PROJECT 2ND. EVALUATION: ONCE UPON A TIME

Amaia Giménez Mancho

start

THE SPECKLED BAND

PR2 - ONCE UPON A TIME

Self-evaluation

Review

Formal letter and new title

Hashtags

10 quotes and 10 words

Characters and summary

SUMMARY

Arthur Conan Doyle created this character as the antagonist of this story whose actions contribute to the problematic situation Helen suffers. Dr Roylott is the stepfather of Helen Stoner. He is described as a very violent and problematic man who presents a sinister figure as well as being tall and strong. He comes from a very wealthy family which once was one of the richest in England. After Helen’s mother's death, he confined his step daughters and his exotic pets in an old house that belonged to his family.

Helen Stoner is also a fictional character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. She is the person who visits Sherlock Holmes asking desperately for his help, worried about her own safety. Helen is described as a distressed and scared young lady. In addition, her figure and features show her as thirty-years-old, yet she presents the grey hair that an old woman would have.

Mr. Holmes is a fictional character created by Arthur Conan Doyle, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is a brilliant detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who stands out for being very observational and deductive. He collaborates with his loyal friend and biographer Dr.John Watson in solving complex mysteries.

This story starts on an early morning of April in the year ‘83 when Sherlock Holmes and his friend Mr Watson were woken up by a new client, a young lady who showed a lot of fear and terror, and who insisted upon seeing Sherlock Holmes. She was called Helen Stoner, a beautiful woman who was living with her step-father, the last survivor of one of the oldest Saxon families in England; the Roylotts of Stroke Moran. This family was almost ruined and only had in property an old house. Julia, Helen’s sister, was also living in this two-hundred-old house, when on a cold and stormy night she was killed by something inside the house. Before she died, Helen was able to see her sister, and she whispered her “the speckled band” before she died. The reason why Helen was visiting Mr Holmes was because that last night, she started feeling strange and hearing the same noises that her sister Julia heard before being killed. Finally, Mr Holmes, Helen and Watson went to Helen’s house and stayed up all night in order to discover the reason for Julia's death and keep Helen away from the murderer. On the same night that Dr Roylott was killed, Holmes and his friend were able to find the killer.

DR. ROYLOTT

HELEN STONER

SHERLOCK HOLMES

CHARACTERS

Scaffolding

Butler

Allied

Seared

Gambler

Manifold

Bewilderment

Haggard

To wander

Strain

10. “Such are the true facts of the death of Dr Grimesby Roylott, of Stroke Moran”.

8. “Take a pistol, and we shall enter Dr Roylott’s room”.

9. “The lady could not move her bed. It must always be in the same relative position to the ventilator and to the rope”.

6. “You have been cruelly used. He is a hard man, and perhaps he hardly knows his own strength”.

7. “(...) so that I have had to move into the chamber in which my sister died, and to sleep in the very bed in which she slept”.

5. “I think thatI mentioned to you that the Doctor kept a cheetah and a baboon”.

4. “The doctors examined her for it, but without success”.

3. “Oh, my God! Helen!It was the band! The speckled band!”.

2. “Have you ever heard anyone whistle in the dead ofthe night?”.

1. “Your sister is dead,then?”.

quotes and words

#ILOVEHELENSTONER

#DrRoylott

#mystery

#SHIVERS

#SherlockHolmes

HAShTAGS

Whispers in the dead of the night

Dear Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. My name is Amaia and I wanted to express my deep admiration for your extraordinaries contributions to literature, particularly your creation of the immortal detective, Sherlock Holmes. Currently, I am a student from Spain that has a full interest in your works, especially in the short story named The Speckled Band. I was required to work on these selected stories and I believe that your wisdom and expertise would not only benefit me personally but also be useful as a source of inspiration for others who are interested in my project. The purpose of this letter is to nicely arrange an interview, so that we can delve into your creative process and the inspirations behind your characters. I understand that your time is precious, and I assure you that the interview would be conducted at your convenience. I appreciate your time and consideration. Yours sincerely, Amaia Giménez.

FORMAL LETTER and new title

The Speckled Band is a thrilling and blood-curling short story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This story follows Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. John Watson, as they investigate the thrilling murder of Julia Stoner and the rare circumstances surrounding her sister Helen Stoner. Helen is a young lady who shows up in Holmes' house in the early morning of April. She is worried about her sister’s rare death and the situation that enclosed her. Clues lead the investigation to her step father, a violent and fugitive man, as the principal suspect. The Speckled band is very popular among Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts for its engaging plot, unforgettable characters, and the meticulous attention to every detail. I immensely recommend this short story. Readers who fully enjoy mystery novels will end up falling in love with this incredible story.

REVIEW

In my opinion, this project has been very ambitious. Firstly, having had to read a book that was somewhat more complex than the ones we have read before, has been a little bit difficult for me. I am not used to reading books in English with such advanced vocabulary and grammar. Secondly, I have found the time of each session briefer than I thought. Maybe adding some more time to each session will make the results improve for those who do not stand out in writing. Having more time can also let us be more creative. There are sessions that require us to think in something original for our project, like the title or hashtags, and with less time pressure ideas will be more fluent. However I think that I have almost fully assessed this project. I totally recommend this project for future years. They will be able to learn more vocabulary and grammar by reading a book that they find enjoyable. It is a really good and different way to learn English.

SELF-EVALUATION