Friday, March 16, 2012

Final Blog Question 17-20

Looking at the big picture, Wilde made beauty the biggest motif in the story. Now, let's relate this to our own lives, what in your life do you see as beautiful and what do you see as the sin of vanity?

14 comments:

  1. In the novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, I interpreted that the type of beauty most referenced was that of outer beauty, what was aesthetically “beautiful”. However, in my life, I find some of the most beautiful things to be that of emotional connection (perhaps like relationships with other people), which is not aesthetics, and natural beauty of the ocean and places like that, which would relate to aesthetics. Then I consider the sin of vanity to relate more to pride, as if a person is overly confident with their own aesthetics, they could perhaps be vain, that they are so obsessed with their own image that they are not able to take in everyone else and the other important things surrounding them. I would say that Dorian Gray was vain in my definition as his motives all revolved around his own image.

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  2. Well in the novel, the type of beauty most referenced to was that of outer beauty. In my life, the most beautiful things are connections with other people, like relationships with friends and family. I find that if you have a caring relationship with family or with a friend, it does not matter what the outer beauty of that person looks like. I also seem to think that natural beauties of the ocean and places like that are very beautiful. However, this type of beauty would be an example of aesthetic beauty. Then I would have to say that the sin of vanity is pride and obsession with one's own aesthetics. If one is so obsessed with their own image, they are not able to love any other person or anything that is important.

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  3. I think I walk the thin line between beauty and the sin of vanity. Beauty to me seems like a longer lasting entity. The beauty of nature will last forever or the beauty of a really good person. Vanity is all about instant gratification. When someone is vain, they would do whatever it takes to make themselves happy because they are the most important thing out there. Unfortunately, nothing that makes them happy will last forever. I think that my spending habbits are pretty vain because I spend a lot of money shopping for myself. I think it is okay because of how hard I work to earn the money. Although outer beauty if very important to me, nobody is all that gorgeous if they are a terror on the inside. Inner beauty is eternal, and outer beauty won't last. If someone is infatuated with you only based on your looks, their interest will quickly vanish if it is nearly unbarable to spend time with you.

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  4. In the novel Wilde expressed beauty as being a physical thing. You must look beautiful to be beautiful. In my life, I see beauty as what is on the inside. Somebody with a great personality, to me, is beautiful. Someone with self confidence, no matter how they look, is beautiful. It's not just about how someone looks. I see vanity and being vain as not just how a person sees their self but someone who sees a person with an amazing personality, but judges them because they are not aesthetically pleasing. I don't believe that anyone is "ugly" because everyone is different and each of us has something to offer the world, which makes us all beautiful.

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  5. I find beauty in art and the more simple things in life. I love seeing the mountains everyday because they are beautiful and it never gets old. People who I find the most beautiful are the people I know on a very personal basis. Once you get to know someone, you realize they are as beautiful on the outside as you know them to be on the inside. Inner beauty makes people more attractive on the outside. I see plenty of vanity in the "reality" shows that my family watches. People constantly look at themselves in the mirror and change their bodies to look good for others. I find that rather vain.

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  6. The fact that what one person finds beautiful another may find it apolling leads me to believe that "beauty" cannot be defined on a general basis. From my perspective, something that is truely beautiful doesn't necessarily have to flourish on the outside but something that has the ability to grow on the inside in a positive effect towards the masses of all living things on this planet. For example, I believe that all plants and animals are genuinely beautiful because on the outside they are generally beautiful but they all play a collective role in nature which represents beauty to me. I believe that vanity manifests from selfishness that results in the burden of others.

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  7. The things in life that I see that are beautiful are what people enjoy doing in their life. If someone can put a smile on their face whether it deals with sports, art, or anything else in the world than beauty has been accomplished in my eyes. In terms of vanity, I am not one to judge but people that try to make themselves better for others is a bit vain to me. Just be who you are and don't try and change just for others.

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  8. I see beautiful things everyday. There's a couple different kinds of beauty. I think all humans are subject to viewing some sort of aesthetic beauty, unfortunately. There's an inner beauty that most people have mentioned already. The inner beauty entails genuine, real people who give it their all, no matter their outer appearance. There's beauty in nature; the clouds, green plants (I think I just said that because it's almost spring), the mountains, etc.
    Vanity is a touchy subject, but I think it happens everyday in our school. High school is a time where teenagers are trying to find themselves, and most will do anything to fit in. This desire to be included and wanted pushes people to act in ways they might not usually act in.

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  9. I am a person who tries to look at the world as the amazing place it is. I think a lot of people these days focus on the negative things in this world too much. God has put way to many good and beautiful things around us and its a shame to under-appreciated it. Even though I think we are made to see outer beauty, I have been working on knowing before judging. I as well think vanity is a something that everyone focuses on way to much in high school. We are all too worried about what we look like and how we will be accepted. We are almost willing to do anything to gain people acceptance, and that is something that is just flat out wrong.

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  10. I see beauty in the little things in life. I think that if you go to life to fast you miss the little things and those are the things that you need to slow down and enjoy if you really want to enjoy life itself. I don't think there is one set deffinition for what is beautiful I think that everyone has their own perspective on life and what they find beautiful in it but I personally think that it is the little things in life that are the most beautiful.

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  11. In my life I see beauty in things that are usually intangible. I see it in the changing of weather in colorado that occurs so quickly, when my family is laughing together on a Friday night watching a movie and when I watch my neighbors watching the sunset because they believe their little sister that recently died of cancer painted it. I see sin of vanity in that we change so many things about out physical appearance like makeup, hair color and tanning to make us fit a stereotype of "pretty" but that show that someone is just so consumed in replicating something that has already been done. True beauty is believing your beautiful naturally. Too much stress is place on an appearance or presentation really, but the beauty lies in the moments.

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  12. Beauty to me is something that you enjoy doing in life, for me that would be basketball, the outdoors, and cars. Anything that puts a big smile on your face I would consider beautiful. Everyone's beauty is different, and some people share the same beauties, which is the great thing about life.

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  13. I find that the most beautiful thing in life is the ability to live. I find it so beautiful to be able to breathe and think. I am fascinated by how complex the human body is and how much we are capable of. Just life itself is beautiful. I also think joy and love are beautiful thing. When negativity can be completely blocked out and life can be enjoyed, then that is a truly beautiful thing.

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  14. I think that beauty is no sin. I see and enjoy beauty every day and I dont think it is a sin. I think it becomes a sinful bad thing when it is not observed in moderation. When people allow a quest for outer beauty to consume their life that it becomes a sin.

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