Acrostic Poem

[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde]

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson,  Retold by C. Kingsley Williams and A. G. Eyre

Summary: Dr. Jekyll hypothesizes that independent goodness and evilness exist within the human body, and through using a chemical liquid that he made, he succeeds in isolating the 'evilness' within himself, 'Edward Hyde.' However, fulfillment of proving his hypothesis and successfully conducting his experiment, and the moment of guilt-free pleasure he experienced as Hyde, are fleeting. His evilness, represented by Hyde, grows uncontrollable, reaching a point where Dr. Jekyll cannot even control it, which ultimately leads to his demise.

Chosen character: Jekyll

Reason for choosing this character: The core of this book emphasizes that avoidance, exploiting the duality of human nature, can never free humans from their responsibilities as human beings and their moral obligations. And Jekyll guides the reader through his innovative ideas, complicated anguish, and pain, and the increasingly intertwined internal conflict that makes this entire story possible. Therefore, I chose him, the one who can make this whole story possible.

Length of the book: This book has 60 pages, it is a level 5, which is upper intermediate, and has approximately 2300 words in it.  Published by  Penguin Readers

Poem meaning: 

Jekyll tries to separate the evil inside him into a separate man, Hyde. Since he succeeded at his experiment, he, Jekyll, can be a purely gentle person, making Hyde the most terrible criminal in the world. As time goes by, the contrast between them gets bigger and bigger, which eventually makes Jekyll unable to control Hyde anymore, feel more anguish than before, and take his life with his hand.  I tried to convey the reason for Hyde's existence, highlight Hyde's traits contrasting to Jekyll, and the result of his experiment, being erased by himself.

[The Tragic Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice - Brendan Pelsue]

Author/Video by: TED-Ed

Summary: Eurydice, wife of Orpheus, died because of the snake. Since he loved her so much, he tried to save her wife, going Tartaros, the world of dead souls(simply, underworld), and with his skill at playing the lyre, he was able to impress the gods and spirits of the underworld and gain the opportunity to resurrect his wife, but at the end of their journey to world of life, he broke the taboo of never looking back and failed to resurrect his wife.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhaepLsP5eg

Chosen character: Orpheus

Reason to pick him: He shows the critical vulnerability of humans that can ruin everything, 'doubt'. The more he wanted life with her again, the faster the doubt grew, and the heavier his fear of losing her pressed him. As a result, he accidentally chose to solve immediate anxiety, rather than wait for bliss right in front of them, which led him to a heartbreaking separation again. So, I chose him, the one who leads the whole story and makes us be immersed in the whole story by questioning minor but crucial things that can change his destiny.

Length of video: 4 min 41 sec (about 5 min)

Poem meaning: 

Firstly, when he got permission to bring dead Eurydice to life again, he was so happy to be with his wife again. However, he broke the rule at the end of the process, which led to separation again. So, I tried to convey his high, growing hopes with 4 lines, fear that he felt with 1 line, and the frustration of losing everything with the last line. And, at the same time, I also wanted to paraphrase his story, like one of the processes of comforting him. So, I wrote it as if I were talking to him through a poem.