was innocent to a man who had become corrupted. His actions took a full 360 degree turn. Since Dorian was not affected by his sins, he felt no need to seek redemption for them. He continued through his life corrupting others and ruining their lives, while his portrait took the burden of his actions. Dorians life continued on a downward spiral, but he was never physically affected by his sins. His portrait would take the burden of his sins. It grew old and its beauty died with Dorians sins. Dorian changed psychologically. His change was noticeable and Basil confronted Dorian about the change, but met an untimely end when Dorian decided to kill Basil after showing him the picture. Dorian continued to live a life of sin until he decided to destroy the only proof of his sins. He wanted to destroy the portrait. When he did so he died, and all the changes on the portrait are transmitted onto his body. Through his death it is obvious that he did not receive redemption. He never sought redemption or maybe he never knew how to correct his wrongdoings. He was mentioned to have longing for redemption and he did realize that he had wandered too far. His hope that the picture would be restored in just one good deed as to 'save' Hetty, the country girl who had fallen in love with him; was totally unacceptable. We could not take back whatever action we had done in the past. The least we can do is a sincere repentance. Redemption is not an easy place to reach, but it is not impossible. There are plenty of examples of people who sin, seek redemption, and reach it. Dorian did not feel the need to find forgiveness, so he did not seek redemption. The secret of redemption is continuously trying to better oneself, and the three characters who reached redemption did so. Redemption is important to reach if a person has sinned, and if a sinner does not seek it they will never find it. http://www.librarything.com/topic/79366 (16 December 2009)

http://dooku.miun.se/engelska/englishC/C-essay/HT06/Final/eklund%20rosanna_final %20essay.pdf (14 February 2007) http://www.classicreader.com/book/1914/ (23 October 2011) http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition (23 October 2011)