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Year 11 - English

Writing essays about hypocrisy in 'Jekyll and Hyde'

Jekyll & Hyde: society as the villain

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore how the society the characters of 'Jekyll and Hyde' inhabit affects their interpretation of them. They first look at structure and the Gothic, before thinking carefully about how to use context. They then look at hypocrisy and write an essay about it in the novella.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to make connections between ideas about hypocrisy, discretion and privacy within a planned extended response.

Key Notes

  • Dr. Jekyll is hypocritical because he conceals his wicked other self under a facade of respectability.
  • Mr. Utterson is discreet and careful to respect the privacy of others.
  • Dr. Lanyon keeps secrets and thereby allows Dr. Jekyll's hypocrisy to flourish.
  • Stevenson is careful to draw a distinction between hypocrisy, discretion and privacy- although they all involve secrets.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • hypocrisy: Hypocrisy is when someone pretends to hold certain beliefs, while their actions and behaviour contradict or undermine these.
  • secretive: A secretive person keeps information private and hidden from others.
  • discreet: If you are discreet, you are careful to keep sensitive information confidential.
  • privacy: The word privacy refers to the state of being free from public attention.
  • distinction: When you make a distinction between two things, you show how they are different.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Students often think all the characters are hypocritical because they are all keeping secrets.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

Dr. Jekyll is hypocritical because he conceals his wicked other self under a facade of respectability. Mr. Utterson is discreet and careful to respect the privacy of others.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'hypocrisy'

Hypocrisy is when someone pretends to hold certain beliefs, while their actions and behaviour contradict or undermine these.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: Students often think all the characters are hypocritical because they are all keeping secrets. Correction: Keep drawing their attention back to the keywords and their definitions.

More Lessons In This Unit

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