Dr.+Heidegger's+Experiment

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

Point of View: Partially Omniscient, 1st Person

Protagonist: Dr. Heidegger

What type of character is the Protagonist? Round. Dynamic.

Antagonist: Himself (Dr. Heidegger) / Themselves (everyone involved in the experiment/story)

Describe the setting:  The Dr.'s study. Dim, old-fashioned. Dusty, cobwebs.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Himself

Describe the main conflict:  The participants in the experiment so desperately want to be young, then don't know what to do with their young when they regain it.

Describe the Climax of the Story:

The four old people drink the magical water and become young again, despite their skepticism.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?

He starts out expecting his friends to learn something, but instead he learns a lesson. He expects them to do good with their youth, but they act the same way they did the first time around.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme.

I believe the theme is about how aging affects us all differently, and we all have different feelings towards it. The word "experiment" in the title relates to this because you don't necessarily know how you'll age until it really happens to you, and you don't really know how you'd react to being young again.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?

I think it illustrates it the theme perfectly. The participants think they could make good use of their youth, but they revert back to their old ways immediately.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?

In their desperation, Mr. Melbourne, Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Gascoigne, and Widow Wycherly drink the water, even though they don't believe it will work. They want to be young SO badly that they will try anything.

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

Simile: "As for the Widow Wycherly, she stood before the mirror curtsying and simpering to her own image, and greeting it as the friend whom she loved better then all the world beside."

Metaphor: "She examined whether the snow had so entirely melted from her hair, that the vulnerable cap could be safely thrown aside."

Personification: "He shook off the few drops of moisture which clung to its petals."

Symbol: "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." A symbol for what the Dr. wishes could happen to his relationship with Sylvia.

Foreshadowing (give both elements):

"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."

"They gazed at one another, and fancied that some magic power had really begun to smooth away the deep and sad inscription which Father Time had been so long engraving on their brows."

Irony: " 'You might as well ask whether an old woman's wrinkled face could ever bloom again.' "

Imagery: "The sunshine came through the window, between the heavy festoons of two faded damask curtains, and fell directly across this vase; so that a mild splendor was reflected from it on ashen visages of the five old people who sat around."

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.

Though we think we may do things differently if given the chance to go back in time, our humanity would most likely cause us to act the same way; humanity in the sense of our basic needs and desires.

Responding:

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

The purpose of the experiment is to see whether the Dr.'s friends have learned anything in their many years, to see how their life experiences have affected their decisions.

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

They all have a level of immaturity. They want what they want, when they want it.

3. Why would Dr. Heidegger not stoop to bathe his lips in the Fountain of Youth? Do his friends feel the same way? Comment.

He refused to drink the water because it did not bring about wise choices. It caused his friends to act foolishly, but they didn't care; they were too happy to be young again.

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?

I do not know who the narrator is, but I believe he knew the characters in the story very well, but was not present when the events of the story took place.

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

No matter how much we age physically, we are still the same person at heart. I agree with this.

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 think it would be desirable as long as:

1. The vaccine was optional.

2. My friends and family received the vaccine.

3. Pets could receive the vaccine.

4. There was some population control.

5. Physical aging in the sense of wrinkles, etc, was limited or eliminated.

COMPLETION 5/5 EFFORT 3.5/5 CONTENT 4/5 QUESTIONS 9/12 TOTAL 21.5/27