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Xuan Le
Professor Haas
Writing 39B
30 April 2014
Essay 1, Draft 1
The Conventions of the Detective: Sherlock Holmes Characteristics
Everywhere on Earth would be a peaceful place if there were no commitment of crimes,
criminal threats, and or violations against of the law. Unfortunately, humanthe always try to
use more specific terms/details>> society does not operate that way. The Victorian Era is a
greatan excellent example of a culture that was faced with significant criminal problems. you
dont need to add 1800s because Victorian tells that same info>> during the 1800s to the
1900s. As a consequence, people writers started to write aboutcreate stories about criminals.
According to Leroy Panek, a literary scholar who wrote a book-length study of the genre,each
time you first use a scholar, give him an intro>> the stories: Indeed, collected chronicles of
criminals lives continued to be written . . . note how I took out parts of the quote that are not
necessary to your point> , often using the Newgate title, through the nineteenth century. This
great mass of material about crime and criminals had a specific impact on the modern
development of the detective story (Panek, 5). Therefore, as a reply to these domestic problems,
Dr. Conan Doyle had introduced to the world a series of short stories about Sherlock Holmes, a
wonderful detective, who intelligently uses his sharp critical thinking skills to solve numerous
mysterious cases to bring justice back to the people. As a result, Sherlock Holmes has
becomebecame one of the most popular short storiesfictional characters in England and
elsewherethroughout the world. A famous quote from Holmes in The Sign of Four that describes Formatted: Font: Italic
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Sherlock Holmeshis characteristics and his way of thinking is when he tells Watson:: My mind
. . . ," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse
cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense
then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental
exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am
the only one in the world (Doyle, 3). again, I took out parts of the quote that you dont need
for your pointonly quote the parts you need, that will keep your focus more clear >
Understanding the importance of Holmes as a foundation for the genre, several Moreover, there
are many scholarly texts fromscholars such as T.J Binyon, Leroy Panek and Maria Konnikova
that focus on analyzinghave analyzed Sherlocks Holmesuse the last name when referring to
him, this is more conventional than using the first name> intellectual mind and his deductive
process for on theory on solving problems. I think you can leave this last sentence out because
it doesnt add anything new Hence, Sherlock himself has become a hero within his audience due
to many of his heroic acts and his incredible mind has made him a special detective that the
people in Victorian Era and even today have to learn from.
Sherlock Holmes contains a universal possesses a mind that has universal appeal: he
inspires people across cultures and over many generations. According to Maria Konnikova in
her provide an intro to her, the title of her book, and a short summary of what its about
then quote her: In many ways, Sherlock Holmes was a visionary. His explanations, his
methodology, his entire approach to thought presaged developments in psychology and
neuroscience that occurred over a hundred years after his birth and over eighty years after his
creators death (Konnikova,12). The way he carefully pays attention to little objects and
analyzes them meticulously helps him solve many different cases. Together with his sharp
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critical thinking and immense pool of knowledge, they also contribute to his great success of
solving various different cases. The excerpt Theory and Practice of Classic Detective
Fictionintroduce this author too (its an excerpt from a book) also agrees with on
Konnikovas statement: Holmess collection of knowledge, too, is eccentric, is some areas
highly detailed and in others demonstrating astonishing ignorance and indifference. He possesses
comprehensive knowledge of chemistry, poisons, and sensational literature, has a good working
knowledge of British law, but eschews any nonrelevant areas of scholarship that may clutter his
brain attic (Delamater, Jerome, Prigozy, 22). This idea is proven by an event in The Sign of
Fouritalicize the titles of books when Sherlock explainsuse present tense (literary
present)ed his observations to Watson: It is simplicity itself," he remarked, chuckling at my
surprise,--"so absurdly simple that an explanation is superfluous; and yet it may serve to define
the limits of observation and of deduction. Observation tells me that you have a little reddish
mould adhering to your instep. Just opposite the Seymour Street Office they have taken up the
pavement and thrown up some earth which lies in such a way that it is difficult to avoid treading
in it in entering. The earth is of this peculiar reddish tint which is found, as far as I know,
nowhere else in the neighborhood. So much is observation. The rest is deduction quot is too
longcut and only include the details you need for your discussion (Doyle, 7). Clearly, readers
can see his close observation upon different objects, and through the use critical thinking,
Sherlock can conclude what has happened to someone just by a glance at that person. <make
your last sentence of the paragraph one that wraps up and synthesizes what the scholars say
they agree that ..
Besides that,According to Konnikova, you are writing a literature review, so you
always want to tag each idea with who it came from up frontthis will make it easier for your
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reader to always know which scholar you are summarizing in any one sentence> Holmes
Sherlock practices through mindful interaction in order to keep his thinking process active and
accurate: What Homes is really telling Watson when he contrasts seeing and observing is to
never mistake mindlessness for mindfulness, a passive approach with an active involvement
(Konnikova,5). Beyond that, Konnikova continuously provided many different examples of
Sherlock with an active mind and how important it is to practice mindfulness.<unless you want
to be more specific and name some of the many different examples this sentence doesnt do
much to develop your ideas. One greatcut words like this (great example)just use
examplebecause otherwise you sound too much like a fan, too biased in favoryou want to
present as objectively as possible>> example that shows mindfulness can be recalled from one of
Sherlocks short stories A Scandal in Bohemia when Sherlock questioned Watsons
observation about the steps from the hall way to his room:
You have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room.
Frequently.
How often?
Well, some hundreds of times.
Then how many are there?
How many? I dont know.
Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is just my point. Now, I
know that there are seventeen steps, because I have both seen and observed (Doyle).
you dont really need to quote this whole passagejust summarize it and quote an
important word or phrase here and there-
Fairly, there is a great difference between Sherlock and Watson about being mindful and
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unmindful. It is also the main key for Sherlock to succeed in his career as a consulting detective.
Sherlock is not only a successful detective but he is also a hero himself. Through solving
countless cases without accepting much compensation and credit proves his heroic characteristic
I examine the data, as an expert, and pronounce a specialist's opinion. I claim no credit in such
cases. My name figures in no newspaper. The work itself, the pleasure of finding a field for my
peculiar powers, is my highest reward (Doyle, 4). He loves what he does for the purpose of
helping people make him a great hero. As Binyon praised Sherlock: He is another proud,
alienated hero, superior to and isolated from the rest of humanity(Binyon, 10). Unlike super
heroes in the movies that people enjoy watching today, Sherlock Holmes owns none of those
super powers. some would say that his genius is a superpower--- he may not be able to fly or
have superhuman strength, but he does have superhuman intellect. Those other characteristics
Binyon points out (alienated, isolated) also describe superheros In A Study in Scarlet, he
explains how he embraces his own power of knowledge, the power of observation and deduction
to unravel many mysterious problems: When these fellows are at fault they come to me, and I
manage to put them on the right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I am generally
able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of crime, to set them straight (Doyle, 1).
Truly, Sherlock has become a detective role model, a hero and an inspiration for many people, as
Konnikova analyzed how deep Sherlock has left his footprint in peoples hearts: Say the name
Sherlock Holmes, and doubles, any number of images will come to mind. The pipe. The
deerstalker. The cloak. The violin. The hawklike profile (Konnikova,11). this paragraph
doesnt do a very good job of putting the scholars into conversation about one point. The focus is
a little muddy (it is about SH as a hero, right?)so when you revise, try to make the sources
talk to each other more and then clarify that the point being discussed is SH as a hero (Panek
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talks about this too in his history of the genre and character)
Even though, Sherlock is a great detective with an incredible mind that is second to no
one, he also has his own flaws, which makes him a very unique character. The very first flaw
that Dr. Watson observes from Sherlock is SherlocksHolmes is his lack of the knowledge about
the Solar system: His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary
literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothingMy surprise reached a
climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and
of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth
century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an
extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it(Doyle, 1). This is a shocking fact that surprises
not only Dr. Watson but the readers as well. However, due to the lack of Solar System
knowledge, readers can feel have a closer approach to Sherlock since he is also an imperfect
human character. The second flaw comes from the excerpt Theory and Practice of Classic
Detective Fiction. introduce the authors name right up frontThe text mentioned the moment
that Dr. Watson describes Sherlock as an emotionless person, who is unable to love and has a
cold, detached mind. This instance comes from the A Study in Scarlet: He was, I take it, the
most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen; but as a lover, he would
have placed himself in a false position . . . for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into
his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting actor which
would throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one
of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature
such as his (Doyle, 11). this quote, and the other quote from CD earlier in the paragraph, is
too longonly quote what you needthe most important parts of the quote for your point
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Although every Sherlock story ends without any romance, Sherlock manages to find someone
that amazes him with her intelligence in the short story chapter A Scandal in Bohemia: yet
there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and
questionable memory(Doyle, 1). It is also a compliment to women back in the Victorian Era
since women did not have the opportunity to go to school like men, Irene Adler has represented
the womens intellectuality. To sum up, Sherlock Homes is a humble, intelligent hero who also
has flaws but he is a role model for people all over the world to look up to.<--this paragraph
reads more like an essay about SH and his flaws, not a literature review of what the scholars
have to say about SHs flaws and their impact
The detective genre is still a very popular topic today in the world due to its active
interaction with the readers minds, which provides different opportunities for readers to exercise
their thinking skills. As Panek stated: If one is diligent, and detective story fans are nothing if
they are not diligent, one can unearth examples of rigorous thinking, the use of evidence, and the
hero as the unraveller of the antagonists artifice in virtually every epoch or clime (Panek, 5).
Thus, Sherlock Holmes is a great success that Dr. Conan Doyle created. Sherlock Holmes is an
incredible thinker; he is a humble hero and a great enemy of crime. Without Sherlock Holmes,
detectives today would not exist and solve cases efficiently.

Good start, Xuanyou have many good points developed and a good foundation in this draft.
Your focus needs to be on getting more conversation and synthesis of what the scholars say
into each point. I suggest that you cut down to TWO main points and then really develop those
two points with lots of details from the scholars. You tend to quote passages that are too long, so
you should also focus on cutting quotations so that youre only using the parts that are most
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significant for your purposes. Once youve got your content settled, come back and revise for
things like verb endings and tense
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Citation:

Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction.
New York: Praeger, 1997.
Doyle, A.C. (1892) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes London, England: George Newnes Ltd.

Konnikova, Maria. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. New York: Viking, 2013.
Print.

Binyon, T.J. "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1989. 9-12. Print.

Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013. Kindle
eBook. Online.

Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State
University Popular Press, 1987. Print.

Doyle, Arthur Conan. Mr. Sherlock Holmes. A Study in Scarlet. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. 12 July
2008. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.