Dr.+Heidegger's+Experiment

> Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment > Point of View: First Person limited Omniscience > Protagonist: the protagonist is a round character > What type of character is the Protagonist? The protagonist, Dr. Heidegger is a curious old man. He has always been a bit odd and he enjoys doing experiments. He is different from the other characters because he has enjoyed and achieved in life to the fullest. > Antagonist: There are two different types of antagonists. In a way, the water from the fountain of youth is against dr. Heidegger because it is creating different problems. The four other old people are also antagonists because they are almost opposing dr.heidegger in everything they do.

Describe the setting: The story takes place in the 1800's in the house of Dr. Heidegger. Much of the time, the five men sit around a small-round table in Dr. Heidegger's study.

Type of Conflict: The type of conflict is man vs man and man vs environment. > > Describe the main conflict: The main conflict, to me, is basically Dr. Heidegger trying to prove his hypothesis and his struggles to achieve success. Also, another conflict is with the water from the Fountain of Youth because it is providing a longing for all five people but a longing that cannot be reached. > > Describe the Climax of the Story: > I think the climax of the story is when the three men start fighting over the widow and knock over the table which has the vase of water from the fountain of youth in it. I think this is the climax because it is the main turning point in the story. > > How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? > <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">The main way Dr. Heidegger changes throughout the story to me is through his perception of his hypothesis. At first, he is fairly certain that he would not want to drink the water from the fountain, but by the end of the story, after he sees his "friends" not learning from past mistakes and behaving the way they were, he has made up a firm opinion that he does not want anything to do with the fountain of youth. > > <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">I think that the theme of the story is how we are all wanting something in life but we are such fools that we are willing to do anything to get whatever it is, such as believing something that isn't there. Therefore, the title, to me, is basically saying that Dr. Heidegger's experiment is proving how foolish we can be to believe something that we strongly want.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">The main conflict helps to illustrate the theme because it is basically proving the theme. Like I said before, I think that the conflict is Dr. Heidegger's hypothesis and his struggles to prove that he is right. This proves the theme because it shows that his hypothesis is closely related to the theme, becuase it proves what fools the entire human race is. The other conflict, about believing that something is there when it is not, also relates to the theme because it shows that the human mind is so powerful that it can believe anything it wants too, even when your eyes are telling you something completely different.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">the climax helps to illustrate the theme because it's basically when the illusion stops. This relates to the theme because it means that even if we think that something is there and we keep believing it is

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Simile: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">"...shadows of age were flitting from it like darkness from the crimson daybreak.." <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">"...as black as ebony..."

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Metaphor: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">"...the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber..."

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Personification: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">"...the crushed and dried petals stirred..."

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Symbol: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">I think the rose is a symbol because it shows aging in a simple, metaphorical way. It also shows the simplistic way of life, for example it shows how we can bloom like a rose or we can do bad deeds and become dull and faded like the half a century rose.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Foreshadowing (give both elements): I think the two places where I found foreshadowing was used was at the beginning of the story when Dr. Heidegger mentioned the Fountain of Youth, it showed that the Fountain of Youth would play a big part of the story later on, and it did. Another part where I found foreshadowing was used was when the narrator said that, even though the four people were "young" their reflections were of old people. This foreshadowed that later on, the four people would once again become old...?

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Irony: I found it ironic that the Widow Wycherly's name had witch in it. I found this ironic because she behaved like a witch, vain and petty in her thoughts throughout the story and her name had witch in it. I think, that all the names that were chosen throughout the story meant something and there was something ironic about each.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Imagery: <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">" 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."

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. <span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">The main relationship I found between humanity and the story was how the story showed the different personalaties of humanity. It showed how vain we can be, how cruel we can be, but most of all, how some of us will never learn from mistakes. The four people showed that some people never change, though they might physically, and however much they think they are good, there is still something inside of them that never changes. All of them were womanizers and that didn't change no matter how old they were. But at the same time, it showed how some people grow wiser with age and mature better than others. Such was the case of Dr. Heidegger, who matured with age and chose not to repeat his mistakes unlike the others who did. Therefore, I think that this story relates very well to humanity and show the different aspects and personalities of humans nicely.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 270%; text-align: justify;"> __**Questions**__ **<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1) According to Dr. Heidegger, he used this experiment to test whether or not, given the gift of youth again, people would learn from their previous life experiences and not make the same mistakes again. I think he wanted to conduct this experiment to solidify his own decision to utilize the opportunity to become young again or not. He decided that he didn't want to become young again, because his companions showed him that he would be doomed to repeat his past mistakes. **  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; vertical-align: baseline;">** 2) All the guests of Dr. Heidegger had not done great things in their youth. They were all old, selfish people who wanted to relive their youth, not to make it better, but just to relive the same emotions. Most of them are vain, and some of them even have cruel thoughts. During the experiment, they fall back into their old ways. Mr. Gascoigne seemed to be into his profession because as soon as he was young he could not stop talking about poilitics. Colonel Killigrew, while reliving his past seemed to be a womanizer and disrespectful man. He seemed to not have any regard for others except for himself and the widow. Mr. Medbourne seemed to be a cruel man who in his youth, had used a lot of living things for his own benefit. The widow just seemed like a vain young woman who seemed to be very obsessed with looks, much more than anything else. Ovewrall, the experiment proved that all the old people were very arrogant and selfish people in their past. ** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3) Dr. Heidegger was a wise man and having found it difficult to live his past and grow old, he didn't want to commit the same mistakes again. I think that Dr. Heidegger believed in going with the flow and not doing something out of the ordinary for his own selfish reasons. Also, from some references in the story it seems as though the water was fake, therefore knowing this, Dr. Heidegger didn't want to waste his time on looking/ drinking something that did not exist. I also think that Dr. Heidegger enjoyed life to his fullest, even through the sorrows, unlike his friends who did not have a happy past. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4) I think that the narrator was someone who was close to Dr. Heidegger like a niece or nephew. It seems like the narrator was told the story because he is certain of some facts but unsure of others. THe narrator also knows exactly what the room looks like, whether because he had been there or because the description of the room had been given so vividly we do not know. I also think that the narrator wrote this story after the death of Dr. Heidegger because the entire story has been told in almost a more modern way. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5) The four guests in the story believed they didn't get the most out of their youth. I think that they had wanted to go back again to try a different approach to life, but as soon as they became young they regained their old arrogance abou life. I agree with Dr. Heidegger about aging and youth because like he thought, I too think that it is unwise to go back into the past, because it is probabal you will commit the same mistakes again and you will also have to experience growing old once again, which would be horrible if you had a bad time previously aging. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;">7) I do not think that living to be 800 years old would be desirable. First of all, it would bve selfish because we would run out of resources so fast that not only will our grandchildren not have supplies even our children won't. The Earth would also get crowded, and it would be impossible to live as luxuriously as we live now. Basically, I think that most people wouldn't choose to get the vaccine because I think most people would rether live life the way it is meant to be. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: justify;"> COMPLETION 5/5 EFFORT 5/5 CONTENT 5/5 QUESTIONS 12/12 TOTAL 27/27