speech on the importance of being earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest

Introduction to the importance of being earnest.

The Importance of Being Earnest is a play . It was previously titled A Trivial Comedy for Serious People written by the popular British playwright and author, Oscar Wilde . It was first staged in London on 14 February 1895, setting a benchmark for a new breed of popular comedies of those times. The story of the play works within the social conventions of Victorian London and shows the protagonists establishing fictitious personalities to avoid social responsibilities. Since its first on-stage inauguration, the play set records, winning popularity for Oscar Wilde across the globe for its witty dialogues and high farce .

Summary of The Importance of Being Earnest

The story of the play revolves around Jack Worthing, the main character and the guardian of the beautiful girl, Cecil Cardew, the granddaughter of Thomas Cardew. As the adopted son of the Cardew family, Jack now heads the family estate with other responsibilities, including that of the justice of the peace. Besides being a responsible young man, he has also liked playing the role of his brother, Ernest who is a wayward and irresponsible young man. In fact, he merely hides it to enjoy life, becoming an unruly person in London. However, he is also in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, who happens to be the cousin of Algernon Moncrieff (Algy), one of his best friends. When Jack one day confesses to Algernon that he wants to marry Gwendolen, Algy confronts him about the cigarette case presented by someone called ‘Little Cecily.’ He then understands the game being played by Jack, who tells him that he takes up the name Ernest whenever he ventures into the city for fun. Algernon too confesses that he says he is visiting an Imaginary friend called Bunbury whenever he wants to leave the city. Jack also seduces his friend through Cecily’s beautiful description.

Meanwhile, Gwendolen arrives with her mother, Lady Bracknell. Jack, taking it as a golden opportunity, proposes to her and seems astounded at her quick positive response and more astounded at her obsession with Ernest. However, she clarifies to him that she wants to marry a person named Ernest. Jacks makes a mental note of getting rechristened with the name Ernest. Lady Bracknell refutes the engagement and interrogates Jack and inquires about his lineage. He tells her the truth about his having been found at Victoria Station because of which Lady Bracknell immediately rejects the match. She asks Jack to find acceptable parents.

When Gwendolen takes Jack’s return address Algernon overhears and notes down the address. He decides to go “bunburying”. Meanwhile, Cecily was being taught her lessons by her governess Miss Cadrew, who was explaining about good and evil people. Miss Cadrew was referring to Jack as the good one and Ernest as the wicked one. The local vicar, Canon Chasuble arrives and asks Miss Prism to accompany him for a walk. It so happens that Algernon assumes the role of Ernest and visits Jack’s estate, while Jack, on the other hand, is a way to kill Ernest in Paris. Algernon is blinded by Cecily’s beauty and plans to stay over the weekend and leave before Jack arrives.

However, Jack arrives early with the news of his brother Ernest dead when he finds Algernon in this character. He becomes furious and orders a dogcart to send Algy back to London but it is already too late. Algy is in love with Cecily and plans to stay back. When Jack goes out one day, Algy proposes to Cecily who shows him letters and a diary which were filled with her imagination of their marriage. She reveals that she always wanted to marry someone called Ernest. Algernon asks Dr. Chasuble to christen him as Ernest. Meanwhile, Gwendolen visits Jack and meets Cecily in the garden . She is not pleased with Cecily’s beauty and both of them discover that they are both engaged to Ernest Worthing. The situation gets out of hand during the British tea ceremony.

Soon both, Jack and Algernon arrive, oblivious to each other’s christening attempt as Ernest. On the other hand, both ladies are exchanging information about their engagements with the young men, Jack and Algernon, respectively. When both forces Jack to take them to Ernest, his brother, he admits to having no brother. Both of them rebuke him for telling a lie and retire to the drawing-room. When Jack and Algernon arrive, both girls inquire about their respective identities after which both of them admit that they are going to be christened as Ernest. The women then forgive them for this waywardness.

Finally, Lady Bracknell also arrives after discovering her daughter’s escapade and questions her arrival at the Manor House, rejecting Jack. Her further questions of Cecily sends Jack into a rage at which he becomes sarcastic when responding to her. When Lady Bracknell comes to know about her (Cecily’s) inheritance, she agrees to Algernon’s engagement to Cecily. However, Jack does not give his consent and refuses the union. Lady Bracknell appeals to Jack about reconsideration. At this point, Jack points out his own case of marrying Gwendolen, a proposal that is immediately met with rejection. However, when Dr. Chasuble arrives and mentions Miss Prism, Lady Bracknell is shocked to hear the name Prism. When she confronts Miss Prism, Lady Bracknell accuses her of fleeing her sister’s house along with her baby. Miss Prism apologizes and narrates her own story of having lost the baby in a handbag at the railway station. Meanwhile, Jack brings the handbag that she identifies and Jack cries out “Mother” to Lady Bracknell who proves to be his real aunt, the sister of his mother, and Algernon as his elder brother. It also transpires that he is actually Ernest John. Now Jack states that he understands the importance of being earnest.

Major Themes in The Importance of Being Earnest

• Manners and Sincerity: The play shows the theme of manners and sincerity through the characters of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen, and including Cecily. Lady Bracknell entirely rejects Jack’s proposal to Gwendolen twice. Once at her home and once at the mansion of Jack but insists that her proposal of Algernon should win acceptance from the same Jack. Similarly, both Gwendolen and Cecily are vying to marry Ernest as the name exudes confidence for them but it turns out that Jack is Ernest despite the lies of both Algernon and Jack and that Ernest does not exist separately. Later, it turns out that all of them have lied except Jack who, despite his lies, has proved true that his name is ‘ernest’. This hypocrisy and lying show the manners of Victorian society.
• Dual Identities: Oscar Wilde presented the theme of dual identities through the characters of Jack and Algernon and the dual play through the character of Lady Bracknell. Both Jack and Algernon show that they are Ernest, though, both know the secret behind it. Algernon, therefore, calls it “Bunburying” in the case of Jack. Yet, Jack does not understand and when both of them becomes Ernest, it transpires that now Lady Bracknell took that identity by rejecting Jack and then accepting him as her sister’s son, especially when it is disclosed that he is her son, Miss Prism forgot a long time ago when she escaped.
• Social Conventions: The play demonstrates the thematic strand of social conventions through class, behavior, and social relations. When Lady Bracknell comes to know that Cecily is going to have a fortune, she instantly changes her behavior toward her, considering her having sound qualities. Once again, Lady Bracknell, who spurns every offer of Jack to marry Gwendolen, immediately consents to this proposal and forces it upon Cecily and Algernon when she comes to know that Jack is her sister’s son and that he is going to inherit a good fortune. These Victorian conventions of joining the elite class and forming social relations based on status and fortune have come to the fore through Lady Bracknell and the final disclosure of Miss Prism.
• Marriage: The obsession of Gwendolen and Cecily to marry someone having the name Ernest shows that the Victorian norm of marrying with titles instead of honest or good nature humans. Although it seems that Algernon too is shallow, Jack shows his romantic desire to marry Gwendolen and chase his dream despite rejection from Lady Bracknell. When Lady Bracknell comes to know the truth about Jack and the reality of Ernest, she immediately consents to this match, knowing that he is her own flesh and blood as well as a man of fortune. This also emphasizes Victorian morality of giving priority to the financial status of a person.
• Love: The theme of love is obvious in the play through the shallow and superficial passions people have for each other. Cecily loves Ernest because of the name and Gwendolen claims to love Ernest for the same reason. Lady Bracknell, on the other hand, does not love her nephew to marry some poor person just based on love but approves this love when she comes to know Cecily going to have a fortune.
• Language: Through the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde showed that language could be molded into any matter a writer wants to convey to his readers. He also uses a pun on its title and made it rich with meanings. The Importance of Being Earnest is neatly and humorously tied to Ernest with whom both, Gwendolen and Cecily, want to marry, and by the end, it proves that there is no person named, Ernest and that Jack and Algernon both want to change their names. The play also shows witty and humorous usage of language such as about the height of aunts and age of Gwendolen.
• Idleness: The theme of idleness in the play emerges through the aristocratic characters such as Algernon, who only knows pleasure and enjoyment instead of cultivated and restrained life. It seems at a point that Algernon has no greater worries than his desire to have cucumber sandwiches.
• Reversal: The play shows the use of reversal to criticize the Victorian period for its false notions about superiority, class consciousness as well as status. Lane does not approve of Algernon’s piano mastery but Algernon is hellbent on stressing his notion of having the expertise of anyone in playing it. Similarly, Algernon’s stress to marry Cecily and Cecily’s stress on marrying Ernest backfires as he wants to change into Ernest and vice versa in the case of Gwendolen. This reversal goes until Gwendolen tells him that she can wait for him longer than anyone should.
• Absence of Emotions: The play also shows the theme of the absence of real passions and emotions, specifically, associated with death and illness. Lady Bracknell’s comments about Bunbury’s death show this when she says that he has acted appropriately. This self-absorption is also evident in the case of Gwendolen.

Major Characters of The Importance of Being Earnest

• Jack Worthing: Jack Worthing is John Jack, the protagonist of the play and the representative of ideas and notions of love. He wants to be married in a good family, and yet plays duality by taking up the role of Ernest and then spreading the rumor of the young man as his unruly brother of whom he has had to take care of. His oxymoronic and paradoxical statements create wit and humor when the subject turns to seriousness. At Lady Bracknell’s question about his pedigree, he merely trivializes it in a serious way that he needs correction in wealth and parentage. His countermeasures against Algernon’s humor are intended to be direct and straight but in reality, they sharpen his humor and wit further. Despite his behind-the-scene duality, he represents the life of a responsible young man yet not without some tinge of Victorian morality. He finally turns out to be the lost son of Lady Bracknell who was truly named Ernest at the time of his birth.
• Algernon Moncrieff: A charming young man and idle bachelor, Algernon Moncrief is witty and humorous yet highly selfish when it comes to his own love life. Although he sees Jack hiding his brother, his own invention of his friend, Bunbury, gives his character a unique touch in a way that he represents freedom. It means a person can enjoy the stifling ethical framework of Victorian society. His allusions and references to food and eating show his hedonist nature as well as a penchant for pleasure. His advances to Cecily, however, also show another side of such dandified young men of the Victorian era, who are attracted to beauty and unconventionality.
• Lady Bracknell: The source of main satire in the play, Lady Augusta Bracknell, is an epitome of the double standard and superficial morality of the Victorian age, bearing titles on her sleeves to show to the people. Belonging to the upper crust of the social fabric, Lady Bracknell developed ruthless and highly conservative morals not easy to avoid. When she comes to know about Jack’s proposal of Gwendolen, she immediately rejects but when it turns out that Jack belongs to her, she accepts it, showing a double standard. The same goes for Algernon and Cecily. However, her seemingly not-so-flexible position becoming highly flexible shows her social mobility in the Victorian class system.
• Gwendolen Fairfax: A young and vibrant woman, Gwendolen, represents Victorian conventions in the choice of marriage as well as morality. She attends moral lectures but she is also prone to self-improvement when it comes to pretensions and superficiality of the age. Since the beginning of the play, she is obsessed with Ernest, knowing that Jack is the same guy to whom she desires to marry as Ernest exudes pure confidence that she acknowledges. This blindness in accepting the finality of the name’s nuance makes her a strong-willed girl who just wants to excel not only in her fashion but also in her likeness.
• Cecily Cardew: Cecily Cardew is under Jack’s guardianship on his mansion, who is a model of innocence and also a pure child of nature. However, she is as much obsessed with Ernest just as Gwendolen is, but it is intriguing that she falls in love with Jack’s supposed brother. As a fantasist, she has created her own romantic story with Ernest as Jack has created his character and waywardness. Although she invites rejection of Lady Bracknell at Algernon’s proposal in the earlier scenes, finally she wins her acceptance when it comes to class mobility.
• Miss Prism: Though working as a governess for Cecily, Miss Prism pokes her nose in every affair of Jack. She takes the responsibility approving his behavior and berating the waywardness of his supposed brother. However, it later proves that she is also soft-hearted under the garb of a rigid governess as she has lost Jack when she used to work for Lady Bracknell’s sister. She has good emotions about Dr. Chasuble, though, she does not explicitly express them.
• Dr. Chasuble : Better known as Rev. Canon Chasuble, Chasuble is a rector in the estate of Jack where he preaches religion. Both the male characters, Jack as well as Algernon, call for him to christen themselves as Ernest on the desires of their sweethearts. He also harbors romantic feelings for Miss Prism.
• Lane and Merriman: As the butler of Algernon, Lane represents the lower Victorian class that knows the taste of gentry and enjoys at its expense even to the point of mocking their masters. Algernon trusts him and keeps Lane with him even though he knows his sense of dry humor. Compared to him, Merriman is Jack’s butler but his role is quite minimal in the course of the play.

Writing Style of The Importance of Being Earnest

An icon of the Victorian period and deep observation of its morality, Wilde adopted a highly humorous and witty style in The Importance of Being Earnest. Although the sentence structure is not highly complicated, he has used words to his advantage, often playing upon them, proving his dexterity in the usage of language to his own end. The dialogues suit the character and give unique identities to their specific nature. For literary devices , Wilde turns to metaphors , wit, puns, and satire.

Analysis of the Literary Devices in The Importance of Being Earnest

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises the duality of Jack, the love of Gwendolen, and the manners of Lady Bracknell, the representative of the Victorian elite. The rising action occurs when Algernon comes to know about the dual life of Jack. The falling action occurs when all of them come to know the reality of Jack and how Miss Prism abandoned him mistakenly and that he is the real brother of Algernon and nephew of Lady Bracknell.
• Anaphora : The play shows examples of anaphora such as, i. When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring. (Act-I) ii. Horrid Political Economy! Horrid Geography! Horrid, horrid German! (Act-II) These examples show the repetitious use of “When one is” and “Horrid.”
• Allusion : The play shows good use of different allusions as given in the examples below, i. Her mother is perfectly unbearable. Never met such a Gorgon—I don’t really know what a Gorgon is like, but I am quite sure that Lady Bracknell is one. (Act-I) ii. My sermon on the meaning of the manna in the wilderness can be adapted to almost any occasion, joyful, or, as in the present case, distressing. (Act-II) iii. I have the gravest doubts upon the subject. But I intend to crush them. This is not the moment for German scepticism. (Act-III) The first example shows the reference to a Greek myth , the second to a religious metaphor of manna, and the third to German philosophy.
• Antagonist : The antagonist of the play is Lady Bracknell who blocks all potential matches until she is satisfied after it transpires that Jack and Cecily are also of the same class.
• Conflict : The play shows the conflict in the shape of obstacles that Lady Bracknell raises in the marriage of Jack and Gwendolen.
• Characters: The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, shows both static as well as dynamic characters. The old lady, Lady Bracknell, is a dynamic character as she shows a considerable transformation in her behavior and conduct by the end when she comes to know the reality of Jack and Ernest. However, all other characters are static as they do not show or witness any transformation such as Algernon, Gwendolen Fairfax, Cecily Cardew, and Merriman.
• Climax : The climax in the play occurs when it transpires to Lady Bracknell that Jack is not Jack but Ernest and that Ernest does not exist, at least until the end of the play. Jack also admits it and comes to know that he is Ernest in reality as Miss Prism admits her mistake of losing him during childhood.
• Foreshadowing : The play shows many instances of foreshadows such as, i. Oh! one doesn’t blurt these things out to people. Cecily and Gwendolen are perfectly certain to be extremely great friends. I’ll bet you anything you like that half an hour after they have met, they will be calling each other sister. (Act-1) ii. If you don’t take care, your friend Bunbury will get you into a serious scrape some day. (Act-II) The mention of being sisters and then serious scrape shows that both times Jack is foreshadowing as he knows the reality of both of these things.
• Hyperbole : The play shows various examples of hyperboles such as, i. I certainly won’t leave you so long as you are in mourning. It would be most unfriendly. If I were in mourning you would stay with me, I suppose. I should think it very unkind if you didn’t. (Act-II) ii. If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated. (Act-II) iii. Exploded! Was he the victim of a revolutionary outrage? I was not aware that Mr Bunbury was interested in social legislation. (Act-III) These examples exaggerate things as mourning, education, dressing, and outrage have been exaggerated.
• Irony : It means to use words other than their actual meanings as given in the below example, i. Did you really, Miss Prism? How wonderfully clever you are! I hope it did not end happily? I don’t like novels that end happily. They depress me so much. (Act-II) This example shows that Cecily does not mean what she says; rather, she means quite opposite of it.
• Metaphor : The Importance of Being Earnest shows good use of various metaphors as given in the examples below, i. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. (Act-I) ii. Maturity can always be depended on. Ripeness can be trusted. Young women are green. (Dr Chasuble starts ) I spoke horticulturally. My metaphor was drawn from fruits. (Act-II) These examples show that several things have been compared directly in the play such as the first shows comparing ignorance to fruit and the second ripeness to women.
• Mood : The play, The Importance of Being Earnest, shows a very serious mood but suddenly turns ironic and sarcastic as it progresses further and ends on a happy note.
• Motif : Most important motifs of the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, are death, dandy, and puns on words.
• Protagonist : Jack Worthing is the protagonist of the play. The play presents his life story, his romance , his mansion, and his final proposal as well as his disclosure of having no brother Ernest but himself Ernest.
• Pun : The play uses puns in a few places to add additional humor as given in the below examples, i. They are approaching. That’s is very forward of them. (Act-III) ii. Jack: On the contrary, Aunt Augusta, I’ve now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest. (Act-III) iii. I always told you, Gwendolen, my name was Ernest, didn’t I? Well, it is Ernest after all. I mean it naturally is Ernest. (Act-III) These examples show the use of puns on “forward” and “Earnest.”
• Setting : The setting of the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is London, the capital of the United Kingdom.
• Simile : The play shows good use of various similes as given in the examples below, i. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone. (Act-II) ii. Because you are like a pink rose, Cousin Cecily. (Act-II) These are similes as the use of the word “like” shows the comparison between different things.

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Cecily Cardew

Cecily is the antithesis of Gwendolen. Gwendolen is an outcome of London High Society, whereas Cecily is the product of nature. She is an unspoiled and ingenious child. In Act II, Algernon compares her with a pink rose. In the play, Cecily’s ingenuity is contradicted by her attraction towards wickedness. Just like Gwendolen, She is fixated on the name Ernest. She falls in love with the wickedness of the supposed brother of her Uncle Jack.

Cecily is also an idealistic girl like Jack and Algernon. Though she has never met Ernest, she has established a romantic relationship with Ernest in her imagination. She also elaborated this romance with enthusiasm and artistry, just like men having secret identities and false obligations. Though she does not disguise herself into her alter-ego like Jack and Algernon, her assertion that she is engaged to Ernest all based on her assumptions and fantasy world she has created around her.

Regardless of her fantastical worlds, she is the most realistic character in the play. She is the only character in the play who does not speak witty dialogues. Her beauty and charm are based on her imaginative capacity and the characteristic cast of mind. These qualities are derived from Oscar Wilde’s ideas of life. Wilde considers life as a work of art. She is the perfect match for Algernon with these elements in her personality.

Gwendolen Fairfax

Gwendolen displays the characteristics of a conventional Victorian woman in the play than any other character of the play. Gwendolen is a woman with ideas and ideals. She attends lectures and is focused on improving herself. Because of her outward behavior, she is a pretentious and artificial woman. Like Cecily, she is also obsessed with the name Ernest and is in life with Jack, who has disguised himself as Ernest. 

Gwendolen’s obsession with the name is the reflection of the obsession of the middle class and upper-middle-class with honor and virtue. Gwendolendolen does not care about how Jack looks like but is preoccupied with his name Ernest; for her, it “inspires absolute confidence.” She is not able to see that Jack is fooling her with his name. Due to this, her judgment has been blurred by her consciousness. 

Gwendolen is deliberately more intellectual than her mother; however, she has the attitude like her mother’s attitude. She is resolute and strong-minded. She speaks with unquestionable authority on the issues of morality and taste, just like her mother, Lady Bracknell. Due to similarity in the attitude between Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen, Jack fears that “in about a hundred and fifty years,” Gwendolen will become just like her mother. However, both are likable characters in the play as their statements are so outrageous. 

Lady Bracknell

She is a domineering, snobbish, and greedy aunt of Algernon and mother of Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell is a well-settled lady and is now looking for a better suitor for her daughter. She has prepared an interview for the list of eligible young men. Lady Bracknell utters hilarious dialogues that are full of pun and humor like her nephew Algernon. She unintentionally adds humor in her speeches that make the audience/readers laugh.

Wilde satirizes the stupidity and hypocrisy of the aristocratic class of England by means of the character of Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell considers ignorance as silicate and interesting fruit and values it. She prefers her husband not to attend the party and eat downstairs with servants whenever she throws a party. Lady Bracknell is a narrow-minded, cunning, and authoritarian woman. Possibly, in the play, she is the most quotable character. 

She is the maid and governess of Cecily Cardew. She is an unlimited source of secrets and betrayal. She is approved of the honorable and respectable personality of Jack. She harshly criticizes Ernest, the unfortunate and supposed brother of Jack. Though he is a strict puritan, however, her extreme practices and harsh dialogues are a source of laughter for readers/audience.

Regardless of her firmness and rigidity, she has a softer side. She entertains the feeling of affection from Dr. Chasuble, a local rector.

Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.

 He is the local rector in the estate of Jack. When Algernon and Jack thought of changing their name to Ernest, they both approached Dr. Chasuble. Dr. Chasuble carries romantic feelings for Miss. Prism. The “Dr.” in his refers to the “Doctor of Divinity.”

He is the manservant of Algernon. At the beginning of the play, Lane is the only person who knows about “Bunburying” practices of Algernon. He only appears in Act one of the Play.

He is the butler at the estate of Jack in the countryside. He only appears in Act II and Act III of the play.

Themes in The Importance of Being Earnest

The nature of marriage.

The theme of marriage carries supreme importance in the play The Importance of Being Earnest. Marriage is the primary force that develops the plot of the. It is also a subject of philosophical debate and speculations. The theme of marriage appears in the opening dialogues of the play between Lane and Algernon. Since then, the theme of marriage is carried to the end of the play. 

A dispute between Algernon and Jack starts when they discuss the nature of the marriage. They argue over whether marriage should be a matter of pleasure or business. Lady Bracknell also shows her views on the nature of marriage when she says, “An engagement should come on a young girl as a surprise, pleasant or unpleasant, as the case may be.”

The questions Lady Bracknell prepares for the list of bachelor to interview also shows her views about the purpose and nature of marriage. Generally viewing, these views are the representation of the views of the convention of the people on the marriage in the Victorian Era. Like Lady Bracknell, Victorians focus on income, character, and social position.

In fact, the play is all about the debate regarding the nature of marriage, as well as whether marriage is pleasant or unpleasant. For Lane, marriage is a very pleasant state before mentioning that his own marriage has ended because of a misunderstanding between a young person. However, Algernon considers the view of Lane as negligent. The views of Algernon are somewhat relentlessly pessimistic unless he falls in love with Cecily.

On the other hand, Jack has a totally contrasting view of marriage. He considers marriage as pleasant and speaks about marriage with a romantic tone. He says to Algernon that the reality “isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl.”

Towards the end of the play, Jack asks for forgiveness from Gwendolen when he acknowledges that when he realizes that he had been speaking truth unintentionally all his life. She forgives him on the account that he is certain to change. This view of Gwendolen suggests her cynical views about marriage and the nature of men.

The Restrictions of Morality

One of the major topics of the conversation between the characters of the play The Importance of Being Earnest is the notion of morality and the restrictions it imposes on society. According to Algernon, it is the responsibility of the servant class to set the standards of morality for the upper class. For Jack, reading someone’s private cigarette case is “ungentlemanly.” However, Algernon says that the majority of modern culture is based on what one should not read.

The views and restrictions propose that in Victorian society, strict codes of morality were practiced. However, in the play, Oscar Wilde is not at all concerned with what is moral and what is not moral. Rather he satirizes the whole idea of morality in the Victorian Society. In Victorian society, morality was regarded as the strict body of rules and regulations about what people are supposed to do and what is not.

Even the title of the play is an ironic comment on the notion of morality. The central plot of the play is based on the protagonist, who is and is not Ernest or earnest. This shows a moral paradox. The Earnestness in the title refers to as being sincere and serious and makes it the primary object of satire.

The characters of Jack, Miss Prism, Gwendolen, and Dr. Chasuble, who wears the mask of honesty and seriousness are hypocrites and pretentious. The Wilde depicts the image of what appears to be moral really opposite to earnestness.

Hypocrisy vs. Ingenuity

Jack and Algernon in the play appear to be deceptive in the same way. However, they are not morally equal. When Jacks comes to the house with the news of his fake brother’s death, he also imposes the pretentiousness of his family, who are unaware of the deception. He wears mourning clothes and does his best to convince his family that he is really mourning. He acts hypocritically.

However, contrary to Jack, Algernon and Cecily establish elaborated stories that are not an attack on truth in any way. They both do not attempt to change the perception of reality. We can say that Cecily and Algernon are the characters that speak of Wilde’s heart. These characters create a life for themselves according to the notion that life is a work of art.

Considering this point of view, one can argue that it is not Jack, who is the hero of the play but Algernon. Algernon not only echoes the wit, tastes, priorities, and disdains of Wilde. He also resembles Wilde in his personality, and what he creates is just like that of Wilde’s creation.

The Importance of Not Being “Earnest”

The term Earnestness refers to sincerity and seriousness. In the play The Importance of Being Earnest , Earnestness is a great enemy of morality. In the play, Earnestness is taken in many forms. It often takes the form of boringness, self-importance, smugness, self-righteousness, smugness, sense of duty, solemnity. According to Wilde, all these things are the hallmarks of the Victorian characters. For example, in the play, whenever the characters use the word “serious,” they mean it as “trivial” and likewise.

Algernon assumes that people are “shallow” if they are not “serious” about meals. Similarly, Gwendolen states that “In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity is the vital thing.”

The term Earnest carries two different but interrelated ideas for Oscar Wilde. First, it is the notion of false truth, and second, it is the notion of morality or morality. The morality of Victorian society was based on the pomposity and smugness. This morality made Jack and Algernon create fictional alter-egos to be able to escape from the social restrictions and obligations that impose decency and propriety.

However, the single person’s perception of decency or indecency is not the reflection of what actually decency and indecency are. One of the major paradoxes in the play is the impracticality of being earnest or moral while claiming to be moral and earnest. The greatest chance of attaining seriousness is for those characters in the play that hold triviality and wickedness.

The Importance of Being Earnest Analysis

In the late 1800s, Oscar Wilde was among the established writers who was gifted with the ability to be witty. In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest is the hilarious satire on the Victorian age and on the hypocritical practices and values of Victorian people. In the play, Wilde parades his natural wittiness and exposes the contradictory social beliefs of the common people. He also highlights the ideals of the victorian aristocratic society of his time by mocking their trendy ways.

Wilde creates a laughing stock of incorrect beliefs and living an “earnest life.” Through this, he highlights the issue of double-faces of people in the Victorian era, and their hypocritical stands on societal norms and values. In the play, Wilde is not conveying any moral lesson; nut is bringing to light the collapse of the values in Victorian society. 

The term earnestness can be defined as being honest and serious in purpose, effort, or any intention. In simple words, the term refers to the seriousness of the desire to do any right thing. Being earnest was the very top code of Victorian values and conduct, despite the fact that many people were living a corrupt life.

For Victorians, Earnestness was a sublime virtue that is necessary for an individual to live an orderly life and gain acceptance of the upper-class society. However, many people regarded it as very trivial. Victorians have the term to the extent that they consider it as more than a manner of being. This is perfectly illustrated by Oscar Wilde in the character of Gwendolen. She says to Jack as “We live, as I hope you know, Mr. Worthing, in an age of ideas,” and continues to say that “and my ideal has always been to love someone by the name of Earnest. There is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence.” 

Later in the play, Gwendolen says that, for her the only safe name is Ernest and considers it as a divine name that has its own music. 

To conclude, the presence of earnestness in one’s personality is not a bad thing. However, when people start holding each other to this standard as if it is the only thing which matters is creating lots of problems.

Abstract ideas and concepts in a literary text are represented by objects, characters, and figures. The following are the symbols in the Play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

The Double Life and Disguise

The central metaphor in the play is the double life. This symbol highlights the idea of “Bunbury.” The very notion of “Bunburying” is defined by Algernon as the exercise of creating an alter-ego or deception that permits an individual to do irresponsible acts that appear to be at the heights of the social standard of responsibility and duty.

Ernest, the imaginary and supposed brother of Jack, is a way through which Jack not only escapes from the moral and social obligations, it also allows Jack to appear more moral and obliged before the society. Likewise, the fictitious friend of Algernon named Bunbury permits Algernon to escape from his house whenever he wants. He goes to the countryside where people do not know him much and impose themselves on people through his Christian charity. 

In Victorian society, it was a common practice to visit poor people by upper and middle-class people. The only difference between Jack and Algernon’s action as Jack not only disguised himself as what he is not as in the shape of Ernest, he routinely pretends to be what he is not, in shape, a responsible, earnest, and dutiful individual. This double living proposes the utmost degree of deception and hypocrisy. Wilde highlights the double standard and hypocrisy of Victorian society through his double-living of his characters.  

In the play The Importance of Being Earnest, the scenes of eating and food often appear. These scenes in the play are a source of conflict. For example, in Act I of the play, there is an extended joke on the cucumber sandwich. In the scene, Algernon eats all the sandwiches without realizing it.

Likewise, in Act II, the fight between Gwendolen and Cecily over who is really engaged to Ernest begins just after when Cecily offers her cake and sugar. Gwendolen tells Cecily that sugar is out of fashion, and nowadays, in the best houses, cakes are rarely seen. However, Cecily responds to Gwendolen by filling her cup of tea with sugar and placing the cake on her plate. Thus, the two women have already started arguing and insulting each other for some time. However, the bold actions of Cecily made Gwendolen angrier and made her warn Cecily that she may go too far.

On the one hand, the food and jokes made on them are a source of comedy in the play. On the other hand, food also appears to be a symbol of sex. For example, when Jack folds into the butter and bread too much, Algernon points out that he is acting as if he is married to Gwendolen. In the play, the gluttony and food also suggest the indulgences and appetites of Victorian society.

Writing and Fictional Characters

The idea of writing and creating fictional characters in the play are illustrated in the play in a variety of different and important ways. When the play opens, Algernon starts doubting that the life of Jack is somewhat fictional. By creating a supposed brother Earnest, Jack creates a fictional character and, more importantly, makes his life fictional. Similarly, the Bunbury created by Algernon is also fictional.

Algernon also made an indirect reference to fictional writing when in Act I, he says that the majority of modern culture is based on what people should not read. In the Victorian era, reading fictional material was conceived as immoral.

The notional of fiction develops in the play when in Act II, Cecily superficially speaks of three volumes of novels. Miss Prism also tells her that she once wrote a novel, alluding to the secretive past life that is revealed at the end of the play.

The diary of Cecily is also a kind of fiction. In the diary, she has mentioned her fictional romance with Ernest. She has recorded the details and development of her romance entirely based on her imagination.  Moreover, When Gwendolen and Cecily fight over who is engaged to Ernest, Cecily refers to her diary in which she wrote an imaginary date of her engagement. The fact that she has written something makes it a fact.

Eventually, the notion of fiction is considered as the idea of life wing work of art. In the play, numerous characters try to invent a fictional life for themselves, which also become real afterward. Oscar Wilde appears to be considering the morality of people of the Victorian era that they not only create fictional life but are also proud of it.

The recurrent images, structures, and literary devices in a literary text are called Motifs.  The emphasis on the idea helps develop the major themes of a work. The following are the motifs in the Play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Oscar’s Wilde employs the lowest form of verbal wit in The Importance of Being Earnest. In the play, the puns employed are not simply the play on words. First of all, the very title of the play employs a pun. The pun on the notion of Ernest and earnest is a harsh satire on the notion of dutifulness and respectability practiced by Victorians.

In the play, Gwendolen only intends to marry the person whose name is Ernest. She is not at all concerned with the fact that whether the person really carries those qualities or not. Moreover, when Jack tells her that he is changing his name to Ernest, she instantly forgives him.

A man who is neither Ernest or earnest when the play starts eventually becomes both through the forces that are beyond his control. In the play, the character of Jack is a living paradox and a complicated symbol of the hypocrisy in Victorian society.

Moreover, in Act III, Lady Bracknell makes a complicated joke when she says that she had never heard about any person who has Terminus origin. Lady Bracknell intends that the railway station is as far as Jack can trace his own identity, thus the identity of Jack is a railway station. In the days of Oscar Wilde, as well as in today’s England, the first stop of the railway line is called “origin” and the last stop as “terminus.”

Other than these, there are a lot of indirect and implicit puns in the play about line or connection that can refer to both travel and ancestry. Oscar Wilde is making fun of the snobbery of Lady Bracknell. He portrays as if she is not able to distinguish between family line and railway line, the railway connection and social connection, the ancestral origin of the person, and the chance of where he could have been found. In fact, the employment of puns adds more meaning to the dialogues of characters, and the readers/audience are indulged in extracting the meaning of what has been communicated.

Inversion is another common motif in the play The Importance of Being Earnest. In the play, there is an inversion of thought, character, situation, and the inversion of many prevalent concepts of philosophy and morality. Algernon inverts the common notion about marriage when he says that “Divorces are made in Heaven .”

Similarly, Jack inverts the concept of morality when he says that it is shocking for the person to know that he has been unknowingly speaking the truth all his life.

With regard to the gender roles, the women in the play also illustrate an inversion to the recognized practices of the Victorian era. For example, Lady Bracknell is interviewing Jack by assuming the role of Gwendolen’s father. In Victorian society, interviewing a suitor is typically the role of a father. Likewise, Gwendolen and Cecily are getting hold of their own lives while men are passive in this regard.

At the end of the play, Wilde plays a trick on Miss Prism, which is also an inversion. Wilde shows her as a “fallen woman” of melodrama who initially appears to be puritan.

There are frequent jokes about death in the play The Importance of Being Earnest. When Lady Bracknell comes onstage, she is talking about death. Likewise, when she comments on her friend Lady Harbury, she says that after her husband’s death, she appears to be twenty years younger than her age. Moreover, on Bunbury, she says his death is highly inconvenient for others, and also says that Bunbury is “shilly-shallying” as he cannot decide to die or live. 

In Act III, When Algernon told her that Bunbury had died according to the prediction of his physician, Lady Bracknell praised Bunbury for his actions according to the proper medical advice. 

Moreover, Miss Prism views death as something from which an individual should take some moral lesson and says that Ernest will get profit from his death. Algernon and Jack also have numerous conversations about how to kill Ernest, the imaginary brother of Jack.    

Apart from giving dark humor to the play, the jokes on death are associated with the notion of life being a work of art. In the play, the characters discuss death as something which they can control as if death is something on which one can decide how to create their life.    

Wilde contributed the figure of the dandy to the form of Victorian melodrama. The dandy is the character who gives a lesson on morality, which he never processed. The literary works of Oscar Wilde, the dandy appears to be a styled philosopher, witty, and overdressed who speaks exaggerated dialogue and paradoxes. He ridicules the insincerity and hypocrisy of the moral mediators of society. To a great extent, the dandy figure was a portrayal of Wilde’s personality.

The dandy is not necessarily a comic figure in the works of Wilde. In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the play A Woman of No Importance, he takes the very serious characters of his works as the dandy figures such as the villains’ Lord Henry Wootton and Lord Illingworth, respectively.

However, in the plays, Lady Windermere’s Fan and An Ideal Husband, Wilde evolves the figure of dandy and gives him a more moral position. He makes the dandy figure on the surface that makes him appear shallow, trivial, and ineffective. The dandy in the play appears to be more close to being the real hero of the play. The dandy character seems to be profoundly moral and important for the happy resolution of the plot.

 In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, the character of Algernon has many features similar to the dandy figure. However, throughout the play, he appears to a morally neutral character. Other characters in the play also show the sentiments and views of the dandy figure. Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen are having features of the dandy figure when they pay more importance to the style, profile, and surface thing. Even Jack reflects the notion of a dandy when he says that one should travel and search for pleasure.

Wilde includes the dandy figures in his plays to ridicule the superficiality of the upper class.

The tone of the play The Importance of Being Earnest is playful, humorous, and introspective. The creative ability of Oscar Wilde makes the play playful and humorous. He makes fun of his own characters by making them utter exaggerated dialogues full of puns and humor. Oscar Wilde also makes the play introspective by criticizing various social values and beliefs of Victorian society.

The play The Importance of Being Earnest is the comedy-drama. The play is full of disguises, twists, and turns that create a comic effect of the play. The main conflict in the play is resolved at the end and all characters of the reunite happily.

Setting of the Play

The play The Importance of Being Earnest has two important settings. The first setting is the countryside of Hertfordshire, where Jack estate the Manor House lies. The second setting of the play is the city of London, where Gwendolen, Algernon, and Lady Bracknell live. Jack also visits London on occasions in the disguise of Ernest. Moreover, the references to the cloakroom of Victoria’s railway station are also made in the play. 

More From Oscar Wilde

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

A monologue from the play by oscar wilde.

• NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Importance of Being Earnest . Oscar Wilde. London: Methuen, 1910.

LADY BRACKNELL: Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether he was going to live or die. This shilly-shallying with the question is absurd. Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids. I consider it morbid. Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others. Health is the primary duty of life. I am always telling that to your poor uncle, but he never seems to take much notice . . . as far as any improvement in his ailment goes. Well, Algernon, of course if you are obliged to be beside the bedside of Mr. Bunbury, I have nothing more to say. But I would be much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury, from me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music for me. It is my last reception, and one wants something that will encourage conversation, particularly at the end of the season when every one has practically said whatever they had to say, which, in most cases, was probably not much.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar Wilde penned his groundbreaking play, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People’, sometime in between 1891 and 1895. The play opened in 1895 to tremendous success, partly owing to its controversial theme, and partly because of its scathing wit and humor. This play finally gave Wilde the success that he was looking for, and had attempted to achieve, since the early days of his literary career.

Plot summary

The Importance of Being Earnest is set in 1895, in prudish and uptight Victorian England. Wilde uses the classic trope of mistaken identity in the play, with a twist. Young friends Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff have taken to creating alter egos of themselves, both by the name of Ernest. They have the very important reason for doing so: the women they love both claim to wish to marry only men named Ernest, because of the aristocracy they associate with the name. As the paths of the four people and their friends and families cross, the two young men find themselves increasingly caught up in the web of lies of their own creation.

Major themes

The Importance of being Earnest explores several themes related to morality and the lack thereof

This is, of course, one of the greatest themes explored in the play. All the characters hold morality and strength of character in high regard, or earnestness, if you please. In the process, they end up, consciously, resorting to lies and deceit in order to maintain appearances. All the characters insist on the importance of earnestness, and all the deceit in the play revolve around the characters of Ernest, which are both fictitious and therefore not in earnest at all.

It is probably understandable that Wilde took a vicious jab at the very society he was a part of; as a member of the rich elites in the society, he felt compelled to hide his homosexuality from everyone for fear of persecution, and then later, was subject to intense ridicule and humiliation when his sexual orientation came out in the open. In The Importance of Being Earnest, the principal characters belong to the upper cases, the wealthy elites. They are uptight people who apparently place great value on the moral compass, being quick to condemn anyone with the slightest of failings. In their own lives, however, they are full of shortcomings, and attempt to cover those up by inventing lies and deceit of their own.

Gender roles

Wilde’s portrayal of the roles of the two sexes is an interesting one in the play. It is clear that the apparent role played by the genders is the appropriate one approved by Victorian society- man as the intelligent, powerful beings, and women as the beautiful, chaste, but ultimately dense creatures. However, covert subversions of the gender roles become apparent when Lady Bracknell assumes the position of power, and Algernon and Worthing both make mistakes that prove them to be less in possession of their intellectual faculties. It is highly possible that this subversion of roles is Wilde’s way of pointing an accusing finger at the stereotyped and often nonsensical roles assigned by the society to its members.

Critical reception

The reaction to The Importance of Being Earnest can be best described as mixed. When the play opened in 1895, it met with widespread acclaim. This was partly because of the fact that the play was highly enjoyed by the burgeoning middle classes, who were becoming more educated and more aware of the follies and injustices of the upper classes being represented in the play. Down the years, it remains one of the most adapted works by Wilde. However, the play also attracted a lot of flak, especially from Wilde’s own family, who considered it wildly offensive to be mocked as a class in the play. Most critics, however, agreed that the play, albeit a farce, was certainly humorous and clever enough to be a real crowd-pleaser.

The success of Earnest is, in many ways, ironic. To begin with, it is surprising that, with its obvious homosexual undertones, the play became as well-received as it was in the ultra-conservative Victorian English society. Wilde himself was heavily persecuted for being a homosexual, the orientation being criminal offence in the day. It was only after the decriminalization of homosexuality in the USA in the 1960s that led to a revival in interest in the play, and people began to view the play in a new light, as an expression of the contempt the author felt for the highly hypocritical, superficial, and prejudiced notions of the society he lived in.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre , New Orleans

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The Importance of Being Earnest

About this show.

Classic turn-of-the-century comedy of social manners. A very complicated plot that includes the famous “A Handbag!” line .. Jack Worthing is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax, daughter of the redoubtable Lady Bracknell, and cousin of his friend Algernon. They cannot wed until the mystery of his parentage (he was found in a handbag on Victoria Station) is resolved. Algy discovers that Jack has a pretty young ward, Cecily, living at the Manor and visits her pretending to be Jack’s fictitious (and wicked) brother Ernest.

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Oscar wilde, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

During his conversation with Cecily and Miss Prism in Act 2, Part 1, Dr. Chasuble commits an unfortunate but meaningful slip of the tongue that involves a metaphor:

Chasuble: Were I fortunate enough to be Miss Prism's pupil, I would hang upon her lips. [Miss Prism  glares. ] I spoke metaphorically.—My metaphor was drawn from bees. Cite this Quote

What Chasuble means to say, of course, is "hang upon her words," but his attraction to Miss Prism causes him to misspeak and sound much more suggestive than he intended. In an attempt to avoid embarrassment, he claims that he was actually making a reference to bearding , a behavior in which bees accumulate at the front of the hive in a beard-like shape. This metaphor, in addition to being ludicrously obscure, makes absolutely no sense in the context of the conversation.

Miss Prism, who is also secretly attracted to Chasuble, echoes his wording during a later conversation between the two:

Miss Prism: Maturity can always be depended on. Ripeness can be trusted. Young women are green. [Dr. Chasuble  starts. ] I spoke horticulturally. My metaphor was drawn from fruits. Cite this Quote

Unlike Dr.Chasuble, Miss Prism purposefully uses figurative language when she compares young women to green or unripe fruit, with the implication being that she, as an older woman, is a "riper" romantic partner for Chasuble. When he balks at her forwardness, she attempts to undercut the sexual innuendo by calling attention to her use of metaphor, but this explanation does nothing to alter the meaning of her words.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Remarks by President   Biden on the Care Economy | Washington,   D.C.

Union Station Washington, D.C.

1:01 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, hello, hello.  (Applause.)  As my mother would say, “God love you all.” 

Crystal, thank you for sharing your story.  It’s a — and a simple truth.

Folks, you know, there’s no better place for me to — last year at this day, I declared Caregiver and Caretaker — Caregivers Month.  And — and it’s — and I couldn’t think of no better place to celebrate it today than here at this station.  (Applause.) 

No, no, I’ll tell you why.  For 36 years, I commuted from the state of Delaware to here every single day the Senate was in session.  And over a millio- — a lo- — a lot of times.  The reason I did is — I think I understand a little bit what many of you have gone through and what you’re trying to help with.

You know, when I got elected, I was 26 — 29 years old.  I wasn’t old enough to be sworn in.  While I was down here hiring staff, before I was sworn in, I got a call saying my wife and daughter were dead and my two boys were badly injured.  And so, you know, I — I wasn’t going to come down, but I had a — thank God, I had a family and a lot of friends and older men- — members like me, 45, 50 — (laughter) — who helped me out.

But all — but all kidding aside, I didn’t have them — I was just — I just had started a law practice.  I didn’t have any money.  I mean, I made a living, but I didn’t have any money.  And what I tried to do is figure out how I was going to raise my boys.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS:  Wooo!

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I’m serious.

And I tell you what, I really wondered: Why did I commute every single day?  Over a million miles roundtrip over the time I was in the United States Senate.

And the reason I did: I couldn’t afford a house down here without selling my house at home, and I couldn’t afford caregiving.  It was the God’s truth.  No possibility.  None whatsoever.

But I — lucky I had a family.  My mother, my father, my sister, my brother all moved in, helped me take care of my kids.  But then we ended up with Mom getting sick and Dad getting sick, and they — we took care of them — the so-called sandwich generation.

Look, you care workers represent the best of who we are as Americans.  (Applause.)  No, you really do.  We look out for one another in America.  We leave nobody behind — nobody behind.

And you said — all the heroes in the lives you was — talk about.  Well, you’re our hero.  You’re the heroes to so many individuals.  You really are.  And you represent so many people who do it — and do it out of love and concern, not because of the pay, because they’re not getting the pay they need.  It matters.  (Laughter.)

As your President, I’m here with a simple message.  I give you my word: I have your back.  I have your back.  (Applause.)

I also to thank the family of Ady Barkan, whose widow Rachael and her son here — Carl — are here, just backstage.  I just met with them.  Their family embodies why care matters.  It’s critical to the dignity of care, the dignity of all — all caregivers and workers.

My dad used to say, “A job — Joey” — I give you my word as a (inaudible).  “A job is about a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about your dignity.  It’s about respect.”  (Applause.)  No, it really is.  “It’s about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, it’s going to be okay.’”

Care workers and caregivers are critical to our families and to the entire economy.  That’s why as a candidate, as president I was determined to turn things around.  We’ve made progress, but there’s so more that we have to do — so much more.

If we want the best economy in the world, we have to have the best caregiving economy in the world.  (Applause.)  We really do.  They are not inconsistent.  They are consistent.

But the cost of care is too high and pay for care workers is much too low.  (Applause.)

Take childcare.  A typical family spends $11,000 a year on childcare per child — per child.  If you live in a big city, that can be $17,000 for each child — more than their college tuition if, God willing, you’re able to get there.  And a lot of parents do the math and realize they can’t afford to go to work, because childcare can sometimes literally cost more than they earn — more than they earn.

You know, take homecare.  The cost of long-term care for aging loved ones and people with disabilities rose 40 percent in the last decade.

Medicaid offers help, but it can’t meet the demand.  You know, there are 700,000 seniors waiting in line — 700,000 waiting in line, and people with disabilities are stuck on Medicaid homecare waiting lists for as long as 10 years if they survive to be qualifi- — it’s amazing.  Think about it.

Family members like ours and yours often spend their own retirement savings to pay for the care of the loved ones.  Others leave their jobs to care for them.  And millions are part of the so-called sandwich generation, taking care of both your kids and your aging parents at the same time — at least that’s been the experience of the Biden family.  It’s overwhelming.

Take paid leave.  We’re the only ad- — (applause) — we’re — we’re the — we’re the only advanced economy in the world not to guarantee paid leave.  We’re going to change that.  (Applause.)  That means to help a loved one, many folks have to leave work to [or] find out later that they’ve been fired.

In the United States of America, no one — no one should choose between caring for a parent who’s raised them, a child who depends on them, or a paycheck that they need.  (Applause.)  That’s not why it should be — the way it should be.  No, I’m serious.  You wonder whether I feel strongly about this, I do.

Look, more often than not, from childcare to eldercare to the lack of paid leave, it’s women who bear the brunt — (applause) — women who bear the brunt.

We saw that during the pandemic when 2 million women left their jobs to help take care of their families.  It hurts our whole economy to lose so much talent in the workplace.  And it keeps women from earning the equal pay they deserve because they say, “Well, you haven’t been here.”

Look, a fact: Care workers are predominately women as well — women of color and immigrants who are overworked, overlooked, and underpaid.  (Applause.)  It’s not enough just to praise them for all they’re doing; we have to pay them.  (Applause.)

To invest in our care economy, as soon as I came into office, I signed the American Rescue Plan.  Not a single Republican voted for it, I might add — not one. 

It made our nation’s biggest investment in childcare ever.  (Applause.)  For example, it kept 225,000 childcare workers — cen- — well, childcare working centers open, giving parents an opportunity —

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  — to get back to work. 

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I tell you what — you want to come make a speech or shush up?  Okay?  (Laughter.)  I’m not messing around with him.  He — he lo- — he looks like he could take me.  AFSCME!  (Applause.)

Look, it expanded the Childcare Tax Credit, cutting child poverty in America in half.  That’s what it did.  We cut it in half.  (Applause.)

Overall, my administration increased funding for nearly 50 percent for — of — by 50 percent for childcare.  And in the coming weeks, we plan to release new rules to strengthen staffing standards in nursing homes, to get homecare workers a bigger share of Medicaid payments.  (Applause.)

But I want to — but that’s not going to be enough.  I want to do more, and we can do more.

My budget for next year makes key commitments to children, seniors, and people with disabilities, and to caregivers who look after their loved ones.  (Applause.)  

First, for working families with small children, we’re going to guarantee affordable, quality childcare.  (Applause.)  Most families — under our plan, most families will pay less than $10 a day per child, saving millions of folks as much as $7,000 a year.  That’s a lot of breathing room for a — young families who need it badly.  (Applause.)   

We’ll also restore the expanded Childcare Tax Credit — (applause) — lifting millions of children out of poverty.  And, by the way, this helps the economy.  It doesn’t hurt the — it helps the economy.  (Applause.)

You know, our Republican friends let that expire.  Well, we got to expire a couple of them, politically — (laughter and applause) — in order to get this passed.

Together, we’re going to bring it back.  (Applause.)

Second, seniors and people with disabilities, we’re going to expand Medicaid homecare services and reduce that 700,000-person backlog.  (Applause.)  That’ll mean more folks can live and work in their own communities with dignity and independence.  More homecare workers will start getting a better pay and benefits and dignity they deserve.  (Applause.)

By the way, if anybody is listening besides all of us, we agree on this: This is really — I’m — we’re deadly earnest.  This is not — it’s not a joke.  This matters.  (Applause.)

Third, for everyone caring for a loved one, my budget would finally, finally create a national paid family and medical leave program — finally — (applause) — up to 12 weeks to care for a newborn, a sick on- — a sick loved one, or yourself without losing your income.  (Applause.)

Look, it’s past time America caught up with the rest of the world on paid leave.  (Applause.) 

And, folks, all this helps families, and it grows the economy.  It grows the economy.  And we can afford to do it.  To put another way, we can’t afford not to do it. 

Look, I’m a capitalist.  But I want to make sure that — you know, if you make a million bucks, great.  Just start paying your fair share in taxes.  (Applause.) 

But let me ask you: Does anyone here think the tax code is fair?  Raise your hand.

AUDIENCE:  No!

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t either.  (Laughter.)

The last administration enacted a $2 trillion tax cut —

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  — overwhelmingly benefiting the very wealthy and the biggest corporations and exploded the federal deficit more than any other president has.  We’ve cut the deficit, by the way.  (Applause.)

It added more to the national debt than any presidential term in history.  And it’s due to expire next year.  And guess what?  I hope to be president because it expires, it’s going to stay expired — (applause) — stay expired. 

Our administration — our administration has already cut the deficit by $1 trillion.  And I’m going to cut it even more this decade by making big corporations and the very wealthy begin to pay their fair share.  (Applause.)

Under my plan, nobody earning less than $400,000 a year will pay an extra penny in taxes.  I don’t — I hope that (inaudible).  (Applause.)

As I’ve made it clear: We’re not trying to beat people — there a- — but there are a thousand billionaires in America — from 750 to 1,000 since the pandemic.  You know what the average tax rate those billionaires pay?  8.2 percent. 

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I’m serious.  Anybody want to trade that tax rate? 

AUDIENCE:  Yes!

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, look, that’s far less than the vast majority of Americans pay.  No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a firefighter, or a care worker.  (Applause.)

And that’s why I proposed a minimum tax for billionaires of 25 percent.  It’s not even the highest rate — just 25 percent.  And guess what?  It’s more fair.  But it also — guess what it would do over 10 years?  It would raise $500 billion — (applause) — $500 billion.  And it wouldn’t hurt anybody.

I’m a capitalist.  If you make a billion bucks, wonderful.  Pay your fair share.  (Applause.)

Imagine what we can do — imagine what we can do for America.  Look, folks, imagine a future with affordable childcare, homecare, eldercare, paid leave.  

But, folks, our Republican friends have a different vision.  Republicans in the House of Representatives — and, by the way, Rosa DeLauro — she was here, I was told — she’s a hell of a champion for all this.  (Applause.) 

They just released their budget — the Republicans — that cuts caregiving programs by a third — the ones that exist, cuts them by a third.  For example, it would mean 260,000 fewer kids in childcare.  

My predecessor and his MAGA friends want to — I love the phrase — the — the language they use — they want to “terminate” the Affordable Care Act.

THE PRESIDENT:  “Terminate.”  Well, guess what?  Killing millions of Americans — taking them off of healthcare insurance and stripping others of services like homecare.

Folks — and, by the way, you know how many times they’ve tried to take out Obamacare and the Affordable Healthcare Act?  Forty-nine times they’ve tried.  They can keep trying, but they’re not going to get it done.  (Applause.)

And, look, when it comes to Social Security and Medicare, my predecessor recently said, quote, “There’s a lot you can do in terms of cutting.”  God love him. 

Right on cue, House Republicans released their budget that would raise the retirement age in Social Security — the budget they submitted for next year — and slash Medicare, while they cut taxes for the very wealthy again.

I got a better idea.  I’ll protect Social Security and Medicare and make the very wealthy pay their fair share to make it work.  (Applause.) 

Look, let me conclude where I started, by thanking all of you.  As Crystal said, you’re all — and I mean this sincerely — you’re all somebody’s hero. 

That’s what I see in our nation’s caregivers: heroes.  We need you.  Not a joke.  We need you.  (Applause.) 

And together, I know we can do this.  I’ve never been more optimistic about our future.  We just have to remember who we are.  We’re the United States of America.  There’s nothing beyond our capacity — nothing — (applause) — if we do it together.

So, let’s stay work- — get to work, keep working.  And God bless you all.  And may God bless our troops.  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

1:16 P.M. EDT

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