Author Archives: mp45754

-wild woman: After moving to the city, the once calm, studious girl became a wild woman. 

-wild man: He’s a wild man who takes way too many risks and is an absolute adrenaline junkie. 

-wild animal: The forest is home to many wild animals. 

-wild beast: The wild beast feared nothing as it tore through the backyards of a once quiet neighborhood. 

-wild thing: It was a wild thing to see such a normal household disrupted by so many scandals.

Oscar Wilde was a notable Irish poet and playwright from the Aesthetic literary movement where the primary focus was aesthetics. He was unique in that his personality and writing went hand in hand when it came to public reception and interpretation. Thus, it is important to consider his life and biographical details when reading his work. Though he published many impressive poems and plays, his noteriority came from his imprisonment as it was a big scandal and he was shunned by his inner circle. Due to this, his works were not as celebrated as they were associated with his “sins.” Presently, Wilde is known as an important literary figure to study and many of his works are widely discussed. However, discussions regarding his double life and imprisonment are still occurring. 

His eccentric personality is reflected in many of his works making it sometimes difficult to separate the author from the piece. This is seen quite evidently with one of his last published works,  The Ballad of Reading Gaol which was written when he was in exile after being released from prison. The poem focuses on the hanging of a fellow inmate and Wilde focuses on the prisoner as well as imprisonment. As seen in the excerpt below, his focus was on the treatment of the prisoners and their punishments but he did not discuss the crimes or what led to this outcome. Throughout this poem, the emotions he was feeling while in prison expressed through metaphors and vivid imagery showcase his mental state. Wilde encompasses “wild” through his life but also in his writing as they reflect the whirlwind journey he followed that some deemed as controversial. 

“They hang us now in Shrewsbury jail:

    The whistles blow forlorn,

And trains all night groan on the rail

    To men that die at dawn.”

The short story “The Good Lion” by Ernest Hemingway and the story “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak use the notion behind the word wild to convey images of uncivilized behavior, wilderness, and savagery. Comparing the two writings showcase the versatility of “wild” and “wilderness” but also the similarities behind the different definitions. 

Hemingway brings forth the idea of Western superiority in his characterization of the good lion and the “bad” lions. There are sinister motives behind these depictions as the bad lions from Africa are shown as uncivilized, ill-mannered, and unclean. One example of the distinction made between the good lion and the bad lions is in the way their languages are described and perceived. Hemingway writes, “‘Adios,’ he said, for he spoke beautiful Spanish, being a lion of culture. ‘Au revoir,’ he called to them in his exemplary French. They all roared and growled in African lion dialect.” By describing Spanish as beautiful and French as exemplary, there is already an elevated perspective on these European languages. However, the language of the bad lions is described as being roared and growled and referred to as an African lion dialect. There is a clear bias here to show which languages and backgrounds are seen as proper and more desired. This comparison showcases the belief of certain ethnicities being more superior than others and seeing certain cultures as lesser than. In the case of this story, African cultures are being described as savage and uncivilized whereas European and westernized culture is being conveyed as proper and civilized. This is a very harmful narrative and does not provide an accurate representation. Furthermore, it perpetuates ethnocentrism and stereotypical beliefs that are often wrong. 

In “Where the Wild Things Are,” Sendek uses wild to describe an unrestrained child with an active imagination who brings life to beings that are unworldly. The first instance of the word wild in the story is when the protagonist, Max, is referred to as a “wild child” by his mother. This introduces the idea of wild unrestrained by the bounds of certain expectations, in this case, discipline. As the story continues, wild is used to refer to the wild creatures in the story who are characterized as frightening as “they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.” The repetition of the word terrible reinforces this idea of wildness being synonymous with savagery and untamed.

New Attempt

The Wizard of Oz is written by Frank Baum who communicates his messages and ideas through the narration of the main character Dorothy. Reading the introduction of the Wizard of Oz yields some insight into Frank Baum’s motivation for writing the story. He discusses the joy and wondrous nature of children and his desire to “please children of today” by providing a story that does not include the scary and negative parts of other fairy tales. In obvious terms it seems that Baum chose to write for children; however, closer analysis and examination of the different themes present in the story reveal ideas that a more mature age group could grasp. The messages the story emparts regarding appreciating where you are and seeing the good in people apply to all as timeless lessons. 

In chapter 21, The Lion Becomes the King of Beats, Baum chooses words filled with imagery to allow the reader to visualize what Dorothy and her companions are seeing. In this passage the word wild is used to depict wilderness and untamed land. The imagery of “tall, rank grass” occurring in a “disagreeable country” supports this definition of wild. With this being the opening of a new chapter, the reader can immediately picture the setting of the story as the journey continues. A careful selection of words can do this expertly and makes reading a story such as this quite enticing. This definition of wild is common in many languages other than English especially when used to describe wild animals. 

Flo Rida – Wild Ones ft. Sia

The popular party song, Wild Ones by Flo Rida featuring Sia encompasses the definition of wild which focuses on a lack of restraint or discipline to describe a party and the specific person being described. The overall vibe of the song is influenced by electro house and house music. This song is part of Flo Rida’s fourth album and was released as the title track in the United States on December 19, 2011. 

This song fits the scope of a “wild song” when the lyrics are closely examined. The opening lines state “I heard you like the wild ones” and the song continues to expand on the concept of “wild” by including “I like crazy, foolish, stupid.” Though this is a small snapshot of the lyrics, the rest of the song continues to describe crazy party behavior such as crowd surfing, nosediving, and shutting the club down. Furthermore, the wild animal concept of the word “wild” is introduced at the end with “Tame me now, running with the wolves.” This shows the continued explanation of the “wild one” in the song as being animalistic and unrestrained. The central theme of the song is focused on a wild night out and the type of person present at this event. and the lyrics allow the audience to visualize exactly what is happening at the club. The tempo of the song combined with the lyrics almost seem to encourage reckless, hype behavior making it a commonly played song at parties. 

Rugby is a team, contact sport that started in England and is played by both men and women. Many people in America see it akin to American football given the tackling and more contact oriented nature of the sport, however, it is a completely separate entity. Oftentimes, heavy contact sports are mostly played by men. For example, American football and the NFL is a huge organization whose players are composed of men. This is why, as someone who has grown up watching American football, it is quite impressive to see women playing rugby with the same intensity and even more strength than an American football player. In the matches, you can see the agility, speed, and power in the movements and tackles and the true brutal nature of the sport. There is a lot less protective gear than one would expect given the style. The audience is most likely of both genders as with any major sport, but has more male spectators. Women’s rugby like many women’s sports is often underappreciated and underlooked. There is less funding and less turnout despite a team’s success. The violence and power in the sport display unconventional gender dynamics as women are traditionally expected to be calmer and more graceful. I believe that one’s gender should not limit or affect the sports or the behavior they choose to engage in. Conventional behaviors that fit gender norms can be quite restrictive and can possibly hinder the potential of an individual. It was very cool to watch various clips of women’s rugby and see these traditional expectations be demolished. The concept of wild is depicted in this sport simply due to the sheer violence with the tackles and the amazing athleticism of each woman on the team.

The world wild can be used as a noun or more commonly as an adjective. In the form of an adjective, the definitions given to the word wild have positive and negative connotations. For example, generally, wild can be used to describe something that is unusually extreme, crazy, violent, or uncontrolled. However, in slang, it can be used to describe something that is special or cool. The word essentially takes on a different meaning depending on the context. Additionally, there is a range between referring to something as extreme and then violent. Describing hair and clothes as wild is much different from saying someone went wild as a reaction. Given these varying definitions, the broad scope of such a common word becomes apparent as does the important role of context. 

Personally, the world wild to me encompasses many different things. As someone who spends a lot of time with houseplants and nature, the first definition that comes to mind pertains to wildlife or animals/plants that grow in natural characteristics. Whenever I think of the word wild, I envision a field of wildflowers or a large area of plants growing how they please. In my mother tongue, Telugu, this is the only definition for wild. This made me realize how English adjectives often have such different variations when it comes to definitions. It is not a surprise that some things get lost in translation. If I do use the word in English, I often use the word wild to mean crazy or unexpected. It’s a word that holds depth in just four letters.

A film that would be considered wild is “Breaking News in Yuba County” which was released in 2021 and stars Allison Janney, Awkwafina, Mila Kunis, Wanda Skyes, and many other acclaimed actors. The main character, Sue Buttons, is a suburban housewife who feels as though she is being taken for granted by her husband. Her husband, Karl, and his brother were involved in a money laundering scheme which has landed him in hot water with some criminals. Feeling forgotten on her birthday, Sue decides to confront Karl which eventually leads her to find out that he has a mistress. During this discovery, Karl passes away due to shock and as Sue sees constant news coverage of a missing girl and the uplifting treatment her family has received from the community, she gets an idea. Sue reports her husband missing and works to grow as a local celebrity. Overall, the film can be characterized as wild due to Sue’s brazen attitude towards the death of her husband and only focusing on the media fame and attention. Additionally, the side plot of the money laundering criminals and their ruthlessness paired with misunderstandings between them and Karl’s brother, leave the audience with no expectations of what may happen next. This film would not be critically acclaimed and has quite a few problems with it as seen by its poor ratings, but it is perfect to watch without any expectations. 

The film’s wild nature is certainly depicted with the unexpected violence in the last 15 minutes of the movie, essentially everyone but the main character is killed in a shocking sequence of events. Even characters you wouldn’t expect to be killed off are done so in a rather “wild” manner. The different side characters start interacting with each other and in the aftermath, the audience is left feeling unsettled with the ending as no justice seems to be served.