The Adventure of Discussion--Chapters 11-14 A Study in Scarlet, Week 5

By Jarod

This section of A Study in Scarlet are much more interesting than the first section of part 2, at least I thought so.
Anyways, here are some questions I thought of while reading:

1.) In chapter 5, Hope starts to believe that they have escaped the reach of the "terrible organization whose enmity they had incurred", but he seems to be a trained hunter, shouldn't he know better than to get his hopes up? And then, he goes and gets lost trying to find food when it says that he knew the path well, shouldn't he have known better than to wander into unknown territory so far from camp?

2.) Later in chapter 5, it says that Hope saved up enough money to keep himself alive before following Drebber and Strangerson to Europe; how then was he able to buy so many plane tickets to keep up with them as they traveled around Europe?

3.) I know I'm not passage person, but since Claire didn't include this quote and I feel that it's significant, I don't feel bad about using it; how do you feel about what Sherlock says in chapter 7 "What you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is, what can you make people believe that you have done?"

4.) The last 2 chapters are spent explaining the crime, and how Holmes deduced it, i was just wondering if you had figured out any of it before they were revealed throughout the story, though i expect the answer will be yes since both of you have already read this story, and seen the BBC version.


(I realize its not the right episode, but I saw this gif and loved it cause the words are from Doctor Who, and in this section, Watson is once again marveling at Holmes's deductive skills)

~Jarod

The Adventure of Passages--Finishing up "A Study in Scarlet" Week 5

by Claire

This week we finished "A Study in Scarlet", and thus concludes John and Sherlock's first case together as a dynamic duo.

Downloaded from: Here
Sherlock and John enjoying their first case.

Most of what we read was narrative/thriller type material, but here were the  passages I like best:

"'If there's a vacant place for a chief of the police, I reckon you are the man for it,' he said, gazing with undisguised admiration at my fellow-lodger. 'The way you kept on my trail was a caution.'"

Its not very long, but it just goes to show how even criminals can appreciate the wit and mental strength of Sherlock Holmes.

The next passage is more towards the end,

"'He gazed at me with bleared, drunken eyes for a moment, and then I saw a horror spring up in them, and convulse his whole features, which showed me that he knew me. He staggered back with a livid face, and I saw the perspiration break out upon his brow, while his teeth chattered in his head. At the sight, I leaned my back against the door and laughed loud and long. I had always known that vengeance would be sweet, but I had never hoped for the contentment of soul which now possessed me.'"

Originally, I felt bad for Jefferson Hope(listed as Jeff in BBC Sherlock), but in this passage, I lost it all. He laughed a creepy laugh right before he killed someone (well, technically, he made the guy chose between a poisoned pill and a harmless pill, and he chose the poisoned one, but still), and that's just scary. 

For your viewing pleasure, here is the criminal, Jeff Hope, as depicted by the BBC:

Downloaded from: Here

Hope you enjoyed the book!

~Claire

The Adventure of Discussion (And Apologia) -Week Four

To begin with- I apologize to my teachers and friends; getting sick and not being able to work was never my intent and I am sincerely sorry if it has hindered your work or made your lives any less easy. I will work my hardest to keep up and do what must be done.
In recompense, I award you this:

A baby Sherlock tries on his coat.

Now, apologies all in order- onto the real heart of the matter.

One of my favorite stories, A Study In Scarlet begins John Watson and Sherlock Holmes' time together, and what a wondrous beginning it is. Riddled with adventure and daring-do, this tale is a classic.

It not only establishes who our set of protagonists will be, but how they view each other.

Here are some questions I hope will metaphorically tickle your fancy and begin some discussion.

1) What is Watson's first impression of Holmes? How is it formed, and how (and by whom) is it influenced?

2) What is Holmes' first impression of Watson? 

3) Why do you think Watson agrees to letting himself get closer to Holmes?

4) What would you do in Watson's place? 

Have fun, all!

(And once again, I really am sorry. I love reading these stories and falling behind causes me as much woe as I'm sure it's caused you all.)

The dynamic duo that have captured our hearts all these many years.

-Katie

The Adventure of Passages- Chapter 6-10 A Study in Scarlet (Week 4)

By Jarod

Here are the passages I though were interesting in this section of "A Study in Scarlet"

(Chapter 7) "The dog continued to lie stretched upon the cushion, breathing in a laboured way, but apparently neither the better nor the worse for its draught.

Holmes had taken out his watch, and as minute followed minute without result, an expression of the utmost chagrin and disappointment appeared upon his features, He gnawed his lip, drummed his fingers upon the table, and showed every other symptom of acute impatience. So great was his emotion that I felt sincerely sorry for him, while the two detectives smiled derisively, by no means displeased at this check which he had met. 

'It can't be a coincidence,' he cried, at last springing from his chair and pacing wildly up and down the room; 'it is impossible that it should be, a mere coincidence. The very pills which I suspected in the case of Drebber are actually found after the death of Strangerson. And yet they are inert. What can it mean? Surely my whole chain of reasoning cannot have been false. It is impossible! And yet this wretched dog is none the worse.'"

I like this passage because it shows how Holmes deals with frustration, and the possibility of his reasoning being wrong, something he is very unused to. Also, Watson states in his narration "So great was his emotion that I felt sincerely sorry for him" which is interesting for us because he seems like such the emotional robot, only excited when he discovers something, and quietly depressed when he has nothing to do.

(later in chapter 7) "'Gentlemen,' [Holmes] cried, with flashing eyes, 'let me introduce you to Mr. Jefferson Hope, the murderer of Enoch Drebber and of Joseph Strangerson.'

The whole thing occurred in a moment - so quickly that I had no tie to realize it. I have a vivid recollection of that instant, of Holmes's triumphant expression and the ring of his voice, of the cabman's dazed, savage face, as he glared at the glittering handcuffs, which had appeared as if by magic upon his wrists. For  a second or two we might have been a group of statues. Then with an inarticulate roar of fury, the prisoner wrenched himself free from Holmes's grasp, and hurled himself through the window. Woodwork and glass gave way before him; but before he got quite through, Gregson, Lestrade, and Holmes sprang upon him like so many staghounds. He was dragged back into the room, and then commenced a terrific conflict."

This passage also interests me because of the utter surprise that Holmes gives them all, then an almost time slowing effect as they all just stand and stare at Holmes and Mr. Hope. Then Mr. Hope realizes he's been caught and tries to run for it, but is once again caught by the three men.

Any question??

The Adventure of Connecting-- Chp. 6-10 A Study in Scarlet (Week 4)

by Claire

So! This week we finish Part I of A Study in Scarlet and start Part II. The end of the first Part was exciting, we catch the killer (Jefferson Hope) and make Gregson and Lestrade look like fools! 

Now, onwards to the connections! First, I would like to point out that Wiggins, the "dirty street urchin", IS in BBC Sherlock!, though he is a lot older, and not a street urchin, but a drug addict. 

Source: http://i.imgur.com/ccXxyfG.gif

Nevertheless, he is Sherlock's protege, similar to how in the books, he was Holmes' eyes and ears around the city. :)

Now, commence Part II! We begin in the desert of Sierra Blanco--which, unfortunately for us, does not exists. Google said so:

Click to make it bigger......I made this pic from a screencap, so as far as citing sources, um, I cite myself, with help from google. 

After Lucy and John Ferrier are rescued, we meet the Mormons. I need not remind you of our LDS/Brigham Young Homework assigned by Legg last semester (yay. insert enthusiasm here). From that, you should know all about our friend Brigham Young and the exile out of Illinois, etc.

We leave off with poor Lucy distraught because Jefferson is gone and Mr. Young said she had to marry one of the prominent Mormon boys. Click this link to know alllllll there is to know about Mormon dating and whatnot, in case you are ever in that position. :) They are pretty strict as far as dating, modesty, and marriage go. Very similar to how it is portrayed in A Study in Scarlet.

Enjoy the rain!

Claire

The Adventure of Connecting-- A Study in Scarlet, Chapters 1-5 Week 3

By Jarod

In A Study in Scarlet, Watson becomes a very relatable character almost immediately in the story. Someone left to his own devices on his pension, just trying to keep his life as least monotonous as possible. Doyle smartly makes Watson's situation less than desirable, and as he only as his pension to live on, not be able to work with his disability, he finds himself running out of money, and looking to get a roommate to save money on housing, as many people just older than ourselves are forced to do in order to scrape by. Also, with nothing else to entertain himself with, Watson decides to investigate Holmes, wanting to know more about his mysterious roommate. Watson acts as any man would in his situation, trying to slyly inquire into Holmes' field of study as he marvels at Holmes' extraordinary deductive skills.

Holmes also becomes a relatable Character in the story, as he attempts to humbly shrug off Watson's awe of his observations, as any person with extreme talent would, yet still smiles and feels good about himself when Watson is awestruck when he explains his seemingly random theories about the case.

Gregson and Lestrade also have a little competition with each other to out-solve the other, as many workers have with their coworkers, which encourages them to be pushed and find answers as soon as possible. This is shown by the passage "The little man's [Lestrade's] eyes sparkled as he spoke, and he was evidently in a state of suppressed exultation at having scored a point against his colleague." They also are both trying to impress Holmes, though they wouldn't admit it, as students try to impress their teacher when they say with such conviction what they believe the answer to be, though this makes Holmes simply see them as idiots.

The Adventure of Discussing-- A Study in Scarlet, Chp. 1-5 Week 3

(by Claire)

Hi! I really enjoyed this week's reading--A Study in Scarlet is one of my favorites. These first five chapters moved really fast-first Watson and Holmes meet, then Watson finds out what Holmes does, and then woosh! he gets dragged along on one of the cases and the fun begins. :) As part of my job, I've prepared three questions--

1. What do you guys think of the meeting between Watson and Holmes? I think its kind of funny; Holmes gets so excited over the test for blood stains, while Watson is completely taken aback and Stamford stands there smiling as if he just caused some kind of great thing to happen and everyone will thank him in the end. Which is close to the truth. (link to video [blogger doesn't like vimeo] from BBC show [yes, I will try to incorporate references into every single post. I would like to show how true to the books it is.])   

2. What do you think about Watson's list, "Sherlock Holmes - his limits"? Any particular favorites? Do you think Sherlock is right about the "wood in the attic" concept--do we really need to save information about things that we will never use? (and, as a bonus, following up on that; do you think core subjects really necessary after you decide on a major/job? And obviously, explain why/why not.)

3. (Page 56/195 on Kindle, I have no idea where this is in a real book) Here we first see Sherlock liking to be flattered. The beginning of his drama queen episodes almost. He says, "You know a conjurer gets no credit when once he has explained his trick, and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all." and then later, "My companion flushed up with pleasure at my words, and the earnest way in which I uttered them. I had already observed that he was as sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty." Your thoughts on Sherlock's vanity?

Finally, in honor of John coming along on his first case with Sherlock, I present this beautiful .gif (and I downloaded this off my Pinterest, so its all good copyright-wise):

~Claire