"All Manner of Men"

All Manner of Men

(Stolen without shame from the Richmond United RFC web site Somebody in this club may have written this, or may not. Anyway, I fixed the formatting and some of the grammar. And if you're a back reading this and object to the forwards orientation of the piece, hey, the truth hurts. - Wes)

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THE FORWARDS

There are eight forwards. They take part in scrums, lineouts, rucks, and mauls - essentially everything that is meaningful in the game. The close physical work necessary for the forwards engenders a sense of comradeship not shared by the prancing, self-centered and effeminate backs. The game has evolved, thank goodness, with multi-phase possession allowing the forwards to demonstrate their running ability with the ball.

Props and Hookers

The front row is the cauldron, the foundation for all good rugby play. The front row is noted for their power and good looks, like no necks, battered ears, and S-shaped noses. Such players are noted for their intelligence and longevity well into their forties.

Second Row

The second row is the engine room where the power flows. The second row - or lock forward - is tall, with plenty of leverage strength in the legs. He must be productive in the lineouts as a jumper or supporter. Mobility is added plus. The second row is much appreciated by the front row for their power in the scrummage but they are generally not as good looking as the front row.

The loose forwards

The loose forwards include the #8 and the flankers. The loose forwards are respected by the front row for their mobility, fitness, defense and support work. The loosey must have tremendous fitness and ball fetching instincts which are not completely understood or trusted by the props and hooker, who are perfectly content to scrummage all day for the ball.

The Scrum-half

The little scrum half provides the ball to the backs when the forwards are damn well ready for the strutting backs to knock it forward. The forwards have grudging respect for the scrum-half because he trys hard and is not afraid to get dirty with the rest of the scrummies. The wise scrum-half will drink and buy beers for the scrummies to maintain his favored position with the forwards.

THE BACKS

The Flyhalf

It is rumored that the Fly has the best vision, hands, kicking ability, and overall tactical decision making ability on the side. The forwards do not understand or trust this individual. The hard-working scrummies generally expect and anticipate a knock forward from the fly so they can have the pleasure of another scrum-down.

The Centers

These hombres are supposed to be deadly tacklers, with strong running instincts and good hands. Alas, the centers are lumped in there with the prancing flyhalf. If the fly doesn't knock on, surely one of the centers will muff it up so the scrummies can experience the joy and satisfaction of another scrum-down.

The Fullback and Wingers

These guys may as well be from Mars. They are allegedly fast with excellent striking ability. They are supposed to score lots of trys, catch the high ball, and counter attack with flair. But the stark reality (well understood by the forwards) is that the fullback and wingers prance and preen more than the inside backs. They don't get dirty and are always playing with their hair and pulling on their collars. In fact their sexual orientation has been called into question on numerous occasions. Some props think fullbacks and wingers are "real purdy."

Activity Nº2

1. What happens to Dr. Lanyon at the beginning of this section? What suspicions do you have about the cause of this occurrence?

"On the 8th of January Utterson had dined at the doctor's with a small party; Lanyon had been there; and the face of the host had looked from one to the other as in the old days when the trio were inseparable friends. On the 12th, and again on the 14th, the door was shut against the lawyer. "The doctor was confined to the house," Poole said, "and saw no one." On the 15th, he tried again, and was again refused; and having now been used for the last two months to see his friend almost daily, he found this return of solitude to weigh upon his spirits. The fifth night he had in Guest to dine with him; and the sixth he betook himself to Dr. Lanyon's."

Here we can see that Doctor Lanyon was confined into his house!! Probably, because he was going to die or something like that :(

2. What do Utterson and Poole find when they break into the cabinet? What do they expect to find that is not in the cabinet? 

They discovered that Dr, Lanyon was really shocked because of something and that he was going to die in few days.

3. What is the weather like as Utterson and Poole hurry to Jekyll’s house? Discuss how Stevenson uses descriptive language in this passage to create a mood appropriate to the climax of the story.

It is raining, which represents that something bad is going to happen. Stevenson applies this technique to describe many situations because it gives an special environment to the novella.

4. One issue raised by Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is that of drug abuse. How does a person who is abusing drugs change in personality, appearance, and habits? What evidence in this section of the novella indicates that one of the characters is abusing drugs?

When someone starts to abuse of drugs, his or her life changes completely. They feel more secure in personality, thinking that they are better than the others, but that's not true. In appearance, the normally stop doing sports because their capacity is worse, and finally, their habits are changed into more sedentary ones, in which there are not sports, only parties and more drugs. In the case of the novella, it´s present first on Dr. Jekyll and then, on Lanyon, as in the page 43 and 44 of the novella appears: "There at least he was not denied admittance; but when he came in, he was shocked at the change which had taken place in the doctor's appearance. He had his death-warrant written legibly upon his face. The rosy man had grown pale; his flesh had fallen away; he was visibly balder and older; and yet it was not so much, these tokens of a swift physical decay that arrested the lawyer's notice, as a look in the eye and quality of manner that seemed to testify to some deep-seated terror of the mind. It was unlikely that the doctor should fear death; and yet that was what Utterson was tempted to suspect. "Yes," he thought; "he is a doctor, he must know his own state and that his days are counted; and the knowledge is more than he can bear." And yet when Utterson remarked on his ill-looks, it was with an air of greatness that Lanyon declared himself a doomed man.