The other week after reading the story “Flowers For Algernon” by Daniel Keys in our English Language Arts class. After I got on the bus I rode to my house and walked up to the porch and went in and talked to my mother about how sad I felt about Charlie, She agreed and nodded her head and said, “I think that people who have disabilities shouldnt be used to experimenting on.” I said that a lot of people in my class agree and think that it's not right. This reminds me of when Charlie was searching for his identity. First, in the story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keys, Charlie revealed his inner strength when he was willing to do the surgery and when he stood up for the kid that had the same condition as him, and when he asked Miss Kinnian to dinner. …show more content…
According to the Author on page 201, “I hope they use me. Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart.” Many people may think that he wouldn't want to do it if it hurts, but, according to Keys, “I don't care if it hurts.” Secondly, Charlie revealed his inner strength when he was willing to do the surgery, when he stood up for the kid who had the same condition as him, and when he asked Ms. Kinnian to go to dinner. To begin, Charlie showed his inner strength when he stood up for the kid that had the same condition as him. Keys 215), “I was furious at myself and all those who were smirking at him. I jumped up and shouted, “Shut up! Leave him alone. It’s not his fault, he can't understand! He can’t help but be what he is!
In the first place, Charlie’s colleagues are taking advantage of Charlie’s disabilities. They call him names because they are aware the he does not know they are insulting him. In one of the progress reports, Charlie stated, “Everybody laffed and we had a good time and they gave me lots of drinks and Joe said Charlie is a card when hes potted. I dont know what that means but everybody likes me and we have fun” [SIC] (205). Charlie does not know that Joe and Frank are insulting him. If he was intelligent, he would get upset and hurt. After the operation, Charlie started to realize that Joe and Frank were calling him names and made him embarrass himself in front of people. For example, when Joe and Frank made him dance with Ellen, he used trip over someone’s foot. Charlie had mentioned, “It’s a funny thing never knew that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around all the time to make fun of me. I’m ashamed,” (209). He was embarrassed and hurt. Before the operation, Joe and Frank used to
The scientists who performed the experiment now need a human subject to test, and Charlie has been recommended to them by his night-school teacher, Miss Kinnian. Charlie's a good candidate for the procedure, because even though he currently has an I.Q. of only 68, he is willing, highly motivated and eager to learn. He's convinced that if he could only learn to read and write, the secret of being smart would be revealed to him.
Background information:In the story of “Flowers For Algernon” charlie was abiviously not as itelligent as he should have been. What is trying to be said is that when someone did or said something to charlie he would do nothing but laugh because he didnt think for hmself or know what he was doing. The same concept goes with the story of “Adam And Eve”. In the story Adam and Eve, Eve was tricked by the snake of eating of the tree of knowledge. She also didnt know any better and could’t think for herself.Eve and Charlie both had bad the same differnce outcome.
Before the operation, he exhibited some clear strengths such as determination, a positive attitude, friendly with people and some weaknesses such as education and inability to understand the adult world. After the operation, he begun to change in numerous ways. Charlie started out as being not really intelligent. Being around with “smart” people made him want to change and became “intelligent” just like his “friends.” I think its all crazy. If you can get smart when your sleeping why do people go to school. That thing I don't think will work. I use to watch the late show and the late late show on TV all the time and it never made me smart (Keyes 118). This part of the book led Charlie’s flashbacks takes place of how he was raised or nurtured through his childhood, Of how he wanted to try to become smart. However Dr. Strauss believes that his sleep would help Charlie be able to learn. However in his nature, his disability cannot help him at all, doesn’t matter how much he tries to watch TV and tries to go to sleep, I wouldn’t allow him to learn anything at all. The nurture of this is having the doctor recommend Charlie to do this. His disability also not just affects him but his family as well. His disability kind of makes his sister miserable as well, jealous over how the parents focus on Charlie due to his disability, despite the successes the sister achieves in school. Thus Charlie’s nature towards others has a negative effect which is towards his sister. Charlie was raised by his parents but through a condition that would then follow him probably for the rest of his life as well as being mainly raised through this experiment, which possibly wouldn’t help him at all in the near
Charlie Gordon has all his life been mental disabled, but for just as long time wanted to be a geni-ass. One day he is given that opportunity and he agrees to let the doctors operate his brain. Before the operation Charlie is a very friendly man, who only sees the good things in life and trusts everybody. His lack of intelligence makes it impossible for him to see that his best friends are in fact victimizing him. (Report 8, page 117) He can’t imagine things. “I tryed hard but I still…” (Report 2, page 112) Another important quality he hasn’t got, besides intelligence and imagination, is: Feeling. He is only able to be happy, he can not feel anger and love. One of Charlie’s best qualities is his motivation and what seems like his eternal strive for normal intelligence.
He is then judged even harsher which is why you shouldn’t try to be someone that you’re not. You should stay true to yourself. In the story, it says “Their going to use me! I am so exited I can hardly write” (Keyes page 351). This implies that Charlie is anxious to undergo the surgery that will make him smart. Another part says “If you volenteer for this experament you mite get smart”. (Keyes page 351) This shows that the operation will make him more intelligent so he can fit in with everyone else. This proves that Charlie is trying to be someone he is not in order to fit
Charlie begins to learn how society treats the mentally retarded. He realizes his old friends at the bakery just made fun of him. After watching the audience laugh at video of him before the operation, Charlie runs away from a mental health conference with Algernon after learning that his operation went wrong. Charlie does research on himself and learns that intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown. In many ways Charlie was better before the operation.
Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was adapted to television so it could appeal to a wider, more general audience. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters.
The novel, Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, is an incredible story about a developmentally disabled man named Charlie, chosen for an experiment that offers him the opportunity to become “smart”, his deepest wish in life. It is the story of how individuals labeled retarded, are treated with less concern than most people. It is the story of Charlie Gordon and the challenges he faces to fit in a society where his family, and friends find him either “too dumb” or “too smart” simply because he is different from them. Although there are several external and internal conflicts in the novel Flowers of Algernon, including the conflict between the new and the old Charlie, the conflict between Charlie and Alice as she is threatened by the new Charlie,
Before the operation Charlie was unaware of the way he was being treated or of how others viewed his disability throughout his whole life, but by the end of his progress reports he understands the way life is. The gift of intelligence was given to him, however this gift he was given was drawn away from him just as quickly. Many bad things occur to Charlie after the operation, but the war between his emotions and his mind stood above the rest of
As a result of the operations, Charlie gains the experience of what it is like to be intelligent. Therefore, he sees the world as it is. “Only a short time ago, I learned that people laughed at me. Now I can see that unknowingly I joined them in laughing at myself. This hurts most of all” (76.) He can now truly understand how the outside world functions and how he is truly treated.
Evolution is great phenomenon as long as one does not end up back to where they start from. Sometimes even ending up back at square one can offer the individual a lot to learn from. In the novel, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, the protagonist Charlie Gordon undergoes an experiment to increase his IQ. It is illustrated that Charlie becomes a whole, complete individual only after becoming mentally retarded again by the end of the novel. Charlie develops and learns a lot throughout his journey. He matures as he grows in his intellectual capacity, and he gets an opportunity to learn valuable life lesson; and realizes that he is better off being mentally retarded rather than being a genius.
Charlie, the protagonist, argues that because “normal” people tend to lament physical disabilities, the disables are regarded “marked” by other people. However, since people with mental illness cannot be recognized by their bodies, but noticed by their performances, people consider mental illness as an inferior type of disability and Charlie challenges this idea. Most of the people around Charlie do not regard him as a human being before he takes the operation because they see intelligence as the spark that ignites humanity or spirit. Thus, it shows the issues of animality and the reason why Charlie identifies so strongly with Algernon. Because Charlie’s mental regression follows Algernon’s intellectual deterioration, Charlie investigates to find the reasons for Algernon’s sudden and rapid loss of intelligence.
Ignoring the fact that this surgery was dangerous, the psychological effects on Charlie were detrimental. Was it worth it for the short time of his intelligence, only to lose it just as fast? Charlie at the end of the story doesn't benefit from the surgery because he realizes his friends make fun of him and then he ends up completely isolated and feeling incredibly lonely. He also broke Miss Kinnasen's heart, as he had to be wise enough to do it intentionally.
Charlie’s innocent thinking eventually returns to torment him after the operation. And because of this, Charlie is better off after the surgery because he realizes what real love is and that knowledge does not spawn human bonds.