Take Home Final: "Tag, You're it"

My Take Home Final: "Tag, You're it"

Week Two: Entry Two: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

“The creature who crept into my house that night was… know by the name of Hyde.”(Stevenson 77)-----> Using the word “creature” and then referring to the creature as Hyde tells the reader how Stevenson views criminals as non-humans. “Night” suggests the time darkest time of the day where creatures come out to attack.

“If ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend.” (Stevenson 42)-----> Hyde is so evil and inhuman they relate him to satan the name of the devil.

“...renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer… he was now no less distinguished for religion… The doctor was at peace.”(Stevenson 54)-----> When Hyde isn’t taking over the body of Dr. Jekyll he can be himself. When he puts religion first, he is more friendly, and Dr. Jekyll can be a peace.  

Evil is tangible and could be physical and/or observable. Using metaphors to describe Mr. Hyde,  Stevenson  develops the argument that humans need to protect themselves from the immoral and religion is the best way to defeat the “creature” of sin that has grown inside of Dr. Jekyll.

The evil that was taking over Dr. Jekyll was physically real and at night this creature felt right at home because the darkness of the sky matched his soul: “The creature who crept into my house that night was… know by the name of Hyde” (Stevenson 77). Stevenson uses “creature” to express to the reader how Mr. Hyde isn’t human and isn’t quite one species of animal. Hyde is so disoriented it is hard for the author to place him in a category, however Stevenson is aware of the evil category that Mr. Hyde falls into: “Crept into my house”(Stevenson 77),. the word “crept” suggests intrusion. “House” is a metaphor for the body of Dr. Jekyll, the house that Mr. Hyde intruded into against the will of Dr. Jekyll and has caused physical damage to the world around him and the inside of Dr. Jekyll’s pure body. This devilish creature will only become more physical without religion.

Mr. Utterson, the lawyer, sure did seem to think that the devilish creature will become more physical without religion when he stated,“If ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend” (Stevenson 42). Hyde is so evil and inhuman that they relate him to satan, the name of the devil. Doing this shows how the evil is physically growing onto the face of Dr. Jekyll. A face is the first thing people use to describe you from other humans, a signature is something you use to also identify yourself from others and to show ownership of. For Mr. Utterson to describe Mr. Hyde’s face like this shows how Dr. Jekyll isn’t different from the devil and in a way, owned by him. The “morals”and “values” of satan has taken over Dr. Jekyll’s body and soul, through the creature of Mr. Hyde, and left for the sane Dr. Jekyll is his mind. The mind is all that sane Dr. Jekyll needs to start defeating the creature of sin that as attached to him.

To get Mr. Hyde out of Dr. Jekyll’s metaphorical house he must first have a knowledge of what religion is and how it prevents evil from finding his way back in. The effects that Stevenson witnessed once the sin was outside of Dr. Jekyll was: “...renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer… he was now no less distinguished for religion… The doctor was at peace”(Stevenson 54). Are all things Dr. Jekyll has regained now that the creature, Mr. Hyde, has left his body and soul. Instead of Mr. Hyde using Dr. Jekyll’s body to intrude into places against the will of others, sane Dr. Jekyll uses his body to entertain his friends. Instead of Mr. Hyde giving Dr. Jekyll’s soul to the night, a time of the day covered in darkness and the unknown, he has given his soul to peace. Dr. Jekyll therefore has a feeling of freedom and tranquility.

 

Week Four: Entry One: The Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

“...With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot”(Stevenson 46)-----> The words “ape-like” suggests an animal-like quality that Hyde had when trampling the victim. Whereas the word “fury” shows the anger that an ape possesses when attacking.

“Mr. Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of the breath”(Stevenson 40)-----> “Hissing” is an action of what a snake does to warn. A snake is a devilish creature, snakes are related to the devil.

“Now that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Mr. Jekyll”(Stevenson 54)-----> Now that the evil spirits are out of Dr. Jekyll it is as if he was is entering a new phase of being. Mr. Hyde is resurrecting out of Dr. Jekyll. Without religion or the belief in a God evil will draw unto people.

Using animalistic language and metaphors to describe Hyde, Stevenson presents Hyde as a threat to Dr. Jekyll human morality because he is heartless, deceptive creature that has taken over Dr. Jekyll’s body using a physical sin. To protect humans from this immorality and adoption of animalistic qualities, Stevenson recommends religion.

Stevenson uses animal-like qualities to portray the heartless, violent, and angry Mr. Hyde inside of Dr. Jekyll. Steven Shows this by writing “...With ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot” (Stevenson 46). The words “ape-like” suggest an animal like quality that Hyde obtained when he trampled the victim. This  is a heartless act because not at anytime did Hyde stop and ask the lady if she was ok or if he was hurting her. This act also is violent because Mr. Hyde abused this lady for no real reason at all according to Stevenson. The anger of the ape took over the body of Dr. Jekyll that contained the beast of Mr. Hyde. This immortality is something found in animals and by referring to Hyde’s actions as ape-like, Stevenson shows Hyde’s immorality.

Once Stevenson saw Hyde as immoral he adopt a devilish, deceptive outlook. As Mr. Hyde was doing when he was questioned by Mr. Utterson,“Mr. Hyde shrank back with a hissing intake of the breath”(Stevenson 40). Snakes are seen as an deceptive, sly, sneaky creature as the devil. Snakes lie close to the ground and do evil acts that hurt others in their way. “Hissing” usually used as a warning side used to intimate others they encounter and may show fear towards. In this way Mr.Hyde is like a devil’s worker with his snake-like behaviors.

“Mr. Hyde appeared to be hesite”(Stevenson 41), when fear is showed vulnerability comes into effect. The devil is vulnerable like Mr. Hyde because he knows a greater power that will defeat his fear.   In this case vulnerability can be seen in a good way because it allows easy access to religion. Here Stevenson uses religion to show how it brought Dr. Jekyll back to sanity. “Now that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Mr. Jekyll”(Stevenson 54). This “new life” symbolizes the destroying of this devil creature who Stevenson refers to as Mr. Hyde. “Withdrawn” suggests the ability that Dr. Jekyll can have now that Mr. Hyde isn’t taking over his mind, body, and soul.

Entry Two: “ Victorian Psychology”: [Appendix I]

Although both authors Maudsley and Myers both believe in the “double brain” Myers linked it to having a dual identity. Myer even went as far at studying an effect young boy.

Maudsley an influential psychologists, believes that the mind could only be understood from a “physiological point of view”(193). He did this by breaking it down into two types of mental disorders, “mania and melancholia”. Maudsley believed these mental disorders had two different side effects, making it double. One side includes, “exaggerated,” “exultant,” and “delusions”, Maudsley shows his readers how people with this disorder tend to inflate thing, are to happy, and mistake where they fall in society. The other side includes, “incapacity of attention...inefficient memory...and dullness of thought. The words “incapacity,” “inefficient,” and “dullness” suggest the mental inability to stay alert, not being able to remember, and thinking as fast.

Myers along with Maudsley believed in the dual identity, but unlike Maudsley Myers took his hypothesis and experiment with a young male patients Louis. Louis was left-handed and during this age left handed people were “sinister” ( Myers 200). This suggest that being some type of sin. In addition Myers quoted, “reached a lower degree of evolution” (Myers 200). Concluding that patient like Louis haven’t yet developed into a human can be accepted in society.

Entry One:"Degeneration": [Appendix H]

Through the beliefs of Darwin and Lombroso both relate to the evilness, animal-like behaviors of young children who will become criminals , Lombroso address the different stages of a child and the older they get the more evil they become.

Darwin’s belief of evilness in humans is through “inheritance from violent progenitor” (Darwin 157) The progenitor refers to an ancestor your biologically related to. Inheritance refers to the genetic characters carried on from parents to children. He then compared his analyze to how a young child takes on the biting, like a crocodile. Darwin explains to his readers the “strange animal-like” in some children who are naturally evil and whose ancestor can be a crocodile.

Lombroso is an Italian Doctor who like Darwin believes in the animal-like behavior of children, but not the inheritance of the characteristics. She instead believes in the over time development of children's evil, that will make them criminals in their adult life. “...he would scream incessantly...with gestures similar to those often witnesses in caged bears” Caged bears suggests the animal-like characteristics of a criminal behind jail cell bars. The child screams this way because they “were not influenced by moral training and example” (Lombroso 160). She concludes that if the child was taught wrong from right at an early age they won’t develop into a criminal. However she does believe that this education of morals doesn’t restraint all children from developing into a criminal. With the tightening of the fits and movement of eyebrows in babies during the first two months suggest that age one by one, they will be throwing plates at people they dislike, as a savage would. In other words the child gets violent as they age. when the child gets violent as they age . When Lombroso wrote, “Anger is an elementary instinct inhale in human being” (Lombroso 162). Instinct refers to what you naturally do it comes apart of your customs.

Four:Chapters 11-12 (197-253)

“The poor boy was dead… There was no need for her now to stay there, in that kitchen, in that house, with that man- since that boy was gone for ever. No need whatever. And on that Mrs. Verloc rose as if raised by a sprig. But neither could she see what there was to keep her in the world at all. And this inability arrested her. Mr. Verloc watched her with a marital solicitude… At that precise moment Mrs. Verloc began to look upon herself as released from all earthly ties. She had her freedom. Her contract with existence, as represented by that man standing over there, was at end. She was a free woman.”(Conrad 212)

“But neither could she see what there was to keep her in the world at all. And this inability arrested her.”-----> Winnie feels worthless now that her mother and brother are dead. The word inability shows how much she depended on the taking care of her brother, now that he is dead she is weakened. So weakened it’s as if she is under arrest.

“...Mrs. Verloc began to look upon herself as released from all earthly ties. She had her freedom.”-----> “Earthly ties” suggest that she believed she was put on this earth to care for her mother and brother. Conrad says she is a free woman, but still refers to her as Mrs. Verloc therefore she feels free, but society still sees her as a married woman.

“Her contract with existence, as represented by that man standing over there, was at end. She was a free woman.”-----> The contract being her marriage license with Mr. Verloc. Conrad sets it up in a way which that Winnie doesn’t allow her to say Mr. Verloc name because she sees him as just a man, a not as her husband.

Although Conrad writes that Winnie is a free women and how her “contract” is now over, he doesn’t stop referring to her as Mrs. Verloc. This contrast leads the audience to believe that even when a women thinks/feels she is “free” she still has to carry the constant burden and reminder of her husband because society still refers to her by her former husband’s name. Because Winnie is now free she doesn’t know what to do with herself and feels a sense of inability.

Winnie felt obligated to care for her mother and brother because she saw it as her “earthly tied”. She felt as though now that her mother is gone and her brother is dead, the earth has released her from her duties. Conrad said, “...Mrs. Verloc began to look upon herself as released from all earthly ties. She had her freedom” (Conrad 212). Freedom means to have the independence and not being confined by her husband. If Conrad claims that Winnie has her “freedom” why does he still refer to her as Mrs. Verloc? Doing this shows the reader that Winnie is free, but still has carries the burden of her husband's name because the society of the Victorian Age will only ever see her as Mr. Verloc’s former wife, even though her contract has ended. Conrad writes,  “Her contract with existence, as represented by that man standing over there, was at end. She was a free woman” (Conrad 212). Using the word “contract,” Conrad reveals to the reader an agreement by law that Winnie and Mr. Verloc had to abide by. “ The man standing over there”, who was Mr. Verloc, was a nice way of putting that Winnie hadn’t had any more respect for him. To Winnie, Mr. Verloc was just a man in her house who she owed nothing to. Now that she was free and didn’t have the earthly duty to take care of her mother and brother she could now focus on herself.

When Winnie realized that she feels useless and lost on what she is going to do from now on, Conrad wrote,“But neither could she see what there was to keep her in the world at all. And this inability arrested her”(Conrad 212). She was so depended on the taking care of everyone besides herself she felt like she been arrested. People who are arrested are in confinement and restrained from all things that makes them different from others. So when Conrad told his readers that this was the way Winnie felt now that she doesn’t have to care for her mother and Stevie. Winnie  found taking care of her family made her different because she enjoyed it.

Conrad, Joseph.  "The Secret Agent." Toronto, Ontario: Broadview Editions, 2009. Print.

Three: Chapters 8-10 (143-197)

“On account of that shrinking delicacy, which exists side by side with aggressive brutality in masculine nature, the inquiries into her circumstances had not been pushed very far. She had checked them by a variable compression of the lips and some display of an emotion determined to be eloquently silent. And the men would become suddenly incurious, after the manner of their kind...The tears of that large female in a dark dusty wig, and ancient silk dress festooned with dingy white cotton lace, wear the tears of genuine distress. She had wept because she was heroic and unscrupulous and full of love for both of her children. Girls frequently get sacrificed to the welfare of boys. In this case she was sacrificing Winnie. By the suppression of truth she was slandering her. Of course, Winnie was independent, and needed not care for the opinion of people that she would never see and who would never see her; whereas poor Stevie had nothing in the world he could call his own except his mother’s heroism and unscrupulousness.” (Conrad 149-150)

“On account of that shrinking delicacy, which exists side by side with aggressive brutality in masculine nature, the inquiries into her circumstances had not been pushed very far.”-----> Brutality suggests the inhumanity of men. Nature, is in a way a word that women use to make the brutality sound natural and fair.

“She had wept because she was heroic and unscrupulous and full of love for both of her children. Girls frequently get sacrificed to the welfare of boys. In this case she was sacrificing Winnie.”-----> When Winnie’s mother gave Winnie up to Mr. Verloc it made her mother heroic. The adjective unscrupulous refers to the morals that Winnie’s mother had to go against for the benefit of her children. Sacrificed suggests how girls surrender themselves for the benefit of the boys.

“whereas poor Stevie had nothing in the world he could call his own except his mother’s heroism and unscrupulousness.”-----> The word “nothing” shows what society sees when they see someone like Stevie. They see them even more disadvantaged than women because people like Stevie depend on women to take care of them.

Although men are controlling, brutal, dominant, and in a way greater than women,Conrad presents to the reader how heroic, loving and selfless women are. By setting up this contrast of men and women, Conrad introduces how Stevie and others like him are even more disadvantaged than women.

Men are controlling because they, without realizing, “force” women to marry them if women want to live a decent, standard life. Men can live a decent, standard life with or without a woman, creating their overall dominance. Because they lead, they get to be brutal. Conrad writes that there is an “aggressive brutality in masculine nature” (Conrad 149). The word “nature” suggests to the reader that because it’s natural it makes being brutal and inhuman to women fair. They can be brutal because they have nothing to lose. While this goes on women have to learn to be heroic and loving. Conrad writes, “she was heroic and unscrupulous and full of love for both of her children. Girls frequently get sacrificed to the welfare of boys” (Conrad 150). When Winnie’s mother gave Winnie up to Mr. Verloc, she earned the title of heroic. This made her heroic because she was brave enough to give her child away to some man she barely knew. Winnie also showed bravery when she sacrificed herself for her mother and brother so they can also have a decent life. This suggests how girls surrender themselves for the benefit of the boys.

Stevie on the other hand is described as nothing.  Due to his limited mobility, and mental state, he is categorized as even more disadvantaged  than women. Conrad showed this to his readers by writing, “Poor Stevie had nothing in the world he could call his own except his mother’s heroism and unscrupulousness” (Conrad 150). Writing this shows the reader how Stevie depends on his mother. For a man to depend on his mother who is a women is really low, lower than women depending on men. It’s ironic how men are showed as this dominant being, but when it comes to one of their “own” who is different from the rest, and quoted to be a “weak-minded creature,” automatically fall under women.   

Conrad, Joseph.  "The Secret Agent." Toronto, Ontario: Broadview Editions, 2009. Print.

Man's overall dominance