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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Q2: Blog Entry #10
"As to Miss Violet Hunter, my friend Holmes, rather to my disappointment, manifested no further interest in her when once she had ceased to be the centre of one of his problems, and she is now the head of a private school at Walsall, where I believe that she has met with considerable success" (Pg 317.)
This quote which ended Sir Robert Conan Doyle's collection of Sherlock and Watson's adventures, indeed brings everything to a nice close.
Watson and Sherlock's relationship is a friends with benefits type of relationship (in a non-sexual way, mind you!)where the two of them get along because they are both knowledgeable in different aspects, and they can exchange wit back and forth in a non-insulting way. Watson is the only person Holmes has who he can talk with, and vice versa- Watson's relationship with his wife seems healthy in the Sherlock Holmes novels, but they don't spend time together. In addition to the two of them (Sherlock and Watson) understanding the way the other functions since they lived together as bachelors, Holmes also asked Watson many times to come solve a case with him because of Watson's extensive medical knowledge from being a doctor. The information regarding what type of doctor Watson was, was never revealed to the readers however.
Sherlock also talked about on numerous occasions, how he wanted Watson's company with solving a case. That shows Sherlock did have some desire to be with people. Sherlock did a desire to communicate, and he wasn't happy forever by his lonesome self, simply getting lost in his thoughts over and over again. Watson recognized this as shown by the preceding quote, which is why he was disappointed in Holmes not finding girlfriend potential in Miss Violet Hunter. Holmes showed signs of interest in the woman though, saying that she "spoke in a respectable manner" and "knew how to take care of herself," when Holmes wasn't the type to compliment people if it was an unnecessary compliment. Why was Holmes so reluctant to get into a relationship? Normally male characters that are masochists, are masochists because the male author was a masochist. But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a healthy relationship with his wife, his last words before death (according to Wikipedia) being "You are wonderful." which was directed towards his wife.
For those of you who are curious, Holmes did eventually die in one of Conan Doyle's short stories featuring the detective, but he was brought back to life.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
This quote which ended Sir Robert Conan Doyle's collection of Sherlock and Watson's adventures, indeed brings everything to a nice close.
Watson and Sherlock's relationship is a friends with benefits type of relationship (in a non-sexual way, mind you!)where the two of them get along because they are both knowledgeable in different aspects, and they can exchange wit back and forth in a non-insulting way. Watson is the only person Holmes has who he can talk with, and vice versa- Watson's relationship with his wife seems healthy in the Sherlock Holmes novels, but they don't spend time together. In addition to the two of them (Sherlock and Watson) understanding the way the other functions since they lived together as bachelors, Holmes also asked Watson many times to come solve a case with him because of Watson's extensive medical knowledge from being a doctor. The information regarding what type of doctor Watson was, was never revealed to the readers however.
Sherlock also talked about on numerous occasions, how he wanted Watson's company with solving a case. That shows Sherlock did have some desire to be with people. Sherlock did a desire to communicate, and he wasn't happy forever by his lonesome self, simply getting lost in his thoughts over and over again. Watson recognized this as shown by the preceding quote, which is why he was disappointed in Holmes not finding girlfriend potential in Miss Violet Hunter. Holmes showed signs of interest in the woman though, saying that she "spoke in a respectable manner" and "knew how to take care of herself," when Holmes wasn't the type to compliment people if it was an unnecessary compliment. Why was Holmes so reluctant to get into a relationship? Normally male characters that are masochists, are masochists because the male author was a masochist. But Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a healthy relationship with his wife, his last words before death (according to Wikipedia) being "You are wonderful." which was directed towards his wife.
For those of you who are curious, Holmes did eventually die in one of Conan Doyle's short stories featuring the detective, but he was brought back to life.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Q2: Blog Entry #9
"When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals. He has nerve and he has knowledge" (Pg 209.)
It's that time once again ladies and gentlemen, time for yet another quote analysis. And yet this one had even more potency to it compared to some of the other quotes that have been analyzed in this blog, because of this blog author's personal connections to doctors.
Doctors were once upon a time, worshiped and treated as Gods. Even if those habits and actions never become the fashionable thing to ever again, the idea that doctors can do a lot still stands. Doctors these days have the power to save humans from so many ailments and diseases that the common populace doesn't even know of yet, and yet if a doctor put their knowledge against you, they could also kill you so easily.
Sherlock has a valid idea here- The idea that doctors could easily become criminals. They could easily become criminals not just because of the knowledge aspect, but also because they have nerve. Common doctor tasks include things like seeing lots and lots of blood, sticking needles into other people, and witnessing grotesque amounts of pain right before their very own eyes. They might feel a tad paniced on the inside, but doctors can't show that panic on the outside, or else their patient loses confidence and faith in them. Experienced doctors learn how to not show panic on the outside. If a doctor can keep their composure while being under the pressure of saving someone's life, they most likely are very capable of keeping their composure while taking someone's life away. If the world's doctors turned against the rest of the world, the world would have quite a predicament on it's hands.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
It's that time once again ladies and gentlemen, time for yet another quote analysis. And yet this one had even more potency to it compared to some of the other quotes that have been analyzed in this blog, because of this blog author's personal connections to doctors.
Doctors were once upon a time, worshiped and treated as Gods. Even if those habits and actions never become the fashionable thing to ever again, the idea that doctors can do a lot still stands. Doctors these days have the power to save humans from so many ailments and diseases that the common populace doesn't even know of yet, and yet if a doctor put their knowledge against you, they could also kill you so easily.
Sherlock has a valid idea here- The idea that doctors could easily become criminals. They could easily become criminals not just because of the knowledge aspect, but also because they have nerve. Common doctor tasks include things like seeing lots and lots of blood, sticking needles into other people, and witnessing grotesque amounts of pain right before their very own eyes. They might feel a tad paniced on the inside, but doctors can't show that panic on the outside, or else their patient loses confidence and faith in them. Experienced doctors learn how to not show panic on the outside. If a doctor can keep their composure while being under the pressure of saving someone's life, they most likely are very capable of keeping their composure while taking someone's life away. If the world's doctors turned against the rest of the world, the world would have quite a predicament on it's hands.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Q2: Blog Entry #8
" 'Well you can imagine how hard it was to settle down to arduous work at two pounds a week, when I knew that I could earn as much in a day by smearing my face with a little paint, laying my cap on the ground, and sitting still' " (Pg 161.)
Maybe part of what makes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories so interesting, is the fact that he can find a way to put an ethical or moral dilemma into each and every story so that the reader is conflicted in their mind. The reader simply can't decide what the right thing to do would be, so they force themselves to continue to read to see what Sherlock Holmes would do. Isn't Sherlock Holmes always right? Doyle had managed to find a way to make readers rely on Holmes to get answers, and provoke the reader's hope in the idea that everything has an answer an a reason behind it.
Let's get back to the story itself. In this case, Sherlock was assigned the task of finding a man named Mr. Neville St. Clair after he had gone missing. The man who was accused of killing or kidnapping Mr. Neville was an old beggar. That old beggar was the last person to be seen nearby Neville before he went missing. Much to the surprise of many- The old beggar who was arrested but not proven guilty of a crime quite yet, would never be proven guilty of a crime. That old beggar was Neville, with some make up and a disguise on.
The thing that makes the situation of begging with a disguise on so Tragic for Mr. Neville though, is that he earned more money begging for one day than he did writing articles. Every person has a bit of a selfish side, and Neville's had allowed his to get out of control, but can you blame him? Neville increased his wealth to atrocious amounts with barely any effort being involved, besides sitting outside with his hat on the pavement, in a disguise which helped him look like one of the most ugly people London had ever seen.
But maybe he did pay the price of increased wealth, in a different way. Neville had begged Holmes to not reveal to his wife that he had been begging on the streets for money. Neville had begged Holmes to not reveal his deep dark secret to his children. Neville probably had gotten looks from hundreds and hundreds of people that said something along the lines of, "You are a worthless piece of scum. Quit begging for drug money." It seems as though Neville's shame and self-degradation he had gone through while begging, was the price of that increased wealth.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Maybe part of what makes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories so interesting, is the fact that he can find a way to put an ethical or moral dilemma into each and every story so that the reader is conflicted in their mind. The reader simply can't decide what the right thing to do would be, so they force themselves to continue to read to see what Sherlock Holmes would do. Isn't Sherlock Holmes always right? Doyle had managed to find a way to make readers rely on Holmes to get answers, and provoke the reader's hope in the idea that everything has an answer an a reason behind it.
Let's get back to the story itself. In this case, Sherlock was assigned the task of finding a man named Mr. Neville St. Clair after he had gone missing. The man who was accused of killing or kidnapping Mr. Neville was an old beggar. That old beggar was the last person to be seen nearby Neville before he went missing. Much to the surprise of many- The old beggar who was arrested but not proven guilty of a crime quite yet, would never be proven guilty of a crime. That old beggar was Neville, with some make up and a disguise on.
The thing that makes the situation of begging with a disguise on so Tragic for Mr. Neville though, is that he earned more money begging for one day than he did writing articles. Every person has a bit of a selfish side, and Neville's had allowed his to get out of control, but can you blame him? Neville increased his wealth to atrocious amounts with barely any effort being involved, besides sitting outside with his hat on the pavement, in a disguise which helped him look like one of the most ugly people London had ever seen.
But maybe he did pay the price of increased wealth, in a different way. Neville had begged Holmes to not reveal to his wife that he had been begging on the streets for money. Neville had begged Holmes to not reveal his deep dark secret to his children. Neville probably had gotten looks from hundreds and hundreds of people that said something along the lines of, "You are a worthless piece of scum. Quit begging for drug money." It seems as though Neville's shame and self-degradation he had gone through while begging, was the price of that increased wealth.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Q2: Blog Entry #7
"We sat in silence for some minutes, Holmes more depressed an shaken than I ha ever seen him. 'That hurts my pride, Watson,' he said at last. 'It is a petty feeling, no doubt, but it hurts my pride. It becomes a personal matter with me now, and, if God sends me health, I shall set my hand upon this gang' " (Pg 133.)
The quote above, is what Holmes had ended up saying to Watson after they had discovered that their client who's mystery they were trying to solve, had died. Their client who was name John Openshaw, had come to Sherlock and Watson for their help after receiving an incredibly strange letter in the mail. The plain envelope with no return to address had a large red seal on it's opening, and inside was a sheet of paper with only one thing written on it. "K.K.K." With the letter, was a collection of small orange flower buds which the K.K.K enclosed with all of their letters that they sent to victims, when their death was on the way. The strangest thing about this story however, is the fact that the K.K.K was still alive in 1885 (Which is the time when the majority of Sherlock's tales are set), but the K.K.K was founded by members of the Confederate army. An American organization- And yet they were targeting a man like John Openshaw who lived in London, and were ready to kill him.
Only with further investigation may we finally realize why they had targeted John- His great grandfather was Colonel Openshaw, someone who had served in the Confederate army. The K.K.K was greatly informed of the Colonel's acts in the Civil War, but he had managed to immigrate to London with a set of documents that hold some of the secrets of the K.K.K. Openshaw Sr. had immigrated to London, and died before the K.K.K was even established... So whatever documents he had, they were incredibly important. Those important documents then became the possession of John Openshaw, which is why he was eventually killed by the K.K.K. The most striking fact about John's death however, is that he died by walking off a bridge into unmarked territory in the night, and fell to his death.
How was the K.K.K able to forsee that death?
Back to the main point of the quote itself... It is incredibly easy to see the shame in Mr. Holmes' words. The pure shame and hatred for himself he had felt, occurred because it was one of the few times he had actually failed. The good guys are supposed to always win, but it just doesn't work that way in the real world.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
The quote above, is what Holmes had ended up saying to Watson after they had discovered that their client who's mystery they were trying to solve, had died. Their client who was name John Openshaw, had come to Sherlock and Watson for their help after receiving an incredibly strange letter in the mail. The plain envelope with no return to address had a large red seal on it's opening, and inside was a sheet of paper with only one thing written on it. "K.K.K." With the letter, was a collection of small orange flower buds which the K.K.K enclosed with all of their letters that they sent to victims, when their death was on the way. The strangest thing about this story however, is the fact that the K.K.K was still alive in 1885 (Which is the time when the majority of Sherlock's tales are set), but the K.K.K was founded by members of the Confederate army. An American organization- And yet they were targeting a man like John Openshaw who lived in London, and were ready to kill him.
Only with further investigation may we finally realize why they had targeted John- His great grandfather was Colonel Openshaw, someone who had served in the Confederate army. The K.K.K was greatly informed of the Colonel's acts in the Civil War, but he had managed to immigrate to London with a set of documents that hold some of the secrets of the K.K.K. Openshaw Sr. had immigrated to London, and died before the K.K.K was even established... So whatever documents he had, they were incredibly important. Those important documents then became the possession of John Openshaw, which is why he was eventually killed by the K.K.K. The most striking fact about John's death however, is that he died by walking off a bridge into unmarked territory in the night, and fell to his death.
How was the K.K.K able to forsee that death?
Back to the main point of the quote itself... It is incredibly easy to see the shame in Mr. Holmes' words. The pure shame and hatred for himself he had felt, occurred because it was one of the few times he had actually failed. The good guys are supposed to always win, but it just doesn't work that way in the real world.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #6
"There, but for the grace of God, goes Sherlock Holmes" (114.)
Yes, Sherlock Holmes was merciful and nearly God-like for allowing Mr. Turner to get away with his crime, of murdering Mr. McCarthy. And although ethically speaking it was so incredibly wrong for Holmes to let Turner go, morally speaking, it may have just been the right thing to do. Let me explain the details to you, my good reader, and you may decide for yourself. :)
Mr. Turner had once upon a time robbed Mr. McCarthy's wagon along with a few of McCarthy's friends, of all their possessions and riches. It was all Mr. Turner and -his- gang of buddies could do to live and better their own lives, by taking away things from others who were very well off. Turner ater the robbing, had felt barraged with guilt and decided to never rob again, and started a business. His business was wildly successful, and he got married to a woman who he had loved and they produced a child named Alice. Old Turner's wife who was never named, ends up dying when Alice is very young, but many years later Turner is barely phased by it, because he still has Alice. McCarthy comes up out of the blue in town one day however, and uses his previous experiences with Turner as blackmail. "Give me anything I want, or I will turn you in to the police," is essentially what McCarthy had used to bond with Turner. McCarthy also had a wife, and they produced a child named James. What happened to Turner's wife, also happened to the wife of Mr. McCarthy and she died shortly after the child's birth. Mr. McCarthy's son James and Turner's daughter Alice had grown close when they were young, and James was madly in love with Alice, to the point of wanting to marry her. Mr. McCarthy had attempted to convince James to make the notion of a proposal so that the McCarthy family would have a bit of the Turner fortune. Turner had seen father McCarthy and his son discuss this plan with James not wishing to pursue Alice solely for money, and Turner had killed McCarthy when James was walking away after his argument with his father.
Was what Turner had done the right thing to do?
Well, I personally am still a bit split on the matter. Either way, it's payback for his thieving days.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Yes, Sherlock Holmes was merciful and nearly God-like for allowing Mr. Turner to get away with his crime, of murdering Mr. McCarthy. And although ethically speaking it was so incredibly wrong for Holmes to let Turner go, morally speaking, it may have just been the right thing to do. Let me explain the details to you, my good reader, and you may decide for yourself. :)
Mr. Turner had once upon a time robbed Mr. McCarthy's wagon along with a few of McCarthy's friends, of all their possessions and riches. It was all Mr. Turner and -his- gang of buddies could do to live and better their own lives, by taking away things from others who were very well off. Turner ater the robbing, had felt barraged with guilt and decided to never rob again, and started a business. His business was wildly successful, and he got married to a woman who he had loved and they produced a child named Alice. Old Turner's wife who was never named, ends up dying when Alice is very young, but many years later Turner is barely phased by it, because he still has Alice. McCarthy comes up out of the blue in town one day however, and uses his previous experiences with Turner as blackmail. "Give me anything I want, or I will turn you in to the police," is essentially what McCarthy had used to bond with Turner. McCarthy also had a wife, and they produced a child named James. What happened to Turner's wife, also happened to the wife of Mr. McCarthy and she died shortly after the child's birth. Mr. McCarthy's son James and Turner's daughter Alice had grown close when they were young, and James was madly in love with Alice, to the point of wanting to marry her. Mr. McCarthy had attempted to convince James to make the notion of a proposal so that the McCarthy family would have a bit of the Turner fortune. Turner had seen father McCarthy and his son discuss this plan with James not wishing to pursue Alice solely for money, and Turner had killed McCarthy when James was walking away after his argument with his father.
Was what Turner had done the right thing to do?
Well, I personally am still a bit split on the matter. Either way, it's payback for his thieving days.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #5
As the mystery behind finding the pictures which belonged to the King of Bohemia draws to a close, we discover why Sherlock Holmes had previously describe Irene Adler as "the love of his life" and as of "the woman." (Pg 40).
Holmes had returned to Mrs. Adler's household to fetch the photograph which he had located earlier in the week, by setting up a fake fire near her home and seeing what she would grab first, of her belongings before leaving her household. When Holmes left her household, he had hopped into a taxi cab and picked up Watson. As they drove, they discussed the entire situation of Holmes finding out where Adler had the scandalous photos stored. It turns out the taxi cab driver, was a person hired by Adler herself to spy on Holmes. Adler had gotten hints through a source that remains anonymous in this story, that Holmes would be spying and sneaking near her in hopes of taking the pictures. That is why she hired someone to spy right back.
Knowing that the woman had extreme curiosity to see what Holmes was up to, and having the wit to hire someone to spy right back on him, is what helps us understand Holmes so much more. Holmes loves to be near a witty person, regardless of whether or not they outsmart him. But if Holmes loves to be around these witty people, why does he constantly spend time with Watson who just isn't quite the sharpest crayon in the box? In fact, being outsmarted does not damage Holmes' ego. In this case, he simply stated to Watson, "I have a lot to learn."
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Holmes had returned to Mrs. Adler's household to fetch the photograph which he had located earlier in the week, by setting up a fake fire near her home and seeing what she would grab first, of her belongings before leaving her household. When Holmes left her household, he had hopped into a taxi cab and picked up Watson. As they drove, they discussed the entire situation of Holmes finding out where Adler had the scandalous photos stored. It turns out the taxi cab driver, was a person hired by Adler herself to spy on Holmes. Adler had gotten hints through a source that remains anonymous in this story, that Holmes would be spying and sneaking near her in hopes of taking the pictures. That is why she hired someone to spy right back.
Knowing that the woman had extreme curiosity to see what Holmes was up to, and having the wit to hire someone to spy right back on him, is what helps us understand Holmes so much more. Holmes loves to be near a witty person, regardless of whether or not they outsmart him. But if Holmes loves to be around these witty people, why does he constantly spend time with Watson who just isn't quite the sharpest crayon in the box? In fact, being outsmarted does not damage Holmes' ego. In this case, he simply stated to Watson, "I have a lot to learn."
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
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