University of Edinburgh

The duality of man is the concept in which a person is twofold, and he or she cannot be good without also possessing an ability to be evil. Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde offers a perfect example of duality between its two characters Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The names Jekyll and Hyde have become synonymous with modern-day borderline personality disorder, or a person with dual personalities, which is closely interrelated with this concept. This is commonly termed…

Setting portrays a character’s inner personality. Robert Louis Stevenson explores this in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Jekyll’s complex household juxtaposes his relationship with his counterpart, Hyde. Hyde’s simplistic house entrance, with one door, demonstrates the only way for Jekyll to transform into Hyde (through the drug), but also suggests and foreshadows the inability for Jekyll to stop the transformation from occurring, once he runs out of salt for his drug. The overall setting, of a…

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert L. Stevenson and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë are both stories that have a sense of drama and mystery to them, where the plot unravels at the very end of the novel. Although both stories seem to tremendously differ from each other, both Stevenson and Brontë have used similar themes at certain points of their novels. However, though both stories have key similarities that link them to one another, both also have differences that create a…

Repressing Mr. Hyde: The Dissociation of Dr. Henry Jekyll An Annotated Bibliography Barry, Peter. "Psychoanalytic criticism." Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1995. 92-115. Print. Barry’s book discusses the major literary criticisms and theories within them. Within this particular chapter, Barry focuses on Freud’s work on the unconscious and its influence on the actions of individuals. Barry draws concentrate on repression and the idea…

Freud relates repression by terms deemed the “id”, “ego”, and “superego.” In relation to these terms, Hyde is the id, pursuing indulgence and possessing no moral code. He is pleased with violence and death, especially if he causes it (Singh). Hyde is pure, unbridled desire, making him the definition of the Id. Dr. Jekyll represents the ego. Always mindful and cautious, Jekyll lets society rule his life. Unfortunately, Jekyll is desperately consumed by the He has a difficult time juggling between…

From the time humans began to understand the functions present within the brain, they have tried to question the conscious and unconscious mind. Is man an existence embodied with good and evil? Are the actions and behaviors related to the identity of a person? In the early 20th century, neurologist Sigmund Freud developed a theory based on the psyche, which states that humans have three identities. These are the id, ego, and superego , which “operate at an unconscious level according to the…

As a rebellious and confused twelve year old, it was always tempting to disobey my parents as they continued to restrict me in an attempt prolong my change into a teenager. The more rules that were created to hold me back, the more I would aim to break free. I purposefully broke the rules that bound me. No human wants to feel restricted, regardless of age. An environment that is too suppressive, demanding, and judgmental, constantly aimed towards perfection, can make any well behaved person feel…

Lindsay Chafizadeh and Olivia Citro Theology : The Problem Of Evil Shams Inati Plotinus, Enneads, First Ennead, 8th Tractate Our presentation was on Plotinus, Enneads, First Ennead, 8th Tractate. The Enneads which is fully The Six Enneads, is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry. We focused on the First Ennead and the 8th Tractate, which is "On the Nature and Source of Evil". The part that I, Lindsay Chafizadeh, focused mainly on throughout…

Tentative Interpretation of The False Gems The False Gems was written by Guy de Maupassant in 1883.“Maupassant is considered as one of the fathers of the modern short story”. ( wikipedia ) He always depicted human lives and destinies and social forces in disillusioned and often pessimistic terms. Readers also can find some similarities in The False Gems. Writer could invisibly finish the objective and actual description and the short story only uses thousands of words and makes the plot twists…

“Among those who dislike oppression are many who like to oppress,” said Napoleon Bonaparte. In accordance, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende and “Master Harold”…and the Boys by Athol Fugard both consist of dynamic characters who act as oppressors. In The House of the Spirits and “Master Harold”…and the Boys, Esteban Trueba and Harold, respectively, have similar characteristics in the sense that they both lose control of their emotions and take out their anger on others. The House of the…