How successfully does ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ use the conventions of the horror genre? Essay

Explain your answer, looking closely at details of the text, and comparing the novel with other horror stories you have read or seen. ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a short novel written by the famous author, Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson’s ambition from an early age was to be an writer, although his father had different ideas. In one of his most famous novels, ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, Stevenson captures the extremism of Dr. Jekyll’s split-personality; his desire to let his dark side run wild, achieved by drinking a magical potion that changes him into the animalistic, violent and somewhat evil Mr. Hyde. The word â€Å"horror† categorises everything typically frightening, in every sense. Horror conventions include anything from darkness, shadows and night-time to werewolves, knives and blood; from monsters, violence and death to screaming, animal howls and creaky doors. â€Å"Horror† is simply a term to summarise all things scary, and is used mostly to describe books and films. ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ can be seen as a horror novel, because of its shocking and horrific content. In this essay I will explore the ways and successes in which Stevenson presents the story of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ using conventions of the horror genre, referring to details of the text and comparing the novel with other horror stories and videos. One of the important horror conventions used in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is the use of darkness and the atmosphere of the setting. It is necessary that the weather, amount of light and general atmosphere is dark, quiet and negative to create a tense, scary mood. In the horror genre, violent or evil actions traditionally occur at night, when there are less people around to help, it is much quieter than during the day, and because the darkness easily conceals any crimes that are committed. The first time that Enfield sees Hyde, he is returning home â€Å"about three o’clock of a black winter morning†. There is â€Å"literally nothing to be seen but lamps†, and â€Å"all is empty as a church†. This, even before Enfield has set eyes on Hyde, creates a tense atmosphere where it feels likely that something horrible will happen. The weather is dark (â€Å"black†), and it is winter, suggesting that it is very cold, and the general atmosphere is very un-welcoming. The fact that the area is â€Å"empty† adds to the horror, because this means that nobody will be around to help you when something evil appears out of the darkness. Another example is â€Å"the lamps, unshaken by any wind, drawing a regular pattern of light and shadow.† Shadows are seen as frightening, because of the way they creep around and you can never be sure who or what is making the shadows. The darkness and gloomy weather successfully creates a threatening, tense, and un-inviting atmosphere. This horror convention is similarly used in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, when the old man’s room is described as â€Å"as black as pitch with the thick darkness.† As the narrator is pondering the murder of the old man, the darkness is important as it will not only create a tense atmosphere, but it will also conceal the murder. This is similar to the way the streets are usually described as dark and dingy in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. Another important horror convention used in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is the Pathetic Fallacy. Stevenson employs the Pathetic Fallacy to reflect the emotions of the characters, by making the weather match the appropriate mood. A weather description in Chapter Four is an example of this; â€Å"A great chocolate-coloured pall lowered over heaven, but the wind was continually charging and routing these embattled vapours.† At this time, Mr Utterson is showing a police officer to the house of Edward Hyde, who we are suspecting of the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. The intensity of this scene is reflected by the stormy weather, and the â€Å"mournful reinvasion of darkness.† Many of the chapters of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ include descriptions of dark, dingy weather, and more often than not the streets of Soho are described as empty or silent. In Chapter Two, the by-street is described as â€Å"very solitary† and â€Å"very silent.† Silent, solitary areas create a threatening atmosphere, as it suggests that there is nobody else around to help you if you get into trouble. This contributes to the sense of horror, because there is an inevitable feeling of danger present in any dark, empty places. The setting of the laboratory is also contributes to the horror in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’. There are not many descriptions of the laboratory, although one says that the tables were â€Å"laden with chemical apparatus.† This idea creates a sense of mystery, because at the time we do not know what the chemicals are used for. This creates tension in the plot, and we don’t know what to expect, which contributes to the overall horror of the story. Laboratories are traditionally linked with other typical settings for horror stories including castles, graveyards, and big empty houses. A contrasting horror setting to that used in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is used in ‘The Darkness Out There’ by Penelope Lively. ‘The Darkness Out There’ features Packers End which has many deathly feelings and darkness to it, the three men who died horrid deaths in there, and the chills which Sandra gets from thinking about the place. When Pac kers End is talked about, night time is used which is a mighty contrast to the sunny images of fields and meadows that Packers End is described as during the day. Unlike ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, ‘The Darkness Out There’ has only one setting, which changes from a peaceful, sunny area to a dark, chilling one. The general theme of ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is duality. This alone adds to the horror, as it builds up the tension and creates the twist in the story. Throughout the story, there are hints given that Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde are in fact the same person; one of these includes a quote from Edward Hyde: â€Å"You will not find Dr. Jekyll; he is from home.† As suggested in the novel, Jekyll seems to be â€Å"pretty sure† of Hyde, meaning he knows him very well indeed. Another hint includes Mr Utterson’s reaction when he is presented with the stick that Hyde had used to kill Sir Danvers Carew. Utterson instantly recognises the stick â€Å"for one that he had himself presented many years before to Henry Jekyll.† These hints mostly go un-noticed or un-considered, but they add mystery to the plot throughout the whole story, which gives the story an increasing amount of tension. Dr. Jekyll’s door is used symbolically as a block between Jekyll and the rest of the world, which almost suggests that the world outside literally can not understand Henry Jekyll. The door is always closed, which creates an undefined suspicion of Jekyll. This creates horror in that we can not be certain what Jekyll is always doing hidden away in his laboratory, although we are almost certain it can’t be good. The idea of duality in this story is the division between a normal, respectable man, and his darker side. Henry Jekyll is supposedly an ordinary man; trustworthy as he is a doctor, with no abnormalities in his life. Then there is Edward Hyde: a hideous, evil murderer who lets his fantasies run wild and brings them to life. Henry Jekyll is simply a man who wishes to keep his good reputation, but who also feels the need to carry out his fantasies, which include his desire for prostitutes, and murder. These are things that are not seen as acceptable, and people who do these things are excluded from society and disliked by most people. This theme is a frightening one, as people tend to fear murderers and criminals. The horror created by this theme makes the story into a shocking reality. The popular theme of transformation used for werewolves and vampires is also used in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.’ Stevenson uses horrific descriptions to give the reader a good idea of how frightening and disgusting the transformation is to watch: â€Å"The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly balder and older.† This is an unpleasant thing to imagine, and it is quite frightening. There are also descriptions of the facial expressions of Dr. Jekyll as the transformation is taking place: â€Å"Dr. Jekyll grew pale to the very lips, and there came a blackness about his eyes†, and â€Å"Dr. Jekyll, looking deadly sick.† Descriptions like this add to the horror, because they are meant to shock the reader and create a cold, unfriendly atmosphere. The descriptions make Dr. Jekyll seem more like an animal than a human. A similar transformation occurs in Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ video. Michael is in the woods with his girlfriend, and a full moon comes out, which immediately triggers the transformation of Michael into a werewolf. It is horrific to watch. It starts off with him just twitching a bit, and falling to the floor, but then when he lifts his head his eyes have become wider and yellow like a cat, and his expression is fierce. He then develops fangs; his ears and hands become hairy like a werewolf, and claws come out from beneath his fingernails. These things are meant to scare the viewer, and Stevenson describes Jekyll’s transformation for the same purpose. Although transformations are more horrific to see visually, Stevenson’s detailed descriptions are successful in creating horror. The presentation of Mr. Hyde is completely negative. His looks are described as â€Å"extraordinary† and â€Å"particularly wicked.† He is also described as â€Å"pale and dwarfish† with a â€Å"murderous mixture of timidity and boldness.† These images are used to exclude Hyde from normal-looking people, to make him individual. He is also given animalistic descriptions such as â€Å"ape-like fury†, â€Å"a hissing intake of breath† and â€Å"snarled aloud into a savage laugh.† This makes Hyde seem in-human and frightening like a monster, which adds to the horror. The effect Hyde has on the other characters encourages the reader to turn against him, and see him as a frightening creature of a man. Mr. Enfield describes Edward Hyde: â€Å"something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked†¦ He must be deformed somewhere.† This informs the reader that Mr. Hyde has a very evil expression, and does not appear to be normal. There are also descriptions of violence and hatred; â€Å"†¦ tales came out of the man’s cruelty, at once so callous and violent, of his vile life, of his strange associates, of the hatred that seemed to have surrounded his career; but of his present whereabouts not a whisper.† Horror is created in this quote because Hyde has been given many negative characteristics: cruelty, callous, violent, vile, and hatred, and there is a twist of mystery at the end which says that nobody knows of Hyde’s present whereabouts. Stevenson is clearly trying to make the reader also dislike Hyde, by creating an overall image of this animalistic, cruel, violent man with a lot of hatred. This successfully creates horror in the novel. In the same way, ‘The Blob’ by R. L. Stine describes a huge, overpowering man-made monster which terrorises innocent people and publicly crushes them to death. The Blob is described as â€Å"†¦ a gigantic landmass of blubber, standing so high that even the tallest of men would flee for their lives at the site of this extraordinary, yet silent, creation.† A final contribution to the horror in ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is the savage acts of Hyde. Hyde’s murder of Sir Danvers Carew and the trampling of the little girl are described in horrific detail. The trampling of the little girl was described by Mr. Enfield: â€Å"†¦ the man trampled calmly over the child’s body and left her screaming on the ground.† The murder of Sir Danvers Carew was described like this: â€Å"†¦ he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the can†¦ like a madman.† This is horrible, and Hyde is made to look like a â€Å"madman.† The horror continues to build up as we discover that Hyde must be simply insane, and he will do whatever he pleases, not caring what the world thinks of him. In conclusion, ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a very successful horror story. It uses many different horror conventions and has parts of the plot which successfully build up the tension throughout the whole story, such as the little clues that suggest Jekyll and Hyde are the same person, and the laboratory door. However, there are weaknesses in the plot; Mr. Hyde is small and not intimidating like other horror characters such as Frankenstein. Generally though, ‘The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is a very successful horror novel, and would probably stand among the top 10 best horror stories of all time.

Magaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher: Optimism, self-confidence, honesty, integrity and drive are just a few traits that portray Margaret Thatcher. Her leadership style may be defined as a combination of an autocratic, transformational and charismatic leader. Nevertheless, her leadership style was mainly task oriented. What are her values? Margaret Thatcher considered herself to be a conviction politician. Her leadership was based on clear firmly held principles. Margaret Thatcher’s family and early education in Grantham played a major part in shaping her political beliefs. She was taught strong traditions of self-help, charitable work, and ethics. What make her a great leader? Margaret Thatcher was very influential in her leadership role. She had been tough, forthright, consistent and inspiring. She had empowered and motivated the citizens of Britain to purchase their homes in which they lived at a discounted price. Additionally, companies that the state initially owned were now owned by the community. Her intent was to change Britain from a dependent to a self-reliant society. Margaret Thatcher success of implementing the privatization policy of government assets had improved influential internationally. Moreover, Margaret Thatcher had a firm approached to policy making and exuded self confidence, which gained her the nickname â€Å"Iron Lady†. She was willing to act on her intuition and trusted her judgments. She accomplished her goals and was never afraid to stand up for her beliefs even if it made her unpopular. Despite her colleagues and experts objections, Margaret Thatcher was very confident in her decision making. In Britain, she was an autocratic leader who governed decision making. For instance, while the recession of the early 1980s intensified, she increased taxes, despite concerns expressed in a statement signed by 364 leading economists issued towards the end of March 1981. Margaret Thatcher prided herself of being in charge and winning the majority of her debates. She was very combative; fighting for what she believed was the right way to direct her country. Margaret Thatcher was committed to lessening the power of the trade unions, whose leadership she blamed for weakening parliamentary democracy and economic performance during industrial action. BBC news reported that, Margaret Thatcher â€Å"managed to destroy the power of the trade unions for almost a generation†. She demonstrated courage and positive attitude during the face of adversity. In 1984, Margaret Thatcher barely escaped injury in a PIRA assassination attempt at a Brighton hotel. However, she was adamant about delivering her speech the next day as scheduled, at the Conservative Party Conference. Margaret Thatcher was a transformational leader who inspired others and brought about significant change. Her intention was to lead Britain to greatness by overcoming the country’s economic and financial challenges. She privatized some nationalized industries and social programs, including education, housing, and health care. Britain’s economic upturn in the 1980s was due to Margaret Thatcher’s leadership. She also regained the Falkland Island from Argentina. She took a strong stand against the trade unions during the miner’s strike (1984-85), and moved Britain toward privatization, selling minor interest s in public utilities to the business interests. She also introduced â€Å"rate capping† which effectively took control of expenditures out of the hands of city councils, part of her policies aimed at reducing the influence of local governments. In 1989 she introduced the community poll tax. Where possible, sale of state assets took place through offering shares to the public, with generous terms for small investors. The Thatcher Governments presided over a great increase in the number of people saving through the stock market. They also encourage people to buy their own homes and to make private pension provision, policies which over time have greatly increased the personal wealth of the British population. Conclusion Margaret Thatcher was the first British Prime Minister in the twentieth century to win three consecutive terms. Serving as a transformational change agent, Ms. Thatcher tackle distorted public opinion and braved daunting unpopularity to implement reform. Showing an adept touch at choosing her issues carefully, and fighting battles that could be won, Ms. Thatcher established urgency, formed a strong vision backed by a guiding coalition and planned for short-term wins. Her greatest legacy is the degree to which she institutionalized her reform policies. Ms. Thatcher represented such a unique, decisive, unflinching character, with the ability to capitalize on circumstances and energy. _____________________________________ Bibliography Margaret Thatcher Foundation –margaretthatcher. org Wikipedia

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Enterprise knowledge management - Essay Example discussions on theories pertinent to the progress of a company or organization in the business realm (even lay persons think of business success in this way) is always equated to the continued accumulation of wealth or profit in terms of monetary returns or other similar concrete and measurable outputs. There is, indeed, nothing wrong with the old, traditional conception of business success. But what is made crystal-clear is the fact that such measure is not enough to gauge real capital of companies or organizations at play in our era – the era of knowledge. James Brian Quinn, Philip Anderson and Sydney Finkelstein in their article Managing Professional Intellect: Making the Most of the Best have explicitly stated that â€Å"intellectual assets, unlike physical increase in value and use. Properly stimulated knowledge and intellect grow exponentially when shared.†1 And this claim properly presents the notion that the call and demand of the time among and between companies and organizations is to continuously destroy all boundaries and hindrances of knowledge via sharing of knowledge from within and from without. But what does it entail? Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton in their article The Balance Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action have highlighted the stark reality that if companies in the contemporary period want to be competitive, aggressive and progressive they should learn to project not only within short term perspectives but that they should also be able to come up with a viable and workable long term plans. The idea of having long term plans and projections entail the presupposition of having human resources being thrust in the center as the main and focal point in business environment, in the connection and collaboration of organizational and structural systems moving towards the establishment of a harmonious and friendly yet very, very competitive ambiance in the business world. However, if one is going to be honest to one’s self one

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