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Year 11
Edexcel

Considering Stevenson's use of time and weather in 'Jekyll and Hyde'

I can explain Stevenson’s purpose in linking setting to characters in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.

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New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

Considering Stevenson's use of time and weather in 'Jekyll and Hyde'

I can explain Stevenson’s purpose in linking setting to characters in ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Stevenson uses times of day to convey his ideas about secrecy and truth.
  2. The motif of weather is deployed to reflect the characters' inner selves.
  3. It is important to use a range of quotations to trace patterns across a text.
  4. It is important to consider the writer’s purpose and think about how Stevenson’s methods link to his ideas.

Common misconception

Students think the novel is entirely about secrets.

Remind them how often Hyde is observed committing crimes.

Keywords

  • Juggernaut - A juggernaut is a large powerful unstoppable force.

  • Concealed - If something is concealed, it has been hidden.

  • Subvert - If you subvert something, you turn it upside down.

  • Motif - A motif is an image or idea that is used many times across a piece of writing.

Be clear that the day and night and wind and fog are representational.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson for this lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What term beginning with 'J' is the word for the technique of placing opposing ideas or images close to each other in texts?
Correct Answer: juxtaposition, juxapose, juxtaposing
Q2.
How many of Hyde's violent attacks are witnessed by other characters in the 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'?
Correct Answer: Two , two, 2
Q3.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', what is the name of the MP that Hyde kills?
Correct Answer: Sir Danvers Carew, Carew, Danvers Carew
Q4.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', why does Jekyll's manservant Poole go to see Mr. Utterson?
He knows the identity of Hyde.
Correct answer: He is worried about Jekyll.
He is afraid of Hyde.
He is afraid of Jekyll.
Q5.
Why does Stevenson show the many contrasts and contradictions in London as presented in 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'?
Because he hated social injustice and was determined to see change.
Correct answer: To reflect the divisions between human beings and within individuals.
Because he was determined to reflect the reality of his society.
Q6.
What is the missing word in the following quotation from 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'? " books annotated with blasphemies.”
valuable
beautiful
Correct answer: pious
immoral

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the word for a recurring image or idea throughout a text?
Juxtaposition
Metaphor
Correct answer: Motif
Subversion
Q2.
What word is missing from the following quotation from 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'? "while a fog over the city"?
Correct Answer: rolled
Q3.
What word is missing from the following quotation from 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde': “at night under the face of the fogged moon.”
Correct Answer: city
Q4.
In 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', when Utterson goes with Poole to Jekyll's house, they struggle to talk to each other. Why?
They are strangers to each other.
They are rushing so hard they are out of breath.
Correct answer: The wind is so fierce.
Q5.
Which is the best interpretation of the following quotation from 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'? "The wind was continually charging."
The wind was fierce and dangerous and there was no escaping it.
Correct answer: The verb "charged" makes the wind sound hostile and dangerous.
The wind sounded like an enemy force and Utterson sounds like the victim.
Q6.
Which is the best explanation of writer's purpose when discussing the following quotation from 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'? "A fog rolled over the city."
Stevenson makes the fog sounds like an animal, possibly a dangerous one.
Correct answer: Stevenson may be saying that our surroundings affect our personality.
Stevenson uses he verb "rolled" to suggest a fog that surrounds us.