Curiosity killed the cat...
The story "The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson examines the struggle between one's self and the problem with duality against good and evil.
In the quote "He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right 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." from chapter one describes Mr.Hyde. It displays Hyde's appearance as that of a monster, something so distasteful that he was easily unliked, this counters Jekyll for he was a normal man who was highly respected. The language used to describe Hyde is hateful and negative, and it mirrors the effect that he had on the people around him. His actions seem to be suspicious and concerning to the other characters in the book. This quote seems to paint Hyde as a man who does not feel and think like other people and that when he does it is to only cause harm to others. This quote in conclusion clearly demonstrates the negative relationship that Hyde has with Jekyll as well as other characters in the book.
In the VERY long quote, "Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was much in the open air, he did good; his face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward consciousness of service; and for more than two months, the doctor was at peace. There at least he was not denied admittance; but when he came in, he was shocked at the change which had taken place in the doctor’s appearance. He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face. The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly balder and older; and yet it was not so much these tokens of a swift physical decay that arrested the lawyer’s notice, as a look in the eye and quality of manner that seemed to testify to some deep-seated terror of the mind. It was unlikely that the doctor should fear death; and yet that was what Utterson was tempted to suspect. 'Yes,' he thought; “he is a doctor, he must know his own state and that his days are counted; and the knowledge is more than he can bear,” from chapter six describing Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll's appearance is a total juxtaposition of Hyde in that he is normal, on the inside and the outside. However, from the language of the description of Jekyll, it is obvious that the author is being elusive to a problem that Jekyll is facing within himself, this being his fight between his good and evil side. Jekyll's actions also seem sketchy much like Hyde except the reason for Jekyll's sketchiness is because he is trying to keep Hyde contained for a fear of what he might do. Jekyll's thoughts and feelings are all based on how to keep his bad side in check and his good side in the eye of the public. The other characters' reactions to Jekyll are respectable, they view him as a good man but they are suspicious of his private side.
Being Jekyll is a pain
It hurts and harms and I cannot abstain
I lose myself in times of dark
For when I wake I feel I've been marked
The light comes and the light goes
But the dark swallows me and my woes
It is easier being me in the light
But my inner me turns around and is the one to bite
Being Jekyll is hard
But it is nothing like being Hyde locked behind bars
In the quote "He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something down-right 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." from chapter one describes Mr.Hyde. It displays Hyde's appearance as that of a monster, something so distasteful that he was easily unliked, this counters Jekyll for he was a normal man who was highly respected. The language used to describe Hyde is hateful and negative, and it mirrors the effect that he had on the people around him. His actions seem to be suspicious and concerning to the other characters in the book. This quote seems to paint Hyde as a man who does not feel and think like other people and that when he does it is to only cause harm to others. This quote in conclusion clearly demonstrates the negative relationship that Hyde has with Jekyll as well as other characters in the book.
In the VERY long quote, "Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was much in the open air, he did good; his face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward consciousness of service; and for more than two months, the doctor was at peace. There at least he was not denied admittance; but when he came in, he was shocked at the change which had taken place in the doctor’s appearance. He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face. The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly balder and older; and yet it was not so much these tokens of a swift physical decay that arrested the lawyer’s notice, as a look in the eye and quality of manner that seemed to testify to some deep-seated terror of the mind. It was unlikely that the doctor should fear death; and yet that was what Utterson was tempted to suspect. 'Yes,' he thought; “he is a doctor, he must know his own state and that his days are counted; and the knowledge is more than he can bear,” from chapter six describing Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll's appearance is a total juxtaposition of Hyde in that he is normal, on the inside and the outside. However, from the language of the description of Jekyll, it is obvious that the author is being elusive to a problem that Jekyll is facing within himself, this being his fight between his good and evil side. Jekyll's actions also seem sketchy much like Hyde except the reason for Jekyll's sketchiness is because he is trying to keep Hyde contained for a fear of what he might do. Jekyll's thoughts and feelings are all based on how to keep his bad side in check and his good side in the eye of the public. The other characters' reactions to Jekyll are respectable, they view him as a good man but they are suspicious of his private side.
Being Jekyll is a pain
It hurts and harms and I cannot abstain
I lose myself in times of dark
For when I wake I feel I've been marked
The light comes and the light goes
But the dark swallows me and my woes
It is easier being me in the light
But my inner me turns around and is the one to bite
Being Jekyll is hard
But it is nothing like being Hyde locked behind bars
Being Hyde has its perks
I never feel like I'm the one being jerked
I come and go along as I please
He knows I want out when I give his mind a squeeze
I am in charge there is no doubt about that
Though I sometimes come across as a brat
It is easier being me in the light
Because then I can be the one to bite
I know it's easier to be the one with all the might
Being Hyde is easy
I am never the one that feels sleazy
The purpose of this dual poem was to highlight the different aspects of these two personalities. Hyde is demonstrated as a sadistic, overconfident, monster while his counterpart Dr.Jekyll has the opposite qualities. He is remorseful, anxious, and a well-respected doctor. These obvious opposing personalities are demonstrated throughout this poem itself which furthers demonstrates the stark contrast between these two characters.
I liked this! Your inclusion of the quotes within your analysis was helpful for understanding and I also liked how you split your poem in half, with half Jekyll and half Hyde. Good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Morrigan! I loved this post! Most of all I loved your poems. They were extremely well written and showed a good understanding of the text. I also liked that you included pictures throughout your post as it aided your poems in characterizing Jekyll and Hyde.
ReplyDeleteMorrigan, this was a cool post! I loved the approach that you took with your post with the inclusion of multiple different pictures and the length of your poems! Your analysis of each excerpt was detailed and coherent and it made for a well-organized post! Great job!
ReplyDeleteMorrigan, this was a cool post! I loved the approach that you took with your post with the inclusion of multiple different pictures and the length of your poems! Your analysis of each excerpt was detailed and coherent and it made for a well-organized post! Great job!
ReplyDelete