Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Synthesis Essay
Synthesis Essay
Daniel Kyong
Ms. Jorgensen
20 September 2018
is often disregarded. Society has become so adjusted to perceiving people based on their looks,
wealth, power, etc. that it has become part of our culture. In The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and
Mr. Hyde, and Orbiting Jupiter, the authors criticize how adjusted we have become to our own
and others judgements. Similar to society today, the characters in their books explicitly show
their own perspectives and biases on other characters on ideas. Both authors are correct about the
extent of judgement today, and as stated in their books, judgement should be more openly
Several times throughout the plot of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Mr.
Utterson, a prosperous lawyer, implicitly and explicitly judge characters such as Mr. Hyde, a
small, deformed, and somewhat disgusting man. He states, Mr. Hyde “was pale and dwarfish, he
smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and
boldness, and he spoke with a husky, whispering and somewhat broken voice” (Stevenson
15-16). Mr. Hyde is clearly judged based off his physical appearance, with Utterson
acknowledging him as possibly evil, disabled, or capable of murder. Utterson’s fears of Mr.
Hyde m
Kyong 2
are suddenly legitimized upon viewing him. Other characters such as Dr. Lanyon and Mr.
Enfield also view Mr. Hyde and compare him to a savage animal. By judging his outer
appearance, they subconsciously believe that Mr. Hyde is less of a human than them and
therefore treat him worse than they treat others. The problem with this judgement is that despite
his own denials, the judgement that Mr. Utterson has on Mr. Hyde could potentially cloud his
own judgement and change his normal, reasonable personality. However, in contrast, the
physical appearance of Dr. Jekyll -tall, successful, and handsome- proved to show the other
characters that he as scholarly and respected. Described as “a large, well-made, smooth-faced
man of fifty, with something of a stylish cast perhaps, but every mark of capacity and kindness”
(Stevenson 27), the characters didn’t talk to him in the way they talked to Mr. Hyde, always
making sure to be most respectful and kind. Therefore, when Dr. Jekyll decided to research the
split sides of people, no one suspected much of what the hypocritical man was trying to
accomplish. Although his research was presented as a scientific experiment, Dr. Jekyll was able
to release the evil, ugly side of the respected Dr. Jekyll. The judgement and biases that people
In Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt, judgement is a reason for the unmannerly, guile
actions against Joseph, the protagonist of the novel. Upon first arriving to school, one of Joseph’s
bullies exclaimed, “I think someone’s tightie-whities got a little too tightie” (Schmidt 21). The
reasoning behind this name-calling is because people such as the parents and teachers judge him
based on his prior actions, the most substantial being his daughter, Jupiter. Teachers and students
alike judge him because of his actions, even though on the inside, Joseph was really a loving and
Kyong 3
mature kid. For example, the author continuously infers to the reader that underneath all his outer
appearance, Joseph has a lot of deep care for his daughter and new family, stating, “Joseph just
listened. It was like he was dragging every word about Jupiter into himself so he could remember
it and treasure it in his heart” (Schmidt 73). In other words, Joseph cherises and values his
daughter and yearns for a relationship with her. While some of his prior actions such as
assaulting a teacher might not show this deep care, Joseph is compassionate and warm hearted on
the inside. In addition to bullying, parents also judge Joseph because while an 8th grader such as
himself may seem innocent and friendly, his desire to take care of his kid and be a more mature,
present father is widely rejected due to his age. The adults and children don’t understand his
desire to be a present figure for his child, so they instead turn on their own knowledge that
parenthood shouldn’t be a part of an eighth grader’s life. Ultimately, judgement shaped a lot of
Joseph’s overall development throughout the book, causing him to mature into a better, smarter
person.
In both these novels, the authors use their diction and tone to criticize the natural
judgements of society. They use scenarios such as the bullying in Orbiting Jupiter to show the
reader that judgement in today’s society is unacceptable and can often discourage or peer
pressure people to do things they don’t want to do. For example, upon asking to see his daughter,
Joseph is discouraged and denied by his daughter’s caretaker, the librarian. However, people
such as Jack’s parents encouraged and embraced Joseph’s want to meet his daughter, ultimately
ending with the librarian giving Joseph a picture of Jupiter (Schmidt 162). In addition, while a
judgemental society can cause people to do better things, it can also mask people’s true desires,
Kyong 4
such as in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll’s wealth and knowledge
masked the true intentions of his experiment. Because everyone around him respected him, no
one ever asked any questions to Dr. Jekyll. In the end, the judgements made can be both
In a society of constant gossip, fake news, and rumours, judgement is largely prominent
and will remain influential for years to come. While many may not realize it, judgement is a
huge part of their decision making factors. In both Orbiting Jupiter and The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, judgement is criticized by the authors. In order to stop others from deciding
things based on physical appearance, race, etc. judgment must be criticized and avoided.
Kyong 5
Works Cited
Ferrin, Asia. “Good Moral Judgment and Decision-Making Without Deliberation.” Southern
Journal of Philosophy, vol. 55, no. 1, Mar. 2017, pp. 68–95. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1111/sjp.12210.
“Judgement Today – The Cancer of Our Society.” RSS, Voices of Youth. www.voicesofy
2018.
Schmidt, Gary D. Orbiting Jupiter. Boston: Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
Print.
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 1850-1894. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. London