"Mr. Utterson stepped out and touched him on the shoulder...he had unlocked the door and disappeared into the house." (Stevenson, 9-10)
Characterization of Dr. Jekyll:
"To this rule...This is a matter I thought we had agreed to drop." (Stevenson, 12-13)
Stevenson focuses on duality in this novella. He characterizes Mr. Hyde as an embodiment of pure evil through dark diction to not only describe Mr. Hyde's physical appearance, but also uses it in his dialogue. Dr. Jekyll is characterized as a well respected, prosperous doctor. These conflicting characters contribute to the overall mysterious tone of the novella. Mr. Hyde's dialogue is short and filled with cynical undertones, while Dr. Jekyll's dialogue is longer and well formulated. The development of the idea of duality in the novella, Jekyll states that that a human's soul is a battleground between 'good' and 'evil'. He hoped that the potion that he created would separate the good and the bad, but only brings out the bad through the character of Mr. Hyde.
Things Are Not Always What They Seem To Be
Dr. Jekyll: Surrounded by wealth and success, people think I'm grand.
Mr. Hyde: To the good doctor I am a helping hand.
Dr. Jekyll: The doors to the laboratory remain tightly shut.
Mr. Hyde: And I am the only one who holds the key.
Together: Things are not always what they seem to be.
Mr. Hyde: Mr. Utterson was his name, the one that interrogated me on the street.
Dr. Jekyll: Mr. Utterson came for a visit and questioned me about my assistant's past
Mr. Hyde: His eyes froze when he finally saw my face.
Dr. Jekyll: His eyes turned back to mine before he left the house.
Together: He is coming on to us, watching our every move.
Dr. Jekyll: Everyday is a fight between good and bad, I embrace the good,
Mr. Hyde: And I embrace the bad.
Dr. Jekyll: I can no longer control the potion's curse
Mr. Hyde: I have finally won.
Together: Things are not always what they seem to be.
I really enjoyed your poem; it was more of a conversation and showed the duality of a single character more by having it flow so well and flip between each character unlike the example which showed parallels but separated the two characters. I also loved the dialogue comparison of short vs. long adding to the duality! Super interesting!
ReplyDeleteLove the poem and your explaination; be sure to use specific literary terms and devices in your "how" before moving on to your "so what" in your comparison (you'll need to do this in Paper 1 & 2 and in your FOA).
ReplyDeleteI liked how you described how the author used specific literary devices like diction and tone to bring out each character's good or evil personality. I agree with you that Dr. Jekyll's syntax was long and more proper, while Hyde's was short and defensive. This added duality concept in the book. Great poem as well!
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