OPTION ONE:
This exercise is not to be less than one typed double-spaced pages.
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.
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17 comments:
Jordan Botta
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
September 9, 2007
The strange case…-Option 2
“This, then, is the last time, short of a miracle, that Henry Jekyll can think his own thoughts or see his own face (now how sadly altered!) in the glass. Nor must I delay too long to bring my writing to an end; for if my narrative has hitherto escaped destruction, it has been by a combination of great prudence and great good luck. Should the throes of change take me in the act of writing it, Hyde will tear it in pieces; but if some time shall have elapsed after I have laid it by, his wonderful selfishness and circumscription to the moment will probably save it once again from the action of his ape-like spite. And indeed the doom that is closing on us both has already changed and crushed him. Half an hour from now, when I shall again and forever re-indue that hated personality, I know how I shall sit shuddering and weeping in my chair, or continue, with the most strained and fearstruck ecstasy of listening, to pace up and down this room (my last earthly refuge) and give ear to every sound of menace. Will Hyde die upon the scaffold? or will he find courage to release himself at the last moment? God knows; I am careless; this is my true hour of death, and what is to follow concerns another than myself. Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end.”
-Dr. Henry Jekyll
This passage is most likely the most moving and relevant passage of the book. It describes in detail the struggle of the respectable, controlled, genius Dr. Henry Jekyll, and the hated, shameless, madman, Mr. Edward Hyde. It highlights the meaning of the story: the essence of change. The passage is the most moving in the book for me, because it is basically an obituary. Dr. Jekyll is, in a sense, dying in this passage. In fact, he actually refers to this final transformation as “my true hour of death”. I think the passage is most important, because in the midst of the story, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were interloped. Dr. Jekyll had control over the transformations; not over what Mr. Hyde did, but the appearance of Mr. Hyde in general. However, as the book continues, that sense of dominance over Mr. Hyde starts to decline and diminish. A shift of power takes place, and Mr. Hyde begins to think and act on his own accord, and overrides Dr. Jekyll’s own will. (In fact, the use of the “will” in the story has two meanings. Dr. Jekyll gives all of his inheritance to Mr. Hyde in the form of a Will, written by Mr. Utterson. This gives Mr. Hyde control over Mr. Jekyll’s “will”).
Although Mr. Hyde will in fact take over after Dr. Jekyll transforms, the latter still has an undoubted sense of control. And that control is not in a literal sense, but in an unspoken fear. Mr. Hyde knows that Mr. Jekyll despises him, and he knows that he will do anything to get rid of him. Mr. Hyde has a fear of death that Dr. Jekyll does not. So Mr. Hyde needs to take over permanently to ensure that Dr. Jekyll will not do away with the both of them. That sense of control is finally ended when Dr. Jekyll runs out of the elixir that allowed him to be free from the torture of Mr. Hyde. Ironically, the elixir that allowed Dr. Jekyll to transform into Mr. Hyde did the opposite towards the end of his life.
The passage I chose brings out the climax and dramatic end of two ill-fated men. It is the final hours of a tortured soul torn between the threshold of sanity and insanity: The life he loves, and the unfortunate path that he chose. It is the tragic end of a genius’ attempt to rid the world of evil. Ironically, he only accomplished the opposite. The presence of Mr. Hyde was, in short unnatural and ill-conceived from the beginning. It was a shift in the cosmos that an unaccounted evil was unleashed upon the world. It is a travesty that a man so noble fell in a vain cause. Sometimes evil does triumph in the end. Here, the life of the great Dr. Jekyll came to a final and insufferable end.
Posted by Jordan Botta at 4:22 PM
1 comments:
Bill McLean said...
Bill McLean
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
9/8/07
The Hyde Scandal Remix
I was coming home from some place at the end of the city at about 11 o’clock of a dark winter night, and my way passed through a part of town where there was nothing to be seen but street lights. Block, after block, all the people were asleep, block after block all lit up like a thousand suns but was as dead as the desert. I got into that state of mind where a man wants to see a policeman. All of a sudden, I saw two figures: one was a monster-like figure, the other a little girl running. They ran into each other at the corner; and then the most horrifying thing happened; the man calmly ran over the little girl and left her there screaming. It was devilish to see. It was not like a man at all but more like a Juggernaut. I chased after him, grabbed him by the neck, and dragged him back to the group that had already gathered around the screaming girl. The hideous man was perfectly calm, but gave me one ugly look that made me sweat and feel uncomfortable. The doctor came out and said the girl was more frightened than hurt. Every time the doctor looked at him he had the desired to kill him; and killing being out of the question, the doctor leaped up and walked right over to the gruesome looking man and started to beat him down to the ground. A full blown fight broke out, some jumped in to help the doctor and others tried to break it up. The fighting soon ceased as myself and the girl’s family told the devilish man that we would make this scandal known to the world, and would blacken his name throughout London.
Chapter 1, Pages 7-8 “‘I was coming home from . . . from one end of London to the other.’”
Dave Kocinski
Bro. Rob Peach
Eng 141. British Lit.
9/9/07
The Vermont Murder Case (Option 1)
Nearly a month later, on the day of October 19, New York erupted in a crime scene and all were infuriated by the murder of John Vermont. This case has few details and shocked everyone throughout the country. A butler who lived alone in a house not far from the lake went to rest for the night at ten o’ clock. Though a mist covered the city in little time, the earliest of the night was still clear, which the butler’s window overlooked, was lit by a half-moon. It looked as if he were under a spell of romance, because he sat on his box, which was right under his window, and started to daydream. Never (he used to say, with tears rolling down his face, when he told of that experience), never had he felt peaceful with all women or showed more respect for the world. And when he sat there he thought of a young and beautiful woman with blonde hair, coming in closer along the lane; and advancing to meet her, another very tall woman, whom he paid less attention to. When they had come to hearing distance (which was just under the man’s eyes) the young lady curtsied and addressed the other in a very polite way. It did not seem like the subject of her speech was very important, but, from her point of view, it occasionally felt like she was inquiring only her way; but moonshine was on her face as she spoke, and the man was glad to watch this, for it seemed to exhale such an innocent and medieval kindness of disposition, yet with something high too, just like a well-founded self-esteem. Occasionally his eye gazed at the other lady, and was shocked to see in her a Ms. Chamberlain, who once visited his master and whom he developed a strong dislike. She had in her own hand a glowing staff, which she was insignificant to; but she never said a word, and appeared to listen with very little patience. And all of a sudden she broke out in an uproar of anger, stomping her foot, furiously shaking the staff, and carrying on (as the man described it) like a madman. The young woman took a step back, using the air of someone who was very much shocked and a child-like pain; and with that Ms. Chamberlain came out of the shell and smashed her into the earth. And the next thing, with gorilla-like anger, she was stomping her victim under foot, and throwing down a storm of blows, under which her bones were completely destroyed and the body jumped on the road way. At the terror of these visions and dreams, the man fainted.
Chapter 4, Pages 21-22
“Nearly a year later,… the maid fainted.”
Zachary Polk
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
9/10/07
“Dr. Jekyll’s Will”
“There he opened his safe, took from the most private part of it a document endorsed on the envelope as Dr. Jekyll’s Will, and sat down with a clouded brow to study its contents. The will was holograph, for Mr. Utterson, though he took charge of it now that it was made, had refused to lend the least assistance in the making of it; it provided not only that, in case of the decease of Henry Jekyll, M.D., D.C.L., L.L.D., F.R.S., etc., all his possessions were to pass into the hands of his “friend and benefactor Edward Hyde,” but that in case of Dr. Jekyll’s “disappearance or unexplained absence for any period exceeding three calendar months,” the said Edward Hyde should step into the said Henry Jekyll’s shoes without further delay and free from any burthen or obligation, beyond the payment of a few small sums to the members of the doctor’s household. This document had long been the lawyer’s eyesore. It offended him both as a lawyer and as a lover of the sane and customary sides of life, to whom the fanciful was the immodest. And hitherto it was ignorance of Mr. Hyde that had swelled his indignation; now, by a sudden turn, it was his knowledge. It was already bad enough when the name was but a name of which he could learn no more. It was worse when it began to be clothed upon with detestable attributes; and out of the shifting, insubstantial mists that had so long baffled his eye, there leaped up the sudden, definite presentment of a fiend.”
-- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The passage from the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde I chose was the passage when Mr. Utterson took out an envelope and read the will of Dr. Jekyll. While he was reading the will he found out that Dr. Jekyll willed nothing to his longtime friend Mr. Utterson.
There are a few reasons why I chose this passage for this assignment. The first reason is why did Dr.Jekyll not will any of his possessions to his best friend, for what it seems a longtime Mr. Utterson. Another reason I chose this passage is, why does Dr. Jekyll will all of his possessions to a mysterious and unknown character Mr.Hyde. Finally, what made this Mr. Hyde character a better suitor to Dr. Jekyll’s possessions, than his longtime friend Mr. Utterson? All of these reasons I have stated about this story built up my curiosity, which helped me to continue reading. This is the main reason why I chose this passage.
This passage tells me a couple important rules about friendship. One rule this passage offers me is trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is one of the main rules of this friendship, it appears Mr. Utterson trusted that Dr. Jekyll would do the right thing with the will and he obviously didn’t do so. Another rule this passage offers is honesty. I concluded by the actions of Mr. Utterson that Dr. Jekyll promised him something, but didn’t live up to the promise.
So as you can see this small part of the story turned out to be a very interesting and powerful passage.
Kevin Bojarski
Bro. Rob Peach
Eng. 141. British Lit.
Sept 10, 2007
The “Other” Last Night (Option 1)
Dr. Michaels was settled in front of the television one evening after a night out on the town, when he was interrupted by a visit from Mr. Carter.
“My good Carter, to what do I owe this honor?” he exclaimed, but at a second glance, he realized that all was not well. “What seems to be the matter?” he asked.
“Dr. Michaels,” he said, “we have a problem.”
“Here, take my chair, and have this coke,” said the Doctor.
“Now settle down, and tell me exactly what the issue is.”
“Sir, you are aware of my brother’s condition,” returned Carter, “and the many addictions that he fights. Well, I think he may have given in to one, or possibly more then one of them sir, and I have a bad feeling about it this time. Dr. Michaels, I’m scared.”
“Now Carter, before you go making this kind of accusation,” said Michaels “you must be certain. Are you certain?”
“I’ve been suspicious of his actions for almost a month now,” stated Carter, as if he didn’t even hear the question, “and I can’t stand one more moment of it”
The body language of Mr. Carter spoke out just as loud as the words from his mouth, and with this last statement, his mood worsened; and except for the moment when he first stated the case, his eyes never met with the doctors. At this moment, he sat perfectly still with his coke on the table, never touched, and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
“Let us go then,” shouted Michaels, “you have more than convinced me, Carter; I can sense that something is not right.”
“I suspect that there has been foul play” said carter, blatantly.
“Foul Play” exclaimed the lawyer, in a justifiably worried tone. “What foul play, what do you mean?”
“I cannot say sir” was the response; “but let us hurry so you can see for yourself.”
No further words were said, the Doctors only response was to get up and retrieve his hat and walking stick, but as he got up, he noticed the great sense of ease that was now on his visitor’s face and, none-the-less, when Carter arose, his coke was still untouched.
-The first paragraph in chapter 8, “Mr. Utterson was sitting… he set it down to follow”
Frank Intrieri
Bro. Rob Peach
Eng 141. British Lit.
9/10/07
Nearly 10 years later, in the month of December, Pittsburgh was shattered by a crime and everyone was angry by the murder of the mayor. The details were very limited. The manager living with the mayor went to rest for the night at twelve o’ clock. Although the fog blanketed the city, earliest of the night was still clear; the night was still bright from the light of the moon. It looked as if he were under a spell of romance, because he sat on his box, which was right under his window, and started to daydream. Never had he felt peaceful with all women or showed more respect for the world. Then he sat there he thought of a young and gorgeous woman with brown hair, coming in closer along the alley; and coming to meet her, another very tall woman, whom he didn’t pay attention to. When they came within distance the young lady spoke to the other in a very polite way. It did not seem like the subject of her speech was important, but, from the point of view, it occasionally felt like she was inquiring only her way; but moonshine was on her face as she spoke, and the man was glad to watch this, for it seemed to exhale such an innocent and medieval kindness of disposition, yet with something high too. The young woman took a step back, using the air of someone who was very much shocked and a child-like pain, and with that he came out of his nest and rumbled the earth. And the next thing with all his strength he was beating him with blows all over his body. And the mayor laying there, dead.
Taylor Maglin
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
9/10/07
What Stevenson left out...
Tim was relaxing on his couch this one night after the club, when he heard a knock at his Door, It was his friend Bill. “What are you doing here man?” said Tim; and then noticing Bill’s bloody nose, “What happened?” he added; “Did your girlfriend beat you up again?”
“Tim,” said Bill, “My car got jacked.” “That sucks, come on in and have a beer,” said Tim.
“So tell me how did this happen.” “I was in the Hill District,” replied Bill, “And I was bumpin some Tupac. Out of no where 2 guys jump in the street; I had to stop, I wasn’t going to kill them. So when I stopped they pulled me out of my car, beat me up, And stole my car.” “Wow, im surprised your alive,” said Tim “I still don’t get it, how did you get to my house?” “How do you think?” said Bill, sarcastically, “ I walked man.” Tim thought this was all B.S.; Bill loves Beer; and it wouldn’t be surprising if he made this up just to get a few, or many. Tim also noticed Bill drank 7 beers since he’s been here, Bill just kept downin beer after beer, it was ridiculous. “This story better not be B.S.,” said Tim “it’s the truth,” replied bill, “You sure man, cause you pulled something like this before; and I know you’d do anything for a couple beers. So this better be legit.” “It is man,” said Bill, loudly. “Don’t lie man!” said Tim, pretty pissed and angry at this point. “ I swear man! How don’t you believe me?” “I want to man, it just seems too crazy to be true,’’ answered Tim, “I believe you man, So why is your mom so hot?” asked Tim. Bill’s only answer to the question was to get up, and walk out; as soon as Bill walked out, Tim locked the door and enjoyed the rest of that night.
Pg.46-47 starting at the top and ending the line before the "It was Wild" paragraph starts
Nick Lucia
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit
10 September 2007
The Race
Option 1 Pg. 21-22
(The Carew Murder Case)
Almost a week before, in the spring season of 2007, the Midwest had been shocked by the Championship Crew Race of immense difficulty and was largely publicized because of how much the crew won by. The specifics were jumbled but amazing. A ferry boat driver alone in his boat near the race site, had been approaching the race around midday. Despite the many fans expected to be everywhere, at the current time the crowd was scant, and the line of sight, where the driver’s boat overlooked, had been clearly visible from the shining sun. It appears he was tired for he lay on the deck, where the racing was easily seen, and spiraled into a dream-like state. Never (he had narrated, with a look of awe, when he told of this tale) not once before did he feel so relaxed of comfortable. And as he lay ha became aware of a young eight with unfamiliar uniforms. Beginning to come closer to the starting line, and coming up to encounter them, there was a larger crew, whom he didn’t even notice at first. When they had come within a close range (which just happened to be right in front of the ferry boat driver) the young crew waved and said good luck to the other with food sportsmanship. That didn’t seem to be that significant; but. From the gestures, the coxswain seemed to be only asking about the course; but the light shone on them as he spoke, and the man liked watching them, they seemed to emanate and excited and eager attitude, jet with something high too, as of a satisfied entity. Then his sight slid over to the other crew, and he was surprised to realize that they were certainly a college crew, whose coach once talked to his boss and for whom he developed hatred. The college crew had large guys, who where all stretching; and they didn’t respond at all, and seemed not to be interested at all. The from start to finish the college crew completely dominated, grunting, yelling, and flipping out (as the driver described it) like monsters. The young crew was startled by the ferocity, with fear in their eyes and inferiority in their hearts; and then the college crew began their sprint. And after that, with monster like rage, they were moving with every stroke, and destroying their chances, of which they knew they had none of now. After witnessing that horrible beating the ferry driver passed out.
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.
Sean Dietz
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141. British Lit.
9/10/07
“What Happened to John?”
Matt and John were best friends during and after college. They both went to medical school to be doctors. Matt always ate at John’s apartment for dinner. But, when Matt went over one night to eat at John’s apartment, John’s door was locked and he was in the room making weird noises. So Matt kept trying to go over John’s night after night, but the same thing happened. Some people who live next to John told Matt that John was making weird noises day and night and that he was acting crazy 24/7. Matt failed to make his way into John’s apartment for a week. So the next night he brought a pistol with him and shot at his door until it opened. John’s room was a mess. It looked like someone threw all of his possessions everywhere. John could barely walk because there was literally no room on the floor to walk due to junk being everywhere. Matt was looking for John and he finally found him in his bedroom closet. He looked like he was going to die any second. John looked really pale, all of his flesh was torn off, he lost all of his hair, and he looked twenty years older than he was. This was weird, considering that John was a doctor. So Matt tried to help him, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. John was a doctor and he was about to die? It was a bizarre setting. John knew he was going to die and he did the next morning.
Ch. 6, pages 31-32
“On the 8th of January…Lanyon declared himself a doomed man.”
Dante Odorisio
Bro. Robert Peach
ENG 141.British Lit.
9/11/07
The Internal Struggle
“I resolved in my future conduct to redeem the past; and I can say with honesty that my resolve was fruitful of some good. You know yourself how earnestly, in the last months of the last year, I laboured to relieve suffering; you know that much was done for other, and that the days passed quietly, almost happily for myself. Nor can I truly say that I wearied of this beneficent and innocent life; I think instead that I daily enjoyed it more completely; but I was still cursed with my duality of purpose; and as the first edge of my penitence wore off, the lower side of me, so long indulged, so recently chained down, began to growl for license. Not that I dreamed of resuscitating Hyde; the bare idea of that would startle me to frenzy: no, it was in my own person that I was once more tempted to trifle with my conscience; and it was as an ordinary secret sinner that I at last fell before the assaults of temptation.”
I chose this passage from “Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case,” because to me it exemplifies the internal struggle that plagues Dr. Jekyll and drives the plot conflict. In addition, it speaks truth to the self-identity conflicts we face when we commit good for sinful reasons, “but I was still cursed with my duality of purpose.” We as people do not have to contend with the rigidly dual nature that Jekyll-Hyde faces, but we do have to struggle with the temptations of everyday living. These temptations can be very great; as students, we struggle with the temptations of cheating and academic dishonesty. Socially, we wrestle with the temptations to be closed minded or “clicky.”
This passage is poignant to me, because it speaks not just of Dr. Jekyll’s fictional internal struggle, but also, of our trials and tribulations as students and young men. Jekyll says, “that my resolve was fruitful of some good… and that the days passed quietly, almost happily for myself.” However, even in light of his prosperity and efficiency, Jekyll folds to the pressure of temptation. This tells me, that even on a good day, temptation will forever be at my door—and at everyone’s door for that matter. Therefore, we will forever grapple with our own darker sides, just as Dr. Jekyll does. In fact, even when committing an act with righteous intentions, we may wind up with unintended consequences. In order to do the right thing, we have to know ourselves primarily, and we must understand that a positive and consistent self-identity is the true key to attaining the goals we set for ourselves. Jekyll did not know himself well enough to know that he had a potentially overwhelming darker side. We should take this as a cautionary tale to take a step back, look in the mirror, and reevaluate ourselves.
Sam Viola
Bro. Rob Peach
EN 141. British Lit.
September 10, 2007
Option 2
"Even at that time, I had not yet conquered my aversion to the dryness of a life of study. I would still be merry disposed at times; and as my pleasures were (to say the least) undignified, and I was not only well known and highly considered, but growing towards the elderly man, this incoherency of my life was daily growing more unwelcome. It was on this side that my new power tempted me until I fell in slavery. I had but to drink the cup, to doff at once the body of the noted professor, and to assume, like a thick cloak, that of Edward Hyde."-Stevenson 59
I chose this passage, because Henry Jekyll had come to a realization that he had led a life of study, and he hated the "dryness" of that life. He was growing old and wanted to escape his life and get a renewed youth. Jekyll accomplished this by using his expertise, that he got from his life of study, to create a mixture that not only gave him a youthful feeling, but transformed him into a totally different person. I feel that Jekyll's actions, are an extreme example of what many middle-age adults go through, mid-life crisis.
Many a people come to the age that they take a step back and look at their life, and what they have accomplished. Some are satisfied with themselves but there are those who, like Jekyll, have come to a realization that they have led an uneventful life. It is at this time in their life that they try to make up for the "dryness" in their life. They do this, by making radical changes in their everyday life. These changes are comparable to what Henry Jekyll's transformation did to him. They feel younger, have a sense of accomplishment, and they show to others, but mostly to themselves that they can be spontaneous and exciting.
These people that are going through a mid-life crisis, usually do things that they normally would never think of doing. Some buy an expensive car, others a house, even more quit their jobs (which they believe are causing their lives to be dull), and there are those few who under go a total personality reform. Though these things may seem to be bettering their life, in the end they are still getting older and no mater what they do to make their life more exciting, it will still come to an end, just like Henry Jekyll's.Thus what this passage is trying to say is that you should live your life to the fullest every day, and not wait until you have wasted most of it to find out that you are unsatisfied with what you have become.
Mike Nuttle
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Lit.04
11 September 2007
Coach
When the time came, he turned out the lights, put on his shoes, and headed out for Marino Field, that Coliseum of Sports, where his teammate, the amazing Joe, had established a dynasty, and welcomed his many fans. “If anyone could fix it, it would be Joe” he thought.
The intense coach greeted him; he was ushered quickly, directly from the parking lot to the field, where Joe stood alone with a ball. Joe was a young, strong, healthy, spectacular athlete with platinum blonde hair; with a commanding look about him. When he saw John, he jumped up from stretching on the ground and gave him a high-five. His strength, which he had taken years to develop, was pleasing to the eye, and it showed his work ethic. These were two old allies, teammates from an early age, each respecting each other’s skills, and, what is not always implied, loved to play with each other.
After a little bit of small talk John brought up an uncomfortable subject.
“I suspect, Joe, that you and I must be the best players the coach has” said John.
“I wish our comrades were better” Joe declared, “But what about it? Coach is going to retire after this year.”
“Yeah, I thought you might find that interesting” said John.
“I do” was the reply. “Because the coach has been faithful to this team for over ten years now. I think something has gone wrong in his mind, and though, obviously, I still worry about him because he has been so good to me, and he just hasn’t been the same recently. It’s really unbelievable,” Joe announced, producing a disturbed look, “we use to be such good friends.”
Joe’s frustration relieved John, “It’s a good thing I’m not the only one worried about Coach” he thought, and being the good friend that he was (especially to the members of his team) and then he added: “Something is seriously wrong with him!”
Imitation of a passage from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
Chapter 2: Search for Mr. Hyde
Pages 13-14
Starting with the paragraph that opens with “With that he blew out his candle, put…”
Ending with the paragraph that opens with “This little spirit of temper…”
Jon Brewton
Bro. Robert Peach
Eng. 141 British Lit
9/11/07
“High School and Human Nature” (Option 1)
Citation: Chapter One, Page 3, Begins: … All at once, I saw two figures:, Ends: So had the child’s family which was only natural.
I entered the crowded hallways bustling with people: It was in this mass of a crowd a burly senior football player strolled with a cocky confidence, coming from the other side of the hall was a scraggly freshman with an “ACDC” shirt crawling down the hall with a nervous pensiveness about him. Well friend, on a normal day the two crossing paths would have been as common as the passing wind; this day however things went foul in a hurry; as the two crossed paths the football player without warning grabbed the wiry framed boy and slammed his brittle body into an adjacent locker leaving him crumbled breathless in the corner. The sight of the incident was painful, but the sound of the boys shattered corpse is what truly resonated throughout the hall. It was the quickest transformation; the once untouchable football player was cowering like a little boy at the damage he incurred. Once glancing at the football player, I rushed to the boy, a crowd had already formed around him, the situation looked bleak. The football player stood emotionless in the hall, his large frame providing no resistance to people pushing him away forming a circle around the boy, reality began to sink in as was evident in the change in his skin color from a vibrant tan to ghost white. The first person of authority to arrive being a health teacher; shortly after that, the paramedics, whom the principal had called using a special phone, arrived promptly. The boy’s body was limp and lifeless, he had no chance for survival, this was how the paramedic’s official report read; for most this report marked the beginning of the process of recovery from a horrendous tragedy. I on the other hand had more devious thoughts in the aftermath. I shot a glance at the most mortifying and vile creature crying and felt nothing but anger and discontent for this disgusting subhuman hominoid. I like the boy’s family never learned to forgive the football player, and to this day I hate him from the depths of my very human heart.
Brandon Strahler
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141.British Literature
9/11/07
Passage Exploration
"There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to my evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul. And yet I was not alarmed; the fall seemed natural, like a return to the old days before I had made my discovery. It was a fine, clear January day, wet under foot where the frost had melted, but cloudless overhead; and the Regents Park was full of winter chirrupings and sweet with Spring odours. I sat in the sun on a bench; the animal within me licking the chops of memory; the spiritual side a little drowsed, promising subsequent penitence, but not yet moved to begin. After all, I reflected, I was like my neighbours; and then I smiled, comparing myself with other men, comparing my active goodwill with the lazy cruelty of their neglect. And at the very moment of that vainglorious thought, a qualm came over me, a horrid nausea and the most deadly shuddering. These passed away, and left me faint; and then as in its turn the faintness subsided, I began to be aware of a change in the temper of my thoughts, a greater boldness, a contempt of danger, a solution of the bonds of obligation. 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. A moment before I had been safe of all men's respect, wealthy, beloved - the cloth laying for me in the dining-room at home; and now I was the common quarry of mankind, hunted, houseless, a known murderer, thrall to the gallows."
- Robert Louis Stevenson
I feel this passage is powerful because it is quintessential to expressing the themes and symbolism intricately woven inside The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As part of Jekyll’s confession, it describes the thought process he undergoes before reluctantly making the final transformation into the evil within him, Edward Hyde. The narrative perfectly illustrates the duality of humankind and the dominating power of evil, two predominant themes in the Stevenson’s novella. Most importantly, Jekyll’s confession, and in actuality, this individual transformation reveals the mystery of the story and represents the beginning of the end for Dr. Henry Jekyll.
As Jekyll narrates the specific transformation, I began to identify the evil that controlled his thoughts, and thus begins the point in which Hyde controls the relationship with Jekyll. The actual process in which Jekyll surrenders his body to Hyde is self described as a natural, almost nostalgic, regression into evil. This nostalgia alludes to a “brief condescension to evil.” I believe it was the author’s intention to create a subtle allusion to Jeykll’s past, therefore the reader can play an active role in inferring or creating their own opinion of the situation. As we become aware to Jekyll’s brief history in evil, Stevenson emphasizes the power Hyde’s evil developing throughout the story. “The animal within me licking at the chops of memory,” graphically details how evil inside any individual can unconsciously control them through the recollection of an even minuscule act.
The actual content within the passage makes it extremely powerful in the context of the story. The entire novella is built around the mysterious relationship between Jekyll and Hyde and questions the being of Hyde himself. At this moment, Stevenson reveals Jekyll and Hyde’s dual human relationship, but also grotesquely describes Edward Hyde with an almost animal-like presence. Since the dual reality of Jekyll and Hyde unfolds inside this passage, it could be argued that the climax of the story is reached in the excerpt. Also, the monstrous, beastlike description of Hyde plays off him as a symbol of evil. It references Hyde as “corded and hairy” and gives him an overall appearance of a barbarian. As I read the description, it allowed me to visualize Hyde and more easily understand the evil Stevenson wanted the readers to feel.
Overall, I feel the passage not only plays a critical role in the plot of the novella, but also invokes the reader’s sense of morality and allows him to formulate several different opinions concerning the excerpt. Personally, it allowed me to better understand the duality of humankind which Dr. Jekyll so strongly believed. Also, the passage gave me a feeling of judgment concerning the topics explored throughout the story, and revealed in the excerpt. I developed a view on Jekyll’s intention in the novella and predicted the consequences he would later receive. The way by which Stevenson reaches the climax, in this passage, exemplifies the talents of the author and provides a exciting part to the story.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Earl Hewitt
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141. British Lit
9/10/07
“Hyde-Indiana Style”
So i was driving home one late night, i was coming from a small town at the end of the world called Marion Center. It was 3 o' clock in the morning, it was a dreary night. I rolled into Indiana and saw the glow of the street lights and noticed no one was in sight. Except for the puking college students in a few alleys and that was about it. The one horse town is to small to send chills up your spine so i was not concerned of criminals. I creeped up to the corner of Phillie and 6th when i saw a little girl running up the street. And i thought why is she out on a night like tonight, and at this hour? Then right before my eyes i saw a man get thrown from Wolfendale's, he was drunk but looked somewhat presentable in his suit. He stumbled down the street toward his F-350 when a collision occurred all at the corner of 6th and Phillie. The poor girl got ran over and the drunk man had no idea of what had happened, he continued to walk to his truck while the girl let out a scream that was unbearable. The man got into his truck and started to swerve down the road, i pulled behind him and got him to pull over. I dragged him back up to the poor girl, her family had come out and were in shock of the incident. The man who was still some what sloshed from the bar was cool and relaxed. He seemed to not care, but myself, the family and the man went to the Indiana Hospital. There we escorted the poor girl to a doctor where i told him of what had happened. Everyone in the room came to the realization that the girl was fine and the fact of the matter was that this sick man. I told the man that i was very good friends with the owner of the Indiana Gazette (A.J Donnelly) and that i would be certain to put this ridiculous action in the paper in front of the whole town. The man seemed to be something of importance to the Courthouse because he said it would ruin his career and be severally bad. So we wagered with the man and made a deal that if he gave the family his F-350 and a new Deutz tractor that the family would not sew or cause problems. The next thing myself, the father, and the man himself went back to a strange house on the corner of 7th and Vinegar Hill. The house was a beautiful old Victorian style house, we entered the house and chilled in the wine cellar keeping an eye on the strange man. It seemed as if he did not want to us to know who he was, almost like he was incognito. At dawn we went to sign the truck over and get the family its collateral. The man seemed to look different the next day, i was suspicious that he was hiding he's identity because of embarrassment. I got a quick glimpse of the signature, it was neat and proper, I had heard it before but i could not put it together. By the end of the day I went back to the man's house and he had left, the butler said he had left for Hollywood, CA. I asked for the man's name, and i knew it as soon as i heard it. Jimmy Stewart, a famous actor. Hid himself because of fear of his acting career going down the drain,but now that you know the story of why Jimmy Stewart moved to Hollywood you must promise you'll never repeat it.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - pgs. 6-8..." I was coming home from some place..."
Monday, September 10, 2007
Earl Hewitt
Bro. Rob Peach
ENG 141. British Lit
9/10/07
“Hyde-Indiana Style”
So i was driving home one late night, i was coming from a small town at the end of the world called Marion Center. It was 3 o' clock in the morning, it was a dreary night. I rolled into Indiana and saw the glow of the street lights and noticed no one was in sight. Except for the puking college students in a few alleys and that was about it. The one horse town is to small to send chills up your spine so i was not concerned of criminals. I creeped up to the corner of Phillie and 6th when i saw a little girl running up the street. And i thought why is she out on a night like tonight, and at this hour? Then right before my eyes i saw a man get thrown from Wolfendale's, he was drunk but looked somewhat presentable in his suit. He stumbled down the street toward his F-350 when a collision occurred all at the corner of 6th and Phillie. The poor girl got ran over and the drunk man had no idea of what had happened, he continued to walk to his truck while the girl let out a scream that was unbearable. The man got into his truck and started to swerve down the road, i pulled behind him and got him to pull over. I dragged him back up to the poor girl, her family had come out and were in shock of the incident. The man who was still some what sloshed from the bar was cool and relaxed. He seemed to not care, but myself, the family and the man went to the Indiana Hospital. There we escorted the poor girl to a doctor where i told him of what had happened. Everyone in the room came to the realization that the girl was fine and the fact of the matter was that this sick man. I told the man that i was very good friends with the owner of the Indiana Gazette (A.J Donnelly) and that i would be certain to put this ridiculous action in the paper in front of the whole town. The man seemed to be something of importance to the Courthouse because he said it would ruin his career and be severally bad. So we wagered with the man and made a deal that if he gave the family his F-350 and a new Deutz tractor that the family would not sew or cause problems. The next thing myself, the father, and the man himself went back to a strange house on the corner of 7th and Vinegar Hill. The house was a beautiful old Victorian style house, we entered the house and chilled in the wine cellar keeping an eye on the strange man. It seemed as if he did not want to us to know who he was, almost like he was incognito. At dawn we went to sign the truck over and get the family its collateral. The man seemed to look different the next day, i was suspicious that he was hiding he's identity because of embarrassment. I got a quick glimpse of the signature, it was neat and proper, I had heard it before but i could not put it together. By the end of the day I went back to the man's house and he had left, the butler said he had left for Hollywood, CA. I asked for the man's name, and i knew it as soon as i heard it. Jimmy Stewart, a famous actor. Hid himself because of fear of his acting career going down the drain,but now that you know the story of why Jimmy Stewart moved to Hollywood you must promise you'll never repeat it.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - pgs. 6-8..." I was coming home from some place..."
David Juran
Bro. Rob Peach
Eng 141/British Lit
9/10/07
Incident At The Window
It happened on Monday, when Mr. Jacobs was on his usual early morning jog, with Dr. Roberts, that on their way they came through an alley that let out to the door, where they both stopped to peer upon it.
“Finally”, said Mr. Jacobs “our epic has met its finally end. We will never see of Mr. Lost again”
“I hope that is true” said Dr. Roberts “did u ever hear of my story about once seeing him and part taking in your feelings of pushing him away”.
“it would be impossible to anything but that” replied Mr. Jacobs. “ What a donkey you must have thought of me thinking I didn’t know this was a side way to Dr. Johnson’s! You happen to be partly to blame for me finding it out as I did.
“So you figured it out” interrupted Mr. Jacobs. “But if that be, we should step in. I’m being perfectly honest here, I feel queasy about our sad little friend Johnson I think all that Dr. Johnson needs is a good friend around.
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