English II—March 4, 2015

• Bell work: If it was possible to have eternal youth, would you want it? Why or why not?

• Homework: – Independent Reading Project due Friday.– Study for Lesson #6 Vocabulary quiz

Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• The story begins with old Dr. Heidegger inviting four elderly friends over to his rather eerie study: Colonel Killigrew, Mr. Medbourne, Mr. Gascoigne, and the Widow Wycherly. The four old folks have all fallen a long way from their prime; each squandered his own type of fortune (youth, money, power, beauty) and is now in a miserable state. The narrator also informs us that, when they were young, the three men used to fight over the attention of the Widow Wycherly.

Heidegger's creepy study contains, among other things, a bust of Hippocrates with whom Dr. Heidegger consults from time to time, a magic black book, a skeleton in a closet, and a mirror that supposedly contains the visages of Heidegger's dead patients. The Doctor presents his guests with four empty champagne glasses and an ornate vase full of clear, bubbling liquid. He takes an old, withered rose, drops it into the vase, and shows his guests that it has in fact been rejuvenated to a fresh-blooming flower.

Dr. Heidegger then claims that the liquid in the vase is water from the mythical Fountain of Youth. He would like their help in an experiment: they drink the water, he sits back and watches. The guests are clearly skeptical, but they agree. Before they drink, Dr. Heidegger warns them not to make the same mistakes they did the first time they were young. The guests drink, and they believe they have grown young again (whether or not they actually are physically transformed is ambiguous). Of course, they act like fools, and the three men end up wrestling each other for the Widow's attention. In their tussling they knock over the vase, which spills the elixir all over the floor.

It doesn't take long for the effects of the potion to wear off, and the four guests find that they are old again. Dr. Heidegger does not regret the spilled elixir; he has learned his lesson by watching his guests, and would not drink the water for anything. The guests, however, have learned nothing, and vow to travel to Florida, find the fountain of youth, and drink from it day and night.

Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne

What is the conflict? What is the setting? What do we know

about the characters?

How does the character (s) respond to the conflict?

What is the turning point in the story?

What are the events that happen after the climax that lead to the resolution?

How is the conflict resolved?

1. Exposition

2. Rising Action

3. Climax

4. Falling Action

5. Resolution

1. How does the setting contribute to the mood of the story?2. Who are the main characters? Describe them based on the direct or indirect characterization.3. What are the conflicts? Are they external or internal?4. What might be considered a symbol(s) in this story?5. What could be a possible theme for this story? Make sure to write it as a theme statement!6. What makes this a good story?

Narrative Poem Writing Prompt

• Revisit the narratives you have read or the memoir you’ve been writing and select one to turn into a narrative poem. Be sure to:– Tell a story (poem should have a sequence of

events, characters, and conflict).– Use vivid details and imagery.– Intentionally use punctuation to create a stylistic

effect.