The Sign of Four Revision - northgate.norfolk.sch.uk€¦ · The Writer: Arthur Conan Doyle was...
Transcript of The Sign of Four Revision - northgate.norfolk.sch.uk€¦ · The Writer: Arthur Conan Doyle was...
The Sign of Four
Revision
26
Relationships
27
Character Map
27
Why are these characters important to the novella?
Sherlock Holmes Dr Watson
Mary Morstan Inspector Jones Jonathan Small Tonga
The Plot
28
1. Miss Mary Morstan arrives and asks for help with a mystery.
2. Holmes and Watson accompany her to Thaddeus Sholto's house and
learn about the Agra treasure.
3. Bartholomew Sholto is found dead at Pondicherry Lodge.
4. Holmes investigates the clues and calls the police. Athelney Jones
arrests Thaddeus Sholto. Holmes sends Watson to borrow Toby, the
dog.
5. Holmes employs the Baker Street Irregulars as spies and eventually puts
on a disguise to track down the Aurora launch.
6. Watson, Holmes and Inspector Jones pursue the villains along the River
Thames and catch up with them. The treasure chest is empty.
7. Jonathan Small is arrested and confesses his whole story. Watson and
Mary Morstan are engaged to be married.
Women
What were Victorian women
expected to do with their lives?
How were Victorian men and
women treated differently?
Victorian
Crime
What types of crime were common
in Victorian London?
How did the Jack the Ripper case
affect Victorians attitudes of the
police force?
Why were Victorians interested in
the crime genre?
Key Contexts
The Writer: Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Edinburgh. He trained
to be a doctor, and then divided his time between medicine and writing.
While a medical student, Conan Doyle was deeply impressed by the skill of
his professor, Dr Joseph Bell, in observing the most minute detail regarding a
patient’s condition. This master of diagnostic deduction became the model for Conan Doyle’s literary creation, Sherlock Holmes.
Contexts present in the play: What are the following and who represents them in the play?
The British Empire
What was the British Empire?
Why is The British Empire
important to the novella?
How are India and England
presented in the story?
29
Setting: Victorian London
Why was Victorian London the perfect
setting for a crime novel, such as The Sign
of Four?
The early Victorian period saw London’s population and housing start to boom. Because Victorian London was such a labyrinth, and because it was constantly
expanding, people could get lost in their own city. London became so large that it
created a secret side to itself.
No one in the capital could ever know all of London through and through and
there would always be secret places because of its constant expansion.
It is said that London could be mapped, but it could never be fully imagined or
experienced.
This made it the perfect setting for Victorian gothic/detective literature.
How does the setting help to
emphasise that Sherlock Holmes is
very intelligent and knowledgeable,
whilst showing Watson to be
uncertain? Think about their journey
through London!
The air pollution in London, caused by the Industrial Revolution, meant
that the streets were often foggy. How does this add to the atmosphere
of the novella?
How do the darkness and fog help to create the perfect crime setting?
30
Sherlock Holmes
Why would he appeal to a
Victorian reader?
“That is why I have chosen my own particular profession,—or rather created
it, for I am the only one in the world.”
If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Sherlock Holmes?
Holmes’ actions What do we learn about him?
He takes drugs at the start and
end of the story.
When he investigates, he gets
down on his hands and knees,
crawls around the room, and
carefully examines every detail.
He tells Inspector Jones that he
can take the credit for solving the
case; Holmes does not need
recognition.
31
Dr John Watson
How does he offer a different
perspective from Holmes?
“Count the cost!”
If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Dr Watson?
Watson’s actions What do we learn about him?
Watson chooses to write
stories based on how Holmes
solves his cases.
Watson shies away from
showing Mary that he is
attracted to her because he
thinks he is not worthy of her.
Watson jumps to conclusions
about the case – i.e. he
assumes the footprint was left
by a child.
32
Mary Morstan
Why did Conan Doyle include
the romantic side-plot?
“no friends whom I could appeal to”
If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Mary Morstan?
Mary’s actions What do we learn about her (and Victorian women)?
Mary goes to Holmes and
Watson to ask for help in
finding her father.
Mary wears white clothing
throughout the story.
Mary waits at home for the
crime to be solved, and for
Watson to come and tell her
what happened.
33
Jonathan Small
We do not meet him until chapter 10
– how does Conan Doyle manage to
make us fear him?
“‘Where is the justice that I should give it up to those who have never earned
it? Look how I have earned it!”
If there’s one quote to know: What does this quote tell us about Jonathan Small?
Small’s’ actions What do we learn about him?
As soon as he escaped prison,
chased Major Sholto to
England and waited to hear
about the treasure.
He used Tonga to help him
break into Bartholomew
Sholto’s house so he could
steal the treasure back.
When chased, he scattered the
Agra treasure into the Thames
so it would be harder to
recover.
34
Structure of the Novella
35
What happens? Specific effect on the reader?
1.
Ca
taly
st2
. C
lue
s3
.
Co
mp
lica
tio
ns
4.
Cli
ma
x5
. R
eso
luti
on
Analysing Structure: For each of the 4 sections, explain the effect on the reader.
Themes: Crime
36
To tackle the rise of crime in the growing towns and
cities of Victorian Britain the police force were
introduced to uphold the law and protect the law
abiding.
However the public perception of the police was
rather low, especially following the Ripper killings.
The inability of the police to catch Jack the Ripper and
their bumbled investigations are reflected in Doyle's
portrayal of police inspectors in the book.
A real newspaper article written in 1888
about the Whitechapel Murders stated:
So far the police have satisfied themselves,
but as to getting a clue to her murderer,
they express little hope.
The police have no theory with respect to
the matter, expect that a gang of ruffians
exists in the neighbourhood.
What does this language reveal about the
incapability of the Victorian police?
We don’t even meet the criminal (Jonathan Small) until chapter 10. Most of the story
focuses around fear of the unknown criminal.
Find and explain 3 quotes about the criminal
before we meet him – how does Conan Doyle
create a sense of mystery in the story?
Themes: Fear of the UnknownAs well as fear of the unknown criminal, Conan Doyle also emphasises fear in the story by
introducing an antagonist whose culture and identity is largely unknown to (and not
understood by) the Victorian reader.
Tonga the “savage”: At the end, Jonathan Small is given the opportunity to tell us his story,
which creates some sympathy as we find out he was forced into helping to steal the treasure
in the first place. However, Tonga is killed before being captured – how does this add to the
fear of the unknown?
Quote/information
about Tonga
What does the it suggest?
How does it help to build fear?
Holmes reads a extract
from a book about the
pygmies from the
Andaman Islands. It says
they are “cannibals” and “savages”.
Jonathan Small describes
how Tonga had shot and
killed Bartholomew with
a poison dart, despite it
not being part of their
plan to steal back the
Agra treasure.
When Holmes and
Watson catch up to Tonga
and Jonathan Small on
the boat, Watson
describes Tonga as having
features of “bestiality and
cruelty” and a mouth that
“chattered at us with half
animal fury”.
37
Themes: DualityDuality is when characters have two sides to them. In The Sign of Four, however, we see duality
of personalities through contrasting characters (such as Holmes and Watson).
38
Holmes has a scientific
mind. He focuses on logic
and clear reasoning.
Find 3 quotes which show
him doing this.
Sherlock Holmes Dr John Watson
Dr Watson has a more
romantic side to his
personality and enjoys
forming personal
relationships.
Find 3 quotes which show
him doing this.
How does Holmes’ personality help him to be a
great detective?
How does Watson’s personality help him to be a
great writer and assistant to
Holmes?
Holmes and Watson are very different characters.
How do they complement each other? How did
Conan Doyle use Watson to help the reader?
Key Quotes: Sherlock HolmesAnnotate each quote:
1. What does it suggest about the
character?
2. Why does the character say the
quote?
3. How does the character feel?
4. Zoom in on at least 2 words
(underlined).
5. Add technique for those words.
6. Link to themes.
7. Include context.
Ch8: “I am not tired. I have a curious constitution. I never remember feeling tired by
work, though idleness exhausts me completely.
Ch2: “A client is to me a mere unit,—a factor in a problem
39
Key Quotes: Dr WatsonAnnotate each quote:
1. What does it suggest about the
character?
2. Why does the character say the
quote?
3. How does the character feel?
4. Zoom in on at least 2 words
(underlined).
5. Add technique for those words.
6. Link to themes.
7. Include context.
Ch7: “I marvel at the means by which you obtain your results’
Ch3: “a dense drizzly fog lay low upon the great city… I lost my bearings and knew nothing’
40
Key Quotes: Mary MorstanAnnotate each quote:
1. What does it suggest about the
character?
2. Why does the character say the
quote?
3. How does the character feel?
4. Zoom in on at least 2 words
(underlined).
5. Add technique for those words.
6. Link to themes.
7. Include context.
Ch4: “Miss Morstan sat down, and
her face grew white to the lips”
Ch2: “no friends whom I could appeal to”
41
Key Quotes: Jonathan SmallAnnotate each quote:
1. What does it suggest about the
character?
2. Why does the character say the
quote?
3. How does the character feel?
4. Zoom in on at least 2 words
(underlined).
5. Add technique for those words.
6. Link to themes.
7. Include context.
Ch12: “Where is the justice that I should give it up to those who have never
earned it? Look how I have earned it”
Ch5: “the wooden-legged man”
42