Reading Skills
Friday, July 20, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment:" Story Analysis
Nathaniel
Hawthorne (1804-1864)
A short biography of the
author
The summary of
the story
Plot analysis
Conflict
The Dr. Heidegger wanted
to do an experiment with his friends who were unfortunate in their lives. He wanted to test these people.
Rising Action
●Dr. Heidegger
Once, he invited four
friends to meet with him at his house. They were Mr. Medbourne, Mr. Gascon, Mr.
Colonel Killigrew and Mrs. Widow Wycherly.
●The Laboratory
The Dr. Heidegger
needed help from his friends for an experiment, so he showed them the way. The
laboratory was certainly an unusual place. Around the walls stood tall wooden
bookcases. Also in one of the walls was a large painting of a young woman. She
was going to marry with Heidegger.
●The Rose
The Dr. Heidegger opened a book and removed a rose from its pages. The
rose turned brown and seemed ready to crumble to dust. Fifty-five years ago
this rose as given to him by Silvia, the woman that he wanted to marry. In the
middle of the table was a large glass vase filled with a liquid that look like
a water. Heidegger poured some of the water onto the rose. Then the rose began
to bloom.
●The Fountain of Youth
The Dr. Heidegger explained to his friends that the water of the glass
vase was from the fountain of youth and makes everything young again.
●The Experiment
The Dr. Heidegger gave his friends glasses of water from the fountain of
youth, but before they drink he told them to think about the mistakes they made
when they were young. A moment later they felt happier and better, so they
wanted more water. Their eyes grew bright and clear, so they again drank the
water. They were now young.
Climax
Mr. Medbourne, Mr.
Gascon and Mr. Colonel Killigrew all gathered around Mrs. Widow Wycherly. They
wanted to dance with her. They were fighting. As they struggled, the table was
knocked over. The vase fell to the ground and smashed into a thousand pieces.
The precious water from the Fountain of Youth flowed slowly across the floor.
They
stopped to fighting and looked at the Dr. Heidegger. He was looking at the rose
from fifty-five years ago. While they were looking at it, the rose began to
shrink. Just as the rose wilted, they began to feel the same old person than
before. The Doctor’s friends were not listening to him. They didn't learn about
their mistakes and they planned to travel to Florida to found the Fountain of
Youth.
Analysis
the story’s characters
Physical
and psychological traits
He was an old
men. He had white hair. He was a strange man. He was a scientist. He was a disappointed
man. He was a good reader, smart, respectful, friendly, kind and loyal.
He was an old
men. He had white long hair and white beard. He had been a rich man. He was
greedy. He was a poor panhandler man. He was sad and unsuccessful. He was an
affectionate man. He was unhappy and unfortunate man.
He was an old
men. He had white short hair and white beard. He had been a famous politician.
He was dishonest. He was a thief. He was poor. He lived in shame. He was a
loving man. He was sad an unfortunate man.
●Mr. Colonel Killigrew
He was an old men. He had white short hair and white beard. He was once
a great soldier. He was brave. He was a gourmand and alcoholic man. He was
vicious. He was unhealthy. He was sick. He was an amorous man. He was unlucky
and unfortunate.
●Mrs. Widow Wycherly
She was an
elderly woman. She had white short hair. She was once quite beautiful. She was
conceited. She was egocentric, narcissistic, vain, flashy, superficial and
materialistic. She was frustrated because she is not young anymore.
She died on the
day that she was to marry Dr. Heidegger. She was a young woman. She was
beautiful.
The moral of
this story is that we have to take advantage of the opportunity. When you get
it, never let it go, because if you let it go, maybe could never appear again.
We have to learn from our mistakes, and don't waste the opportunities. Also we
should to be better persons every day. We have to improve our daily lives, leaving
behind the envy and greed. We have to be kind to others.
Personal opinion
I like the way that the author taught his readers that we are
responsible for our actions. I think that the story is very interesting because
it makes you think about what kind of life you want. You can learn from your
mistakes, or make the same mistakes over and over. I think that the irony is when
the Dr. Heidegger said that they don't have learned anything from their
mistakes because they made it again.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
''Something Funny: Story Analysis.''
Elizabeth Van Steenwyk
(1928 - )
A short biography of the author
Elizabeth Van Steenwyk was born in 1928 and grew up in Illinois. She has
written more than 40 books for children and young. She started to write when
she was ten. Her first history was about a ballerina who had broken her leg and
it was doubtful if she could dance in the recital to which the prince had been
invited. Then she wrote plays for every holiday and her class performed them
for the rest of the school. In Junior High she began writing for radio. Before
her freshman year at Knox College, she had her first part time job at the local
radio station. Later, she got married with her true love and they began our
family. She has won the Texas Bluebonnet Award and Vermont's Rebecca Caudill
Award and also The American children's author. Now she has about 70 titles to
her publishing credit plus a couple of movies.
The summary of the story
The story “Something Funny” is about a couple Janie and Bill. Janie has
a problem she is getting tired of Bill because he was very dull. One night they
were going out, but as usual Bill came late. They went to a party during a
terrible storm. On the way Bill told her what had happened. He had a weirdest
dream about a flying saucer and people who had three eyes. At the end of the
story Janey was tired of pretending to be somebody else, so she showed Bill the
truth.
Plot analysis
Conflict
Janey was getting tired of Bill, because he wasn’t too interesting.
Rising
Action
● The arrival of Bill
Janey heard a car screeching as it stopped outside. It was raining so hard. It was difficult to see, but she was able to recognize Bill’s car.
Janey heard a car screeching as it stopped outside. It was raining so hard. It was difficult to see, but she was able to recognize Bill’s car.
● Bill headed for the country
They went to a party at an old abandoned farmhouse.
They went to a party at an old abandoned farmhouse.
●The storm
It was raining so hard. They had trouble seeing beyond the windshield.
● The weirdest dream
Bill dreamed that there was a terrible storm and a flying saucer suddenly flew out of the tornado. The flying saucer stopped outside his window and some people got out. They didn’t look like everyone. They had three eyes. They hold him to follow them. He went inside the flying saucer.
Climax
They arrived to the barn and she was tired to pretending to be somebody else, so she decided to show her extra eye.
They arrived to the barn and she was tired to pretending to be somebody else, so she decided to show her extra eye.
Resolution
Bill's being replaced.
Bill: He had black eyes. He had
short hair and he was young.
Analysis the story’s characters
Psychological
traits
|
|
Janey
|
Bill
|
Impatiently
|
Dull
|
Nervous
|
Confident
|
Thinking
|
Interesting
|
Fearful
|
Smarter
|
Serious
|
Concentrated
|
Tired
|
Sympathetic
|
Liar
|
Prankster
|
Untruthful
|
Asleep
|
Deceptive
|
Deceived
|
Physical characteristics
Janey: She had three eyes. She had a long hair and she was young.The irony in this story
Personal
opinion
I think that the story was
interesting but still
doesn't reach my standard. I like the way in which the author put the fictionalized
accounts of real-life events. I like read and research about strange things so
when I read the story, I thought that was about something more exciting, but it
is fine. I liked the message that the author wanted to convey and also I liked the
unexpected ending.
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