Which line from the importance of being earnest best makes this point? “where did the charitable gentleman who had a first-class ticket for this seaside resort find you? ” “yes, lady bracknell. i was in a hand-bag—a somewhat large, black leather hand-bag, with handles to it—an ordinary hand-bag in fact.” “to be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life . .” “may i ask you then what you would advise me to do? i need hardly say i would do anything in the world to ensure gwendolen’s happiness.”

If you are referring to this point: Oscar Wilde uses humor to critique society and show that there is too much concern about coming from a proper family.

I believe the correct answer is: “To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life . . .”

     In his dramatic work “The Importance of Being Earnest”, Oscar Wild often uses irony and humor to critique the norms and “moral” of the society in Victorian era. One of the examples for that is this line:

“To be born, or at any rate bred, in a hand-bag, whether it had handles or not, seems to me to display a contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life . . .”

     As it shows the needless concern of the type of the bag Ernest was found in, but which indicate the wealth of the family to Lady Bracknell. Ernest states that there is no contempt for the ordinary decencies of family life when you are born in a hand-bag, no matter if it was large, black leather hand-bag, with handles to it or not.

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