...The mind is a powerful tool that could make an individual partake in evil acts. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a novella that portrays how one man’s mind becomes entranced in good and evil. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses symbolic figures such as the door while using themes of good vs evil and the deceptive appearances of Jekyll and Hyde. The door, in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, withholds Dr. Jekyll’s secrets while hiding his evil doings. In the critical essay, Campbell described the door as, “ Located midway between the front door of the house ‘which wore a great air of wealth and comfort,’ and the battered back door ‘round the corner’ which is Hyde’s entrance, the red door is the entrance to the room where Jekyll’s ‘pleasures...
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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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...Strange Case and The Murders: Dividing Human Minds Alexis Osorio DeVry University There can be no up without down, no dark without bright, and no wrong without right; the same idea can be applied to the human mind. There is some sort of duality in the human mind and has been a recurring theme of discussion in many stories. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Strange Case) (Stevenson, 1886) brings the topic of human duality to the forefront by observing it from a third person point of view. Edgar Allan Poe brings up human duality too from a first person point of view in his work The Murders in the Rue Morgue (The Murders)(1841). Strange Case is about an internal struggle that is externalized, while The Murders shows no struggle between the characters. The former about the concept of self-control, while the latter on mental capacity. Although both stories show it in very different ways, the underlying theme is the same, the duality of the human mind is true and apparent but cannot be separated. It may help to demonstrate the nature of human duality with another concept that is physical but not human, the wave-particle duality. This concept is derived from the nature of light, or electromagnetism. Classically, people, especially scientist, used to believe that waves and particles were two separate entities but after an experiment (the double-slit experiment) found that light behaves as both at the same time. This concept shook science from the very foundation upon...
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...Gordon’s “Can We Love Our Battering Fathers?”: How it is created by Literary Devices and Devices of Emphasis In the essay by Helen H. Gordon, Gordon illustrates that her father is the primary cause of her despair. It is a reflective essay that shows how the relationship of Gordon to her father suffers from his beating of the mother. She expresses her haunting despair through the use of diction, parallelism, and allusion. The choice of words that Gordon uses paint an image of her despair. “What my sister and I have not been able to reconcile, is Dad’s treatment of Mother—gentle, loving Mother, who lived for her family and adored her husband, the quintessential traditional woman, domestic and submissive even to the point of martyrdom” (par. 5). She describes her mother as the very essence of a traditional woman. An image of a warm, gentle loving woman is seen. In contrast, Gordon describes the last act of violence of the father against the mother: “We watched in terror as Dad pushed Mother down two flights of stairs and pummeled her crumpled body as we ran, barefooted and nightgowned, for help” (par. 9) An image of an evil, violent man is seen breaking the very being of the mother. A young girl seeing her warm, loving mother being broken mentally is traumatizing. Gordon alludes to popular literary works of fiction to express her despair. In the beginning of the essay while picking out a Father’s Day card, she thinks of what Cordelia says to King Lear, “I love you according to my...
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...The Sybil Beauty In life we, as children, are taught to be ourselves in this world. There’s nothing else you can be, or so I thought. This novel has given me a better look into what being “two-faced” or, on a more ironic note, a “Jekyll and Hyde” means. Stevenson’s right, “man is not truly one, but truly two.”, and sometimes more. Me at school, and me at home are two extremely different things. At school I’m quiet, shy, and drastically soft-spoken. I always have been, and probably always will be. My friends like me for that quality. That’s with friends though. One of my teachers this year constantly harps on my quietness. He says hi to me in the mornings, and it seems to me that he always says something like, “Why do you always sound so timid when I say hi to you? You’re not like that during class. So, why so shy now?” I’ve never legitimately answered him. But, I honestly don’t know why, because I’m only like that in school. Sure, I’m a little soft spoken, and sure I’m not the most talkative in that class, but I’m not unconfident. I’m just naturally soft spoken. I don’t normally raise my hand and blurt out answers, or go up to a teacher and have a random conversation. I don’t like talking in front of people, because I’m afraid of what they think. I’m afraid of being judged. It’s like I’m a whole other person. Frightened, and timid. On the other hand, at home I am a COMPLETELY different person. If my mom was to hear any of my teachers say, “She’s just an angel.”, or “She’s...
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...The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 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. At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face, but more often and loudly in the acts of his life. He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years. But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove. 'I incline to, Cain's heresy,' he used to say. 'I let my brother go to the devil in his quaintly: 'own way.' In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of down-going men. And to such as these, so long as they came about his chambers, he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour. No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson; for he was undemonstrative at the best, and even his friendship seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good-nature. It is the mark of a modest...
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...distribution channel, personnel and communication. Brand of choice: Batman (fictional character, superhero category) Purpose / Philosophy of the Brand: Providing entertainment, delight and peace of mind for the audience in the idea of a world with absolute justice being served, adulation for the perpetrator of absolute justice. Human insight / truth that the brand is based on: People would relate strongly with a definition of justice that entails a strong moral code and self-restraint, and the triumph of man’s intellect over everything else. Benefit: Entertainment, reassurance at idealistic identity. What makes it believable: Vulnerability, lack of superpowers – human-like, sentimental nature of the superhero, Jekyll and Hyde nature of identities (Hyde being a farce) What makes it distinctive: 1.) Pure human (as against alien, mutant, morphed-human) 2.) Physical strength as a manifestation of intellect (competes only with Iron-Man of Marvel) 3.) Two lives – Bruce Wayne and Batman (as against Iron-Man’s single identity) 4.) Associated apparel and motifs (bat as the symbol...
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...Evolution of a Jekyll and Hyde Personality 1886, was the birth of Jekyll and Hyde, published by Robert Louis Stevenson. Known to be one of Stevenson’s best novels, the novel is about a doctor named Henry Jekyll who struggles with the inner conflict of dual personalities with his hidden evil persona, Edward Hyde. Dr. Jekyll was a prominent doctor who is widely respected in his era. In addition, his friendly demeanor made him well connected and well liked. But despite being so well made, Dr Jekyll was seen spending a great deal of his time battling strong evil urges which he found repugnant for his stature. Believing that two entities were living inside his body, he tries to develop a serum in an attempt to repress such urges, but in doing so, Dr Jekyll unleashed an even more dreadful representation of the pure evil that resided within him, who is known as Mr Hyde. With no moral vindication, Hyde committed heinous acts of brutality and murder with often no remorse. As time went by, Hyde became a larger entity in his body as Jekyll was slowly succumbing to the thrills and immoral freedom that Hyde gave in his rampage. The aforementioned novel was written as a fiction in the Victorian age of the 1800s, but dual personalities are still apparent and very real in today’s context. This behavior is scientifically known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), or better known for its previous appellant, Multiple personality Disorder (MPD). Much like Jekyll and Hyde’s dual personality...
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...How has your study of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and an appropriation of your own choosing enhanced your understanding of how and why cultural values are maintained and changed? “The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson, follows the duplicitous notion of a single body containing both the erudite Dr. Jekyll and the depraved Mr. Hyde. Stevenson’s novella imagines an inextricable link between civilization and savagery, and the palpable influence of cultural value and standard. Set within the height of the Victorian era circa 1886, this duality of human nature is examined by a specific Eurocentric interpretation, narrated by the mild-mannered lawyer Mr Utterson. Steven Moore’s filmic appropriation of the original novella is the BBC television series “Jekyll”, which encapsulates the similar split personality of Dr Tom Jackman and his alter ego ‘Mr Hyde’, within today’s current context. Through analysis of both the novella and the first episode of the film adaptation, a clear similarity between both protagonist’s circumstances is observed. However, the effects societal interpretation has on this controversy is varied in such a way, which distorts the very nature of duplicity, and thus the definition of the classic trope of Jekyll and Hyde. Social respectability and the desire to pursue pleasure both offer the fantasy solution of having a second self to carry the burden of one’s vices. Dr Jekyll explores the circumstance of an educated, Victorian...
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...Create a character chart detailing description and personality and appearances of Jekyll and Hyde. Hyde. 1. “He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.” In this quotation it appears in Chapter 1, “Story of the Door,” when Enfield relates to Utterson how he watched Hyde trample a little girl. When Utterson asks his friend to describe Hyde’s appearance, Enfield, as the quote indicates, is unable to describe a clear portrait. He claims that Hyde is deformed, ugly, and inspires an immediate revulsion, and he cannot say why. 2. “I looked down; my clothes hung formlessly on my shrunken limbs; the hand that lay on my knee was corded and hairy. I was once more Edward Hyde.” The above description implies that Jekyll, in becoming Hyde, is regressing into the primitive and coming closer to the violent, amoral world of animals. 3. “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...
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...The attempt to separate the evil from the good didn’t end well for Dr. Jekyll because his dark side took more control. He tried to not turn into Mr. Hyde but the monster arose within him at times unwillingly and unplanned. Dr. Jekyll really tried to stop the creature inside him but “The powers of Hyde seemed to have grown with the sickliness of Jekyll.”(Greenblatt) The bad side within him was growing stronger and doing bad things that made him somewhat complete. I think that even though he didn’t want to do bad things that side sort of balanced him out. His evil side got even worse as the story progressed. The horrible Mr. Hyde was “a creature new to me; shaken with inordinate anger, strung to pitch of murder, lusting to inflict pain.”(Greenblatt)...
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...The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of the greatest examples in literature showing the faults of humankind. Many of Dr. Jekyll’s colleagues and other scientists warned against him pursuing the path of unknown science, however, he was careless and ignored all of them. Both Jekyll and Hyde suffered addiction and were too weak-willed to overcome their temptations. The two sides of one person, Jekyll and Hyde, representing the battle between good and evil. The body below shall prove the three faults of humankind that can be found in the novel. The first point shows that there were much carelessness and ignorance in the novel. In the novel, Jekyll explains how the science community advised against going through...
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...of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by author Robert Stevenson, is a story about Dr. Jekyll, a well respected wealthy doctor, who believes that man is truly two separate people. One evil, and one good. As he goes down the path of finding the best of both worlds he creates a potion that allows him to become the darker half of himself, named Mr. Hyde. As murders and strange encounters start happening, those close to Dr. Jekyll notice that he is acting strange. Not knowing about his other side, they realize that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have some sort of relationship. As Jekyll’s transformations become out of control, his friends soon find out the truth, that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. In this novel, Stevenson illustrates that every person has a good and evil side, it is just a matter of making sure one doesn’t overpower the other....
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...In the novel Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses imagery, diction, and details to create a mysterious mood.The book Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a very old classic written in the Victorian London time period. The book was written after he had a nightmare and that gave him the inspiration to write the book. The book turned out to be a big success and is now a inspiration to many people to do many different things. In his book there is a lot of imagery, diction, and details that make the book better and more enjoyable book to read. Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde uses a lot of imagery in the book in different ways to make the book better. As stated from the book “the door… was blistered and destained.” This was on page 49. This quote from the book conveys imagery by using details about how the door looks and the two words also sound like mysterious or dark words to help with the mood of the story. As said from the book “ As he spoke into a large, low roofed, comfortable hall… “ this was on page 62, This shows imagery by using key adjectives in order to give a picture in your head on how the place looks. “... by a bright, open fire, and furnished with costly cabinets of oak “ this was on page 62, this creates imagery by using descriptive words to help create a detailed picture in your mind about what the place looks like. In conclusion the book Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde uses very descriptive and detailed imagery in the book. The book Dr.Jekyll and...
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