Dr.+Heidegger's+Experiment

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

Point of View: 1st person; partially omniscient.

Protagonist: Dr. Heidegger

What type of character is the Protagonist? Round, Dynamic

Antagonist: Dr. Heidegger

Describe the setting: The setting starts with a mysteriously creepy feeling to the Dr. Heidegger’s study. As the story progresses, there is a feeling of magic when Dr. Heidegger demonstrated that the rose was able to be "revived". His study is a weird place because in the study there is a closet with a skeleton inside, a large portrait of a woman with a mirror across the room from it along with a statue of Hippocrates. The study is filled with spiderwebs and dust.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Himself

Describe the main conflict: The main conflict is inside Dr.Heidegger on whether or not he should utilize the water for personal gain (if it is considered a gain). The conflict makes itself clear when the Doctor said that even if the water was flowing at his very doorstep that he would not drink it.

Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax of the story is when the people knock the table down.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? In the end, Dr. Heidegger learned that he shouldn't take the water for consumption because he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of his past.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme. The title relates to the theme because there will be an experiment and that something unexpected will happen. If it was a successful experiment then it would be a science paper, not a short story.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The main conflict helps to illustrate the theme because it shows the conflict inside Dr. Heidegger and how it told him to not drink the water.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax helps to illustrate the theme because in the climax, the people all grow old, and the doctor realizes that it is better to not become young again.

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

Simile: //"a small round table, as black as ebony"//

Metaphor: " //Now Dr. Heidegger was a very strange old gentleman, whose eccentricity had become the nucleus for a thousand fantastic tales.// "

Personification: "//as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber//"

Symbol: "//"My poor Sylvia's rose!" cried Dr. Heidegger "It appears to be fading again"//" The rose fading is a symbol for the transition of time (although very unrealistically rapid).

Foreshadowing (give both elements): While he spoke, Dr. Heidegger had been filling the four champagne glasses with the water, he foreshadowed the fact that they would drink the water.

Irony: Dr. Heidegger realizes that the water is not so great and vows not to drink it "//if the fountain gushed at my very doorstep.//" Dr. Heidegger's friends, however, do not see the consequences of the Fountain of Youth and instead vow to find the fountain and restore their youth.

Imagery: "//...the deep and sad inscription which Father Time had been so long engraving on their brows.//"

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. This story's theme of youth versus aging can be examined using the class theme of humanity. If someone gave you the ability to return yourself to the way you were in an earlier part of your life, would you choose to? I wouldn't. Part of humanity is aging. If people didn't age, no one will value life. People value life precisely **because** it covers a finite amount of time. Similarly, if everyone had millions on dollars no one would really value money. We also think of good luck as a good thing. However, if everything was good, then (relative to that set of objects) nothing would be good. The world would be completely equal, boring, and will remain so.

1) The main purpose of Dr. Heidegger's experiment is to see whether he should use the water or not, because he doesn't know the consequences, he wants to see the benefits, by using other people for his own selfish knowledge.

2) The four people all have one important thing in common - they all want to be young again. Most of the other things that they have in common all stem from that (does not like being old, wanting to drink the water). The four people all have the same behavior in the duration of the experiment.

3) Dr. Heidegger does not want to drink from the Fountain of youth because he does not want to become "immature" again and does not want to repeat the mistakes of youth. He prefers to be old and wise. However, his friends do not think so. They enjoy being young, and despise being old.

4) Using the method of exclusion, we know that it can't be Dr. Heidegger or any of his friends. There are no other (known) living people in the room. It may be the soul of the doctor's lover, or a seventh unintroduced character.The narrator is somewhat certain of his or her facts. This would support the fact if the narrator is a person hiding in the roof or the soul of the deceased bride, since both characters would know the facts well, but will be unsure.

5) Humans have a general tendency to learn from their mistakes, because nobody wants to get tripped by the same rock twice - not saying that they would want to get tripped by the rock even once.In the story, it implies that humans do not learn from their mistakes. I disagree with this, because if you put a bucket of water on the edge of a door, waiting for them to open the door and get soaked, next time, the probably won't do it again.

7) I think that it would be beneficial if humans had the ability to live for 800 years because, let's face it, it is always better to have an extra option. However, in practice, it wouldn't be a great thing because there will be overpopulation, as well as pain. It might say that humans will be able to live for 800 years, but will they be healthy for the duration? Or will they be relying on drugs that merely delays the inevitable for a long duration, because the latter is just not worth it. Imagine living for the lion's share of 800 years in excruciating pain, only to await the comfort of death. I would rather die when I got weak.

COMPLETION 5/5 EFFORT 5/5 CONTENT 5/5 QUESTIONS 12/12 TOTAL 27/27