Dr.+Heidegger's+Experiment


 * Short Stories - Literary Devises Title:** __Dr. Heidegger's Experiment__


 * Point of View:** 1st Person Limited Omniscient


 * Protagonist:** Dr. Heidegger
 * What type of character is the Protagonist?** The Protagonist is round and dynamic.


 * Antagonist:** Dr. Heidegger

Dr. Heidegger's study is said to be a very curious place if all stories were true. It was a dim, old fashioned, chamber, festooned with cowebs, and besprinkled with antique dust. Around the walls stood several oaken bookcases, the lower shelves of which filled with rows of gigantic folios and black-letterr quartos, and the upper with little parchment-covered duodecimos. Over the centeral bookcase was a bronze bust of Hippocrates, with which, according to some authories, Dr. Heidegger was accustomed to hold consultations in all difficult cases of his practice. In the obscurest corner of the room stood a tall and narrow oaken closet, with its door ajar, within which doubtfully appeared a skeleton. Between two of the bookcases hung a looking glass. It was fabled that the spirits of all the doctor's deceased patients dwelled within its verge, and would stare at him in the face whenever he looked thitherward. The opposite side of the chamber was said to be ornamated with the full-length portait of a young lady. The greatest curiosity of the study remains to be to be mentioned; it was a ponderous folio volume, bound in black leather, with massive silver clasps. Such was Dr. heidegger's study.On the summer afternoon of this tale, a small, round table, as black as ebony, stood in the center of the room, sustaining a cut-glass vase of beautiful form and elaborate workmanship. The sunshine coming through the window reflected a mild splendor on the ashen visages of the five people who sat around. I suspect this tale takes place around the 1800s because they were mentioned to pretend to be wearing spectacles, as well as Widow Wycherly wearing a widow's cap, and the men, waistcoats. Also, the story has a feel to it that suggests it is not a modern tale.
 * Describe the setting**


 * Type of Conflict:** Man. vs. Self (Self vs. Self)

The main conflict is that Dr. Heidegger is choosing between drinking from the Fountain of Youth or eventually dying. That is why he eventually decides to try out an experiment on his friends and observe their reactions to their youth.
 * Describe the main conflict:**

The climax of the story is when the fight breaks out between the three men. That fight causes the vase to break, and from there the story starts going downhill for Dr. Heidegger's friends because that's when they start feeling older again.
 * Describe the Climax of the Story:**

The protagonist, Dr. Heidegger, changed over the course of the story because at first he couldn't decide if he should drink the water from the Fountain of Youth or not, but as his experiment progressed, he made up his mind. He decided that he wouldn't drink it based on watching his four friends make the same arrogant and vain mistakes as they did before in their youth.
 * How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?**

The relationship between the title and the theme is that Dr. Heidegger's experiment was to find out if he should drink some of the water from the Fountain of Youth, and that directly relates to the theme because the theme of the story is that you should learn to not repeat the same mistake a second time. The theme helps Dr. Heidegger find the answer to his experiment.
 * Describe the relationship between the title and the theme.**

The main conflict, (Dr. Heidegger trying to decide wether or not to drink the water from the Fountain of Youth) helps to illustrate the theme because the theme demonstrates to not make the same mistakes continuously. Because the doctor can't decide, the story is focused on the theme because it all depends on outcome of the theme. If the theme was different it's possible the outcome might have been different too.
 * How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?**

The climax of the story (when the vase breaks) helps to illustrate the theme (to avoid making the same mistakes and learn from them) because that is the moment they repeated their mistakes, and therefore defined the theme more clearly.
 * How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?**

"On the summer afternoon of this tale, a small, round table, **as** black as ebony, stood in the center of the room..." "He sat in a high-backed, elaborately carved, oaken armchair, with a gray dignity of aspect that might have well befitted that very Father Time whose power had never been disputed save by this fortunate company." "Age, wih its miserable train of cares, and sorrows, and diseases, was remembered only as the trouble of a dream from which they had joyously awoke..." A symbol in this story was the rose. It symbolizes that it already had its' chance to blossom and bloom and experience the full extent of its' life while it could, but now it's time for the rose to accept it's fate and be happy with it, much like Dr. Heidegger's friends should. It also symbolizes Dr. Heidegger's love for Sylvia. The story foreshadows when, by a strange deception, owing to the duskiness of the chamber, the tall mirror is said to have reflected the figures of the three old, gray, withered grandsires, ricdiculously contending for the skinny ugliness of a shrivelled grandam. That's when I get a clue that maybe there is something going on with the water from the Fountain of Youth and that their youth is either an illusion or was taken back at the moment the vase shattered. I think it's more likely to be the latter one because that is the climax of the story. The situational irony in this story is that the doctor gives his four friends a second chance, though brief, at being young again, and ironically, they make the same mistakes as they did in the past. That told me that with age they learned nothing, and that they remained the same old miseable selves they were before, just without the extra spirit of youth. "There in fact, stood the four glasses, brimful of this wonderful water, the delicate spray of which, as it effervesced from the surface, resembled the tremulous glitter of diamonds. It was now so nearly sunset that the chamber had grown duskier than ever..." The relationships between the class theme and the story is that the class theme, which is to learn not to repeat your mistakes and learn from them, and story, where Dr. Heideggeris checking if he should go back to his youth and also repeat his mistakes, relate. They relate becuase Dr. Heidegger learns that he will probably repeat his mistakes as his friends did. Because of that, the doctor decided he won't drink from the Fountain of Youth, unlike his friends. Dr. Heidegger's decision also showed me that he has more humanity than his friends because he restrained himself from living eternally and repeating the same mistakes.
 * Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):**
 * Simile:**
 * Metaphor:**
 * Personification:**
 * Symbol:**
 * Foreshadowing (give both elements):**
 * Irony:**
 * Imagery:**
 * Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.**

According to Dr. Heidegger, the purpose of the experiment is to see if his friends will learn from their past mistakes made in their youth or repeat them again. Dr. Heiegger chose his subjects wisely because they all desire to go back to their youth. During the experiment, he can see if they learn from their past or instead repeat their same mistakes, which in turn will help him decide if he should have water from the Fountain of Youth.
 * 1. According to Dr. Heidegger, what is the purpose of his experiment?**

Dr. Heidegger's friends all have something they regret they did or didn't do in the past. Each of them behave more energetic as they get younger. They speak with more enthusiasm and mock their older selves. They also keep begging for more water so they can look more youthful, and make the same mistakes by asking Madam Wycherly to choose between them. Colonel Killigrew starts complimenting Madam Wycherlly. Mr. Gascoigne's mind seems to run on political topics, and starts muttering to himself. Mr. Medbourne all the while was involved in a calculation of dollars and cents. Madame Wycherly, vain as ever, is the first to run to the mirror. In my opinion, that proves they have learned nothing from growing old and keep repeating their past mistakes.
 * 2.What do Dr. Heidegger's friends have in common? How does each of them behave during the experiment?**

Dr. Heidegger would not stoop to bathe his lips in the fountain of youth because he learned his lesson by watching his friends drink the cool, clear liquid from the Fountain of Youth. The lesson he learned was that though you may regret what you did or did not do in the past, it would only make it worse to relive it and know that you could be young again. It would keep haunting you and eventually the desire to be young again would be to great to resist.
 * 3.Why would Dr. Heidegger not stoop to bathe his lips in the fountain of Youth? Do his friends feel the same way? Comment.**

I think the narrator of the story is Dr. Heidegger's relative such as a niece or nephew. Though he is not a participant in the experiment, the narrator relates all the details. He was probably told the story in great detail which would explain how he knew what happened to the doctor and his friends. The narrator is extremely certain of his facts in my opinion because he didn't fail to mention that "Dr. Heidegger's study is said to be a very curious place if all stories were true," which leads me to believe that he knew either the narrator, story, or both exceptionally well.
 * 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 points made about youth and aging in the story are that age does not always bring you wisdom, nor teach you to learn from your past, as can be learned from Dr. Heidegger's friends. I agree with those views in the story, but im pretty sure there are more than a few exceptions to those cases in the world. The point about youth being the prime time of your life (because all of Dr. Heidegger's freinds want to go back to their youth) is something I don't agree with. They might be exceptional to this case and want to go back to their youth because they are vain, arrogant people who judge on looks, as well as mock based on looks. Madam Wycherly was not wanted by the other three men until she turned beautiful again and Dr. Heidegger was mocked for being old.
 * 5.What points are made about youth and aging in the story? Do you agree with the views in the story? Comment.**

I do feel living for approximately 800 years is desirable because I get to experience life more thoroughly without having to miss out on death. But what would happen to our population? It would keep expanding until there was no more room on Earth for babies, assuming we haven't found another planet to reside on. So although it is extremely desirable to live about eight times the average life span, I would have to be against it, becuase I believe everyone deserves a chance to live on Earth, assuming once again, that we humans wouldn't be allowed to have babies in fear of over-poplutaing too much. I would feel guilty for not giving new life some time to experience life on Earth as I did and love it like I do.
 * 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.**

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