"Dr Heidegger's Experiment"
An eccentric aging physician, Dr. Heidegger, calls together his old
friends and contemporaries to test his waters of the "fountain of
youth." As the doctor himself sits by to enjoy the show, each of his
four aged friends eagerly quaffs more and more of the magic potion,
each draught further carrying them backwards into their shared youth.
Having grown young, smooth-skinned and agile again, the three men begin
to fight for the favors of the fourth compatriot now restored to her
former beauty. In the heat of the fracas, they begin to grow tired and
within minutes the effect of the "waters" has worn away. The
participants in the brief respite from old age are devastated by the
transience of the experience. Despite Heidegger's warning that he has
learned to appreciate the advantage of age by watching the four of them
make themselves fools, they learned no such lesson and resolve to make
a pilgrimage to Florida to seek the Fountain.
"The Birthmark"
A devoted scientist, in a brief step from his laboratory pursuits,
marries a beautiful woman with a single physical flaw: a birthmark on
her face. Aylmer becomes obsessed with the imperfection and needs to
remove it, to be happy with his wife. The tale evolves around his
progressive frenzy to use his scientific skills to render his bride
perfect and the faith of his submissive wife that the union can survive
only if he accomplishes his goal. The author tells us that Aylmer "had
devoted himself, however, too unreservedly to scientific studies..."
and, in the secrecy of his laboratory he prepares the potion for
Georgiana that results in the disappearance of the birthmark and the
death of Aylmer's experimental subject.
Comparison
"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and "The Birthmark" can be compared in
many aspects. Nathaniel Hawthorne used many of the same writing
techniques in both stories. Both pieces share two common reoccuring
themes. Also, the symbols in the story have like meanings. In both
"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" and "The Birthmark", Hawthorne uses the
same writing style. In both stories Nathaniel Hawthorne writes as a
realist, as opposed to a romancer. In "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment"
Hawthorne writes about an actual event in history, Ponce de Leon's
search for the Fountain of Youth on the Florida Peninsula. It does not
matter if the Fountain of Youth exists or not it is a "real" legend.
"Dr Heidegger's Experiment" is a situation that could have taken
place. It is not a fantasy. "The Birthmark" is also a piece that
could have happened. A beautiful woman could certainly be born with a
The Birthmark is in the shape of a hand because it is the work of God, done by God's own hand and will.
Thesis: In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood characterizes Handmaids, as women with expectations to obey the society’s hierarchy, as reproducers, symbolizing how inferior the Handmaid class is to others within Gilead; the class marginalization of Handmaids reveals the use of hierarchical control exerted to eliminate societal flaws among citizens.
Nathaniel Hawthorne- born Hathorne-changed his last name due to his desire to disconnect himself from the Salem Witch Trials and the whole Puritan belief system; seeing as one of his relatives was a judge during this time. Hawthorne, throughout a number of his work, uses his female characters as the stage to show off his feelings towards the Puritanical ideology. He uses the character shells of either an older woman who critically lives by Puritan law, to show how judgmental Puritanism is with anything that doesn’t conform to their beliefs; or has a young pretty “rebel” who goes against Puritan law, which results in showing the corrupt side of Puritanism; using these two character shells in The Scarlet Letter and “The Minister’s Black Veil” Conversely, to blatantly show his hatred towards Puritanism, Hawthorne uses Mistress Hibbins in The Scarlet Letter to combat these two roles, and to continue to show off his dislike towards the religion.
one's who stand alone with no one to look to for love or support. "For
Nathaniel Hawthorne's knowledge of Puritanism and his close relationship with the religion has impacted his views on those in the society. Hawthorne is critical of the Puritans and he thinks that they are hypocrites for having rules and morals that they do not follow. He sees the underlying sin that others may not. Through his many writings he makes known to his readers that everyone is guilty of sin. The Puritan's main goal was to save themselves from the sin in the world, but Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays their morals and society as troublesome through his works, "Young Goodman Brown," "The Minister's Black Veil," and The Scarlet Letter.
When a writer starts his work, most often than not, they think of ways they can catch their reader’s attention, but more importantly, how to awake emotions within them. They want to stand out from the rest and to do so, they must swim against the social trend that marks a specific society. That will make them significant; the way they write, how they make a reader feel, the specific way they write, and the devotion they have for their work. Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgard Allan Poe influenced significantly the American literary canon with their styles, themes, and forms, making them three important writers in America.
A new society is created by a group of people who strengthen and maintain their power by any means necessary including torture and death. Margaret Atwood's book, A Handmaid's Tale, can be compared to the morning after a bad fight within an abusive relationship. Being surrounded by rules that must be obeyed because of being afraid of the torture that will be received. There are no other choices because there is control over what is done, who you see and talk to, and has taken you far away from your family. You have no money or way out. The new republic of Gilead takes it laws to an even higher level because these laws are said to be of God and by disobeying them you are disobeying him. People are already likely to do anything for their God especially when they live in fear of punishment or death. The republic of Gilead is created and maintains its power structure through the use of religion, laws that isolate people from communication to one another and their families, and the fear of punishment for disobeying the law.
The Apocalyptic themes and situations found in Atwood's fictional city of Gilead focus around the mistreatment of all females. Women in this city, set 200 years in the future, have no rights, and get little respect. The rule by way of theocracy in Gilead also adds to the sense of regression and hopelessness in the future. The way babies are brought into the world, only through pregnant handmaids, the idea of a black market for things considered luxuries and privileges all add to the fact that society in this novel is in a desperate state of disrepair.
In Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale, women are subjected to unthinkable oppression. Practically every aspect of their life is controlled, and they are taught to believe that their only purpose is to bear children for their commander. These “handmaids” are not allowed to read, write or speak freely. Any type of expression would be dangerous to the order of the Gilead’s strict society. They are conditioned to believe that they are safer in this new society. Women are supposedly no longer exploited or disrespected (pornography, rape, etc.) as they once were. Romantic relationships are strongly prohibited because involving emotion would defeat the handmaid’s sole purpose of reproducing. Of course not all women who were taken into Gilead believed right what was happening to their way of life. Through the process of storytelling, remembering, and rebellion, Offred and other handmaids cease to completely submit to Gilead’s repressive culture.
Throughout history American’s opinions on abortion have been equally divided between the three options offered, whether abortion should be offered to those who want it any without limitations, offered with limitations or whether it should be prohibited. Even though Americans remain divided over the issue of abortion, the majority would like to see severer limits placed on abortions in the United States. According to a poll conducted by New York Times and CBS “democrats and women are more likely to prefer keeping abortion generally available to those who want it.” Thee, M. (2007, April 19). Abortion laws and related cases continue to be a major issue in today’s society and it will continue shaping American’s laws.
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817 and died there peacefully on May 6, 1862. He was described by Hawthorne as "ugly as sin." He loved nature, and his constant preoccupation was exploring the woods and ponds making detailed observations of plants and creatures. Henry led a singular life, never marrying, and marching to his own drummer, as he put it. From 1845 to 1847, he lived alone in a small cabin he built by Walden Pond near Concord. He described this unique experiment in natural living in "Walden" criticizing those who "lead lives of quiet desperation" with all the trappings of customary society. His personal independence and straightforward manner was harsh to some people, and he gained very little recognition during his lifetime.
The similarities and differences between Poe and Hawthorne both show a dynamic and intriguing method that has lasted through the times. They both show an inner personal look through their writing about their loved ones. The dynamic writing between both writers depict the idea that no matter how morbid the writing love can shine through any view. With both writers there is a vision of morbid curiosity along with a romantic nature for the audience; by depicting death of a loved one to show a sense of connection with the audience. Although both are gothic romantic writers you can easily see that both have a different sense of life and death, and to which one holds more value.
"The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a dystopia about a world where unrealistic things take place. The events in the novel could never actually take place in our reality." This is what most people think and assume, but they're wrong. Look at the world today and in the recent past, and there are not only many situations that have ALMOST become a Gilead, but places that have been and ARE Gileadean societies. We're not in Kansas any more, Dorothy!
Nathaniel Hawthorne did not do much explaining when it came to the characters involved in "The Birthmark". He did not portray the main characters: Aylmer, Georgiana, and Ambidab as human beings, but rather as symbols. While analyzing the story "The Birthmark", I have achieved some great insight of the author 's articulate writing style; especially, his style of making characters have symbolic meaning. In this story, Hawthorne uses his characters to symbolize specific things. In this ambiguous, short story, the three characters each symbolize Science, Beauty, and Nature. Each character represents an unusual force that has equally worked against each other.
Abortion has taken the lives of more than 50 million babies since 1973 (“About Abortion”). The issue of abortion is one of the most common controversial issues in American politics and culture. In modern society, many women that have an unintended pregnancy and they result to abortion without researching other options. Abortion is not a substitute for birth control and this issue should be taken seriously. The individual woman needs to understand that by agreeing to have an abortion she is agreeing to kill an innocent fetus. Abortion rips the unborn child from his or hers right to life. Society needs to let women see through the eyes of the fetus and find alternative ways to raise the baby. Abortion should be illegal because childhood begins at conception, not at birth.