Dr.+Heidegger's+Experiment

 Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

Point of View: Third Person, Omniscient

Protagonist: Dr. Heidegger What type of character is the Protagonist? Flat and Dynamic Antagonist:Dr. Heidegger's friends: Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Widow Wycherly and Mr. Gascoigne

Describe the setting Dr. Heidegger's study, 1900's, the atmosphere is stale

Type of Conflict: Man vs. nature

Describe the main conflict: Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Widow Wycherly and Mr. Gascoigne drink the water and then think they are getting younger but actually in reality their physical appearances are still like wrinkly old raisins.

Describe the Climax of the Story: Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Widow Wycherly and Mr. Gascoigne are delirious after three cups of water from the Fountian of Youth which teachers Dr. Heidegger a lesson that you should not drink water from the Fountain of Youth.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? He learns to not drink water from the Fountain of Youth.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. The theme of the story is life and death is related to the title "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" because Dr. Heidegger experiments with a liquid that could change life or death.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? Mr. Medbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Widow Wycherly and Mr. Gascoigne drank water from the Fountain of Youth to avoid death and start a new life, which helps illustrates the theme "life and death."

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax was when the three men were fighting over the lady after they've drank three cups of water from the Fountain of Youth. They thought they were young but there were still old, which illustrates the theme "life and death" because you can't avoid death.

Give examples of each of the the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

Simile: dear widow, you are charming!" cried Colonel Killigrew, whose eyes had been fixed upon her face, while the shadows of age were flitting from it __like__ darkness from the crimson daybreak."

Metaphor: "They were all __melancholy old creatures__, who had been unfortunate in life, and whose greatest misfortune it was that they were not long ago in their graves."

Personification: " The crushed and dried petals stirred, and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber; the slender stalk and twigs of foliage became green; and there was the rose of half a century, looking as fresh as when Sylvia Ward had first given it to her lover." Petals cannot stir and a slumber cannot be deathlike because its not real.

Symbol: The rose symbolized life and death. It also symbolizes love and passion. The rose was given to Dr. Heidegger from his fiance to show him her love to him. It symbolizes life and death because the flower of given water from the Fountain of Youth and it became alive and at the end of the story it died because it didn't have any more water from the Fountain of Youth.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): "Yet, by a strange deception, owing to the duskiness of the chamber, and the antique dresses which they still wore, the tall mirror is said to have reflected the figures of the three old, gray, withered grandsires, ridiculously contending for the skinny ugliness of a shrivelled grandam." Even though they had drank the water from the Fountain of Youth, the mirror still showed that they were still old.

Irony: you drink, my respectable old friends," said he, "it would be well that, with the experience of a lifetime to direct you, you should draw up a few general rules for your guidance, in passing a second time through the perils of youth. Think what a sin and shame it would be, if, with your peculiar advantages, you should not become patterns of virtue and wisdom to all the young people of the age!"

all gathered round her. One caught both her hands in his passionate grasp another threw his arm about her waist--the third buried his hand among the glossy curls that clustered beneath the widow's cap. Blushing, panting, struggling, chiding, laughing, her warm breath fanning each of their faces by turns, she strove to disengage herself, yet still remained in their triple embrace. Never was there a livelier picture of youthful rivalship, with bewitching beauty for the prize."

The doctor told them to drop a few general rules for their guidance so they don't screw up their life a second time. It's ironic because they didn't listen and continued on to be what they were when they were young.

Imagery: "It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs, and besprinkled with antique dust. Around the walls stood several oaken bookcases, the lower shelves of which were filled with rows of gigantic folios and black-letter quartos, and the upper with little parchment- covered duodecimos. Over the central bookcase was a bronze bus of Hippocrates, with which, according to some authorities, Dr. Heidegger was accustomed to hold consultations in all difficult cases of his practice in the obscures corner of the room stood a tall and narrow oaken closet, with its door ajar, within which doubtfully appeared a skeleton." (That's a description of Dr. Heidegger's study)

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. The class theme is "mystery" and life has many mysteries. Death is also a mystery to humans because we don't know what happens to us after death until we have died. Life is a mystery cause we don't know what is going to happen to us until it does happen.

1. According to Dr. Heigegger, what is the purpose of his experiment? The purpose of the experiment was to see what kind of effects will happen to someone when they have drank water from ther Fountain of Youth. 2. What do Dr. Heidegger's friends have in common? How does each of them behave during the experiment? They all failed during their youth and during the experiment they go a bit delirous 3. Why would Dr. Heidegger not stoop to bathe his lips in the Fountain of Youth? Do his friends feel the same way? Comment. Dr. Heidegger would not stoop to bathe his lips in the Fountain of Youth because he did not want to become delirious like his friends. His friends do not feel the same way cause they want to be young again.

4. Who is narrator of the story? Though he is not a participant in the experiment, the narrator relates all the details. How does he know what happened to the doctor and his friends? how certain of his facts is the narrator?

It is not known who the narrator is but who knows every and his facts are 100% correct cause he`s omniscient. 5. What points are made about youth and aging in the story? Do you agree with the views in the story? Comment. Some points that were made in the story is that you cannot avoid aging and that you can only be young once so make your life worth while. I agree with the views of this story because you should always do your best in life so you won`t regret it later. 7. Some scientists hope to develop a vaccine against aging. They speculate that human beings could live approximately 800 years. Do you feel this is desirable? Explain your answer. I do not feel that this is desirable because people shouldn`t fight against nature. People were meant to die eventually, even avoiding it for a while isn`t good. For instance. if a terrible man lived during the time we could avoid death, he would be able to do his terrible deeds forever until he was killed. Over population is another problem. Eventually our resources will be depleted and we shall become extinct. Completion: 4.5/5 Effort: 4.5/5 Content: 4.5/5 total: 13.5/15

Question Completion Mark: 4/5

total 17.5/20