Using context to inform an argument: Jekyll and Hyde.

Hello and welcome to today's lesson.

My name is Mr. Young, and this lesson is all about context.

So let's get started.

So our lesson today will have a very clear learning outcome, which is as follows.

So hopefully, by the end of today's lesson, everybody should be able to use context effectively in an analytical paragraph.

And of course, we'll have some very important words in our lesson today, which are our keywords.

So do feel free to pause the video at any time if you would like to spend just a little bit more time with any of these words and their definitions.

But our keywords are theme, concept, context, writer's intention, and generalisation.

So our lesson today will have two very clear learning cycles.

In our first learning cycle, we are gonna focus on context.

And in particular, what makes really good context in our essays.

And then in learning cycle two, we are gonna apply all of that fantastic knowledge into practise by producing a really nice analytical paragraph about Jekyll and Hyde, which really focuses on using effective context.

So with that in mind, let's get started with today's lesson.

So context concerns the circumstances in which a text was written.

Context helps us to understand the writer's intentions further.

So with that in mind then, my first task for you is a discussion question.

You've got a question there, which is what might be relevant context for Jekyll and Hyde? Pause video, have a quick discussion, and then do push Play when you would like to continue.

Okay, nice work.

Some really fantastic conversations taking place there to kickstart us in learning cycle one.

And well done for recapping all of your fantastic knowledge of the novella and also the things that were going on in the time that Stevenson was writing.

Some of the things I had were as follows, the fear of scientific progress, Victorian values, urban terror, Victorians and reputation, Stevenson's views and the Gothic genre.

So you can see all of these things might be particularly relevant to a Victorian audience.

And as such, they may have kind of fed into Stevenson's own intentions when he was writing the novella.

And we'll unpick those in a little bit more detail as we go through this lesson.

But ultimately, this is not an exhaustive list, and anything that helps us understand Stevenson's intentions and the audience of the time can be considered context.

So when writing analytical essays, it is really important our ideas are linked to context.

So with that in mind, we have the following questions.

So how can we use context effectively in our written responses? Well, if I was thinking about using context effectively, I would be thinking about the following thing.

So firstly, context must be precise and avoid generalisations, okay? It must be precise in terms of what we're saying and it must be precise in terms of the question it is actually addressing.

And again, the same thing here.

Context needs to be anchored to the text by linking it to quotations.

So we need to develop our understanding and our written responses by adding context to an existing quotation, not just kind of bolting it on at the end.

And again, context can be used to explain the writer's intention and support the overarching argument of the essay.

So everything we say contextually must be supporting our kind of overall ideas.

And again, context needs to focus on key themes and concepts and not on isolated historical facts.

So we don't just drop a random fact in there potentially about the Victorian era.

We make it linked always to the themes and concepts of the novella.

In this case, Jekyll and Hyde.

And finally, context needs to be interwoven with analysis and used to develop our inferences.

So all of those fantastic ideas that we're having already just need to be supported by the contextual points that we are including.

Okay, quick check for understanding for me then please.

So true or false? Context needs to focus on isolated historical facts, true or false? Pause the video, complete the task, and then do push Play when you would like to continue.

Okay, it is, of course, false.

We do not just drop in isolated historical facts in our essay writing, but how can we justify that then? Context needs to be grounded in themes and concepts, or it is not just facts, but any relevant historical information.

Again, pause the video, choose the correct answer to justify that statement, and push Play when you'd like to see the correct answer.

Okay, fantastic work to everybody who said A, context needs to be grounded in theme and concepts.

Really, well done if you're able to get that one correct.

So let's look at the effective use of context by studying some real life student examples.

So we've got an example paragraph on the board here from Izzy.

And Izzy has said, "'The Strange Case of Dr.

Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' was first published in 1886.

Its narrator is Mr. Utterson.

He is a middle class lawyer, and like all Victorians, is overly obsessed with reputation." So Izzy has clearly made some contextual points here.

So let's ask ourselves the following question, how effective is this use of context? Well, for me, two things really stick out to me.

Number one is that Izzy has used an isolated historical fact.

She has just kind of dropped in there that the novella was published in 1886.

I would say that this doesn't really add anything to her argument and doesn't really develop her thematic analysis in any way.

So we would probably try and avoid this.

And again, Izzy also uses generalisations, particularly around reputation.

So it's certainly true to say that reputation is a key part of the novella.

However, this generalisation isn't really accurate and doesn't develop our understandings.

It just simply isn't true to say that all Victorians were overly obsessed with reputation.

Again, we've got another example here.

So we've got an example from Lucas.

And Lucas has said, "Stevenson was highly critical of what he perceived as the hypocritical middle classes.

In his portrayal of characters like Utterson and Enfield, Stevenson is criticising those that look down on lower classes but ignored the immorality of their own social circle." So a really nice example of a contextual piece of analysis here from Lucas.

So let's ask ourselves the same question.

So how effective is this student's use of context? Well, again, for me, a few things are sticking out to me.

So I would say that Lucas' points about Stevenson are really strong.

He's made some really kind of high-level points here that are definitely meeting our success criteria about context.

However, they are not anchored in the text with direct quotations about Enfield or Utterson, which would make this stronger.

So Lucas has made some fantastic points here about Utterson and Enfield, and he could develop this just a little bit more by directly anchoring it to the text with some really nice quotations.

And again, Lucas doesn't really develop the inferences about his contextual points.

He could be a bit more specific, highlighting what specific context meant that Stevenson was so critical of.

Okay, so we have made it to our first practise task of this lesson, which is going to be all about looking at an example student paragraph, which makes some contextual points.

So let's take a look at the paragraph.

So a student has written, "Indeed, this critique of hypocritical Victorian values becomes more apparent through the description of Hyde's landlady, who has an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy.

This offers a stark contrast to the descriptions of the beautiful aged man, Sir Danvers Carew, who dies carrying a secret concealed in a sealed envelope addressed to Utterson, or indeed the smooth-faced man of fifty, Dr.

Henry Jekyll, who unleashes his dark alter-ego on the world.

Though Utterson and his social circle may have the means to protect their reputations and the appearance of respectability, Stevenson implies that they are not immune from sin." So I'm sure you'll agree that's a really nice student paragraph there, and I think that's a really, really effective use of context.

So my task for you then is to tell me why that is effective.

So what I would like you to do then is to take this paragraph and to annotate it, outlining exactly what the student has done to make these contextual links so effective.

So pause the video, complete the task, and then do push Play when you would like to continue.

Okay, great work on that task.

That is a really challenging task.

To take somebody else's work and to kind of annotate it in this way.

So I'll be super impressed if you came up with anything similar to what is on the board now.

So the first thing that really stuck out to me is this opening.

So the student has said, "Indeed this critique of hypocritical Victorian values becomes more apparent through the description of Hyde's landlady." So I love this for a couple of reasons really.

Firstly, it is part of a developed inference that is developed across the piece.

And again, it's really kind of nicely interwoven, this idea of Victorian values with the students' wider statement about the writer's intentions.

So a really nice example of context there.

Again, we've got this second bit here.

So we've got this description of the landlady who has an evil face, smoothed by hypocrisy.

And then also this description of Sir Danvers Carew, of a beautiful aged man.

So I would say this is a great example of context being anchored in the text through specific links to quotations taken from across the novela.

So again, a really nice example of that.

And finally, we've got this kind of concluding sentence, which says, "Though Utterson and his social circle may have the means to protect their reputations and the appearance of respectability, Stevenson implies that they are not immune from sin." So again, I like this because I think this is a really precise reference.

It kind of really focuses on a very specific part of context, which is the reputation of Victorian upper class gentlemen.

And it really nicely matches it to a comment about Stevenson's overall purpose.

So a really nice example and really well done to all of you if you are able to identify anything similar in your own work.

Okay, so we have made it to learning cycle two, which is all about writing about context in Jekyll and Hyde.

So what we are going to do in this learning cycle is apply all of that fantastic work we did in learning cycle one, all those things we did about learning about what makes great context into a really nice piece of writing about Dr.

Lanyon.

So let's get started with learning cycle two.

So we are going to explore how we could write an analytical paragraph with effective context for the following question.

And that question is, starting with this extract, how does Stevenson explore ideas about religion? So a really nice thematic question about the text.

So in particular, the extract is taken from chapter 9, and that is Dr.

Lanyon's narrative, where we learn all about Dr.

Lanyon's role in the novella and his witnessing of Jekyll's transformation.

So this extract is Lanyon's account of how he witnessed Jekyll's transformation into Hyde, and the subsequent effect it had upon him.

So let's take a look at the extracts.

So the extract begins.

"He put the gas to his lips and drank at one gulp.

A cry followed, he reeled, staggered, clutched at the table and held on, staring with injected eyes, gasping with open mouth.

And as I looked there came, I thought, a change, he seemed to swell, his face became suddenly black, and the features seemed to melt and alter.

And the next moment, I had sprung to my feet and leaped back against the wall, my arms raised to shield me from that prodigy, my mind submerged in terror." So a really nice piece of writing there.

I always really enjoy this part of the novella.

So my question for you is as follows.

So how does Lanyon react to Jekyll's transformation here? So pause the video, have a quick discussion, and then do push Play when you'd like to see some ideas.

Okay, some great conversations taking place there.

And if you said he's kind of fearful, scared, frightened, you've absolutely hit the nail on the head.

And I think that really comes across in the second part of this extract.

He kind of leaps to his feet in fear and he is almost so afraid that he almost kind of raises his arms in self-defense at this kind of terrifying thing that he sees in front of him.

And indeed, the actual extract ends, submerged in terror, which I think is a really good way of kind of communicating just how frightened Dr.

Lanyon is at this part of the novella.

So well done if you picked up on anything similar.

Okay, so we move on to the second part of the extract, and it goes as follows, "'O God!' I screamed and, 'O God!' again and again, for there before my eyes, pale and shaken, and half fainting, and groping before him with his hands, like a man restored from death, there stood Henry Jekyll! What he told me in the next hour, I cannot bring my mind to set on paper.

I saw what I saw, I heard what I heard, and my soul sickened at it, and yet now when that site has faded from my eyes, I ask myself if I believe it, and I cannot answer." Again, really nice piece of writing here.

So my question for you is as follows, what does Lanyon's cries of O God suggest about what he's seeing? So once again, pause the video, have a quick discussion about this, and then do push Play when you would like to continue.

Okay, some lovely conversations taking place there.

And I particularly liked any groups that kind of got this kind of contradiction between religion and science.

Remember, Dr.

Lanyon and Dr.

Jekyll are both men of science.

So they are professing to believe in the irrational explanations for anything.

However, at this moment in time, Lanyon appears to be completely failed by any degree of scientific rationalism.

Instead, screaming out, "O God! O God!" again, almost if he's appealing to God to explain this situation or potentially even help him from this situation.

So well done if you're able to pick up on that in your own conversations.

So the extract continues, "My life is shaken to its roots, sleep has left me, the deadliest terror sits by me at all hours of the day and night, and I feel that my days are numbered and that I must die, and yet I shall die incredulous.

As for the moral turpitude that man unveiled to me, even with tears of penitents, I cannot, even in memory, dwell on it without a start of horror.

I will say but one thing." So this is the end of the extract we're gonna be looking at today.

So my final question is, what does Lanyon say has been the effect of him seeing this transformation? So once again, pause the video, have a quick discussion, and then do push play when you would like to continue.

Okay, great work on those discussions.

And I'm hearing lots of different ideas there, which is exactly right because there are lots of different things you could say about this part of the extract.

Particularly, well done to all of those groups who spoke about the idea that witnessing this transformation has almost become synonymous now with Lanyon's death.

He almost feels like he cannot exist now in this world where such transformations are possible.

And again, we've also got this idea of this kind of terror now just following him round every minute of every day.

It's almost as if he cannot get this idea out of his head, and he has been absolutely shocked by what he has seen Jekyll do in the transformation.

So really, really interesting points there, and well done to everyone who picked up on anything similar.

Okay, so in this extract, Lanyon recounts his disgust at seeing Jekyll's transformation.

In particular, Lanyon makes references to God and penitence, a clear link to religion.

So a clear link to that question that we're looking at, to give meaning to what he sees.

Although as scientist, he is unable to rationally explain it.

So my question for you then, so let's link this all back to context.

So we've seen the extract, we know what it's about, and we know the question that we are looking at.

So what contextual points could be relevant for this question? So pause the video, have a quick discussion, and then do push Play when you'd like to continue.

Okay, great conversations taking place.

And yeah, I absolutely agree.

There are so many things that you could include contextually for this question.

The ones that really stuck out to me though were as follows.

So I kind of think about this idea of the fall of man.

So making links to the kind of biblical story of Adam and Eve.

We could potentially link that here with what Jekyll is doing.

Again, Victorian attitudes towards religion.

So the Victorian era was a kind of very, very religious era, so we can kind of make some links to that, particularly as what Jekyll seems to be doing contravenes lots of moral and religious laws.

Again, we've got this ongoing debate of science versus religion.

And in particular, the impact of Darwin.

So once again, in the Victorian era, the limits of science are constantly expanding.

And sometimes, they're actually coming in direct conflict with the teachings and also the beliefs of religion.

So I think that could certainly be something that's kind of unpicked as part of this answer.

And finally, attitudes towards death and the afterlife.

So there's lots of reference to death within this extract.

And particular, Victorian attitudes to that could definitely be something we focus on in our writing.

And finally, the limits of scientific potential.

So Jekyll here is taking science through a real extreme with his experiments that he's conducting, and we could potentially weave some of those wider contextual points about what was happening in Victorian society at that time into a question of this nature.

So well done if you're able to pick up anything similar in your own discussions.

Okay, quick check for understanding for me then please.

So why is it potentially odd that Lanyon is appealing to God in this extract? Is it A, he's a amount of science so he should seek scientific explanations for the phenomena he sees? Is it B, Lanyon is an atheist who has no time for religion? Or is it C, public displays of devotion like this were rare in the Victorian era.

Pause the video, complete the task, and then do push play when you'd like to continue.

Yeah, absolutely.

Nice work.

It is, of course, A.

So Dr.

Lanyon is a man of science, so it is absolutely quite strange that he's seeming to appeal to God to explain this phenomenon that he sees in front of him.

It's almost like he's suggesting he does not have any answers as a scientist to explain it.

Well done if you're able to pick up on that.

Okay, so we have reached the final practise task in today's lesson, and it is all about using a single paragraph outline.

So my task for you is as follows.

So a student created the following single paragraph outline to answer this question.

So using this plan, I would like you to write an answer to the question starting with this extract, how does Stevenson explore ideas about religion? And the single paragraph outline looks just like this.

So we've got an example topic sentence here.

We've got the characters return to religious beliefs in traumatic situations, and then we've got some really nice examples of supporting detail.

We've got that kind of Lanyon exclamation of, O God, where he is asking for reassurance.

This kind of sharp sentence, suggesting that Lanyon cannot really link what he's seeing to anything worldly.

And again, the use of the exclamation mark hints at the panic of Lanyon and potentially, wider society about the impact of science.

We've got some really good ideas here about writer's intention.

So could Stevenson be commenting on the ongoing debate between science and religion in Victorian society, and maybe even comforting a very religious audience about the implications of Darwinism.

And finally, we've got this kind of general notes here for a concluding sentence.

So Lanyon is a scientist, but religion is offering him comfort.

So a really, really challenging task to end this lesson and I'm really looking forward to seeing how you get on with it.

So pause the video, complete the task, and then do push Play when you would like to see some feedback.

Okay, great work on that task.

That is by no means an easy task.

So it's fantastic to see so many of you doing so well.

So we've got an example of how you could have approached that task on the board in front of us now.

Don't worry if yours is not identical to this.

This is just a way that you could have approached it.

So if you've got anything similar, really well done.

But the paragraph that we have here is as follows.

"So in the extract, Landon's reaction shows how characters return to their religious beliefs when facing difficult situations.

After watching hi transform into Jekyll, Lanyon screams, 'O God!' Here it is as if Lanyon is asking God for reassurance that what he's seeing is actually real.

Stevenson's use of a sharp, minor sentence reveals Landon's desperation.

God seems to be the only word that comes to mind to describe this other worldly event.

The exclamation mark here also supports the idea that the experience is intense, as it suggests Lanyon is shouting in panic.

Stevenson's purpose may have been to comfort readers who themselves were concerned about the increasing dominance of science in an era where Darwin's theory of evolution challenged the role of God as creator.

Lanyon, a scientist, reacts in horror to Hyde's evolution, and only God, not science offers him comfort." So really great work if you're able to identify anything similar in your own writing.

Okay, so we have made it to the end of the lesson.

Really well done for all of your hard work so far.

So let's recap all of those fantastic things that we have learned in today's lesson.

So context must be precise and avoid generalisations.

Context needs to be anchored in the text by linking it to quotations.

Context needs to be interwoven with analysis and used to develop inferences.

Context needs to focus on key themes and concepts and not on isolated historical facts.

Context can be used to explain the writer's intention and support the overarching argument of the essay.

Once again, really well done for everything that you have done and achieved in today's lesson, and I really look forward to teaching you on other lessons in this sequence.

So thank you very much and goodbye.