Month: January 2026

I honestly liked The Strange Case of dr Jekyll and mr Hyde. It’s been my favourite book we’ve read all year; it felt more mysterious and kept you wanting to read more the whole time. Its expanded vocabulary also helped to make it more mysterious because half the time they meant to leave clues and half the time I wouldn’t understand what they said. I sort of liked that part because I definitely learned a few new words, but it also made it very hard to keep up with small details and the whole plot in general.

“If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also.”- Dr Jekyll

I liked this quote because it shows how Jekyll realizes that even though he caused harm as Hyde, he also ends up paying the price himself, proving that his bad choices hurt him just as much as they hurt others. I also loved how the author would switch between different people, which made the story more engaging but also less repetitive. Overall, the book felt a bit like a warning. The message is clear that ignoring your bad choices only makes them worse, but it’s delivered in a very good way. on the other side I get what the author was trying to say, and I agree with the message, but the story itself didn’t fully make sense and it felt like I missed a million key points to put everything together. Overall I liked it though.

Reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was really creepy but also interesting because it shows how people can have two completely different sides. Right from the start Mr. Hyde is described as scary, mean and “hardly human” (p.?53). I felt nervous reading that because it made me think about how some people can seem normal but hide really bad things inside.

I felt really sorry for Dr. Jekyll because he was trying to separate his good side from his bad side. He says, “man is not truly one, but truly two” (p.?111). That made me stop and think about myself, we all have parts we like and parts we don’t want anyone to see or know ,I guess that’s normal, but Jekyll takes it too far by turning himself into Hyde.

Utterson, Jekyll’s lawyer friend, also confused me sometimes because he is worried about Jekyll but doesn’t really understand what’s going on at first. I think Utterson is like someone who tries to be responsible, even when things are weird or scary.

One part that really shocked me was when Hyde attacked Sir Danvers Carew. The book says Hyde “trampled calmly over the girl’s body” (p.?79), which was horrifying. I couldn’t believe someone could be so cruel without feeling bad, It made me think about how dangerous it is to give in to the worst parts of yourself.

By the end, I felt really sad for Jekyll he couldn’t control Hyde anymore, and it completely ruined his life . The story kind of scared me but also made me think. It’s like a warning that everyone has a dark side, and ignoring it or hiding it too much can be really dangerous.

Overall, I think this book is about choices and responsibility. Even if we have a bad side, we have to be careful about how we act, or it can take over. Stevenson made me think about myself and everyone around me, and it was kind of scary but also really interesting.

I think that The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my favourite books that I have ever read. I say this because the book is filled with mysteries and excitement. These types of books that have suspense are my favourite types of books. This book also provokes lots of thoughts about what happens next in the story.

I think this book is extremely well written because it really makes you wonder what is going to happen in the next part of the story. It makes you want to continue reading because you want to know all the answers to all the mysteries. An example of a mystery is the relationship between Mr.Hyde and Dr.Jekyll. At the beginning of the book, Dr. Jekyll says that Mr. Hyde has power over him. This statement makes readers wonder why.  It makes readers think of all the different possibility’s of why. Since they keep thinking about it, it makes the readers want to read and figure out the answer to the mystery. Once you finally figure out the mystery, another mystery comes along out of nowhere and makes you think even more. This is why I personally think the book is very well written. I enjoyed this book so much that I wish the book had more pages. If the book had more mysteries and more entertainment it would’ve been better. The only critique I had about this book is that I find it difficult to read. If it wasn’t for the time we read the beginning of the book in class I would not have understood the book at all. I think the words were a little advanced for my liking. That is the only critique I have about this book.

In conclusion, I really really enjoyed this book and I would love to read more books like this. The book had a great storyline and a great plot twist, I think that is all you need to make a good book. I hope the rest of the books we’re going to read are as good as this one.

 

When I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the slow buildup of little things that point out Dr. Jekyll’s weird behaviour, which is similar to Mr. Hyde’s, creates suspense, and the big reveal awaits me throughout the whole book, up until Chapter 9, when Dr. Jekyll is revealed to be Mr. Hyde. Though I have known about this story before, and what the big plot twist is through media online, Louis Stevenson’s unique choice of words and vocabulary really makes the story feel more intense, and when Dr. Lanyon is describing the horror of seeing Dr. Jekyll turn into Mr. Hyde, it almost puts me in Dr. Lanyon’s shoes, and although I don’t know exactly what Dr. Lanyon saw, I can envision the horrific experience. Louis Stevenson’s writing, when it comes to Mr. Hyde brutally murdering someone, sounds just as gnarly as it would look in real life. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde also made me think about how people carry big secrets that they need to get off their chest, a secret that changes their behaviour and thinking, like Dr. Jekyll. It also creates a comparison where someone’s big secret could be as bad as a scary monster side, which Stevenson uses as a silly but deep base for the story. The story also proposes a question, can people change after committing evil acts? How will we know if they change for good if they once did such things? How could we trust them? The answer is if they’re evil by nature, or the acts they committed was out of pressure. For example, Mr. Hyde is primitive, and apelike; a being with no morals, a doer and not a thinker. When Mr. Hyde murdered Sir Danvers Carew, he brutally beat him to death with his own cane, which is our first insight of Hyde’s insane and psychopathic mentality. The feelings I got from this book made me think about who I am, who other people around me are, what secrets I have and what secrets they have. Who knows, someone I know might have a scary monster side.

Reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde made me think a lot about how people hide parts of themselves and why they do it. What stood out to me most was how normal and controlled Dr. Jekyll seems, even while knowing that Hyde represents his worst impulses. The idea that someone can separate their good and bad sides instead of dealing with both at once felt disturbing, but also realistic. It made me think about how often people try to show only the version of themselves that society approves of while ignoring everything else (pp. 50–52)

Instead of feeling scared by Hyde  I mostly felt uncomfortable with Jekyll. He knows what Hyde is capable of, yet he continues to create him because it feels freeing (pp. 41–43). That made me frustrated, because Jekyll is clearly aware of the consequences but chooses to ignore them. It made me think about how people sometimes excuse bad behavior by separating it from their real selves, even though they are still responsible for it. The novel suggests that denying responsibility doesn’t make actions less harmful it just makes them easier to repeat

I also noticed how much the characters avoid the truth. Utterson constantly senses that something is wrong but avoids asking direct questions, which reminded me of how people often ignore problems because theyre uncomfortable to confront (pp. 30–32) This made the story feel tense and frustrating at the same time. It felt like everyone was waiting for something to fix itself even though it was clearly getting worse

By the end of the novel, I didn’t feel shocked so much as unsettled, Jekylls final explanation feels like a warning about pretending you can control parts of yourself without consequences (pp. 78–81). The story made me think that denying your flaws doesn’t make you a better person it actually gives those flaws more power. That idea stuck with me after finishing the book and made the novel feel surprisingly relevant even though it was written a long time ago lol

I have very conflicting opinions on “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” By Robert Louis Stevenson. I found it to be a good book I liked the character of Mr. Utterson. But I have one issue with the book, which is the mystery of who Mr. Hyde is. I read the synopsis with the back of the book so it spoiled the mystery for me. Turns out that doesn’t even matter as it was painfully obvious who he really was in the first few chapters for me at least, in chapter 2 with the will that Mr. Utterson reads. “But that in case of Dr. Jekyll’s disappearance or unexplained absence for any period exceeding three calendar months, the said Edward Hyde should step into the said Henry Jekyll’s shoes with out any further delay.” (pp. 9-10). Why would the kind and charitable Dr. Jekyll leave his assets to such and evil man like Mr. Hyde, unless of course they were the same person.

Some things I enjoyed about the book are it’s themes about human nature. Mr. Hyde is evil just to be evil and honestly those are my favorite villains, Not everything needs a big backstory or a ‘he is just a broken man.’ As those things are very overdone in pop culture. And I think everyone would be lying if they said they had no evil thoughts or have done a bad thing before, maybe it was not major but something small. But the one twist that did get me was a murder of Sir Danvers Carew for seemingly no reason at all. It was definitely a very major tonal shift as it went from mystery to slight horror as now Mr. Hyde was shown to be an actually big threat.

In conclusion, this story was very enjoyable but had some flaws but overall I liked it.

My personal response to “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. The book in my opinion was alright.. I’m honestly not a fan of these types of books but it has been the most interesting and intriguing but I just really don’t like it. For me the book was mostly spoiled because I had read the back of the book but I still found it pretty interesting knowing most of the plot. It kinda makes you think that someone just someone in this massive world could have the power to have 2 versions of themselves and we would never know. Even the government hides so many things like area 51 and stuff like that. it also makes you wonder how things happening in the book could happen in real life. Like personally I have never heard anyone ever die from shock which sounds pretty insane to me and its my first time hearing that, that could even be possible. It also shows you that every single human being has a good side and evil side towards them but what’s important is that you know how to act and behave and the decisions  you make. My favourite part of the book would be when Hyde kills Sir Danvers Carew and beats him to death with a cane. in all honestly I just found it pretty unexpected but that’s why I like it because most of the other giant things that happened had a lead up and a reason but when Sir Danvers was killed it was all because he greeted Mr Hyde (p.23.) The book also shows you that hiding something you did in the dark that was bad will only make it worse or get you in even more trouble. Dr Jekyll kept Hyde in the dark and didn’t tell anyone about it letting Hyde become more powerful and kept growing to the point where he could get out by himself without the potion. This is what I thought about the book but I’m hoping the next one will be better.

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a very interesting book to me. It blended mystery and horror into one book and that made it enjoyable to read. I liked the mystery between Dr Jekyll and Hyde as Utterson tries to figure out whats going on. Some parts were really unexpected like when Hyde starting beating up and murdering Sir Danvers Carew. Or near the end when we find out the Hyde is actually Jekyll and it all comes together. Stevenson did a good job describing how horrific the transformation is when Dr Jekyll turns into Hyde by showing us how terrified Lanyon was from seeing it. The main emotions that this book dragged out of me were, shock, for many reasons like plot twists and unexpected events, Fear, For the writer does a good job setting the stage and making every scene with Hyde just a little bit eerie. Sadness, For all of the murder I guess, if I am being honest I did not feel a lot of sadness while reading this book. I wish i could say happiness but there was not a whole lot of stuff in this book to be happy about. Stress, Because of the fear that something might happen it be another character dying or someone getting hurt. Example of this include the Carew murder case because anytime Hyde is in the picture something bad is bound to happen. And something did happen, He beat a old man to death with a cane… The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a pretty interesting book although it is not really my style. I liked the mystery aspect but other than that there isn’t a whole lot to say about this book. It provoked many emotions within while i was reading. The book also did a good job setting the atmosphere of the scenes which made me think about either dark alley ways or creepy laboratory.  but overall I would say that this book was not my favourite. Everybody has different opinions though and I know some people may disagree with me.

in my opinion the strange case of dr Jekyll and mr hyde was a very good book It was easily my favourite book we have read so far and I would have honestly read it outside of English class. I felt like it was extremely interesting and exiting and you never quite knew what would happen next at the start you where like who is this strange mr Hyde and why is everyone so repulsed bye him and then later on you find out that he is “friends” with dr Jekyll which shocks you even more. my first thoughts on this strange dynamic was that dr Jekyll was doing experiments and lab work of some sorts on my Hyde but then later on in the story you find out they are actually the same person which I found to be quite surprising and cool. but other then my opinion on the book or if it was good or not this book had a very deep meaning, it really questions the fact are people born good and evil and is there evil in everyone because in this story dr Jekyll is a very kind and nice man that everyone likes and respects, but then as the story goes on and you find out his other side is actually the villain in the story in makes you question is there the same evil in every person and is just our surroundings/ how we where brought up that makes us less evil or have a kinder heart and even still is it possible that the greatest people in the world have a side to them that is so repulsively evil like my Hyde? weather people can be born evil or good I believe that it is really there core values and who surrounds them that truly shapes who they are. In conclusion this book was really great and I felt it was a very good touch to ad the supernatural part of it. it was very well made, interesting, and meaningful and I would love to read more books that are similar to this one.

I did had intense interest at times whilst reading the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, I found the book to be very boring at times. Some of the text was extremely thought provoking and rich in detail “but there was nothing on the back of the door, except the screws and nuts that held the knocker on” (p.11) I observed that even with a simple door the author goes into enough detail that you can almost perfectly replicate the scenes in your mind. At the start we were introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge who was identified as a grumpy, cold man who hated Christmas “no wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. foul weather didn’t know where to have him” (p. 2). At the end of the book the Scrooge was different and to see the Scrooge change was interesting. I thought that the way the author described scrooge during times when he changed was very detailed, and perfectly captured the moments of Scrooge’s reformation as a more positive person. I felt a sense of new intellectual stimulation at the thought that even people who seem devoid of emotion can change, and develop more feelings for what, and who is around them. I wonder why the author created the different Ghosts to show Scrooge his actions and why he did not keep the book within the bounds of reality. I am extremely curious of what sort of event triggered such a thought from Charles Dickens and his ability refine, and write those thoughts to life. Overall the book was a very interesting read at times and a struggle to enjoy in other times, I believe I would enjoy the book more if I was older and could better understand Scrooge’s coldness.

I honestly didn’t like A Christmas Carol, but it surprised me a bit because I expected to like it even less since we were reading it after Christmas. While I understood that the story was supposed to feel meaningful and reflective, it mostly felt dragged out and super repetitive to me. Instead of making me feel inspired, it made reading feel like a chore, especially because the message was pushed so hard that it stopped feeling natural.One thing that made it hard to enjoy was how extreme Scrooge is at the beginning. Hes described as being cruel, emotionless, and completely against kindness, which felt a bit unrealistic (p. 7). Because of that, I never really connected with him as a person. It felt like Dickens made Scrooge as bad as possible just so the lesson would be obvious, which made him feel more like a symbol than an actual human.

The ghosts also made the story super predictable. Each one shows up and it became obvious that Scrooge was going to change no matter what. When the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge sad moments from his childhood, it felt like the story was trying too hard to make the reader feel sorry for him instead of letting those feelings happen naturally (pp. 34–36). After a while that pattern made the story really boring because I knew what was coming next. The Cratchit family, especially Tiny Tim, was another part I got confused with. Tiny Tim is always positive and hopeful, even though he is very sick, which felt a bit unrealistic to me (pp. 64–65). Instead of feeling emotional, I felt like Dickens was forcing sympathy.

By the end, Scrooge’s suddenly becomes generous and kind after one night, even though he spent his whole life acting the opposite way (pp. 88–90). That made the ending feel fake and too perfect, like everything was wrapped up just to make the story feel hopeful. Overall, A Christmas Carol made me think about how a good message can lose its impact when it is explained too much. Even though kindness and generosity are important ideas, the way Dickens delivers them felt more like a lecture than a story I could actually connect with.

It was alright, I like fiction so the adding of ghosts made me like the story more out of the others, however I really disliked how fast scrooge changes. He goes from this intimidating heartless man to some sugar-rushed Santa in pretty much one stave, the concept is great, using the living embodiments of past present and future to have a bad guy change, but holy guacamole baloney it should NOT happen that fast, all that buildup from stave 1 for him to just change INSTANTLY was pretty disappointing, so as a summary of my opinion: good concept of change, bad execution. 

The Christmas carol by Charles Dickens was a pretty good book. I read it once before and thought of it as boring but now I find it pretty interesting. It kind of shows you that money isn’t everything in life and it shouldn’t be valued more than a human life. It also shows that we should always care for others and especially the ones who struggle in life and are having a hard time. It Also kind of shows you that money isn’t everything in life and it shouldn’t be valued more than a human life. It shows you that you need to overcome selfishness and that it’s never too late to change your ways and redeem yourself for the stuff you have done in the past. Something  which scrooge said in the early part of the book is when he said that the poor should go to prisons or workhouses. It made me feel sad because of how cold and rude he is toward human suffering (p. 14). It also reminded me of how some people today talk about homelessness or poverty as if it is a choice. Another moment is when the ghost of Christmas yet to come shows that tiny Tim will die if scrooge didn’t change his way tiny Tim could’ve died and  Knowing that Tiny Tim could have been saved made this scene even more sad, but I’m happy he ended up alive in the end. The future scenes made me think about regretting how sad it would be to realize too late that you wasted your life pushing people away. Overall, A “Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens made me think about empathy, regret, and the importance of caring for others before it was too late. It helped me think more carefully on how i should treat people from now on.

 

 

While I was reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, it made me think about the two types of people in the book, and in real life; the poor and the rich. I also felt like Dickens’ writing implied that most rich people are ignorant, greedy, and unsympathetic towards the lower classes. But gradually, Scrooge’s character develops as he is reminded of his past through the Spirits, realizing how he wasn’t always a bad apple from the start, it’s just from the way he was brought up. Then, when Scrooge finally sees the light within himself, and cherishes life, it makes me think Dickens is sending a message about old, grumpy, rich people and how not all of them are rotten to the core. I also compared and contrasted the two classes; the less fortunate classes are grateful for just about anything, taking every breadcrumb and warm shelter as a blessing from God, and celebrating Christmas with a smile ear-to-ear, regardless of their situation. On the other hand, the more fortunate classes don’t have believe the lower classes have the right to have a ‘Merry’ Christmas, because it’s not what it means to them. The more fortunate classes also don’t have time to help the lower classes, because they don’t want to stoop to that level, devaluing their time, even when they are asked to donate a couple of dollars to struggling miners. The feelings that I get from this is split into two categories: negative and positive. I get negative feelings about the book mostly in the first half, when we see Scrooge’s character development, his true colours, rejecting family dinners, arguing with his nephew, rudely rejecting charitable donations, etc. Matters such as these make me feel pity for the people around him, and anger for Scrooge himself. But I also feel intrigued to see how Scrooge changes. I get positive feelings in the second half, when the Spirits make Scrooge consider his behaviour, and when the two social problems show up, teaching Scrooge a real lesson. From this, I feel relief and satisfaction, but also hope, not only for the people around Scrooge, but for Scrooge too. In my opinion, the book had a very happy ending, with Scrooge being shown the unloved grave of someone, presented a bad ending for that person which gives Scrooge a different perspective of life. The moral of the story being that you should treat people the way you want to be treated.