Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 Battle of the Great Detective: Sherlock Holmes and Leroy Jethro Gibbs

Leroy Jethro Gibbs portrayed by Mark Harmon from NCIS created by Donald ! Bellisario and Don McGill and Sherlock Holmes from The Hound of the Baskervilles "ritten by Sir #rth$r %onan Doyle are almost one and the same! &hey sho" similar positive and ne'ative ($alities and strate'ies for crime solvin') b$t they do have their differences! *n order to be a 'ood and s$ccessf$l detective) follo" the leads offered by Gibbs and Holmes thro$'h their personality ($alities) their crime solvin' strate'ies) their s$ccesses and their fail$res! #ll detectives have their fair share of positive and ne'ative traits and Gibbs and Holmes are not e+cl$ded! &he most basic characteristic Holmes sho"s is his ability to be e+ceptionally observant! ,hen Dr! ,atson asks Sherlock "hat he had ass$med of Dr! Mortimer-s do') Holmes says) .the do'/ has been in the habit of carryin' this stick behind his master! Bein' a heavy stick the do' has held it ti'htly by the middle) and the marks of his teeth are very plainly visible! &he do'-s 0a") as sho"n in the space bet"een these marks) is too broad in my opinion for a terrier and not broad eno$'h for a mastiff! *t may have been1 yes) by Jove) it is a c$rly1haired spaniel! 2Doyle) 345 *t is $nderstood that Sherlock had been abo$t to s$''est that the do' "as a spaniel 0$st as the do' appeared at the door! Sherlock Holmes

Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 depends on Dr! ,atson to help him solve his cases) b$t Sherlock is $ns$pportive of ,atson at best and $ntr$stin' at "orst! * am afraid) my dear ,atson) that most of yo$r concl$sions "ere erroneo$s! ,hen * said that yo$ stim$lated me * meant) to be frank) that in notin' yo$r fallacies * "as occasionally '$ided to"ards the tr$th! 6ot that yo$ are entirely "ron' in this instance! &he man is certainly a co$ntry practitioner! #nd he "alks a 'ood deal! 2Doyle) 335 Here Sherlock practically calls ,atson st$pid) b$t that is nothin' compared to "hat he said "hen ,atson fo$nd Sherlock on the moor! -My dear fello") yo$ have been inval$able to me in this as in many other cases) and * be' that yo$ "ill for'ive me if * have seemed to play a trick $pon yo$! *n tr$th) it "as partly for yo$r o"n sake that * did it) and it "as my appreciation of the dan'er "hich yo$ ran "hich led me to come do"n and e+amine the matter for myself! Had * been "ith Sir Henry and yo$ it is confident that my point of vie" "o$ld have been the same as yo$rs) and my presence "o$ld have "arned o$r very formidable opponents to be on their '$ard! #s it is) * have been able to 'et abo$t as * co$ld not possibly have done had * been livin' in the Hall) and * remain an $nkno"n factor in the b$siness) ready to thro" in all my "ei'ht at a critical moment!-7 89or yo$ to kno" co$ld not have helped $s) and mi'ht possibly have led to my discovery! :o$ "o$ld have "ished to tell me somethin') or in yo$r kindness yo$ "o$ld have

Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 bro$'ht me o$t some comfort or other) and so an $nnecessary risk "o$ld be r$n7 2Doyle) 3;<13;=5 Sherlock-s fla" is that he thinks he is better than everyone else! >ne of Sherlock Holmes-s defects1 if indeed) one may call it a defect1 "as that he "as e+ceedin'ly loth to comm$nicate his f$ll plans to any other person $ntil the instant of their f$lfillment) artly it came no do$bt from his o"n masterf$l nat$re) "hich loved to dominate and s$rprise those "ho "ere aro$nd him! artly also from his professional ca$tion) "hich $r'ed him never to take any chances! &he res$lt) ho"ever) "as very tryin' for those "ho "ere actin' as his a'ents and assistants! 2Doyle) 3?;5 He thinks that he has s$perior intellect to ,atson and that ,atson is $ntr$st"orthy "hen it comes to keepin' his presence on the moor a secret! Similarly) Gibbs is also observant and he appears to be able to look at a person and kno" everythin' abo$t them! # more ne$tral ($ality Gibbs possesses is his int$itiveness 2'$t feelin's5! *nt$itiveness cannot really be positive or ne'ative! Ho" it is vie"ed is entirely dependent on ho" Gibbs $ses it! # tr$ly ne'ative ($ality he e+hibits is his bl$ntness! Gibbs can occasionally come across as r$de beca$se of his bl$nt and abr$pt manner) tho$'h he makes $p for that thro$'h the s$pportive nat$re he has for his team! 6o matter "hat his team is 'oin' thro$'h) Gibbs is al"ays there for them! Maybe he isn-t al"ays overly carin') b$t he helps them thro$'h their dilemmas!

Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 %orrespondin'ly) Gibbs- and Holmes- positive and ne'ative ($alities have some effect on the strate'ies they $se to solve cases! #s a cons$ltin' detective) Holmes m$st $se ded$ctions and observations as his strate'ies to solve his mysteries! #n e+ample of $sin' Sherlock $sin' his ded$ction skills) 6o) no) my dear ,atson) not all1 by no means all! * "o$ld s$''est) for e+ample) that a presentation to a doctor is more likely to come from a hospital than from a h$nt) and that "hen the initials 8%!%!- are placed before that hospital the "ords 8%harin' %ross- very nat$rally present themselves!- 2Doyle) 3313@5 #nother e+ample of $sin' his observation skills to make observations is1 * think that "e mi'ht vent$re a little farther than this! Look at it in this li'ht! >n "hat occasion "o$ld it be most probable that s$ch a presentation "o$ld be madeA ,hen "o$ld his friends $nite to 'ive him a pled'e of their 'ood "illA >bvio$sly at the moment "hen Dr! Mortimer "ithdre" from the service of the hospital in order to start a practice for himself! ,e kno" there has been a presentation! ,e believe there has been a chan'e from a to"n hospital to a co$ntry practice! *s it) then) stretchin' o$r inference too far to say that the presentation "as on the occasion of the chan'eA 2Doyle) 3@5 Bsin' his ded$ction) Holmes is able to make ded$ctions to solve the case) 6o") yo$ "ill observe that he co$ld not have been on the staff of the hospital) since only a man "ell1established in a London practice co$ld

Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 hold s$ch a position) and s$ch a one "o$ld not drift into the co$ntry! ,hat "as he) thenA *f he "as in the hospital and yet not on the staff he co$ld only have been a ho$se1s$r'eon or a ho$se1physician1 little more than a senior st$dent! #nd he left five years a'o1 the date on the stick! So yo$r 'rave) middle1a'ed family practitioner vanishes into thin air) my dear ,atson) and there emer'es a yo$n' fello" $nder thirty) amiable) $nambitio$s) absent1minded) and the possessor of a favo$rite do') "hich * sho$ld describe ro$'hly as bein' lar'er than a terrier and smaller than a mastiff!- 2Doyle) 3@13C5 &hose "ere all of the ded$ctions and observations Sherlock Holmes made of Dr! James Mortimer 0$st from his "alkin' stick! *dentically) Gibbs also $ses observations) b$t he leans more to"ard $sin' interro'ation to solve cases! ,hen Gibbs interro'ates a person) he can 'et almost anythin' o$t of them! He is the perfect mi+ of threatenin' and comfortin') bad cop and father fi'$re) or someone "ho can tr$st and tell everythin' to and the person "ho scares yo$ to death! Gibbs also has a set of personal r$les that he and his team follo"! Gibbs "orks thro$'h interro'ation) int$ition) and team"ork to solve cases! Leroy Jethro Gibbs- and Sherlock Holmes- s$ccesses and fail$res are both similarly linked "ith the strate'ies $sed as the strate'ies are "ith the ($alities sho"n! Both men-s strate'ies m$st "ork beca$se they are rarely "ron'! Sherlock Holmes does have some trial and error

Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 tho$'h! 9or instance) "hen the man in the cab 'ot a"ay Sherlock said) >n observin' the cab * sho$ld have instantly t$rned and "alked in the other direction! * sho$ld then at my leis$re have hired a second cab and follo"ed the first at a respectable distance) or) better still) have driven to the 6orth$mberland Hotel and "aited there! ,hen o$r kno"n had follo"ed Baskerville home "e sho$ld have had the opport$nity of playin' his o"n 'ame $pon himself) and seein' "here he made for! #s it is) by an indiscreet ea'erness) "hich "as taken advanta'e of "ith e+traordinary ($ickness and ener'y by o$r opponent) "e have betrayed o$rselves and lost o$r man! 2Doyle) D<5 *f that disappointment hadn-t been eno$'h for Sherlock) "hen all three of his leads t$rned into dead ends Sherlock simply said) Snap 'oes o$r third thread) and "e end $p "here "e be'an7&he c$nnin' rascalE He kne" o$r n$mber) kne" that Sir Henry Baskerville had cons$lted me) spotted "ho * "as in Fe'ent Street) con0ect$red that * had 'ot the n$mber of the cab and "o$ld lay my hands on the driver) and so sent back this a$dacio$s messa'e! * tell yo$) ,atson) this time "e have a foeman "ho is "orthy of o$r steel! *-ve been checkmated in London! * can only "ish yo$ better l$ck in Devonshire! B$t *-m not easy in my mind abo$t it! 2Doyle) <35 Sherlock Holmes made $p for his fail$re in London in the moor in Devonshire "hen he ca$'ht and e+posed Stapleton as Sir %harles Baskerville-s m$rderer! >n the other hand) Gibbs kno"s that

Sydney Burson November 29, 2013 B6 there is al"ays the possibility of bein' "ron'! He even made a r$le for it1 sometimes) yo$-re "ron'! Gibbs has had some collateral dama'e in the past! >ne of his team members) Gate) "as shot d$rin' a case beca$se Gibbs did not e+pect her to be there! Hven tho$'h that fail$re "as absol$tely terrible) Gibbs has had more s$ccesses than fail$res! &he more common res$lt to his cases is that Gibbs and his team find the '$ilty persons and arrest them! #ltho$'h Gibbs and Holmes do have their differences in style) they do employ similar strate'ies "hen solvin' crime! &hey are each presented "ith a mystery and by $sin' int$ition and observation skills) they are able to solve the crime and serve 0$stice! ,hen a person follo"s the leads of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Sherlock Holmes) that person co$ld become a top1notch detective in real life!

References

Doyle) Sir #rth$r %onan! The Hound of the Baskervilles! 6e" :ork: Bantam Do$bleday Dell Book for :o$n' Feaders) 3?D?! rint!

NCIS. %BS! ,&GF) Iir'inia Beach! @JJC1@J3C! &elevision!