Dr.+Heidegger's+Experiment

= Short Stories - Literary Devises = = Title: Dr. Heindegger's Experiment By: Mya Robilliard=

**Point of View**: First person/Semi-omniscient

**Protagonist:** Dr. Heidegger

**What type of character is the Protagonist?** Round, Dynamic


 * Antagonist:: **Dr. Heidegger’s conscience

**Describe the setting:** The story is set in Dr. Heidegger's den. This room is dusty and full of old books and papers. The mood is quite dreary because the old men and the widow are very depressed to be alive and have gloomy attitudes. Plus, when we hear about the doctor's wife, it further saddens the story's mood. I believe this story was written quite some time ago because of the language that is used. Some of the words are old fashioned and rarely used in modern literature. As well, the way the author explains the characters it sounds like this story takes place a very long awhile ago.

**Type of Conflict:** Man vs. Himself

**Describe the main conflict**: The conflict is in Dr. Heidegger's mind. He is deciding whether or not to try the water based on what the results show in his experiment.

**Describe the Climax of the Story:** The climax of the story is when the vase breaks because after that everything changes and everything before this has been in anticipation of what will happen after.

**How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?** The protagonist changes over the course of the story because he most likely proves his hypothasis that humans will never change their behaviour even if given a second chance. He then decides trying the water for hikself would most likely not be a good idea.

**Describe the relationship between the title and the theme.:** I think the relationship between the title and the theme is that Dr. Heidegger's experiment was really on human behaviour and how people will not change. It also shows how humans are selfish and greedy by his four guest's reactions to their new youth. The widow goes to see if she is beautiful, the polition starts to rant about politics, etc. They never change and care only about themselves.

**How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?** The main conflict helps to illustrate the theme because Dr. Heidegger is trying to decide whether to try the water or not and realizes he does not want t relive his mistakes knowing even if he got another chance he would probably do the same thing agan

**How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?** The climax helps to illustrate the theme by showing how foolish we are for flaunting our youth like it is nothing and not appreciating it for what it really is, a gift that is only bestowed on use for a short time. It also shows how foolish we are to make fun of our elders because in reality we will become one of them eventually.

//**__ Questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 __**//

 * According to Dr.Heindegger, what is the purpose of his experiments?: **According to Dr. Heidegger, the main purpose of his experiment was to test the effects water from the fountain of youth has on people, which in this case, are his friends.

**What do Dr.Heidegger's friends have in common? How does each of them behave during the experiment?** Dr. Heidegger's friends all have a few things in common. They are all past their prime and and looking forward to death. As soon as they are given the water, they immediately react. The widow rushes to the mirror to see if she is beautiful, the colonol starts to flirt with the widoe, the polition starts to rant about politicts, and the buisness man sarts to sceme about making money. These actions show how selfish they all are.


 * Why would Dr. Heindegger not stoop to bathe his lips in the Fountain Of Youth? Do his friends feel the same way? Comment. **

**Who is the Narrator of the story?** I think the narrator of the story is a friend of the doctor who he told this story to because he knows details from the story and what happens and there is even some first person pronoues such as "I" in the story.

**What points are made about youth and aging in the story? Do you agree with the views in the story?** I agree with he points about aging and youth in the story show that people never change, even as they grow older. Age does not mean you will not revert back to being selfish, greedy, or arrogant, but, in theory, should give you experience to guide you away from situations like this. But, in reality, people do not learn.

**Some scientists hope to develop a vaccine against aging. They speculate that human beings could live approximately 800 year. Do you feel this is desirable? Explain.:** No, I do not feel this is desirable. I think that most people hen they reach the age of 75-85 are ready to die. Their body and mind are breaking down and hopefully, they have done everything they wanted to in life, and if they have not, they would have accepted that they will not get a chance to. I do not feel that human beings should live until the age of 800 because planet Earth already has an over population problem. People are already being born faster than they are dyeing and if people lived any longer we would have even more issues. If the human population could have a maximum of 2 offspring in their entire life times, this could be kept in check but would still not be desirable. Perhaps in the offspring rules was put

**Simile:** "As black as ebony."
 * // Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes): //**

**Metaphor:** "While he spoke, the butterfly fluttered down from the doctor's snowy head, and fell upon the floor." This is a metaphor about the four who had drunken the water. They too, were returning to their own selves. They were turning back into old men and women with one foot in the grave, just as this butterfly was returning to it's state of near death.

**Personification:** "Her breath fanning each of their faces by turns"

**Symbol:** The water: I think that the water it's self is a symbol of hope. Dr. Heidegger's guests want so much to be young again that this water, wether real or not, is their only chance.

The mirror in Dr. Heidegger's study showing his friends as still old after drinking water from the fountain of youth foreshadows that they may never have been young in the first place. "...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..." foreshadowing " **Irony:** Once the guests drank the water they started mocking Dr. Heidegger and old people in general dispite the fact they were old only minutes ago.
 * Foreshadowing (give both elements): **

**Imagery:** "The flower continued to shrivel up, till it became as dry and fragile as when the doctor has first thrown it into the vase.He shook of the few drops of moisture that still clung to it's petals.

**Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.:** The relationhip between the story and the class theme is how humans will repeat the same mistakes even if they are given a second chance and they will continue to be selfish, greedy, and repeaditive.

COMPLETION 5/5

EFFORT 5/5

CONTENT 4/5

QUESTIONS 10/12

TOTAL 25/27