Persuasive Assignment

If Mr. Hyde's case went to court, I would probably prosecute him. The reason for this is that he committed a crime plain and simple. He murdered someone which needs to be dealt with. I realize that people will argue that it was in fact Jekyll who is to blamed but I don't see it that way. I would ask Utterson and Poole as my witnesses and I think that all of the facts are in my favor.
People may also claim that it is society who is to blame for Hyde's actions. People would also think that perhaps  Jekyll had a disease such as a mental illness. I would not agree mostly because it is a very unclear disease, especially in the 1800s.I think that argument would be too unclear for it to be proved true. I don't think the family of Carew would ever forgive the court if Hyde was let go and I don't think that will happen. I believe that he will be punished for his crimes with jail or execution.

CHARACTER

In the book, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" there are several characters that I am drawn to. Perhaps the one I am drawn to the most is Dr. Jekyll. I feel that this character is hiding something and that secret involves Mr. Hyde. Even in the first few chapters, you can sense that Dr. Jekyll does not trust anyone, not even his friend Mr. Utterson. He also is someone who likes to think outside the box. His theories however, are not understood and people think that he is crazy. This exemplifies the way life was in the 1800s, where people never wanted to try new things and people who had mental illness were thought to have been impossible to heal.   

"Story of the Door Reaction"

        In the first chapter of the book Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde there are several moments that make you think a lot harder and makes you scratch your head. For me that moment is when Enfield tells Mr. Utterson about how when he cashed the check the bank put the name under Dr. Jekyll even though the check was given to them by someone named Mr. Hyde. This puzzled Mr. Utterson because he knows Dr. Jekyll and is his lawyer. He had never heard of Mr. Hyde. I was confused as well as it is very weird to have a man give you a check with someone else's name on it. In the next chapter, Mr. Utterson sees Jekyll's will and notices that Jekyll mentions Hyde which totally confuses Utterson. 
        I can't believe the kind of things that were going on in Enfield's story. For instance, I could not believe a little girl was walking around at 3:00 AM. Actually, in today's society, anyone walking at 3 in the morning is completely unheard of. Let alone a child being up and awake at this time. I can't believe how much life has changed in the last 200 years. I also don't understand why they would just take a check from a complete stranger but I guess that was also acceptable at that time. If you told someone that you took a check from a complete stranger who owed money  to you, he would think you are crazy because the stranger could easily fool you, leave, and you would never see them again.
        I think that the lesson is that humans have evolved a lot throughout time and we have changed from our barbaric ways to become the civilized people we are today. However, I also realize that in 100-200 years from now, people will think that were totally uncivilized and we will be far more sophisticated than we are today. 

Mental Illness in the 19th Century

     The topic that I researched was called "Mental Illness in the 19th Century" by Carrie Hughes. The article I read explained that instead of trying to help their patients, doctors blamed their mental illness on witchcraft and demonic possession, and the mentally ill were usually imprisoned, sent to alms houses, or were untreated at home. Slowly but surely, the doctors began to care a lot more for their patients. Today doctors put their patients before anything else, which as this article shows, was not always the case.
     My central point is that doctors have shown more sympathy towards their patients throughout the decades and the centuries up to the point that they have been willing to do anything to keep their patients happy. Instead of making excuses for why things are wrong, they find ways of fixing these problems. Back around that time, mental illness was a huge problem and was basically certain death whereas now their are ways to save the patient.
    After reading this, I have realized that these doctors are not much unlike humans in general as they both have come along way since the 1800s and we now seem to try to push ourselves to the limit as opposed to back then. This has shown me that if I keep on trying and push myself, I can amount to anything.