...Throughout the story of “The Strange Case Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, Stevenson presents his idea of the duality of man- where we all have a demonic side within us. Evil is held within waiting to surface, but we ignore our impulses, we act as if it does not exist. Stevenson presents this idea by using two characters, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who are essentially the same person. One of these characters, Dr. Jekyll, symbolizes the good side of man, and the other, Mr. Hyde, signifies the purest of evil. Conscience, the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's motives, it’s what refrains us from fulfilling all of our impulses.Without a conscience, all hell would break loose and everyone would abandon the moral laws of life. The theme of good and evil is a topic that is talked about in length in books, movies, stories, and in real life. Good vs. evil is referred to in “The Bible" many times. “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:17-19). This quote from “The Bible” relates to the idea of the duality of man laced within “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. This quote talks about how the evil within himself overpowers the good. In the beginning of the book, Dr. Jekyll had complete control of Mr. Hyde, but as time progressed, Hyde took control over Dr. Jekyll. “The Bible” portrays the sinful nature...
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...Critical Analysis: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde As we grow older and learn more about the world and ourselves, there is something inside us that has not fully understood the sole purpose of its creation. Something so very common, yet, so misunderstood--identity. In Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, we see that not only is an older man struggling with his identity, but that it was also decades ago when this story was written, suggesting that an identity crises is nothing new and that we all go through it at some point in life. “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” ― Oscar Wilde. I found this quote relevant to this particular story and that the two go hand...
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...Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde When reading the story of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde many readers are able to easily relate the situations that are occurring and place them into their own lives. Many psychologists and philosophers have also seen this and have done research to see why this has come to be. George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, a philosopher, began to research the duality of human nature before this story was even written; he concluded that every conflict has a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Hegel is easily able to explain the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by using his own Hegelian Dialectic. In the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll is determined to find a way to let his alter ego; his other personality, the evil Mr. Hyde allows Dr. Jekyll to release the anger that he keeps in that are caused by the social ‘norms’ that are present in this time period. In comparison Dr. Jekyll is seen as being a cultures young man that had many of the characteristics or a well to do man in the Victorian time period. Mr. Hyde on the other hand is seen as vulgar, disrespectful and is seen as a monster throughout the book. Both personalities of Dr. Jekyll try and balance each other out but are not able to which leads to the ultimate self destruction of both. The idea of the Hegelian Dialect, that everything have a thesis, antithesis, as well as synthesis can be seen throughout the book as a reflection of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. One of the first impression that we receive of Jekyll is...
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...Jekyll and Hyde: A Psychoanalysis As humans, we all tend to act differently in certain situations and around certain people. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll, suffers from an extreme switch in personality induced by medical experimentation that causes these different personalities to be more prominent and take over the mind. Concepts including Id, Ego, Superego and dualism help the audience understand the multiple personalities of Jekyll and Hyde. They give us insight on why the brain works the way it does, and why the characters acted the way they did. A common dilemma the human race faces, is deciding on whether to indulge our desires or do what is right in the eyes of society and law. Sigmund Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego theory scientifically examines why our brain’s struggle through these dilemmas, and why the characters in Jekyll and Hyde act the way they do. Id represents the part of our brain that is not focused on social...
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...Stevenson’s novella, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the narrator, Mr. Utterson, struggles to identify a strange relationship between his good friend, Dr. Jekyll, and the evil Mr. Hyde. At the end of the novella, it is revealed to the reader that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were the same person all along; Dr. Jekyll had created a solution that disfigured his appearance when he took it, which became Mr. Hyde and allowed him freedom from any moral consequences that he would have faced if he were Dr. Jekyll when he performed his evil actions. In order to understand some of Dr. Jekyll’s behavior that is portrayed in the novella, it is important to consider several of the scientific and social conventions of the nineteenth...
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...and that’s why the Victorian texts seemed to be more of a backstory rather then a set of completely different novels. During my initial read of the graphic novel, the character I respected the most was Ms. Murray, also known as Mina Harker in Bram Stoker’s, Dracula. I respected Mina simply because she was the only female in a primarily male dominant story. Despite being the only female she never let any of the men take advantage of her and progressively continued to prove herself to be more capable and intelligent then the men. Proving herself to be intelligent and capable is not only something she does in the graphic novel, but something she does in Dracula as well. She often sees what the rest of the men do not and in the original novel Dr. Van Helsing even states that, “When most we want all her great brain which is treated like a man’s brain but is sweet like a woman’s” (Stoker, 361). This just proves that Mina is needed because she is a woman who is considered to have qualities that a man would possess, which shows that she is seen as an equal. The men in the novel need her and without her both groups of men would struggle to accomplish half the tasks that they do when she is around. She puts them on track and organizes all the tasks in League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen like going to the all girls’ school and in Dracula by helping the men plan the final demise of Dracula. However, Mina is depicted to be extremely cold in the graphic novel and this is seen in the way she...
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...In Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case Of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, his characters relate to Freud's psyche. Freud made these things that connect your personality, they are the Id, Ego, and Superego. Id does whatever it wants at that time without thinking about the consequences. Ego means the part of the personality that maintains the balance between the id and superego. The superego dictates our belief of what's right or wrong and is represented by an angle on your shoulder. The characters in this book represent Freud’s psychoanalysis by the way that they act and look in this novel in many different ways. The character that relates to the id's Mr.Hyde he represents this because he is extremely evil. Mr.Hyde absolutely...
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...In Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll appears as a gentlemen who would not be related to evil at all. However, he deeply knows that all men are both good and evil. With good and evil existed in equal parts in himself, Dr. Jekyll keeps the pleasurable and sinful side of his personality well hidden which increases the repression. Dr. Jekyll believes that the two opposing elements, good and evil, should be separated from each other because he can not balance them well when they are mingled. As a scientist, he knows well the associated risk of using himself as a lab rat, but the temptation to dissociate good and evil is too strong. Put it differently, the nature of discovery allures him to find the solution after spotting a problem...
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...The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) By Robert L. Stevenson Dr Lanyon’s Narrative COMPREHENSION 1. What was suspicious about the visitor’s behaviour before he entered the house? 2. What emotional state was the visitor in? 3. How did Lanyon react when the visitor touched his arm? 4. Does Lanyon give the visitor what he wants immediately? What eventually convinces him to show his guest the drawer? 5. When the visitor removes the sheet from the drawer, how does he react to the contents? 6. Dr Lanyon’s guest offers him the choice of leaving without witnessing what is about to happen or staying and witnessing a prodigy. Which does Lanyon choose to do and why? 7. What happens to the visitor when he drinks the potion? 8. What is Lanyon’s reaction to the scene he has just witnessed? ANALYSIS 9. At what time does the episode take place? What associations do you make with this particular time? What kind of atmosphere does this time setting create? 10. Find words and expressions in the text which express Lanyon’s repulsion for his visitor. Is his repulsion psychological or physical or both? Give examples. 11. Identify the statement in which Lanyon suggests that his revulsion for the visitor represents something more than personal dislike. 12. Line 3 and 13-18 provide some vague descriptive details of the visitor but for the most part the reader is invited...
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...and surroundings but are very different in character development. Robert had written “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” a story that we all know and even if you haven’t read the book it is famous amongst everyone. This tale is so famous that it’s been produced into movies, plays and it has forced its way into literature making references that always recount back to Robert’s story. Now Joseph had written a story to that goes by the name of “Heart of Darkness.” I am going to be honest; before we had read this novel in class I had never heard or seen it. But after we finished the book it was a great tale (a bit confusing though) about a man recanting his journey to his crew on his ship of how he came to be captain and how he acquired this boat. Both these novels introduce this dark theme that evolves into this mystery and each dwell on the same problems of mostly lying, deceit and greed. I believe that both these stories correlate greatly because of the way the mood of the story changes from this surreal place of peace and tranquility to this dark and gothic area that has overcome the protagonist and changed them from good to evil. Let’s begin as always from the start. We will analyze Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and discuss details from the good Doctor’s early quarrels with his inner demons to what leads to his transformation to Mr. Hyde. The story takes place in London with Gabriel John Utterson a friend of the good doctor who is on a...
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...strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, I will explore the struggles the main characters’ have within themselves in their fight for good over evil. How Macbeth and Dr Jekyll change throughout the stories and explore the similarities of each of them and why they came to change. These two books are worlds apart from one another. ‘Macbeth’ is about a great warrior who fights for the King and is set in medieval Scotland, while ‘The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ is set in the upper classes of Victorian England where everything is done correctly and bad behaviour or wild ways are not tolerated. Dr Jekyll is a Physician who is curious about separating the good side of a personality with the bad and begins to experiment and invent potions to control the evil side of a person. However, both of these books have mystical themes about them, the witches in ‘Macbeth’ that can see the future and plant the seed of success in Macbeth’s head and the strange disappearances of Dr Jekyll and the sudden mystical appearance of a Mr Hyde. These main characters, Macbeth and Dr Jekyll evolve from being heroic, well-respected men into twisted, ruthless killers and their nature completely changes throughout their lives. Both characters become so obsessed with ultimate control they are prepared to remove anyone who gets in their way or tries to stop them from reaching their final goal. The obsession of their ambitions make both, Macbeth and Dr Jekyll eventually turn...
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...The passion Orsino feels for Olivia causes him to become desperate, however the Duke requests that the musicians continue playing music that he imagines to be the food of love, so he will no longer crave love. The duality within this scene of twelfth night is Duke Orsino’s intense desire to find love and woe Olivia, willing to do anything in effort to achieve his desire and his mix emotion with not wanting love unless it’s through music. Mankind’s duality has become a drawn out controversial debate between whether good and evil is innate or absorbed by societal influences throughout life. Information that is found inside The Strange Cases of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, explains and demonstrates man’s good and evil nature resulting more innate rather than absorbed. “It was thus rather the exacting nature of my aspirations, then any particular degradation in my faults, that made me what I was, and with even a deeper trench than the majority of men, served in me those provinces of good and ill which divide and compound man’s dual nature” (Stevenson...
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...screen. The portrayal of scientists in the media, at least in fictional platforms of media; i.e. prime time television shows, movies, books, plays, show eccentric and often deranged, disheveled men franticly working away, mad with power and playing god. In the animated comedy “Futurama”, created by Matt Groining, the “Professor”, whom is a scientist, is portrayed as a senile old man on the verge of death and/or dementia. The “typical” media portrayal of fictional scientists is exploited in the animated series, and serve as a good reflection, and a small truth on how society sees our scientist. Other characters that come to mind are Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. All three fictional characters share the odd characteristic of reckless abandon in the pursuit of a greater good, only to loose control and overstep their bounds with dire consequences. The characteristics that I see in my vision of a scientist are 1.) A desire to contribute to human progress. 2.) Highly educated and intelligent. 3.) Stylish hair. I...
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...CLIFFORD H. BOGGESS: ANALYSIS OF CHILDHOOD & LIFE BEHIND BARS CASEY M. LUNDBERG MARCH 31, 2015 PROF. ADINKRAH: CRIMINOLOGY SUMMARY OF VIDEO Clifford Holt Boggess committed two major crimes. His actions can be categorized as a double geronticide, also known as eldercide, as he murdered two elderly men. Boggess’ crimes against persons were also felony murders because of the robbery that took place as well. Both murders involved a certain degree of planning prior to the kill, classifying them as premeditated crimes; however he did not personally know his victims, making both incidences stranger homicides. A 21-year old white male, Clifford Boggess was on trial for two murders. From the video, I gathered that his family was poor, as his crimes were committed because of financial need. Boggess was unmarried, but had a girlfriend at the time by the name of Phoebe Boles. He had a high school diploma and no college experience. Boggess grew up a religious boy as an avid churchgoer and became extremely in-tune with his religion while on death row, practicing Protestantism before converting to Catholicism prior to execution. However, Clifford Boggess had many Christian friends he consulted with. Boggess was the youngest of 10 children, given up for adoption at a very young age, soon to move in with his foster father’s parents in Texas. These sociodemographic characteristics of the offender will be helpful in further analyzing his felonies. Sociodemographic characteristics...
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...Compare and Contrast American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro focussing on the topic of the unreliable narrator The unreliable narrator is a technique used by authors where a scenario is created in which the reader cannot trust the narration of the book usually done in the first person. In American psycho, Ellis explores the sinister nature of Wall Street yuppie culture by examining the sanity of the narrating protagonist Patrick Bateman using the unreliable narrator. Ishiguro also uses this, exploring ideas of regret and also self-justification in the character of Mr Stevens in The Remains of the Day. Unlike Ellis who examines Bateman during his early working years, in his mid-twenties and presenting a snapshot of his life, Ishiguro uses his take on the unreliable narrator to look at Stevens towards the end of his life using a series of flashbacks narrated unreliably, by Stevens. Both novels are comparable in the sense they examine the topic of failure using unreliable narrators that will do anything to escape the idea that they are failures. A popular debate regarding American Psycho is whether Patrick Bateman is a murderer or not, certainly Bateman describes in detail of murders he commits and why he commits them, however, certain factors bring Bateman’s reliability of narration into question. Bruno Zerweck argues that due to the lack of ‘detective framework’ and ‘unintentional self-incrimination’ the narration of the novel is...
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