2FEB2016

In Chapter 7, more information is given about the mysterious Barrymore and his wife. Furthermore, Watson meets Stapleton the naturalist and his sister (who begs him to leave the area). With these character introductions, though, are the introductions of the suspects.

1) Thus far, who are the introduced suspects? What impressions are given about them? Why? What are their characteristics? Why are there so many suspects?

Stapleton is introduced as a suspect, he has much control over his sister and does not let Sir Henry and her alone together. Stapleton is a harsh man. Miss Stapleton is a very fascinating and beautiful woman, almost tropical. Franklin is also introduced as a suspect; he fights for the pleasure of fighting and can fight either side of an argument. Other than that, Frankland seems to be a good man. Frankland is an elderly man, red-faced, and white-haired. Lately, he has had his telescope pointed at the moor, hoping to see the escaped convict; he loves astronomy and is a lawyer. The impressions of Barrymore are that he is very sneaky.
2) Every introduced suspect has a strange quirk about them that puts Watson ill at ease. Discuss what is strange about the behavior of each suspect. Do any of the characters act suspiciously? How? Does it appear that any of them are actually guilty? Why or why not?
The characters acted suspiciously; some did but not all. The Barrymores acted sort of suspicious because they were sneaky. It appears that some of the characters may actually be guilty but we will not know until we read further along in the story. 3) Essay: In your opinion, why did the author introduce so many suspects? How does this help the plot along? Do you find that so many new characters adds to the tension of the story or hurts it? Why or why not?

Arthur Conan Doyle introduced so many suspects in Chapter seven to build suspense and make the readers wonder what is going to happen. This helps move the plot along by adding suspense. Adding so many new characters to the story adds tension to the story because it brings in new conflicts and drama into an already complicated and mysterious story.

11JAN2016

**In Chapter 2, Dr. Mortimer presents to Holmes and Watson the story of the Baskerville curse. In this chapter, he gives no mention as to whether he believes in it or not, but he still feels it is important. Interestingly, he is a man of science, as was Sir Charles. The following questions will deal with reality versus fantasy.

1) What are the supernatural elements contained in the Baskerville legend? How does it have any bearing on Sir Charles's death? How does it have any bearing on the supposed violent deaths of other Baskerville men? Does it appear that Dr. Mortimer is trying to prove the legend to be true or false? How can you tell? Do you think less of Dr. Mortimer's apparent unease with the story? How is this at odds with his scientific training? Some supernatural elements of the legend are the "a great black beast" and a hound shaped animal that is bigger than the eye has ever seen. It is said that the Baskerville legend haunts his family to the current date in the story, so they believe he died due to the fact that he does not have an imagination and does not believe in it. The three friends of Hugo who died while going down in the dip of the valley to find the lady has to do with the legend because the big black beast ate them. Dr. Mortimer is trying to prove the Baskerville legend to be true and make Watson and Holmes have some pity on them. Dr. Mortimer's unease with the tale is bad but if it has affected his family for this long then he should be worried.

2) The Baskerville legend is made up of superstitions and myth, though it is told as fact. Do you believe that Hugo came to his violent end the way the legend describes? Is there any practical explanation for how he and the young lady died? Is there any practical explanation for how Sir Charles may have died? Why? I do not think Hugo died the exact way that the legend describes; but the young lady and he died from the same thing-the black beast of Baskerville. Sir Charles may have died the same way as Hugo and the young girl, but there is no way to know for sure this early into the book.

3) The facts of Sir Charles's death have been presented by both the newspaper and Dr. Mortimer, along with the story of the curse. Do you believe in the curse so far? Why or why not? Could there be a logical explanation for the hound? (Note that this is a very famous story and, even if you already know the ending, please do not use your knowledge of the rest of the plot on this question). I do not believe everything in the curse so far. I do not believe that the hound of baskerville is all the way true, maybe it is not a hound but a wild animal and no one has seen it up close or in the dark to know for sure. There is no logical explanation for the curse other than the hound was made and his DNA messed up and now it is a bigger version of the average hound.

4) The Baskerville curse is presented as a legend that people fear and take seriously, despite Holmes's skepticism. Are there any legends you know of that you take seriously? Are there any that you can explain away logically? Why do you believe in it or why do you not believe in it? There is a legend of bigfoot that many people believe is not real. I believe in bigfoot because there is so much unexplored land in the world that we may not know every single species there is.

*** Arthur Conan Doyle builds the suspense in Chapter 2 from the very beginning. Dr. Mortimer presents to Holmes and Watson an old legend crossed with a modern tragedy and a problem that must be addressed within a day. Even more, the chapter ends with a chilling and shocking revelation. The following questions will deal with the use of suspense.

5) What is suspense? What are ways that it can be built? Is urgency part of what makes this chapter so suspenseful? Suspense is a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. For suspense to be built, you have to get the reader to care about what happens, build tension by causing small losses and small wins and you have to foreshadow what is going to happen. Urgency has somethings to do with the suspense in the chapter.

6) What are some of the terms that build the dramatic aspects of this chapter? Specifically note the story of the wicked Hugo. How does Doyle use language to ratchet up the tension in this chapter? Some terms that builds dramatic aspects in Chapter two are style, characterization, themes, symbolism, allusions and mood. The story of the "wicked" Hugo is a perverted man from Baskerville who kidnapped his neighbor's daughter and locked her in his attic. Hugo and his drunk friends chased after the girl. After coming up on the dip in Baskerville, the group of guys discover the girls dead body in the middle of a field and saw a huge dog gnawing Hugo's throat out.

7) Cliffhanger: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" was published in monthly serial form in "The Strand." How does ending the chapter with the line about the hound's footprints amp the suspense? Given that when it was first published, a person would have had to wait a whole month to find out what happened next, how does this affect your reading of this chapter? Stating that the hounds footprints were gigantic, the reader now wants to know exactly how big and scary the hound really is. The reader would be dying the read the next chapter if they had to wait a month to see what happens. This made people continue to read the series.

8) Write a brief essay on the use of suspense in this chapter. How did it make you feel? Did you sense the tension rising in this chapter? Why or why not? What works for you and what does not? Does the suspense make you eager to start the next chapter? The use of suspense in Chapter two made me want to read more of the novel because it left out many details. Tension rose throughout the chapter and eggs you on to read more of the book because it is hard to not be curious.

8JAN2016

**In Chapter 1, Watson and Holmes take turns deducing characteristics of Dr. Mortimer, using his left-behind walking stick as a focal point. Not surprisingly, Holmes is almost entirely accurate. Holmes never guesses, but makes factual observations of what is presented to him. The following questions will deal with Holmes's methods of deduction.

1) Holmes's working picture of Dr. Mortimer is almost completely accurate. How did he arrive at these conclusions? More specifically, what is the difference between guessing and deducing? The difference between deduction and guessing is that deduction is a more concrete and strong answer because it includes having logic rather than just making an estimation. Guessing is supposing an opinion without strong information on the subject.

2) Compare and Contrast: Compare and contrast Watson's statements versus Holmes's statements in regards to Dr. Mortimer. How did Watson arrive at his conclusions? Was he actually deducing or guessing? How can the reader tell? Why is Watson wrong? Can anyone deduce as correctly as Holmes or does the person need to be an expert? Watson considers Dr. Mortimer an elderly doctor who is very successful. He believes the cane he uses has C.C.H. on it, standing for a country club. Watson believes Dr. Mortimer walks a lot due to the old, beat up cane. Sherlock Holmes agreed with Watson in that he attended a country club; but the cane that has C.C.H. stands for a hospital: Charing Cross Hospital. Holmes believes he has a medium size dog because of bite marks on the cane. Watson arrived at his conclusions because he thought he was elderly and not much keen anymore. Watson was guessing on his knowledge of Dr. Mortimer, thinking inside the box. Anyone could deduce as accurate as Sherlock Holmes, but only if you are in the right state of mind.

3) Is Watson capable of deduction? Why or why not? Feel free to compare Watson to Holmes if it is necessary to get your point across. Dr. Watson is capable of some deduction, but not near as much as Sherlock Holmes. To deduce is to arrive at an opinion just by observing and seeing the obvious facts.

4) Separate yourself from Holmes's deductions. How would you have characterized Dr. Mortimer based on his walking stick? Consider how the cane is described. How did you arrive at your conclusions? Can you honestly say that you have deduced or guessed? Based on the walking stick that Dr. Mortimer uses, it would seem as though he is elderly and almost unable to walk, and has been that way for a while because the cane is worn out. His dog has been biting his cane as well. Based on these conclusions, I have deduced to an extent but guessing helps out in the long run.

**Because Arthur Conan Doyle wrote several Sherlock Holmes stories, very few ever go into introductions or descriptions of Holmes or Watson. However, in this short chapter, the reader can see the relaxed, non-case related interactions between Holmes and Watson. The following questions will explore the relationship between Holmes and Watson as depicted in Chapter 1.

5) Describe the character of Holmes versus Watson. What are the differences between the two men? The similarities? Is it outlandish that these two men would be close friends? Why or why not? The differences between Holmes' and Watson are that Holmes is considered a famous detective with a "keen eye". He is very observative and intuitive. Sherlock Holmes' sidekick, Dr. Watson, is eager to solve this case for him. They are both detectives and can make assumptions about people. It is not outlandish for Holmes and Watson to be friends because they are alike and thrive upon each others' deducing.

6) How do Holmes and Watson feel about each other? How does Holmes treat Watson's hypothesis on Dr. Mortimer? How does Watson respond to Holmes? Describe the dynamic between them. Watson says how Holmes does not wake up until late in the mornings. He thinks he is very smart, yet a little crazy. Holmes feels Watson should be praised more. Holmes thinks Watson is making guessing assumptions about Dr. Mortimer. Watson believes Holmes is foolish for his deduction of Dr. Mortimer, but he is right.

7) Do you believe that Watson and Holmes possess a true friendship? Is Holmes, as unemotional as he appears to be, even capable of maintaining a friendship? Cite specific examples from the text to support your arguments. Holmes and Watson do not have a true friendship; they differ in opinions because Watson is a more guessing type of detective while Holmes is deductive. Holmes is not capable of maintaining a good friendship because he lets his work take over his life.

8) Is Watson and Holmes's relationship believable? Why or why not? Is there any relationship in your life that you feel resembles that between Watson and Holmes? Their relationship is believable because they are witty towards each other and always want to "one-up" the other. This is a real life relationship because some people do that to others to always want to do better than them.

6JAN2016

In at least three paragraphs, explain how Doyle's personal life impacted his creation and writing of Sherlock Holmes. The more details you include, the higher your grade will be.
You may only use the notes you took yesterday for reference. 

The Hound of the Baskervilles is written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a Catholic, in the year of 1902. Doyle has written many mystery books and stories; his favorite writer was  an American Poet named Edgar Allen Poe. When Doyle was just a boy, his father was an artist and designer. Arthur grew to be an adult at the sight of his father becoming a violent alcoholic. Having dyslexia, Doyle's father was a great artist but was forced into an asylum by his son and Brian Charles Wallop. 

Around the time that Arthur Conan Doyle got out of school, he found a wife and was looking for a doctor's office to buy out. Doyle had no luck with this so he decided to start up his own practice. The practice did not start off on the right foot considering the fact that he enjoyed the thought of spiritualism, which is a belief that one can communicate with the dead. Doyle grew up a Catholic but got interested in spiritualism and it changed his way of life. After Doyle's first marriage did not work out, he found another lady and decided to marry her, only to know that she is his sister. There were many questions to whether or not Arthur Conan Doyle did this out of love or guilt. The good thing was that he was a kind-hearted, loyal man that stuck to his word. 

The 1890's was a big decade for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because these were the first years of "Sherlock Holmes" in mystery stories. France had the top crime catcher weapon early on because of the use of finger prints. After the story The Strand, Doyle ended Sherlock Holmes' life. A year after The Hound of the Baskervilles was published, Doyle brought the Sherlock Holmes stories back. 

Arthur Conan Doyle also wrote The Adventure of the Empty House; and met Jean Lecky afterwards. He soon fell in love with her. Doyle picked up a hobby of designing uniforms for battles. In the year 1916, he publicly announced spiritualism. A few years later, Doyle's son died of influenza, which was a popular disease during his life.

18Nov2015

The attack on Renfield, the scene with Dracula, Harker, and Mina, and Mina's reports of what Dracula has been doing to her during his visits are all quite detailed and gory. The objective of this lesson is to examine the use of gore in the horror genre.

1) Was Chapter 21 overly gory? Why or why not? Cite examples from the text.
Chapter 21 is considered overly gory because the Professor and Dr. Seward are worried about Mina so they decided to break into her room where her and Jonathon were sleeping, only to find Mina had been bitten on the neck by Dracula. Dracula had a wound on his chest and held Mina's head to his chest to give his blood so he could heal. Jonathon Harker is in a daze at the time, but once he wakes up he demands an answer on what Dr. Seward and Van Helsing did to Mina and him. Mina realizes she has drank Dracula's blood and feels unsanitary to even kiss her husband. Harker, Helsing and Seward convince her that she did not drink his blood and that they will protect her. 

2) Flip through Chapter 21 and list as many adjectives as you can find that appear in the chapter.  Are they positive? Negative? Gory? What kind of feeling are you left with after reviewing the lists? How does that feeling contribute to the reader's experience of reading such a gory chapter?
1-calmness-positive
2-lethargic-negative
3-horrible-gory
4-sound-neutral
5-fat-negative
6-strict-gory
7-poor-negative
8-superficial-positive
9-terrible-gory
10-dressing- neutral
After reviewing this list of adjectives from Chapter 21, I am left feeling that this chapter is rough, action-packed and gory. The feeling that contributes to the readers'experiences of reading a gory chapter are that the reader experiences thrill instead of being bored and nothing happening.

3) Gore in the horror genre is nothing new. Did you find this chapter over-the-top gory? Not enough gore? Too much in some scenes (with Dracula and Mina), but not enough in others (Renfield being found by Van Helsing)? Can a horror novel be done without gore? How important is gore? Is it expected from the reader? Would it have been expected from a reader during the early 1900s? Do readers' expectations and tolerance of gore change as society changes?
I did not find this chapter over-the-top gory. There is much blood and gruesome activity in the scene with Dracula and Mina at night; while there is not much gore in the scene with Renfield being found by Van Helsing. A horror novel can not be done without gore because if there is not a type of gore then it may not attract readers as well. Gore is important because is represents an act of violence which is action in a novel which attracts readers' attention. Yes, gore is expected from any readers, even the 1900s. As society changes, the expectancy of gore of readers stays pretty much the same.
4) Create two lists: one for "Dracula", and one for any other novel or movie you have read or seen in the horror genre. List the elements and presence of gore and how gore was presented in "Dracula" and the novel/movie of your choice. What were the similarities? What were the differences? Was one "better" than the other? Why?
As my movie to compare to "Dracula", I chose Jessabelle. I chose this movie because it has a lot of gore in it and it relates to "Dracula" in that aspect. Jessabelle had scary scenes with ghosts and within herself. She bled a lot on time in the bathtub and it had a lot of blood; it was very greusome.

5) On Google Drive write an essay (doc title: LASTNAME_Vlad): Dracula is supposedly based on a real historical figure named Vlad the Impaler. Find three similarities between this historical figure and the literary character and explain how and when they appear in the novel. 

16Nov2015

1) What is your impression of rats? What has informed that opinion? What could change it in the future?

My impression of rats is that they are small, grimy animals that are disgusting in nature. I do not like looking at rats or thinking about them. Rats get the reputation of not being a good animal because it always comes back, they never go away no matter what you do to extinguish them. They hide and they are small so you never see them. Rats can go into almost any space. In the future, rats may lose their disgusting reputation if people figure out how to get rid of them.

2) We know that, so far in the novel, rats and wolves have both made an appearance. When have they been present? What have they represented? What do they foreshadow? Do the wolves that attack Harker's carriage as he is going to meet Dracula for the first time have the same meaning and symbolism as the wolf that crashes through Lucy's window? What other animals could be used to convey the same meaning that the rats and wolves do?

Bats have constantly been present in Dracula. When a bat is present around the house, one person will try to kill it but the bat does not die, because it is Dracula. Dracula is only able to die in the case of garlic around him, crucifixes, and holy water. The wolves have separate meanings when they attacked Harker's carriage and when the wolf crashes into Lucy's window. Deer or foxes could be used to convey the same meaning of rats and wolves in Dracula.

3) Does a vampire count as a creature/animal or as a person in a novel? What factors define it as either? How can a reader decide, when reading something in the horror genre, whether a creature such as a vampire, zombie, or monster, is a human character or an animal character?

In Dracula, a vampire counts as a person because this novel is full of supernatural events. Dracula is a human because he looks like one, he can do everything a human can do, he just has supernatural powers. Count Dracula would be considered a creature in this story because he can change his shape into a bat and also does not come out during the day time as Dracula. Readers can decide whether a creature in a story is a human or not by depicting their intro into the story, the author will usually describe the character and within those lines there are answers of your questions.

4) What do you think has happened to Renfield based on the way Chapter 20 has ended? Why? 

I believe Renfield was killed by Dracula. He did not want Renfield to become a vampire and take away his fame of it. Dracula became jealous and killed Renfield. 

5) Renfield seems to have two personalities: one of calm and reason, and one of wild ravings and violence. Create a drawing of the two "faces" of Renfield. Describe why you chose the features you did and what Renfield's varying states of mental health convey, on the back of your drawing. Turn in.

6) List the of benefits of an author using a "crazy" character in a novel considering the following: what the benefits are, what can be done with a "crazy" character that cannot be done with a "regular" character. Then, list the negatives of an author using a "crazy" character in a novel considering the following: what the limitations are, what cannot be done with a "crazy" character that can be done with a "regular" character. 
There are many benefits and negatives of using a crazy character in a novel. The benefits are being able to have freedom with the character and it not be surprising to the reader if he does something unusual and being able to portray any image of what the character looks like. The negatives of using a crazy character are confusing readers and creating too much positive or negative emotion to the novel.

7) What has Renfield brought to the text so far? How has Stoker used him? Is he a detestable character? Does anyone feel a little sorry for him? Is there any chance he could be saved? How has Stoker used him as a literary device? What does the class think will happen to him by the end of the novel? What do they think has happened to him (given the urgent message Seward receives at the end of Chapter 20)?
Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, has used Renfield as a crazy patient in Dr. Seward's asylum. Renfield is somewhat considered a repulsive character because he lashes out sometimes, other times he is calm. He could be saved in modern times with medicine or hard work to overcome his handicappedness, but I do not think anyone wanted to put time into his well-being. Renfield was used as a literary device such as mood because he is not an ordinary man of any sort. I think Renfield will be killed by Count Dracula at the end of the story.

8) Is it fair to use "crazy" characters in a work of literature, or does doing so simply count on, and even reinforce, negative stereotypes readers may have of people with mental illness? Write at least one page presenting your position. Write this in Google Drive (LASTNAME_crazy) and share with me. MLA Format.

12Nov2015

1) What motivates you in your life? How does this affect the choices and actions that you make on a daily basis? 
My motivation in life comes from wanting to succeed so badly that I will not stop until I am at the top. When one wants to succeed as bad as they want to breathe, nothing can stop them from achieving their goals.

2) If you were an author, what literary devices would you use to demonstrate that a character in your novel completely lacks any and all motivation? Provide at least five and explain.

If I were an author, I would use anagram because the character may not know what they are talking about or the whole subject matter, but are trying to act smart. I would also use characterization as a literary device because it shows what type of person they are. Mood is another device in literature that would represent the characters' emotion. Conflict and diction are the last two literary devices I would use to describe a character that lacks motivation because they both show they have a distinctive tone and have a dispute with themselves or another person.

3) What did you think of Van Helsing's "class" on vampires? Was it helpful to you as a reader? Why or why not? Answer in a complete paragraph.

Van Helsing's class on vampires was helpful in a way that he instructed everyone what to do in order to kill the vampire. He made sure everyone knew their jobs so this would be a successful job. 

4) Reflect on Van Helsing's apparent Vampires 101 class. Would you have found it helpful? Condescending? Ridiculous? Could you imagine yourself within the scene while you were reading it? What was the experience like for you as a reader? What else did reading the scene do besides provide you with information about vampires and vampire lore?

In Van Helsing's "Vampires 101" class I would have found it helpful but also a type of laughable situation because it is hard to believe that the supernatural is real. I could imagine myself in the scene because the supernatural element interests me. Reading "Dracula", I thought it was somewhat bogus because it is hard to believe such a thing as Dracula could exist.

5) Why does Stoker decide to have a situation where all-things-vampire are explained in one setting? Is it repetitive for the reader? Informative? Ridiculous? How does he expect the reader to react? Does the reader assume the role of "student" in such a scene? How can the reader be sure the author is providing objective and helpful information in a scene? What other ways could an in-novel "class" be used within a text? What are the benefits? What are the negatives?

The one setting where the vampire class was done was informative and helpful. I like it better that way rather than being spread out and the reader maybe forgetting parts. Stoker expects the readers to react in a way that in shocking and hopes for it to blow them out of the water. The reader does not take the 'student' role in this scene. It is more of just understanding your job on how to kill Dracula. It is obvious Bram Stoker is providing helpful information.