This exercise is not to be less than one double-spaced page.
It is due by class time on Tuesday, September 11, 2007.
Choose a passage from any one of the chapters in Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--a passage that has particularly moved, impressed, disturbed, perplexed, or even delighted you and do a strict imitation of it in which you keep intact Stevenson's sentence structures and rhythms, as well as the sequence of his sentences and paragraphs, but change the content so as to make the passage your own.
Please include with your strict imitation a citation of the page or passage you are imitating.
Please post with the following heading format:
Your Name
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
The Date
Title of your piece
OPTION TWO:
Spend some time exploring the text.
Find a passage in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that you think is powerful.
Write out the passage and explain why you chose it.
What does it have to say to you (what is the truth it offers you)?
This assignment should be no more than two double-spaced (12 pt. font) typed pages.
The format and due date are as listed above for OPTION ONE.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
17 comments:
J.D. Williams
Page 1
Pg1
Passage starts: Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance, that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.
Passage ends: It was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men.
This passage is taken from the first paragraph of the novel. In this paragraph, Stevenson explains the character of Utterson, the lawyer, to the reader. This passage is necessary because through his eyes, the bulk of the novel is told. In a sense, Utterson comes across as a dull character he is referred to as “scanty" in speech, “lean, long, dusty, dreary" in person. As we know from later passages in the novel, he never lowers himself to gossip and he struggles to maintain respectability, he even goes to the point of irrationality just to maintain his name. Yet this introductory passage also reveals certain cracks in this rigid, civilized front, cracks that make Utterson the perfect person to follow the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. For one thing, the passage draws attention to Utterson’s “lovability,” his tendency to “help rather than to reprove.” This friendliness and approachability positions Utterson at the center of the novel’s social scene. All of the other characters confide in him and turn to him for help, allowing him glimpses of the mystery from every point of view. Both Lanyon and Jekyll trust him greatly; his friendship with Enfield gives him a significant piece of information early in the novel; Poole comes to him when Jekyll’s situation reaches a dilemma. Utterson even serves as the attorney for Sir Danvers Carew, Hyde’s victim.
Second, the passage notes Utterson’s deep interest in those with dark secrets, basically those who have skeletons trapped in their closet. This lead me to wonder if this would be called gossip, a thing that Utterson thoroughly disapproved. Then I found out that Utterson simply likes doing simple detective work for his own interest, he does not listen to others’ stories. Listening to others would be true gossip, he just simply investigates.
Jason Weng
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
9/9/07
Duality
“It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognise the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements.”
Ch.10 Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case
This passage is found in chapter 10 which is told from Henry Jekyll’s point of view and includes his letter to Utterson which gives us a more personal view of the story from Jekyll’s eyes. He describes his life before he discovered the potion that transformed him into Hyde and back. This is part of his philosophy about man’s double-sided nature; saying that all humans are half good half evil, half virtuous half unruly, half moral half immoral, and so on. The overall purpose of all his experiments is to be able to separate these two halves, one of pure good and one of pure evil. He is trying to separate each side from the other completely: ridding the good of all evil urges and temptations while freeing the evil of its conscience. But to his misfortune, Jekyll only succeeds in separating his evil half, Hyde, from his good but not the other way around. His other side is himself exactly as he was before, a mix of good and evil; more good than evil but still with evil urges. Ironically when all this time he has been trying to rid the human nature of evil he does the opposite setting his evil side free. Without an equally powerful good side.
This suggests a possible fault in Jekyll’s assumptions. Maybe he isn’t exactly half good and exactly half evil like he believed in the passage, and that’s why he was only able to separate Hyde, his evil side, from the rest of himself. His nature may not have been perfectly balanced at all like he thought. His evil side was stronger all along, and when it was finally set free from conscience, without a good side to even the odds, Hyde overcame Jekyll completely.
This story and its outcome is possibly a reflection of all of society. It suggests that we actually are not a balance of good and evil. Suggesting that we all have a pure evil side but no pure good, and if we let that evil side have any freedom it will take over completely. Is Stevenson trying to say something about our society and nature? Or is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde just another controversial story?
Casey Doyle
Brother Peach
English – Sect. 5
9-11-07
“Pressure”
With the 9th inning ahead of him the heart of the Yankees order coming up, the young red sox pitcher Billy King was under a lot of pressure. The Red Sox were up by a run and young Billy would be coming up against the Yankees big hitters, Bob Johnson, George Young, and Fred Jones. Jones was the most feared hitter in the league and was even nicknamed “the hammer”. King was just a rookie and this was his first appearance in the major leagues. The crowd was on the edge of their seats.
King had seen the Yankees lineup before and knew they were known for their big hitting in clutch situations. What he didn’t know that he would end up facing this feared lineup someday. The red sox fans, however, seemed to have faith in the young pitcher. Fenway Park was filled down to the very last seat with fans anxious to find out if this new rookie prospect was all he was hyped up to be.
Bob Johnson, or “the speedster”, as he was referred to, was up first. King threw him a fastball to start off the at bat. Johnson ripped it into deep right center. Out of nowhere came the red sox center fielder Rodney Coles to make a spectacular diving catch to retire the speedy lead off hitter.
Next was George Young, who was known for his great power to hit doubles and triples into the gaps. King started Young off with a nice 94 m.p.h. fastball for strike 1. Then King might have made the biggest mistake of his life, or at least he thought he did. King had thrown him a big sweeping curve ball which Young ripped down the third base line. Suddenly the third baseman, Pickles Lavarne, made a great diving stop and throw over to the first baseman Robert Rodkey for the second out of the inning. The crowd was absolutely going crazy. They were all on their feet.
Then the most powerful hitter in the league, Fred “the hammer” Jones stepped up to the plate. The crowd could tell that King was really intiminated. King wound up and threw a fastball clocking in at 98 m.p.h. Jones crushed a 550 ft. shot to right field, but fortuanately for King, it was just foul. King then threw Jones a split finger fastball low and away which Jones laced down the third baseline. Again, the ball was just foul. King had an 0-2 count on the very dominant Jones. King then threw another fastball which froze Jones. “STRIKE 3” said the umpire. The crowd went wild. Jones couldn’t believe the call and threw his bat and helmet onto the field.
The entire red sox team raced onto the field and carried the young rookie pitcher into the dugout. He was given a standing ovation by the red sox fans. King was considered a great pitcher after that remarkable outing against a very powerful yankee team. King later went on that season to finish with 12 wins and 35 saves.
Charles Destro
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141 British Lit
September 9th 2007
The Last Splash: Strict Imitation
Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case. Page 70
“About a week has passed….Henry Jekyll to an end”
About a year has passed, and I am now recalling the old memory under the influence of nostalgia. This, then was the last time, sadly, that a quartet of friends could achieve what was thought to be the unachievable. The Story is not long; I must not hasten to end it quickly, although it is rich in emotion. The quartet set for themselves the impossible goal of breaking the 200 yard freestyle swimming relay record, a record shattered nearly 30 years prior; none the less a goal which seemed attainable to the four, while opposing quartets scowled and frown at their pathetic attempt at glory. For indeed after the first meet it seemed that our heroes had no chance of reaching the goal, they had swam a 1:32.9 versus the record of a 1:28.72 and missed the record by a margin larger than 4 seconds. Four weeks later the quartet had to face the preliminary race of the Championship Meet, the second to final race of the season, a meet which would decide their fate and make them champions, or shatter their worlds, and with the much anticipation the four finished the preliminary race in 1st only 1 second away from the record, a ridiculously small margin (they all realized this) and prepared themselves for the last race of their lives. Will The Last Splash bring the greatest joy to them and their friends? Or will they be plunged into an unforgiving sense of defeat and everlasting depression and be forced to over come a terrible challenge? God alone knew the result of the time which the quartet had achieved directly after the last had finished; God alone knew the truth in that moment of deathly silence; God alone knew the result that would make the Last Splash a legend or a simple tale. Then, as the quartet lay down in preparation for either rejoice or despair, the timer yelled out in a cold terrified voice 1:28.75.
Matt Oczypok
Bro. Rob Peach
Eng. 141 British Lit. Sect. 5
9-11-07
“A Strict Imitation” (Option 2)
One of the most powerful statements in the book Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is “man is not truly one, but two”. (Pp. 62, 3rd sentence) I think it is very powerful because it shows the theory of dual nature of human beings. This theory states that every human is half evil and half good, half morally sound and half not morally sound. This can be related to Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde because Dr Jekyll is the nice half and Mr. Hyde is the evil half. Dr. Jekyll always had Mr. Hyde trying to persuade him to do evil but when Mr. Hyde took over, Dr. Jekyll’s conscience always was telling him to stop.
This whole idea had an impact on me because when I read it I immediately paralleled to something that was going on in my life. One of my really good friends, who I always thought was one of the nicest people I know, started to get into things I try not to associate myself with. I knew her for a year and she was nice, then all of the sudden she started to slowly start to do this more and more. Every time I read more of this book I thought about how this theme related to my life. I concluded that she was Dr. Jekyll, before he made his potion, the first year I knew her and then slowly turned into Mr. Hyde. She was nice, friendly, and always had people over at first. Then after about a year she started going to parties and doing bad things, but she was still the same way she used to be around me, kind of like when Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were turning into each other constantly. After awhile though, she started to do it more and more, and eventually I couldn’t take it anymore so I just stopped talking to her. This parallels to how Mr. Hyde eventually took over Dr. Jekyll completely.
Dr. Jekyll thought by making his potion he could separate these two things, pure good and pure evil. Pure good is being good without any temptation of evil. Pure evil is being evil without your conscience talking to you. As you can see by what happened, it is impossible to make them pure.
This passage was also powerful to me because I thought about how much this relates to our lives. Every person you know is going through this battle. Every person’s personality is ruled by this theory. If someone is nice, it is because they can control their evil temptations. If they are evil it is because they ignore their conscience. It was interesting to me that something that simple can relate to every person’s life.
Overall, what this passage teaches us is to listen to your conscience and control your evil temptations the best we can. Once we do that, we will be much more happy.
Johnathen Czemerda
Bro. Rob Peach F.S.C.
ENG 141. British Lit
September 9, 2007
The Search
Start pg 7, “I was coming home…” end pg 8, “… as wild as harpies.”
There was an inn in a wood, full of trees old and tall, and in this inn there was a man with knowledge being sought. Another man approached this inn, his entourage of five- garbed in the blackest black and wearing belts full of tools of obscure purpose- walked through the door and up the stairs to the third door on the left. They opened the door and light spilled in on the details of the room; a little desk and chair with a few scattered papers and a folded traveling cloak, and a little bed whose thin sheets silhouetted the thin frame of an old body. The group entered soundlessly, hatred on their breath; preparing to interrogate; two lifted the man out of bed and held him against a wall. The tallest of the five approached with two steel spikes as if to drive them through the man’s heart, but instead drove one through each of his shoulders. The man awakened and the five saw his eyes: they were old and exhausted from years of running. Knowing that he had the right man, the leader backed away, removed some cloth from a pocket in his cloak, and signaled to the two to remove their grip. He was very calm and collected, but in a menacing way, that made it seem he would not be so forgiving if he did not receive what he wanted the first time. The leader twirled the cloth through his fingers; and slowly unfurling it, he held it up, turned it over and presented it to the man. The traveler dangling from the wall was not in so much pain now, more confounded, that these five were so close to their goal; and instead of speaking he defiantly spit in the others face. The tallest of the five slowly removed a long thin blade from his belt. He spun it around in the light so that his prisoner hanging from the wall could see it more clearly. What at first had looked like a blade was actually a group of closely knit spines of rare metal, which curled when heated above a certain point. Then the leader took the instrument and inserted it into the man’s navel. Once inside the spikes began to fulfill their purpose, having been heated by the captives body temperature, they slowly started to twist, and doing so they cut and contorted the man’s innards with an absolutely sickening noise. Well, the leader, who now seemed satisfied to wait patiently; stood back, admiring the cruel and insufferable pain in which his captive now found himself. As time wore on, the spikes curled and destroyed more; the man’s face grimacing in even more pain, and growing paler. The five waited through the night for the traveler to offer them what they wanted in return for an end to his pain ,but he offered no such luxury to the evil ones and was dead by morning. Shortly after the man’s decease, the leader furrowed his brow and pondered on what to do next. The five then left, off to some distant land to continue their search, while in the room on the third door to the left the price of their hunt still hung on the wall, his body now mangled and ruined for the price his soul paid for offering shelter to such a dark, guarded secret.
Michael Ceoffe
Bro. Peach
Eng 141. British Lit.
September 11, 2007
“2 Separate Selves”
pg 50
Passage Starts: “With everyday, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intelluctual, I thus drew nearer to that truth...
Passage Ends: ...How then were they dissociated?”
This whole passage which is taking from Henry Jekyll’s full statement in chapter 10, explains Jekyll’s thoughts of dual human nature. He states that man is not truly one, but truly two. This statement reveals to us his theories of a human being as half moral and half immoral, half mischievous, and half good-natured. Even before some of his scientific discoveries, he had hoped for the separation of these two selves from this one person, this person of pure evil and this person of pure good. Henry Jekyll wanted these selves to be separate into two different realms. Whereas the good could go around without worry of this evil presence and evil was able not to have to worry
about it’s own conscience. Henry Jekyll dreams that this dual nature may one day be split and that is what he tries to
prove through his experiments. Only that in his experiments these two halves, one evil and one good,are not detached but the more powerful one overcomes. Through his hope of being purely righteous,his other side, his evil side, Hyde overwhelms Jekyll and takes over his life. His experiments lead to the loss of his normal life. It seems that Henry Jekyll did not have enough goodness in his original self, to keep Hyde from taking over his life. This passage shows me that Henry Jekyll’s dual nature he possesses may be in each human being. This shows that each person has two opposite selves inside themselves.
Ralph Vento
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG141. British Lit
9/7/07
No Title
Passage: “It is useless, and the time awfully fails me, to prolong this description; no one has ever suffered………as I lay down my pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.”
I chose this passage because it symbolizes good and evil. It shows that even though Jekyll created Hyde and he has done nothing but cause trouble and try to consume Jekyll’s life there is still good in him. There is good in all of us no matter how many people they kill, crimes they commit etc. They still have some good left in them . On the other hand it tells that evil can alter our whole existence, our characteristics, even our state of mind. The change is so complete that friends, relatives, and any of the people that he knew would hardly recognize him. Jekyll likes the power that Hyde gives him because obviously evil seems to always be stronger, more inviting, and just easier to give into or go with. As he attempts to clarify good and evil inside of him he is torn between the two, but still being able to rationalize he wants the good inside to triumph over the evil which is Hyde. He writes his confession saying about his quest to create this transcendental medicine to separate good and evil from inside of him but it failed. All of us struggle with the good and evil consciences inside us there like the devil and angel that appear on our shoulders in the sitcoms or TV shows whenever we do something wrong or think about doing something wrong. But it is how we deal with it that defines us as a person and ultimately keeps us alive.
Ben Fallon
Bro.Rob Peach
ENG 141 British Lit.
Sept. 10
A Strict Imitation
Option Two
Passage:
“I learned long ago that a man should like chivalrously to God, the King, and his lady.”
Stevenson’s classic, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” wasn’t exactly earth shattering for me. I mean yea, it was a pretty good book, but I’ve read better. One thing really struck me though. One passage did move me. The afore mentioned passage actually made me reminisce, and slightly angry. Not because I don’t believe in what it’s saying, but because I believe if you don’t treat God, the “King” (or president or authoritative power), or a lady, not even your lady, just women in general, if you don’t treat them with the utmost respect I believe you ought to be taken out back for an old-fashioned ass whooping. That is enough of the rant, though.
Stevenson really was making a profound statement. This was an instance where someone who knew what they were talking about, like a mentor of some sort was not offering advice, but more less telling you that if you did not follow what he said there would be issues, it didn’t hurt either that this man is a lord of a town. In this case, the lord of Brisetout is speaking to a thief and a soldier. The lord of Brisetout also says that “this is not written in noble laws, but on the heart of all men.” Everyone knows right from wrong unless you grow up in a radically religious society filled with hatred and misery. Stevenson is basically stating that the line between good and evil is one of no gray area. To claim your intention was good, but the deed was one that was not so good, would completely nullify a good intention. This is the basic law of Christian morality and is one so simplistic it should not be spelled out for anyone.
Shane Conway
Bro.Rob Peach
ENG. 141 British Lit. Sect. 5
9-11-07
“A Strict Imitation”
One of the most powerful passages in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case. Page 63. “Between these two, ….. Compounded and swallowed the transforming draught.”
Between these two I found I had to choose. My two favorite sports baseball and volleyball had now come to cross paths. Now that in high school the two sports seasons now are intertwine. Baseball (I have been playing the longest) was one sport I thought I could never quit. I like every part of baseball, to watch, play and even do fantasy baseball as well. Volleyball less popular of the two, the sport where you would be made fun of for playing was now starting to become more important than baseball. Baseball is the American pastime, while volleyball is very unpopular in the nation’s eyes. To give up baseball was to stab America right in the heart. To play volleyball was to give up family tradition to play baseball at central. Also I would lose some friends because volleyball is not so popular. The choice may seem easy; but there was always the person that takes the road less traveled. For while baseball would be the smart choice to stay in peace with family and friends, while volleyball would be cost him respect and pride. Strange of the decision may seem, the choice was old I had to chose between soccer and football. These types of decisions are made every day across the world. This decision was hard for me as I would be hard for any other person making similar decisions. The majority of people who had to make a decision similar to mine fell into the pressure of peers. I chose the one I liked the best at that moment and decide to work hard at it and try to become a starter. Sure, I would prefer to make the easy and go what every one else thought and preferred. I will be surrounded by new friends and will cherish new hopes and memories. With this decision a wave baseball farewell to the liberty of my friends and the youth soon to make a similar decision. I will definitely miss the smell of the grass, playing outside on a beautiful spring afternoon, the sounds, the dirt, and of course just the atmosphere as a whole that comes when you go or play in a baseball game. I made this choice with some doubt in my heart, even though I gave up the beloved baseball, I didn’t throw away my baseball cap, uniform, glove, and bat. I kept it as a reminder to all those happy days and memories that I once experienced every year. For four years I kept to my decision, never stopped playing and enjoying the game. But as time lead on I missed all those sounds and smells of baseball and began to lean on going back to play the game I once loved the most. My mind was tortured with this decision of what sport shall I play. Baseball struggling to come out and wanting so bad to play again and to get rid of this sport that toke his spot in my heart. Even though baseball wanted to come out I never allowed it and ended up playing volleyball for years.
Matt Fickley
ENG 141.British Lit
September 11, 2007
A Strict Imitation
Page 4 Paragraph 6-top of Page 7
“Well, it was this way,” returned the hockey player: “I was moving up from the blue line to get past the last defender, at about 9 o’clock of a cold, November night, and my way lay through center ice of the rink where there was everything to be seen but quietness. Defender after defender, and all the team‘s players- defender after defender, all started skating at me as if for a procession and was all as crowded as a church.- till at last I got into that state of mind when a player looks and looks and begins to long for the sight of a big, open gap. All at once, I saw two players: one a tall defenseman on the other team who was skating up along the boards at a good speed, and the other a teammate who was skating as slow as he was not able to cross the rink. Well sir, the two ran into one another naturally enough at the center ice; and then came the best part of the thing; for the tall man on the other team hit my teammate and left him screaming on the ice. It sounds nothing to hear, but it was scary to see. It wasn’t like a human; it was like some damned monster. I gave a view halloa, took to my skates, fixed my jersey, and skated over to him to where there was already quite a group about the screaming teammate. He was perfectly cool and made no resistance, but gave me one look, so dirty and nasty that it brought out the anger in me. My teammates gathered around him; and pretty soon, the ref, for whom he had been sent, put in his appearance. Well the man, was not much the worse, more frightened, according to the player; and there you might have supposed would be the end to it. But there was another curious circumstance. I had taken a loathing to the player at fight sight. So had my other teammates, which was natural. But the ref’s case was what struck me. He was the usual serious ref definite age of 50 and was what seemed to be a Canadian with a strong French accent, and about as emotional as a bagpipe. Well, sir, he was like the rest of us; every time he looked at the man who hit my teammate, I saw he turned red and angry with a desire to throw him out. I knew what was on his mind, like the rest of us; and kicking him out be definitely in question. He told the player he understood it was on purpose, and would fine him, because it would make his name stink from one end of the NHL to the other. The ref said if he had any play-off privileges, he undertook that he would loose them. And all the time, we were keeping one of my teammates off the player who hit my teammate as best we could, for he was as angry as a lion. I never saw a circle of such angry faces; and there was the goalie in the middle, with a red, angry pulse- mad too, I could see that- but saw he was wanting vengeance. ‘If you choose to make something out of this hit,’ said he, ‘I am naturally going to accept. No player but wishes to avoid a scene,’ says she. Name your penalty.’ Well, the ref gave the player a 3 game suspension and fine player accepted it, but begged to be able to play in the next playoff game; we refused, and the next day, I had every reason to think he deserved it.
Bro. Robert Peach
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit.04
10 September 2007
Imitation
(option one: imitation, taken from passage beginning, "The next day came the news that the murder had been discovered..." and ending, "...the spiritual side a little drowsed, promising subsequent penitence, but not yet moved to begin" (86-87).
"ORISON"
The end of winter blew in with the chill of melancholy, that frost of nostalgia which blankets the heart, and that severity of emotion which sets chaos on creation. It was not only heartache, it had been a nervous breakdown. I think I was glad to feel it; I think I was hopeful that spring would gift me with the freshness and fortitude of new life. My loneliness had become as the dark forests of the world; let but joy shine like the sun for a day, and the world would be as a well-lighted meadow.
It thus had come to me to reconcile sorrow with joy; and I admit that I wallowed in the former for some time. You understand how typical it is for an artist to rejoice in his sadness; you understand that darkness magnifies the light, and that the moon still shines brightly, albeit subtly, beyond the trees. So I cannot honestly say that I searched very hard to find hope at first; I think instead that I daily lamented my losses; yet I was stricken with this desire for purpose; and as the morning came to my dark night, the heaviness inside of me, so long harbored, so much festering, began to lift like fog. It was as if I awakened from a recurring dream, leaving behind the primordial forest; yes, it was a purgation of sorts, that dark journey through self-induced punishment; and it was as an everyday man, that I at last accepted my destiny as wanderer.
Those years of loneliness passed within a breath; the seconds ticked fast; and this journey towards the springtime of my life ultimately restored the laughter of my soul. And so I was not afraid; the ascent seemed supernatural, like a return to my childhood before innocence bred corruption. It was a gradual, long-suffered, transformation, illuminative in heart and mind, yet dark all around; and the well trodden path of my consciousness was full of blood, and the stains of Cain’s sin. I walked forth upon the earth; the penitent in me tilling the soil of the unconscious mind; the realm of contemplation, promising ultimate union, and a new way toward the ONE.
Liam Halferty
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
9-10-07
John’s Plea
Pg. 21 Beginning “A Close observer might have..”
Ending “Utterson heaved an irrepressible..”
An outsider to the conversation might think it was a touchy subject to speak of; but John had been waiting for this conversation for some time, and it was getting too late. “My friend, Kevin, said he, “I have never before met someone so angry as you are towards my son; besides the principal of his school-at what he called my bad parenting. O, I know he is supposedly a great man-don’t get me wrong-a good man, and I try to make it a point to see better of him; but all I can see is an overreacting, unfair, unkind man. I have never met a more uptight man than that principal.”
“You know I dislike the man, I go through it too with my own kids, but your son…,” said Kevin.
“My son? Yes, I know about him and the things he does,” said John, distastefully. “You have said this before.”
“I will tell you again, you have to hear it,” muttered Kevin, “I have heard things that your son has done.”
The face of John began to turn red all over, and he began to weep. “I can’t take to hear any more,” said he. “This is something I cannot talk about and we agreed to that.”
“What I’ve been hearing is not good,” said Kevin.
“I can’t change anything about it. You don’t know my situation right now,” replied John, “I am in bad shape.” “The doctor said I am not going to make it. It’s something I can’t stop now.” “John, we’ve been friends for a long time, I can help you quit smoking.”
“Kevin, my good friend, this is great of you, but the doctor said I will most likely die, the cancer is uncontrollable; but there is slim hope, and I will accept your offer in helping me, and I will cooperate. I give you my word in this; and I just want to ask you one more thing: that I have not told anyone about what the doctor has told me, and I hope that you keep it secret.”
“Since I have told you of my situation, I’d like to touch upon the subject of my son once again. I love my son, no matter what things he has got himself into. I know you know of his troubles, and I am afraid that he has acted inappropriately in your presence. But I love my son; and I know that you two have your differences, and if I indeed die like the doctor has suggested, Kevin, I ask you to take care of my son. I have not been the best parent for him, maybe the principal of his school was right. It would be a big help to me if you did this.”
“I can’t just pretend like I am his father,” said Kevin.
“I’m not asking that,” responded John, putting his arm around Kevin; “What I ask is that you take care of him; keep him out of trouble for me, when I am taken away.”
Kevin replied, “I will do it, for my best friend.”
Paul Rutkowski
Bro. Robert Peach
British Literature
9/10/07
The following passage is an imitation of the first paragraph from chapter two, “search For Mr. Hyde” from Robert Lewis Stevenson’s book “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
That evening Tom Lawson once more fell into his lonely apartment with neither friend nor foe to converse with. Just like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, he sat alone, with an empty mind, an empty stomach, and a body beaten by the rigors of the world. But there was something to look forward to, however, after his cold shower and a meager dinner he made his way to the pile of books on the desk. There he flipped through the pile, lifted the bottom-most book, opened the cover, and removed a letter with the return “James Lawson, 12 sun drive, Key West, Florida” and sat down with a tired spirit. The letter was a bit tattered, but Tom, with only the bright smile of his brother’s face and his sweet voice in his mind, did not care of the condition of the envelope, only the words of his brother lost which lay within. Tom then unfolded the envelope like he had done many times before. The letter read, “ To my dearest brother who is so far away, you need to stay strong and persevere. I have not long now to live but I know of your pain. I wish for you only the best and want you to know how I long to be with you in my final hours. Brother, we are the best friends now and forever, no matter how far apart we are, I will always be by your side. So long and be strong, I will see you again some day my friend. With love, your brother James.” This document had long been the strength of Tom Lawson. It gave him happiness and a strong base with which to attack the world, knowing that his brother was with him. And it was also this letter that would make him swell with anger and hate, knowing that his brother left him alone and gave up the fight. The letter was reprieve and enemy in the hands of a lonely man. It was happiness on paper and hate through a pen; and when Tom himself seemed to be lost, his brother’s voice played again, and his world once again became bright.
Daniel Schnelbach
Bro. Rob Peach
British Lit. Section 5
9-10-07
Option II
“: that man is not truly one, but truly two”
In Henry Jekyll’s full statement of the case, he describes his intrigue with man’s dual nature. He talks of imagining the human soul as a battleground of an angel and a fiend. In his experiment he wishes to separate these two and create a purely good being and one of pure evil, but this leads me to my interest in this quote. If man is truly two, why was the dark side, symbolized with Edward Hyde, the only to appear. Is the author, Stevenson, suggesting that human nature is not necessarily two parts in good and evil, but essentially evil? Throughout the story, Jekyll’s character is slowly devoured by Hyde. Although Jekyll believes he can control this being, he begins to give way to the temptation of the youthfulness and reckless manner of his darker side. He even begins to take joy in committing crimes. Ironically, in his search for creating a perfectly good being, Jekyll becomes overtaken by evil and destroys a good person; himself. Through the course of these events I began to question this dual nature. The fiend, as imagined by Jekyll, was clearly shown in the character of Hyde, but where was its angelic counterpart? Did Stevenson do this to show that all people, deep down, are evil, or simply to show the weakness of man in giving way to temptation? The answer to this question is left very open-ended but I believe human nature is essentially good yet temptation is a powerful thing. I feel it’s not a question of human nature but a test of your own character.
John Welch
Bro. Rob Peach
English 141 British Lit
9-11-07
"To tell you the truth,I am uneasy about poor Jekyll; and even outside, i feel as if the presence
of a friend might do him good." (Stevenson 38)
I chose this passage because it is very powerful. It maybe small in length, but it is big on the
message it proposes. For starters, we all know about Jekyll's case or condition. A two-sided man
who is very delusional and stressed alot. The result of his stress and his dual personality
meltdown was of course him killing himself. Sounds like a friend would really help in this
situation. A friend is a person who gives assistance or patron, and is a supporter. The truth this
passage offers me is that everyone can use someone they like, know, and trust a.k.a. a friend. I
know someone who I've been friends with since kindergarten. A good student he was until he ecided to make some bad choices. His bad choices led him to being placed in rehab where he is urrently staying. I feel a friend (me) should've been there for him to support him and his addiction. Maybe the result would have been a better one. In Jekyll's case a friend could've
helped him out with his inner self. Instead he was on his own many times and left vulnerable to
the powerful and evil Hyde. With support, love, and encouragement in the form of a friend, lives
can be made much easier and life can be found as worth living.
powerful Hyde. With
Doug Bezeredi
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
9/11/07
Option Two: Exploring Text
Chapter 10
Passage starts:
"The most racking pangs succeeded: a grinding in the bones,deadly nausea, and a horror of the spirit that cannot be exceeded at the hour of birth or death."
Passage ends:
"I stretched out my hands, exulting in the freshness of these sensations; and in the act, I was suddenly aware that I had lost
in stature."
When reading this particular passage, I immediately stopped and had to read it again. The first sentence grabbed my attention due to its graphic nature. The passage starts out describing Dr. Jekyll's transformation into Mr. Hyde. Stevenson expressed the transformation by using great lines such as "a grinding of the bones" and "deadly nausea". These two quotes captured my attention because I was able to relate to the severity of the pain that he was trying to express. After Stevenson spelled out Dr. Jekyll's agony, he presented a new light on the situation. Dr. Jekyll's sensations became full of new sweetness that he has never before experienced. Dr. Jekyll begins to explain how he exhibits an unusual feeling of youthfulness and self-fulfillment. Stevenson is able to once again relight the reader's interest in this passage by twisting this pain into glory. Throughout our life we are drilled on this subject when competing in sports. We are constantly reminded of this through slogans such as "No pain, No gain!" When competing we can usually conclude that pain and suffering will bring great rewards in the end. Due to the evil twists of Dr. Jekyll's transforming conscience, this idea will backfire causing Jekyll his life.
Suddenly, Dr. Jekyll becomes aware of emotions that have been unlocked though his transformation. He has feelings of violent recklessness, which overtakes the usual bonds between Dr. Jekyll and his conscience. He feels a great sense of freedom but with guilt. Usually a guilty man losses his freedom due to his wrongdoing against good, but through the transformation of Dr. Jekyll, evil has prevailed bringing an escape to his rotting soul. After completing all steps of this horrible transformation, Dr. Jekyll finally begins new life. He is no longer a respected doctor, but an evil villain named Mr. Hyde.
As Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is more evil and wicked than ever before imagined. Dr Jekyll explains that he now lives as if he sold himself as a slave to the evil, Mr. Hyde. He has no compassion or benevolence left inside of him. Since Mr. Hyde is pure evil, this sense of wickedness delights and comforts him. He describes this comfort as if it was a glass of wine. I believe Stevenson used this simile to connect to his readers. Wine has been used as a drink for parties and religious ceremonies for centuries. A glass of wine can be used to comfort and make the average human able to relax in the most stressful situations. In church, we drink Jesus’ Blood, which has been transformed from wine. Both Mr. Hyde and Jesus' blood are example of transformation. Mr. Hyde's transformation ends with Dr. Jekyll becoming the worst form of evil imagined when Jesus' transformation concludes in the purest form of good.
Stevenson ends this passage with Mr. Hyde exulting in this new sense of evil, domination, and power. Stevenson writes "I stretched out my hands" in the beginning of the passage's last sentence. This quote exhibits how Mr. Hyde is completely dominated by evil, accepting the wickedness that he has been transformed into. He is happy and thrilled to achieve such satanic power. These sensations are still very fresh and extremely new to Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde becomes terribly excited and thrilled because of what he has achieved. We as readers can connect to how power can so easily corrupt. Mr. Hyde has all this power but for all the wrong reasons and motives. Suddenly, Dr. Jekyll is aware that his soul has been lost in the development of Mr. Hyde. His stature had been lost in the making of new life. Having tasted this new life, Dr. Jekyll can never fully return to his old self.
Post a Comment