St John s Senior School

Transcription

1 St John s Senior School Subject: ENGLISH Teacher: K. Hull WEEK WEEK BEGINNING st January 8 th January DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE Historical and Social Context. Robert Louis Stevenson- writer Victorian era. Explore social anxieties: Science Vs. religion- Darwin publishes The origin of species Humanity s primitive forms are publicly acknowledged Science considered dangerous- god should have control (Resource 1) Nature Vs. Supernatural: Victorians' increasing sense of the conflict between science and religion was the idea that humans have a dual nature. Explainable versus the inexplicable; the natural versus the supernatural; good versus evil. Jack the Ripper murders occurred in London in In the minds of the Victorians, they underlined the Jekyll and Hyde duality of human nature, especially as there was discussion about the murderer being highly educated, or even of royal birth (Resource 2) Desire, fear and indulgence in savagery/ primitive nature: being civilised was sought after, which lead to a fascination with instinctual indulgences Reading and Comprehension. Victorian beliefs Character analysis Mr. Utterson. Victorian belief quiz (Resource 3) Read chapter Analyse Mr Utterson s description: Wealthy Well-respected Reserved/ almost boring Traditional Victorian People nurture a fond closeness to Form: SECOND FORM Term: SPRING SKILLS Speaking and Listening Make different kinds of relevant contributions in groups, responding appropriately to others, proposing ideas and asking questions. Reading and Writing Extract and interpret information, events, main points and ideas from texts. Infer and deduce meanings, recognising the writers intentions Identify and comment on writers' purposes and viewpoints, and the overall effect of the text on the reader

2 th January 22 nd January him Mr Enfield is a close friend who looks forward to their walks Analyse house description- what adds mystery? (Resource 4) First instance of violence Any aspect of mercy? Empathy? Analysis of Chapter 1. How fear and suspense is created Duality and the criminal underworld. Centre the lesson around the question: How does Stevenson create fear and suspense in Chapter 1? Extracts to exemplify: Sinister character- no name Mysterious acts of violence Supernatural? Not being able to describe Hyde- Victorian rationalism getting in the way- not believing in the supernatural Inhumanity Blackmail- society focused on reputation Secret scandal- planning to investigate Utterson s intrigue/curiosity into the darker side of the world (Resource 5) Reading and Comprehension. Hyde as symbolic of London s hidden criminal underbelly Analysis of arrival of Hyde and the conversation and evidence of creating suspicion. Read Chapter 2 & 3 focus on suspicion. Extract analysis (Resource 6) Ensure pupils recognise: Word choices- odd/ quaint/ swelled out/ swiftly/ suddenly louder/ shrunk back/ hissing intake of breath/ Familiarity with the surroundings/ actions (nightly patrols/ like one approaching home) Use of punctuation to speed up pace and add drama- also suggests the characters are both rushed- Utterson wants to find out more

3 5 29 th January ** Mini Test Week and Hyde wants to scuttle away out of sight Utterson s unexplainable repulsion Hyde s reaction/ sociability All descriptions of Hyde suggest an animalistic/ reclusive character Utterson has been some minutes at his post, waiting for the appearance of Mr Hyde and is suspicious of his behaviour. MINI-TEST WEEK ** How does Stevenson present ideas about duality through the setting? (extract from The Story of the Door inhabitants were all doing well to very odd story ** Character Analysis: Utterson. Close analysis of extract (Resource 7) What does the reader discover about Mr. Utterson? 6 5 th February Pupils should analyse the linguistic and structural features of the extract. Indicative content: patient: waiting some minutes alert: aware of footsteps drawing near a man of habit: nightly patrols observant: noticing minute detail, both setting and of Mr. Hyde aware of approaching danger: withdrawing into the entry of the court brave: stepped out and touched confident and forthright: Mr. Hyde, I think? successful and educated: a lawyer self-assured and opinionated: - you must have heard my name Read Chapter 4 & 5. Develop and adapt reading skills and strategies Use inference and deduction to recognise implicit meanings at sentence and text level 12 th 16 th February HALF - TERM 7 19 th February Theme of Secrecy Focus on the setting and absence of detail in Chapter 5. Pupils should focus on the personification of the laboratory they should then write a creative piece called The Walls Have Eyes and Ears. Writing from the perspective of the room: exploit different genres: horror, gothic, dystopian etc. Read Chapter 6 & 7: focus on the Identify and understand the main ideas, viewpoints, themes and purposes in a text.

4 8 26 th February 9 5 th March theme of mystery and discuss: Has Hyde s evil really gone? How is fear created by Lanyon s presence? How is mystery created by the letter and its instructions? Pupils write the letter from Utterson, asking about his break with Lanyon, which induced Jekyll s response about going his own dark way (Stevenson omits the details) Poole s Character: Language Analysis. The sense of mystery created at the end of Chapter 7 Pole s unusual and mysterious character. Focus on the ending of Chapter 7 closely before beginning Chapter 8: The mystery grows when Stevenson deliberately ends this scene without any further explanation as Utterson and Enfield walk away in silence, pale with an answering horror in their eyes. The reader questions what they saw and why they were so affected. Why does Utterson feel the need to pray: God, forgive us. Make a list of quotations which demonstrate anxiety or fear (Poole) Make links between Victor Frankenstein s insular and secluded behaviour (link to 111 Form). Comparison between Jekyll and Frankenstein (Resource 8) link to warnings about science and isolation. Focus on narrative technique: Stevenson leaves us wanting to solve the crime. Explore elements of crime writing. (Resource 9) Read Chapter 9. Narrative Structure Effectiveness of switching to Lanyon s narrative Conventions of crime writing. Non-linear followed by linear: discuss the effect of a split-narrative. Link to major themes (Resource 10). Choose a minor character and write a witness statement for a court trial. Explain and comment on writers' use of language, including grammatical and literary features at word and sentence level Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Use a wide range of vocabulary and punctuation for clarity and effect. Spell with accuracy and confidence.

5 Develop to create a headline story for the Victorian Herald. Close analysis of chapter: This chapter finally makes explicit the nature of Dr. Jekyll s relationship to his darker half, Mr. Hyde the men are one and the same person. Dramatic irony: we instantly realize that the small man who strikes Lanyon with a disgustful curiosity can be none other than Hyde. We finally witness the interchange between the two identities. Fear: Through the astonished eyes of Lanyon, Stevenson offers a vivid description, using detailed language and imagery to lend immediacy to supernatural events. Yet it is worth noting that for all the details that the doctor s account includes, this chapter offers very little explanation of what Lanyon sees. We remain largely in the dark, however, as to how or why this situation came about. Speaking and Listening: Debate: The impact of the shock is such that it causes Lanyon, a scientist committed to pursuing knowledge, to declare in Chapter 6, I sometimes think if we knew all, we should be more glad to get away. Lanyon has decided that some knowledge is not worth the cost of obtaining or possessing it. To what extent do you agree with this statement? Jekyll s Final Statement. Why are we not offered closure? Why have two parallel storylines? th March Read Chapter 10: focus on the revelations of the account and impact on reader. Extract analysis (Resource 11) Creating a Chapter 11 pupils write the outline of an additional chapter. Will they restore societal justice or will they inspire more evil? parallel

6 with the ending of Frankenstein and Oliver Twist (Resource 12) th March th March W.H. Auden Poetry Week: His Life and Poetry. Technical and scientific curiosity Political, scientific and technical theories Advocate of Freudian psychoanalysis. Poem to study are: 'The Age of Anxiety' They Wondered Why the Fruit Had Been Forbidden Funeral Blues What Did Stevenson Want Us to Understand? Stevenson s over-arching message Relevance of the message in today s world? Centre your discussion around the following notion: The actual nature of Hyde s and Jekyll s sins proves less important than Stevenson s larger point, which is that the lure of the dark side constitutes a universal part of our human nature. We are all Jekylls, desperately trying to keep our Hydes under control even as we are secretly fascinated by what they do and envious of their frightening freedom from moral constraints. Link discussion to relevant examples in the press. How forward-thinking was Stevenson? Is his message universal? Extended writing (differentiated): Explain the (H) importance/ (F) significance of secrecy/fear/suspicion in one other part of the novel. Use examples of the writer s language to support your answer. Aspects of the novel to consider/guide pupils: Mystery Each mystery is structured deliberately

7 by Stevenson, revealing information at a pace in order to maximise the mystery. In Story of the Door there is a mystery behind a sinister building with a sordid negligence. The reader learns of a hellish incident when a thing trampled calmly on a child s body. The cheque provided by Hyde with Jekyll s signature proves to be the fir t great mystery in this story. The mystery created by Stevenson intrigues the reader and ensures that the reader s attention is held: they must read on to find out the answer mystery is present in Search for Mr Hyde because of the overall sense of unease and mystery, before Utterson comes face to face with Hyde who has previously been described by Enfield as having something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing, something detestable in The Carew Murder Case the reader is horrified to learn through Utterson that the cane used to club the MP belonged to Jekyll, a gift from Utterson himself. This mystery, like all the others is only resolved at the very end of the story in Incident of the Letter, an atmosphere of secrecy and mystery is created through Utterson s discovery that Hyde s handwriting was also Jekyll s. It is only at the end of the story that the reader and Utterson learn the truth: Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. The mystery is solved when Jekyll dies and Utterson reads Lanyon s Fear The novel presents many chapters and events that lend themselves to this theme. Stevenson presents a central character, a respectable citizen and doctor who experiments with the concept of the dual nature of man: evil v good. Jekyll transforms into Hyde and for those who witness this, such as Lanyon, it evokes such terror that he eventually dies from the frightful event: shaken to its roots Jekyll himself fears the behaviours presented by Hyde; he is aware of the terrible crimes Hyde has committed.

8 Despite this, he succumbs to further temptation and this brings about his downfall. Other characters, namely Utterson and Poole, are in constant fear of the inexplicable, the truth only discovered at the end of the novel. The nature of evil within one s personality, and the horror it can bring about cannot be suggested without the writer s creation of fear Stevenson cleverly presents the character of Hyde and his appearance through the reaction and descriptions of those who have seen him. The loathsome and unflattering descriptions are most effective and even evoke fear in the reader; there is something wrong with his appearance, something displeasing, and something downright detestable. Hyde s behaviour, such as when he is seen trampling the little girl or when he is observed murdering Carew, again evoke fear from the on-lookers who are abhorred by his crude and cold behaviour. London lives in fear as the discovery of the mangled politician is found and a coldblooded murderer remains not captured Fear is significant throughout the many examples in this text because it serves to add to the atmosphere. The setting itself is dark and fearful, deliberately crafted by Stevenson as eerie, threatening and unsettling; buildings are introduced in the first chapter as sinister. Secrecy Jekyll s laboratory or Utterson s room could be suitable examples of where secrets can be hidden, such as extracts describing Jekyll s cabinet or Utterson s safe The Story of the Door presents the reader of the idea that behind the door lay secrets. The door is locked and the mysterious property provides the ideal setting for secrets to be kept. Is the Juggernaut blackmailing the occupant of the house? in Search for Mr Hyde, Utterson visits Lanyon and it becomes apparent that Jekyll has a secret and has been experimenting with science. It

9 becomes clear towards the end of the chapter that even the respectable Utterson has his own secrets: humbled to the dust by the many ill things he had done in Incident of the Letter the suspicion of a forged letter increases Utterson s fears. The chapter ends with secrecy. The head clerk, Mr Guest, is sworn to secrecy and silence when the letter is placed in Utterson s safe Jekyll s terrible secret of his experiments is witnessed through Dr. Lanyon s Narrative. In this chapter references are made to the secretive nature of chemicals concealed in Jekyll s cabinet Henry Jekyll s Full Statement of the Case provides the full account and secrets are revealed.