grade 9 sign of four essay

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Accolade Press (20 July 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 76 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1913988171
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913988173
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.97 x 0.46 x 21.59 cm
• 1,454 in Book Notes for Young Adults
• 1,555 in Study & Learning Skills for Educational Students
• 2,157 in Poetry, Drama & Criticism Study Guides

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The Sign of the Four

By sir arthur conan doyle, the sign of the four study guide.

The Sign of the Four is a novel starring the characters Sherlock Holmes and John Watson . Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote it in 1889 after Joseph M Stoddart, the managing editor of Lippincott’s Monthly , commissioned the story. Lippincott’s was an American magazine and Stoddart wished to make an English version utilizing British writers and editors. Stoddart asked Doyle to contribute a story. At this point, DOyle had only written about Holmes in the story A Study in Scarlet ; thus, Holmes wasn’t yet that popular of a character. He didn’t become truly well known until short stories featuring him began running in 1891.

Doyle was born in Scotland in 1859. He went to school to eventually become a doctor. All the while, he wrote and published short stories and academic articles. Doyle’s big break came about when he wrote A Study in Scarlet and submitted it to Ward Lock and Co. The company bought all rights to the story for only 25 pounds. Conan Doyle later disassociated himself with Ward Lock and Co., as he felt the company exploited him and underpaid him for his work. The later Holmes stories were published in the Strand magazine.

The Sign of the Four follows Holmes as he solves a two-fold mystery. One, what has happened to Mary Morstan ’s father, Captain Arthur Morstan? Two, who has been sending her mysterious pearls in the mail? Holmes of course solves both mysteries, with the assistance of his associate Dr. John Watson. This story is likely best known for two things. One is arguably the most famous Holmes-ism, which is Holmes' claim that once the impossible has been eliminated, then the truth must be whatever remains, no matter how improbable it is. The second thing is that the story introduces Mary Morstan. Ms. Morstan is John Watson’s love interest and eventual wife. In this story, she brings the case to the attention of Holmes and Watson; Watson proposes to her by the end of the story.

There has long been a discussion over what the proper title of the story is. Critics oscillate between either The Sign of Four or The Sign of the Four . It was originally published in Lippincott’s as The Sign of the Four , but it was republished as The Sign of Four . Most of the time, editors favor the four-word version of the title. The text most frequently uses the five-word version, although the villain does use the four-letter version twice in his ending narrative. There have been 13 film/television adaptations of this story. The first was the 1913 work Sherlock Holmes Solves the Sign of Four directed by Lloyd Lonergan. A more recent version is the episode of the British serial Sherlock entitled "The Sign of Three," which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson.

The Sign of the Four Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Sign of the Four is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How many times a day does Sherlock take cocaine

I don't think this is in the original stories.

Who is the informant at Pondicherry Lodge?

From the text:

By the way, apropos of this Norwood business, you see that they had, as I surmised, a confederate in the house, who could be none other than Lal Rao, the butler : so Jones actually has the undivided honour of having caught one fish...

Why does Jonathan Small say he must talk to Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan and Dost Akbar before he agrees to a deal with Major Sholto and Captain Morstan?

Chapter title, please?

Study Guide for The Sign of the Four

The Sign of the Four study guide contains a biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Sign of the Four
• The Sign of the Four Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Sign of the Four

The Sign of the Four essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

• The Jewel in the Crown: Unearthing Doyle’s Critique of British Imperialism in The Sign of the Four

Lesson Plan for The Sign of the Four

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Sign of the Four
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Sign of the Four Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Sign of the Four

• Introduction

Dr John Watson

Dr Watson is the narrator of The Sign of the Four , and so the reader experiences the whole story through his eyes.

Less intelligent than Holmes

• Dr Watson, although intelligent, is not as clever as Holmes – this means that he can be used to express a lack of understanding, as someone who needs things explaining to him.
• This makes him a great tool for narration. Very intelligent Holmes needs to explain complicated ideas and conclusions to Dr Watson (and to the reader as well).
• Watson also seems to be comfortable in admitting that he is not as intelligent as Holmes – instead, he admires Holmes and the way in which his brain works.

Loyal and caring

• Watson is loyal and caring. At the start, we see him express to Holmes his worry about the drugs Holmes takes. He knows that Holmes will not listen to this advice, but he feels the need to do it to try and protect his friend.
• He greatly admires Holmes and seems to enjoy watching him work – in fact, he tells Holmes that he wrote a published piece about their previous investigation, in which he detailed the amazing way in which Holmes’ brain works.

Feelings for Mary Morstan

• Watson begins to develop strong feelings for Mary Morstan.
• Upon meeting Mary, he is struck by her beauty and continues to think about her and show his growing feelings.
• Before Watson can declare his feelings, he learns that she is set to inherit a huge sum of money (from the Agra treasure), which will make her the wealthiest heiress in England.
• He finds this devastating – he does not want her to think he only wants her for her money, so he decides that he cannot tell her how he feels.

Class divisions: Mary and Watson

• As part of the middle class, it would also be socially unacceptable for Watson to attempt a match with Mary, as she is part of the upper classes and is also set to become incredibly rich.
• Watson is aware of their social inequality, which makes it more difficult for them to be together.
• At the end of the story, Watson is quite relieved when the Agra treasure is lost as he can declare his love for Mary at last.

Highlights need for stilmulation

• In Chapter 12, it is Watson who asks Holmes what he gets as his reward – Watson has Mary, Inspector Jones gets credit for the case, what does Holmes get?
• Watson’s questioning highlights Holmes’ constant need for mental stimulation – he does not seem to care that he gets nothing concrete out of the case; instead, he is happy to just exercise his brain power.

Highlights cyclical structure

• Watson is also the one who notes Holmes’ cyclical structure – at the end of the novella, Watson notes that Holmes goes back to using drugs to stimulate his brain once more.

Key Quotations for Dr John Watson

Here are four key quotations for Watson:

Worries about Holmes

• Although Watson initially says that he lacked the courage to protest to Holmes about his drug use, he cannot hold in his protests for long.
• He begs Holmes to think about the possible consequences of his actions – his use of an exclamation mark shows that he feels desperate to warn Holmes about the threat to his health. He counts Holmes as a friend and shows that he cares about him a lot.

Not good enough for Mary

• Watson shows himself to be a very romantic character – he longs to be with Mary but does not feel that he is good enough for her.
• In Victorian society, wealth and status were key. In Watson’s eyes, his weak bank account means that he cannot offer Mary the luxurious and comfortable lifestyle he feels that she deserves.

Confusion about the case

• Watson notes the differences between Holmes and himself throughout the novella.
• Here, the pathetic fallacy shows that Watson feels lost (in terms of their literal location and the case itself). He notes that he knows ‘nothing’ , but does not seem to be worried about this – instead, he trusts that Holmes can guide him to the correct location and to the correct conclusions about the case.

Admiration for Holmes

• Watson repeatedly shows his admiration for Sherlock Holmes.
• By using the verb ‘marvel’ , he suggests that Holmes’ abilities are something to admire and be amazed at.
• He openly admits his admiration of Holmes, suggesting that he does not feel threatened at Holmes’ skills. Instead, he seems to enjoy watching Holmes and witnessing what he can do.

1.1 Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1 Author Background

1.1.2 Victorian Crime & Police

1.1.3 Historical Context

1.1.4 Victorian London

1.1.5 Women

1.1.6 The British Empire

1.1.7 End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police

1.1.8 End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire

2 Plot Summary

2.1 Chapter Summaries

2.1.1 Chapter 1

2.1.2 Chapter 2

2.1.3 Chapter 3

2.1.4 Chapter 4

2.1.5 Chapter 5

2.1.6 Chapter 6

2.1.7 Chapter 7

2.1.8 Chapter 8

2.1.9 Chapter 9

2.1.10 Chapter 10

2.1.11 Chapter 11

2.1.12 Chapter 12

2.1.13 Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories

2.1.14 End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

2.1.15 End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12

3 Characters

3.1 Key Characters

3.1.1 Sherlock Holmes

3.1.2 Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

3.1.3 Dr John Watson

3.1.4 Mary Morstan

3.1.5 End of Topic Test - Key Characters

3.1.6 Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson

3.2 Other Characters

3.2.1 Thaddeus Sholto

3.2.2 Jonathan Small

3.2.3 End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small

3.3 Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1 Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.2 Extract Analysis - Tonga

4 Key Themes

4.1 Key Themes

4.1.1 Corruption

4.1.2 Criminals & Victims

4.1.3 Victorian Fear

4.1.4 British Empire & Imperialism

4.1.5 Duality

4.1.6 End of Topic Test - Key Themes

5 Writing Techniques

5.1 Writing Techniques

5.1.1 Narrative Voice

5.1.2 Dialogue

5.1.3 Structure

5.1.4 Structure & Characters

5.1.5 Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.6 End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

Jump to other topics

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Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

Mary Morstan

How to get my Sign of Four essay to a grade 9?

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Collins GCSE Grade 9-1 SNAP Revision - The Sign of Four: AQA GCSE 9-1 English Literature Text Guide: Ideal for the 2025 and 2026 exams

Exam Board: AQA

Level: GCSE Grade 9-1

Subject: English Literature

Suitable for the 2025 exams

Everything you need to revise for your GCSE 9-1 set text in a snap guide

Everything you need to score top marks on your GCSE Grade 9-1 English Literature exam is right at your fingertips! Revise Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novel, The Sign of the Four, in a snap with this new GCSE Grade 9-1 Snap Revision Text Guide from Collins. Refresh your knowledge of the plot, context, characters and themes and pick up top tips along the way to ace your AQA exam. Each topic is explained in an easy-to-read format so you can get straight to the point. Then, put your skills to the test with plenty of practice questions included in every section. The Snap Text Guides are packed with every quote and extract you need. We’ve even included examples of how to plan and write your essay responses! This Collins English Literature revision guide contains all the key information you need to practise and pass.

978-0-00-830663-2

Publication Date

Collins GCSE

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