Dr.Heidegger's+Experiment

Justin and Daniel.

=** Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: Dr.Heideggers's experiment **=

Point of View:
Third person limited omniscient

Protagonist:
Dr.Heidegger

What type of character is the Protagonist?
Round and Dynamic

Antagonist:
The water from the Fountain of Youth.

Describe the setting:
Very creepy, early 1900's, melancholy.

Type of Conflict:
Man vs. Supernatural

Describe the main conflict:
The fight between the four old people and the magical powers of the Fountain of Youth

Describe the Climax of the Story:
When the four old people start turning back into their rightful age and realize the magical powers of the Fountain of Youth are not forever lasting.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?
He learns how drinking from the Fountain of Youth is not a good idea because all four people in his experiment all make the same mistakes that they once made in the past.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme:
Dr. Heidegger does and experiment and in the story he does exactly that. The theme in the story being that having the ability to to turn back the clock of life is not always a good thing.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?
The main conflict is the four people destroying themselves by taking by their youth back while still making the same mistakes they did before. This helps illustrate the theme because Dr. Heidegger finds out that drinking from the Fountain of Youth is not a good idea.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?
By the end of Climax all in the story all involved come to the realization that you will make the same mistakes when you experience the magical affects of the Fountain of Youth.

Simile:
" One limped across the floor, like a gouty grandfather... "

Metaphor:
"They were all melancholy old creatures" - pg. 157

Personification:
"...the young lady had taken a step..." - pg. 160

Symbol:
The rose is a symbol in the story because it symbolizes the story of Dr. Heidegger's life and previous mistakes he has made that he wishes he could forget.

Foreshadowing (give both elements):
"Before you drink, my respectable old friends...draw up a few general rules for your guidance, should you pass again the perils of your youth." - pg. 162 "But they were young: their burning passions proved them so. Inflamed to madness..." - pg. 166

Irony:
It is quite ironic how they all repeat their old mistakes when they begin experiencing the magical effects of the Fountain of Youth.

Imagery:
"It was apparently impregnated with an effervescent gas, for little bubbles were continually ascending from the depths of the glasses" - pg. 162

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.
In this story I find that the class theme is strongly related to this story because in the stories lots of decisions are made. Weather for better or worse the decisions in this story change the way the story line plays out because for example the four people involved in the experiment insist on not correcting their past and make those wrong decisions they did in the past. The outcome of this is Dr. Heidegger gaining the knowledge that drinking from the Fountain of Youth is not a good idea at all and if the four had decided to correct the mistakes they may have persuaded Dr. Heidegger to try drinking from it.


 * 1. According to Dr. Heidegger, what is the purpose of his experiment?**

Right before Dr. Heidegger gives his guests water he says "Before you drink my respectable old friends, it would be well that, with the experience of a lifetime to direct you, you should draw up a few general rules for your guidances, in passing a sencond time through the perils of youth. Think what a sin and a 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!" I inferred from this that the doctor's purpose of his experiment was to see if his guests would make the same mistakes they made in the past during the experiment.


 * 2. What do Dr. Heidegger's friends have in common? How does each of them behave during the experiment?**

All three old men had been deeply in love with Widow Wycherly and had a hatred towards each other when they were young and healthy as they all tried to seek out love in return. They all dug up the thoughts of making themselves superior to the others and thus earning Wycherly's love during the experiment and then after they all seemed to lose that drive to win her love.


 * 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 says "Well I bemoan it not, for if the fountain gushed at my very doorstep, I would not stoop to bathe my lips in it, no, though its delirium were for years instead of moments. Such is the lesson yee have taught me!" Dr. Heidegger learned that drinking from the water from the Fountain of Youth will not bring a life of joy, but probably a life of misery. Even though those in the experiment are old and wise, they still had that same intention to make the same old mistakes they had made when their were in the bloom youth.


 * 4. Who is the 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?**

The narrator is Third Person/Limited Omniscient, the narrator seems to know everything about all the characters. The narrator has the insight on what each charcaters are thinking and doing.


 * 5. What points are made about youth and aging in the story? do you agree with the views in the story? Comment**

Even when the aging four in the story get a second chance when they become young again, they still made the same mistakes they had made in their young life before. I say that the author is implying that all should go through the natural process of aging and they shall not live a day longer than they were meant too.


 * 7. Some scientists hope to develop a vaccine against aging. They speculate that human beings could then live approximately 800 years. Do you feel this is desirable? Explain your answer.**

I absolutely feel completely against this because there are certain things in life that are meant to be eventually completely finished throughout the span of our life and goals should be set for us to complete and with a life this long you're life would become a world of daydreaming and aimless boredom. Ones life would become pointless and the problems this would bring up for the survival of man-kind would be staggering.

Completion 5/5 Effort 3.5/5 Content 3.5/5

Total 12/15

Questions Completion Mark 5/5 I know you didn't make any changes to the question, however I believe I miss evaluated them the first time. You answers are worth a 5.

Total 17/20