:) Charlie Gordon was willing to risk his entire life, just to be normal. In the story, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, the main character has an IQ of 68. All he wanted to do in life was be smart like other people. When he heard about an operation that could make him intelligent, even temporarily, he jumped on the opportunity. He was finally able to write and think even better than an average person. The only problem was that he was lonely and depressed when he was smart and he was happy when he was less intelligent. Although it’s true that the operation didn’t work out, Charlie was right to at least try. Along with the few fallbacks that came with the experiment, many good things came from it as well. :) To begin with, having the operation allowed Charlie Gordon to have the experience of being intelligent. …show more content…
The story says, “This day was good for me. Seeing the past more clearly, I have decided to use my knowledge and skills to work in the field of increasing human intelligence levels. Who is better equipped for the work? Who else has lived in both worlds?“ ( Keyes, 76). This shows that Charlie understands that he sees things differently now than he used to. He can and wants to use his experience to help other people who may be able to have the operation in the future. If Charlie wouldn’t have had the operation, he would still be searching for intelligence. He wouldn’t have experienced the thoughts and feelings that came from being intelligent. It was his dream to be smart, if the experience he had was taken away from him, he would still be looking for it. He could have ended up with an even worse procedure than the one he had. :) Even more compelling is, without the operation, Charlie would have never learned that his friends were making fun of him. Before the operation, when he had a low IQ, Charlie would hang out with his friends and they would set him up. They would make jokes about him and were just mean to him in general. After the operation, he was finally able to understand the jokes and taunts that his so called “friends” spoke of throughout the night. Charlie was embarrassed, he really thought that they were good people. A detail from the story to support this is, “It’s a funny thing I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others like to have me around all the time to make fun of me. Now I know what it means when they say ‘To pull a Charlie Gordon.’ I’m ashamed.“ (Keyes,66). This explains the point when Charlie learned that his friends only kept him around so they could laugh when he messed up. He was ashamed and hurt that they were using him in that way. :) On top of that, if Charlie hadn’t had the operation, another poor soul would have had the same fateful end.
This way, Charlie was able to contribute to science and they learned that the experiment didn’t work for an extended period of time. Without him, the doctors would have just picked another candidate. At least this way, Charlie could say that he did everything in his power to make himself smarter. One of the doctors from the story speaks, “He said Dr Nemur I know Charlie is not what you had in mind as the first of your new brede of intelek** (coudnt get the word) superman.“ (Keyes, 57). This part of the short story shows that the doctor was looking for a different person to be the first test subject for the experiment. If Charlie hadn’t volunteered, someone else would have been put through it all the same. By doing the operation, Charlie was able to benefit science in more ways than one. First with the data for the experiment and when he became intelligent, he did an experiment all of his own. He called the outcome the Algernon-Gordon effect, his experiment explained what happened to the brain after it started its rapid loss of
information. :) With all of this in mind, it is clear that Charlie was right to get the operation. Without it, he would never have had the experience of being smart and would have continued to search for a way to find it, he would never had known that the people he called his friends were actually making fun of him, and without him, someone else would have ended up getting the operation. This way, Charlie knows that being intelligent isn’t always that great. He knows that some people only pretend to be friends because it’s beneficial for themselves. Also, he saved another person’s life and contributed to science at the same time. The operation might not have worked out the way it was planned, and at first glance, it seems that Charlie shouldn’t have had the operation to begin with. Still, I don’t think he would have had it any other way. Sometimes taking the risk is better than the alternative. Maybe it works out in the end, maybe it won’t. Either way, it’s worth a shot.
I Dr. Strauss, chose Charlie for the surgery, it got me a lot of grief from Dr.Nemur but I knew it was the right choice. Charlie is a man of low intellect but he is very cooperate, motivated, and not hostile. These traits are exceptionally rare in a man of 68 IQ. Another reason that Dr. Nemur and I chose Charlie was that he worked extremely hard in Miss Kinnians class. Working hard got him to be the best because he picked up spelling and writing faster than others in the class. Some other reasons I chose Charlie was because he did all the tests without much complaint. We almost lost Charlie when he tested against Algernon in the maze and didn't write the progress reports for 2 weeks. When the tests were to
In this novel, Flowers for Algernon, written by Daniel Keyes, a man named Charlie Gordon has an operation done to increase his intelligence. He started as a mentally retarded man and slowly became a genius. He seemed to soak up information like a sponge and he was able to figure out the most complex scientific formulas. The only problem with the operation is that it does not last for ever and in his remaining time he tries to figure out why it is not permanent. He will eventually lose everything he learned and become worse off than when he started, so Charlie was better off before he had the operation.
He proved the operation was a failure Algernon-Gordon effect. The quote is saying (which is next)that Charlie is telling the doctors that their experiment was a failure.The quote is “I recall your once saying to me that an experimental failure or disproving of a theory was important to the advancement of learning as a success would
Is becoming smart always better than staying dumb? After considering Charlie’s situation, I have decided that the answer to this question is no. Charlie is the main character in the science fiction story Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes. In the book, Charlie is a 37 year old man who has an I.Q. of 68 and is on a mission to become smart. When the opportunity comes for him to participate in an experiment for an operation that can triple his I.Q., he willingly takes it. It turns out that the operation only grants a temporary intelligence boost, and Charlie experiences high intelligence only to have it start deteriorating. I think that Charlie was wrong to have the operation that temporarily made him smart.
They failed to see Charlie as a human being, not a test subject. They also weren't acting ethically when they chose Charlie as the test subject, when he was not mentally capable of making such a decision to say yes to the experiment. Although Charlie's doctors were unethical when they performed the experiment on Charlie, they were going into an unknown field of study where no known procedures were in place with patient interaction and concern. All in all, Charlie Gordans' doctors did not act ethically when they performed the experimental surgery to improve his intelligence.
He was able to see the world through the new eyes that he had gained from the operation learning new things about the world and being able to talk and interact with the people around him as a normal person. For a moment in time Charlie was normal ,and even after he had lost everything Charlie still learns in the end that even though he may have lost everything he was still happy to be able to finally fulfill his dream of being normal. In conclusion I still think Charlie should have undergone the operation for these reasons ,because in the end if he hadn’t he would have experience these many great things and finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming smart and
Charlie?s experiment was temporary, and overtime his IQ regressed. Algernon, a mouse that went through the same surgery as Charlie, died. If Charlie?s hypothesis proves correct, then he will die as well. Charlie?s life was better before the experiment because he was not exposed to the risks and consequences of the surgery. Without the experiment, Charlie would still be living his ignorant but happy life.
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
In many ways Charlie was better before the operation. With his simple minded approach to life e was able to live happily with out problems or difficulties that we face in relationships today. Although he was never smart, Charlie was a good person before the surgery.
Everyone knows that every story has two sides, but the tricky part is figuring out which side to believe. In the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keys, Charlie Gordon, a 37-year-old man with a mental handicap, has an operation performed on him to artificially increase his intelligence. Before and after the operation, there were drastic changes in the lives of Charlie and all those around him. While the operation caused many twists and turns for Charlie and his peers, the pros far outweighed the cons.
Every day, people go through operations and sometimes experience unpredicted and unwanted outcomes. The story, Flowers for Algernon, is exactly like that. In this story, a 37 year old man, named Charlie Gordon, has a mental disability and participates in an operation/experiment to increase his knowledge. After taking part in the operation, Charlie’s intellect gradually escalates to a genius status. Charlie, the man who had an IQ of 68, was slowly maturing mentally and he started seeing the world with a whole new different perspective. However, near the end of the story, his brain regresses back to where he started from. Charlie shouldn't have taken part in the operation: he started seeing the world in a different perspective, he experienced unpredicted outcomes, and the operation changed Charlie's whole personality. Charlie would have been better off if he didn’t undergo the operation and participate in the experiment.
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.
Firstly, Charlie's operation turns him into an extremely intelligent person. Charlie becomes much smarter as the novel unfolds. A little after his operation Charlie's IQ slowly starts to increase. He finally beats Algernon after losing to him in a race repeatedly. After the victory Charlie says, " I beet Algernon. I dint even know I beet him until Burt Selden told me…But after I beet him 8 more times. I must be getting smart to beat a smart mouse like Algernon."(Keyes 30). Algernon is a smart mouse, who has undergone the same operation as Charlie. Charlie victory shows his increase of knowledgeable. This also shows that his brain is developing. Charlie then gains more knowledge. After writing a few more progress reports one can see a huge change in Charlie's writing, especially in his grammar. While having a conversation with Joe, Charlie says, "Everybody on the floor came around and they were laff laughing…you been here long enuff enough."(Keyes 34). By correcting his own mistakes, Charlie shows that he is progressing towards a more educate...
To start, it is a good feeling to feel normal and everyone should feel that way. In the story, Charlie wants to be smarter and Dr. Strauss can do that for him. Charlie wants to be smarter so he can just be normal like other people. The thought of his I.Q. being tripled was amazing to him. At one point in the story Dr. Nemur said,“remember he will be the first human being ever to have his intelligence tripled by surgical means” (page 518). Anyone who has wanted just to be normal would understand what Charlie was feeling. If Charlie didn’t have the operation he would not be able to experience the benefit of being normal.
Although it is helpful in some situations, being smart can be very challenging. In Flowers for Algernon for example, Charlie becomes less content with life as his IQ is increased. He begins to overthink everything, making him slightly paranoid. According to Anna LeMind, “Intelligent, deep thinking individuals often analyze themselves and their own behavior in such a rigorous manner like if they are intentionally seeking out things to blame themselves for.” This is true for many intelligent or even talented individuals such as Meryl Streep, Ellen DeGeneres, Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Hawking, and of course, Charlie Gordon. In his case, Charlie’s intelligence comes with some arrogance. This arrogance gives Charlie very high expectations of himself, leading to a bit of anxiety when he can’t live up to those standards. For example, when Charlie catches his coworker Gimpy stealing money from the bakery, he simply cannot decide whether or not to tell his boss. Because Charlie happens to be a poor decision maker, he makes himself miserable trying to fix his problem. This issue could have been avoided altogether if it had happened prior to the surgery, and Charlie couldn’t overthink it. Intelligence can unfortunately come with some self-trust