The Importance of Being Earnest Research Essay
While we are reading The Importance of Being Earnest, you will pay special attention to
one of the following themes (I’ll assign you a theme in class). You will then write an
essay (double-spaced) discussing your theme.
THEMES
1. marriage
2. social class
3. gender roles in Victorian society
4. honesty/ dishonesty
REQUIREMENTS
1. You must come up with an original thesis statement that addresses the theme
(An original thesis statement is not like this: “Marriage is a very common theme
in The Importance of Being Earnest.”)
2. You must incorporate direct quotations from your primary source— the play
itself.
3. You must also incorporate quotations from two secondary sources*.
4. You must use parenthetical MLA citations.
5. You must have an MLA Works Cited.
6. You must have an original title for your essay.
*A secondary source is a book, a website, or a database.
.