Dr.Heidegger's+Experiment

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title - Dr.Heidegger's Experiment Point of View: First person

Protagonist: Dr. Heidegger What type of character is the Protagonist? Dr.Heidegger is round and dynamic character. Who likes to experiment.

Antagonist: The antagonist is Dr.Heidegger.

Describe the setting: The setting is in Dr.Heideggerrs house, in his study. The study is very rustic like, with hints of magic. The house is also old because it says that there are cobwebs in the study.

Type of Conflict: Man vs Himself (He is trying to make an internal decision about taking the potion or not )

Describe the main conflict: Dr.Heidegger's internal decision about whether to drink from the fountain of youth or not. And what would happen if humans where to drink it. He conducts an experiment to see if he himself wants to go through with it.

Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax is when the friends of the doctor drink the water and start to get younger. They start to dance around the room, make fun of old people, and act like they did when they where young. And suddenly they spill the remaining water from the fountain and slowly start to become old again.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? At the beginning of the story he thinks that if you drink the water, that only your body will change and your mind will stay the same. He thinks differently at the end when his friends start acting like they did when they were young.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. The title is Dr.Heidegger's experiment, and the theme is that humans don't learn from their mistakes. The relationship is that the doctors experiment was to see if people do learn from their mistakes, he was proved wrong.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The main conflict is what would happen if humans where to drink from the fountain and the theme is that humans don't learn from their mistakes. The main conflict helps illustrate the theme because, the doctor whats to know if his friends would learn from their mistakes or not.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax is when the old people tip over the water and became old again, and the theme is that humans don't learn from their mistakes. The climax helps illustrate the theme because, it showed how the people did not learn from their mistakes.

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

Simile: 'black as ebony'

Metaphor: 'assumed a deepening tinge of crimson'

Personification: 'as if the flower were reviving from a death like sleep'

Symbol: The rose that the doctor dead wife gave him is a symbol of love.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): It is mentioned in the beginning that the 3 men where all former lover of Widow Wycherly. And when they became young again the first thing they tried to do was to get her.

Irony: That once they turned young again they acted as if they had never been old.

Imagery: When the doctors study is being described.

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. The class theme is humanity and the theme of the story is that humans don't learn from their mistakes. They relate because as human we are always making mistakes. Usually we learn from them yet sometimes we do not.

Questions: 1. The purpose of the experiment is to see what would happen if a human where to drink from the fountain. And to see if a change would occur, externally. Also would it affect their mind, or would the mind stay the same.

2. Something that the doctors friends have in common is that they had been unfortunate when they were young. During the experiment they behave like they did when they were young. Colonel Killgrew immediately started to hit on Widow Wycherly. While Mr.Gascoigne started to think about politics. Mr.Medborne started to think of ways he could make money. And the Widow Wycherly stood in front of the mirror, admiring herself.

3. I think the doctor didn't want to drink the water because he had a satisfying early life and did not wish to relive it. His friend don't feel the same way because they had failed early life and craved to try again and relive them.

4. I think the narrator of the story is the picture of the young women on the doctors wall. It is her because the soul of the doctors dead wife is caught in the painting. She knows all the things about the doctor because she has been there for 50 years. Though she is only have certain of the fact because she can't read anyone's mind.

5. The points about youth and aging, are that if you had a failed you, that you will more likely want to try and relive it. I do agree because if that were to happen to me i would more than likely want to relive my youth.

7. I feel that it is desirable because I would want to live for as long as possible. To see the world change around me, to try lots of different, and to live a short boring life.

COMPLETION 5/5 EFFORT 4/5 CONTENT 4/5 QUESTIONS 10/12 TOTAL 23/27