Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 2 (January 26)

Greetings!

Another great week!  The students came in ready to engage well in our class work.

Our Quick Write this week was inspired by a simple problem that I had getting ready this morning -- I couldn't find my shoes!  I asked the students to write about their own personal organization preferences.  I put a line on the board to represent a continuum from "Walking Tornado" to "Obsessively Organized."  Most students considered themselves Average, which was right in the middle.  I also collected some great ideas from the students to help us all be more on tip of the details of life.

Our Words of the Day were again Latin roots:

bene -- Latin," good" -- derivatives:  benefit, benefactor, beneficiary, benevolent, benign

belli -- Latin, "war" -- derivatives:  bellicose, casus belli, antebellum, belligerent, rebellious

brevi -- Latin, "short" -- derivatives:  brief, briefcase, abbreviation, brevity 

The next order of business was to discuss our writing assignment, which is a Narrative Essay.  The Pre-Write for this essay should be done for this week, and the rough draft is due next week.  I took some time to walk through the format for the essays.  The essays should be double-spaced and have 1-inch margins.  The font can be either Arial or Times New Roman and 12-point.  Another topic I covered was Headings and the Header.  The Heading needs to have the students name, teacher's name, name of the class, the assignment, and the date.  The Header is in the upper right margin and should be the student's last name and the page number.  Below in the links portion, I have a link to a Google document that shows what the papers should look like.  

We then dove into our reading selection, The Strange Adventure of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  I divided the students into 4 groups to talk through the Study Guide questions.  We then came together and talked through the first two chapters of the book.  This is not a very long book, and I chose it in part because it will be our source for our next round of essays.  Writing about literature is an important skill, so this is our opportunity to read carefully, take notes, and then write an essay either about a character or a theme.  Included with the handouts last week were two sheets for them to take notes and keep track of information about one of the themes in the book and one of the characters.  Additionally, they have a vocabulary worksheet for the book.  They are to choose 25 words from anywhere in the book.

Finally, we talked Commas.  Last week we discussed commas and compound sentences.  After a quick review, we progressed to commas and complex sentences.  This is a harder topic because students have to understand dependent and independent clauses in addition to identifying subordinating conjunctions.  Students have two worksheets to practice inserting commas into sentences.  I have some links below that might be helpful.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Ch. 3 & 4 (No questions this week.)

-- Keep up with Character, Theme, and Vocabulary worksheets

-- Rough Draft of Narrative Essay

-- Commas & Complex Sentences Worksheet

-- FANBOYS Worksheet

Links for this week:

Class Notes

Commas & Complex Sentences Worksheet

FANBOYS Worksheet

Subordinating Conjunctions website

Chomp Chomp -- Subordinating Conjunctions

Subordination Conjunctions video

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Commas & Complex Sentences Worksheet

Name:  ______________________________

Commas & Complex Sentences

Follow the directions for each sentence.

COMPLEX SENTENCES

Add commas where they are needed.

1.       She did not eat the cookies nor did she chew the gum that Jane made for her.

2.       I am going to bed to read the book  that Elizabeth wrote.

3.       Paul is going to the movie  and may not come home until late.

4.       Did Mary go along with her parents to the game?

Put the independent clause in parentheses and underline the dependent clause. Insert commas where they are needed.

5.       George could not find his son’s bat or his glove that he had just bought for him.

6.       Because she wasn’t very hungry Julia only ate half of her sandwich.

7.       I was tired of doing homework even though I had only worked for fifteen minutes.

8.       Sue brought her books to class but Janet left hers in the car because she tends to be forgetful.

COMPOUND/COMPLEX SENTENCES

Insert commas where needed. Underline any subordinate/dependent clauses

1.       She wanted to go to bed and read her new book but she didn’t realize that it had fallen behind the sofa.

2.       Jack is going to the movie about World War II so he may be home late because it a three hour long movie.

3.       Denise was upset that she could not go to London but she chose to save her money in order to pay for college.

4.       I told her not to eat the fresh bread but she didn’t pay attention because she was so hungry.

Put the independent clause in parentheses and underline the subordinate/dependent clauses.  Add commas.

Note:  A compound sentence has two independent clauses.

5.       Chris had tried to find his puppy but it had run around the house and hid under a bush.

6.       My father told me that he was proud that I had improved my grades and I celebrated with pizza.

7.       Peter found a part-time job around the corner so it was easy for him to get to work.

8.       I am planning to take the children to the park so that we can have a picnic because their father has the day off.

FANBOYS Worksheet

Name: __________________________                                                   Date: __________

                                                                       

FANBOYS

(for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

A Compound sentence is a sentence that has two simple sentences joined together. When a compound sentence is joined together with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet so), add a comma before a coordinating conjunction.

Hint:  not all conjunctions join two simple sentences (independent clauses). If they are not joining two simple sentences, do not use a comma.

Examples of Comma Rule:

Jordan broke his arm, so he had to go to the hospital.
My dog chased a rabbit around the yard, but he couldn’t catch it.

Amelia opened her locker and grabbed her books for class.

Directions: Underline the FANBOYS in the sentence. If it is joining 2 sentences, insert a comma BEFORE the coordinating conjunction. If it is not joining 2 sentences, do not insert a comma.  On the line after the sentence, write S if it is a simple sentence or C if it is a compound sentence.

Exercises

1.    Roberta likes going to school but she does not like math class.  _______

2.    Jed and Joey put hot fudge and whipped cream on their ice cream.  _______

3.    Betty likes to eat pizza but she likes spaghetti better.  _______

4.    Eli sat down to do his homework but his sister ate it.   _______

5.    Snoopy went to his dog house to eat and take a nap.  _______

6.    Linus lost his blanket and started to cry.  _______

7.    Charlie Brown wanted to ask Lucy a question but she was too busy.  _______

8.    Students are eating spaghetti or deli subs today.  _______

9.    Sponge Bob took his notebook to class but he forgot his pencil.   _______

10.  Sally went fishing last Saturday but we didn't catch anything.  _______

Writing Compound Sentences

Write 3 separate, simple sentences.

1.     __________________________________________________________________________

2.     __________________________________________________________________________

3.     __________________________________________________________________________

Using the sentences above, make them into compound sentences.

4.     __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

5.     __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

6.     __________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

In the following passage from The Giver by Lois Lowry, highlight every compound sentence.  Watch out, some sentences have a compound predicate (2 verbs for the same subject.)

It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.

At first, he had been only fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally, when supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community.

But the aircraft a year ago had been different. It was not a squat, fat-bellied cargo plane but a needle-nosed single-pilot jet. Jonas, looking around anxiously, had seen others--adults as well as children--stop what they were doing and wait, confused, for an explanation of the frightening event. 

Writing 1 -- Spring Technology Reminder

Greetings!

CHAT classes started again this week, and I'm excited to start the spring semester of writing classes.  We're going to have a great semester!

Below are explanations of my online sources that I provide as a resource for families.  

Class Updates:  Weekly, following our class, I will send out an e-mail that explains what we covered in class and what the assignments are. Occasionally I will include links to interesting or pertinent sites that pertain to our class discussion.  Any handouts from the class will be attached to these e-mails.  Double check to make sure these e-mails are making it to your Inbox and not the Junk/Spam folder.

Writing 1 Blog:  The weekly updates and copies of most messages are also posted on this site.  If you need to see a number of the updates at once, this is an efficient way to do it. Copies of the handouts (with the exception of those that are pdfs) will be posted on this blog.  Also, photos, images, videos, and links to other websites will appear on this site.  If you're curious, you can peruse the blog for past posts in order to get a feeling for what to expect this year.  (Follow this link for this message!)

Dropbox:  This is an online storage site, and I have folders with all of the documents that I use in a folder for this class.  If a student is missing a worksheet or a handout, he/she can find it there.  You should have gotten an invitation to join the folder for Writing 1.

My GradeBook:  This is the online grade book that I will be using this year.  It is new to me, but since it is similar to the one I had previously used, I don't anticipate any problems.  My paper grade book is up to date with every assignment, but it may take a week or so to get the grades onto this site.  That said, it should be a pretty accurate picture of what homework is missing and ongoing scores for the work.  

Long story short:

-- If a student isn't sure of an assignment, he/she can check

     -- the syllabus that was handed out

     -- the Class Update

     -- the blog

-- If a student is missing something that I handed out, he/she can find it 

     -- as an attachment to a Class Update

     -- on the blog

     -- in the Dropbox folder.

-- If you have questions about grades or missing homework, you can

     -- check My GradeBook

     -- send me a personal e-mail.

If you have any questions, let me know.  

I'm looking forward to teaching this great group of students!

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 1 (January 19)

Greetings!

It's great to be back at CHAT again.  Students were lively and alert, and I have good material planned for this semester that I'm excited to teach.  We also have two new students in the class.  The more the merrier, I always say!

We began the day, as usual, with a Quick Write.  Government and politics seemed to be on the minds of many, so I intentionally chose a different topic.  In 1898, the first intercollegiate hockey game was played between Brown and Harvard.  In 1905, a new bike race was announced, the Tour de France.  And finally, in 1939 Ernest Hausen of Wisconsin set a record of 4.4 seconds for chicken plucking.  With these events in mind, I asked the students to write about their favorite athletic (or unusual) competition.

Last semester, I tested the students on our Words of the Day.  We won't be having a test for Words of the Day this semester, but we will continue to deliberately work on building our vocabularies.  We're starting with Latin roots, and our words this week were:

amo -- fr. Latin, amare; to love -- English derivatives:  amicable, amorous, amateur, enamored
aqua -- fr. Latin, aqua, aquae; water -- English derivatives:  aquifer, aqueous, aquarium, aquatic, aquamarine

audi -- fr. Latin audire; to hear -- English derivatives:  audio, audiophile, auditory, auditorium, audition 

The next item on my agenda for class was "New Stuff."  I handed out the Syllabus for the semester and gave a concise overview of our Writing, Grammar, and Literature units.  We begin the semester reading The Strange Adventures of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  This book by Robert Louis Stevenson is a classic tale that unpacks the ideas of good vs. evil, among other themes.  I gave the students some background information and a study guide.

One of our writing assignments later in the term will be either a Character or a Theme essay. We discussed them a bit, and will revisit them as we work our way through the book.  They also have a vocabulary worksheet that has spaces for 30 entries.  They can pull these from anywhere in the book.

The first writing assignment for this term is a Narrative Essay.   We read through the handout and discussed how this essay "narrates" and event that is significant.  In other words, it's a story with a purpose.

Last semester, we focused on the 8 parts of speech for our Grammar.  This semester, we will focus on commas.  My hopes are that they will be "Masters of the Comma" by the end of the semester.  This week, we went over using commas with compound sentences.

Be on the alert for another email with information about online resources.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Ch. 1 & 2 of Jekyll/Hyde

-- Answer 4 Study Guide questions

-- Narrative Essay Pre-Write

-- 2 Grammar Worksheets

     -- Sentences & Commas Worksheet

     -- Compound Sentences worksheet

Links for This Week

Class Notes
Spring Syllabus

Intro to Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde

Study Guide for Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde

Character Worksheet

Themes Worksheet

Vocabulary Worksheet

Major Themes for Jekyll/Hyde

Narrative Essay
Comma Usage at a Glance
Compound Sentences
Sentences and Commas

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Sentences & Commas Worksheets

Insert the comma in the proper place.

1.      I am going to bed and I am planning on reading this book.

2.      She did not eat the cookies nor did she eat the candy.

3.      Paul is going to the movie and John is going but Sally is not going.

4.      Did Mom go to the concert or did Dad go alone?

5.      Debbie was upset for she wanted to go on that trip but her mother was sick.

6.      Melissa was sick so she left the party early.

7.      It was midnight but it did not seem so late so we went out for dinner.

8.      Cathy caught the heel of one of her shoes in a crack on the sidewalk and the heel broke off.

9.      Susan thought the lemonade was good yet it was a bit too sweet.

10.  Michael threw a fit for he was upset with the dog that had eaten his shoes.

11.  Did Paul go to the movie with Michael or did Michael ask John to go?

12.  Cathy had forgotten to set her alarm so she was late for work.

13.  Fred craves pizza every night but Faith would rather have popcorn.

14.  Nancy thought James had taken her phone but she realized that it was in her backpack.

15.  Mary had a little lamb and its fleece was white as snow.

Comma Usage At A Glance

Punctuation, one is taught, has a point: to keep up law and order. Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication -- to control speeds, provide directions and prevent head-on collisions.

1.1 – Compound Sentences

Two or more sentences held together with coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) form a compound sentence.  A comma must be used before the conjunction.

1.2 – Complex Sentences

Complex sentences contain on complete sentence and at least one fragment of a sentence.  Do not separate these parts with a comma.

1.3 – Compound/Complex Sentences

A compound/complex sentence contains two or more complete thoughts joined with coordinating conjunctions along with at least one sentence fragment.  Compound sentences require commas before the conjunctions.

1.4 – Introductory Elements

Some sentences begin with phrases.  Separate these phrases from the main part of the sentence with a comma.

1.4a – Using Transitional words

            1.4b – Dependent Adverbial Phrases

1.5 – Restrictive Clauses

Some phrases or clauses limit the meaning of the words they are referring to.  Because they are necessary to the meaning of the sentence, they should not be set off with commas.  

When you use who, which, whom, when, or where, decide whether the sentence would be unclear if you omitted it.  If omitting the phrase makes the sentence unclear or changes the meaning, then that part is necessary to the sentence, and you should not use commas.

1.6 – Appositives

An appositive renames the noun or pronoun it follows.  If omitting the appositive would change the meaning of the sentence, then do not set it apart with commas.  If the “renaming” does not change the meaning, then use commas.

1.7 – Parenthetical Comments

Parenthetical comments are those which can be left out but are included to add color or personality to the sentence.

1.8 – Items in a Series

Use a comma to separate words and phrases in a series.  Present usage advocates the use of the comma before and connecting the last two words of a series; some writers, however, prefer to omit the comma before and.  This comma is called the “series comma” or the “Oxford comma.”  When etc. ends a series, it should be preceded and followed by a comma.  Use commas to separate pairs of words in a series.  Use a comma between adjectives preceding a noun when they are coordinate qualifying words.

1.9 – Names

Use a comma to set off inverted names in bibliographies, in indexes, in directories, or in other reference lists.  Use a comma to separate a name from a title or a degree that it follows.  Use a comma to separate a name from a title or degree that follows it.

Do not use a comma to separate compound personal pronouns from the words they emphasize.  Omit the comma when an appositive has become part of the proper name.

1.10 – For similar or identical words

Use a comma to separate similar of identical words standing next to each other, even when the sense or continuity does not seem to require it.

1.11 – In direct quotations

Use a comma to set off direct quotations.  Not that no comma is needed in an indirect quotation.

1.12 – Short Phrases

A comma should follow yes, no, why, well when one of these words is used at the beginning of a sentence.  Use a comma to set off light exclamations.

1.13 – In Addresses

Use a comma to set off a phrase denoting residence or positions but not before ZIP codes.  Omit the comma before the ZIP code number in an address on an envelope; place the number two spaces after the two-letter state abbreviation.

1.14 – In Dates

Use a comma in dates.  A comma may be used to separate the month from the year when the date is omitted; in some current usage, the comma between the month and year is omitted.

1.15 – In Digits

Use a comma to set off figures in groups of more than four digits.

Use a comma to separate two figures or words indicating figures in order to make their meaning clear.

Narrative Essay

Definition

In a personal narrative, you re-create an incident that happened to you over a short period of time.  This incident could be an emotional experience, a silly or serious event, or a frightening encounter.  Narrative writing requires students to think clearly about the details of an event as if it was a plot.  A narrative:

· Presents a story with a distinct plot.  The plot includes an internal or external conflict.  It has a beginning, middle, and an end.

· Has a setting of some sort

· Presented in a specific point of view, usually spoken in the voice of a narrator or character

           

Thesis Development

            As you present your narrative from a certain point of view, you must consider the significance of the event.  Was there a lesson to learn?  Did it change someone’s history?  Does it reveal something insightful about a person, place or circumstance?  These are the variables that will help you form a thesis.

Organization

            Narratives are generally told in chronological order; in other words, you explain the events considering the timeline in which they happened.  

Optional Narrative prompts:

· Write about a time when you faced a challenge and what the outcome was.  Be sure to narrate the series of events and include specific details.

· Write a story about when you taught someone something.  It can be anything that you know better than someone else.

· Think about an event in your life that taught you an important lesson. Write a narrative in which you tell what happened and how you learned a lesson.

· Write a narrative about a person or character who overcomes a difficult situation.  The character must be a person from history or from literature, movies or television.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write due January 26; Rough Draft due February 2; Final Draft due February 16

– Essay length:  500 – 700 words (between 2 and 4 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay, below your name and date

Study Guide -- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Chapter 1 – Story of the Door

1. In the beginning of the book, the readers are presented with what seems like a detective novel, beginning with a sinister figure, a mysterious act of violence, and hints of blackmail and secret scandal.  Give examples from the text (direct quotations) that indicate these aspects.  Include the phrases and page numbers.
2. What of the characteristics of the two men, Enfield and Utterson, seem to be Victorian attributes?  In other words, in what ways do they act and speak that different from men of our day?
3. Victorian society highly valued reputation, even at times at the expense of reality.  What ideas about reputation can you draw from this first chapter?
4. A major theme of this book is the conflict between the rational (reasonable, logical) and the supernatural (otherworldly, metaphysical).  What examples of this conflict do you find in the first chapter?

Chapter 2 – Search for Mr. Hyde

1. What causes Mr. Utterson to be concerned about Dr. Jekyll, and what does he do about it?
2. What significance does his dream have?  What affect does it have on the plot?  On the atmosphere? Symbolically?
3. Describe Hyde’s appearance.  Give specific details (along with page numbers).  What significance does the word “troglodyte” have? 
4. What is Dr. Lanyon’s relationship to Dr. Jekyll?  Describe his opinions and response to Jekyll’s experiments.

Chapter 3 – Dr. Jekyll Was Quite at Ease

1. What attracted people to spending time with Utterson?  What was Jekyll’s opinion of him?
2. What reasons does Jekyll give for his interest in Hyde?  Are they acceptable to Utterson?  Why?  Why not? 
3. Why do you think Jekyll asks for justice for Hyde?

Chapter 4 – The Carew Murder Case

1. How much later does the next part of the story take place?
2. List 5 new characteristics that the readers learn about Hyde.
3. How can Hyde be viewed as “otherworldly”  as a result of this chapter and the author’s descriptions?

Chapter 5 – Incident of the Letter

1. How does Utterson behave like the proper Victorian English gentleman?
2. How is the importance of reputation expressed in this chapter?  Which is more important?  Reputation or truth?  Outward appearances or evil potential?
3. How is London described?  What is the mood or atmosphere caused by this description?
4. One analysis of this book says that much “of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is written in a brisk, businesslike, and factual way, like a police report on a strange affair rather than a novel.”  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?  Give specific examples from the book to back up your opinion.

Chapter 6 – Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon

1. How is Jekyll different when Hyde is not around?
2. Describe Dr. Lanyon’s condition and situation.  How does he account for his condition?
3. What might be the reason for the author not telling us exactly what happened to Lanyon?  What other important details are left unexplained at this point?
4. Why is Utterson both desirous AND reluctant about seeing Jekyll again?

Chapter 7 – Incident at the Window

1. When Jekyll talks to Utterson and Enfield from his window, what comparison does Stevenson make?
2. What does Jekyll mean when he says “It will not last very long” to the men?
3. How did their conversation end?  What do you think happened?

Chapter 8 – The Last Night

1. How would you describe Jekyll’s butler, Poole?  What are some of his characteristics?  Give specific examples from this and previous chapters.
2. What was the weather like when they hurry to Jekyll’s house?  What specific language does Stevenson use?  How does this affect the story?
3. Appearances and decorum continue to be important to Utterson.  Give examples from this chapter.
4. What reasonable and, to him, logical explanations does Utterson give for the present situation and for Poole’s concerns?
5. Gothic literature often conveys a sense of the uncanny, of dark and disturbing events or deep secrets that break upon everyday life.  Could this book be considered a gothic novel?  Explain.
6. Give 5 – 6 words that describe the atmosphere of this chapter.

Chapter 9 – Dr. Lanyon’s Narrative

1. What mysteries are cleared up in this chapter?  What details remain unclear or unexplained?
2. Why were Jekyll’s experiments with “transcendental medicine” and its results so shocking to Lanyon?

Chapter 10 – Henry Jekyll’s Full Statement of the Case

1. Describe the struggle that Jekyll, as a young man, had between his good side and his bad side.  Give specifics from the story.
2. What was the dual life that he led?
3. Why was Hyde smaller in stature?  What were his other physical characteristics?
4. Why did Jekyll cave in and take the potion after repressing Hyde?
5. What further points of the mystery of Jekyll and Hyde are cleared up?  Do any questions remain unanswered?
6. What motivated Jekyll in the first place? What drove him to separate his personalities?

Major Themes Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde

Good vs. evil

Good vs. evil is basically the novel’s biggest theme. More specifically, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is easily viewed as an allegory about the good and evil that exist in all men, and about our struggle with these two sides of the human personality. In this book, then, the battle between good and evil rages within the individual.

Repression

Repression is indisputably a cause of the troubles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The repression here is that of Victorian England.  Everything is sober and dignified, and you’re really not supposed to be happy. (That would somehow take away from your focus on morality).

Friendship

Friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde serves to drive the plot forward. Aside from basic curiosity, Mr. Utterson is compelled to uncover the mystery of the evil man because of his friendship with Dr. Jekyll. In this sense, friendship acts as both a motivator and an enabler. differences of opinion.

Appearances

Appearances figure in the novel both figuratively and literally. Dr. Jekyll definitely wants to keep up a façade of respectability, even though he has a lot of unsavory tendencies. In a literal sense, the appearances of buildings in the novel reflect the characters of the inhabitants.

Science

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Science becomes a cover and justification for supernatural activities. Dr. Jekyll ostensibly derives his potion in some sort of scientific manner, as opposed to finding a magical amulet or something that releases evil as you might find in other stories.

Curiosity

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Curiosity drives the characters to seek knowledge. This curiosity is either suppressed or fulfilled in each character. Curiosity lacks any negative connotations; instead, characters who do not actively seek to unravel the Jekyll and Hyde mystery may be viewed as passive or weak.

Secrecy and Deception

In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the plot is frequently driven forward by Secrecy and Deception; Mr. Utterson doesn’t know the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and he wants to find out. Also, by omitting the scenes of Mr. Hyde’s supposedly crazy debauchery, Stevenson allows our imaginations to run to wild and eerie places.

Violence

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde details two crimes of Violence against innocent and helpless citizens: first, a little girl, and second, an elderly man. The violence in the novel centers on Mr. Hyde, and raises the question of whether or not violence is an inherent part of man’s nature.

Religion

God and Satan figure prominently in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as many general references to religion and works of charity. As part of their intellectual lives, the men in the novel discuss various religious works. One sign of Mr. Hyde’s wickedness, for example, is his defacing Dr. Jekyll’s favorite religious work.

Women & Femininity

Most female characters in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are passive and weak. The first female we see is a young girl mowed over by Mr. Hyde. Although she is "not much the worse, more frightened," she still kicks up an incredible fuss and a large group of people come to her aid.  The next woman we see is the maid who witnessed the Carew murder. After watching Mr. Hyde beat the man to death, she faints, waking up long after the murderer is gone. She is a passive spectator.

Themes Worksheet

Theme:  ___________________

In the boxes below, fill comments, direct quotes, and descriptions that apply to the theme that you’ve chosen. In the first column, write thoughts related to Stevenson’s perspective. In the center column, put the page references that apply to your comments.  In the right column, reflect on the theme and give your personal perspective.

Stevenson’s perspective	Supporting passages	Your opinion

Character Analysis Worksheet for The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

In the boxes below, fill in details from your reading.  For example, when you come across a particularly descriptive or significant statement that your character makes, put it in the box marked “Words;” put the page number in the adjacent column

Character	Supporting Passage Page Number(s)
Words
Actions
Appearance
Thoughts
Effects on Other People
Analysis:  In this box, write up your own personal impressions and opinions.