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"I dont know why but he says its importint so they will see if they will use me. I hope they use me. Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart,”(Pg 285 Progress Report l-March 5 1965). All his life Charlie Gordon wanted to be smart. Charlie is a 37 year old mentally disabled adult. He will do anything to be smart including experiments and operations. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” Daniel Keyes, the author, portrays the theme to never give up even through the challenges.
Based on the reading, characters Charlie from Flowers for Algernon and Adam from Fearless, Charlie and Adam pushed through their own obstacles to reach their goals. For starters, Charlie wanted to be smart so bad that he attended adult
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literacy classes. To show, Charlie is so determined to be smart that he states that he was recommended for doing so, “Miss Kinnian told that I was her bestist pupil in the adult nite scool becaus I tryed the hardist and I reely wantid to lern,” (Pg 286 Progress Report 3, March 7, Daniel Keyes). Moreover, another instance where Charlie shows that he wants to be smart is when he undergoes a medical experiment to possibly become smart. To prove that Charlie would take any chance to be smart no matter the cost so he says “They said you know it will probly be tempirery. I said yes. Miss Kinnian told me. I dont care if it herts,”(Pg 286, Progress Report 3 March 7). He said he doesn’t care if it hurts, so he is disregarding the cost or risk to become smart. While Charlie is fighting for his intellect in Flowers for Algernon, Adam is fighting his addiction in the book Fearless. Adam is fighting his addiction by attending a program called Teen Challenge that helps addicts recover in a positive environment. While Charlie and Adam were pushing themselves to meet their goals, friend and family alike supported Charlie and Adam whether Charlie or Adam knew it.
Since Charlie pushed himself so hard to be smart, Miss Kinnian recommended him for the experiment. To show that Miss Kinnian recommended Charlie for his effort Dr. Strauss says “ Dr Strauss told him Miss Kinnian rekemmended me the best from all the people who she was teaching,”(Pg 286 March 8). This shows that through Charlie’s quest for intelligence, others helped him reach his goal because of his determination to meet his goals. Although Miss Kinnian recommended Charlie to Strauss and Nemur, Strauss wasn’t quite done promoting Charlie. To show that Dr. Strauss wanted to use Charlie in the experiment for his motivation even though Dr. Nemur didn’t want to use Charlie he says “He said I had a good motor-vation’...I say we use Charlie,”(Pg 287, March 8). This shows that Charlie has supporters simply because of his motivation and determination to learn and be smart. On the other hand, Adam has the support of his parents in his battle against addiction. Adam’s parents eventually had him arrested to start his road to recovery and so that the law could help him in his fight against
addiction. On the other hand, Charlie’s conflicts in the story force him to prove that he will overcome the obstacles thrown his way. Based on the text, the fact that Charlie is mentally disabled and he still tries his hardest to be smart goes to show how determined he is. For example, even though he is mentally slow, he still tries his hardest as evidenced by Miss Kinnian “Charlie the way you struggled so hard to read and right better than all the other,”(Pg 291 April 9). This shows that Charlie tried his best even though his mental slowness dogged him the whole way. Furthermore, Charlie also has to persevere through the degradation of his mind. When Charlie had been smart for a certain amount of time his intelligence began to degrade as shown by Charlie in his progress reports, “I won't let it happen. I'll fight it,”(Pg 303 June 21). Charlie wrote this in response to his intellectual degradation. In conclusion, even through all of the seemingly impossible tasks placed before them, Charlie and Adam held on through the worst of it until the end.
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
Respect for Subjects, as defined by the U.S government, is to “show respect to human subjects, researchers must continue to check the well-being of each subject as the study proceeds. Researchers should remove subjects from the study if it becomes too risky or harmful.” (Emanuel et al. p.7, ¶7-8). The means that the doctors must keep checking on the subjects and must be removed if it was dangerous. Charlie wasn’t removed from the experiment even though it becomes harmful to him. This is why the study violates the principle of Respect for Subjects, as it doesn’t benefit Charlie, making this experiment treacherous. “I have already begun to notice signs of emotional instability and forgetfulness, the first symptoms of the burnout.” (Keyes June 5, ¶8). Charlie is struggling and is getting worse by the day, and Dr. Strauss and Nemur are not taking any action into it. At the same time, these doctors are still keeping Charlie in the experiment even though he is at discomfort. Later on in the passage, Charlie is at distress. “Deterioration progressing. I have become absentminded.” (Keyes June 10, ¶1). Charlie symptoms are getting worse progressively just because he recieved the experiment. He is returning back to his original state. In the story, Fair Subject Selection was clearly not applied to the experiment as is didn’t follow the regulation. The main reason why this
After weeks of testing Charlie is selected and has the procedure performed. There are no noticeable changes immediately, however after some time Charlie begins to have flashbacks and mixed emotions of his childhood for example, Charlie’s first flashback begins with him standing in front of the bakery as a child and it goes blurry and cuts out. (2) As Charlies intellect increases so does his perception of the world around him and the way people act toward him. Charlie finally begins to realize guilt and shame along with all other natural human
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.
For Charlie, Ignorance is bliss. He realizes that his so called ?friends? were just using him to entertain their perverse humor. Also, he was also fired from the job that he loved so much because his new intelligence made those around him feel inferior and scared. This sends Charlie into a short depression. His life was better before the experiment because he had a job he looked forward to and ?friends?.
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
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
Alexa, a junior in college, shares her ideas on Intelligence. Intelligence is determined by motivation to do required tasks. Motivation is necessary to complete basic tasks such as doing homework. Also for completing difficult tasks. Which allows someone to learn new things, (Hietpas). Alexa explains the necessity of motivation to complete simple tasks. For an individual to be intelligent they have to learn new things. To be able to learn new things, one has to have the motivation to learn. In addition, if someone does not have motivation, they will not be able to learn anything new. Therefore, never having the opportunity to become intelligent. A mutual trait between intelligent people is wanting to learn new things. Taylor mentions her father whom she believes is intelligent without a lot of education, “[My father is] motivated to constantly be learning new things. He is not told, he wants to learn,” (Nelson). In the quote Taylor analyzed her father who only had a high school education. She explains that he is someone she considers highly intelligent. Intelligence is determined by motivation to learn new things and the tasks done in one’s free time. Taylor’s father is intelligent because of the motivation to constantly be learning new things. He chooses to learn new things in his free time and has the motivation to do so. Although, he might not have had as much traditional school as
The experiment starts to work and Charlie gets smarter and he starts realizing new things. Before the operation his imagination and his brain weren’t working that well. His imagination started to work for the first time when he got this operation. Now that he was smart, he could quit his old job of working as a janitor at a bakery and start working for the hospital full time.
.... As his intelligence advances, Charlie becomes aggressive and hostile after realizing how he was taken for granted. He can no longer tolerate his former coworkers, because he still remembers the humiliation at their hands. His friends at the factory become threatened by his new personality and growing intelligence, and petition to fire him out of the factory. This led to Charlie becoming isolated and lonely. Once Charlie became a genius, he became a little arrogant and even egotistical. This, in turn, makes him lose his friends and all of his happiness in his simple life. Because his progress reports are written in first point of view, you can infer how his personality changed from amiable to hostile. At the end, he hopes someone will continue and fix the error in Dr. Nemur and Strauss's experiment. From this, you can conclude that what he is writing is the truth.
When was the last time you wanted something so much, you would sacrifice your life to have it; even if just for a moment? Charlie Gordon, a 37 year old man with a learning disability, did just that. In the story "Flowers for Algernon", by Daniel Keyes, Charlie gets a chance to alter his I.Q. substantially through operation. The only drawback to this is, the long-term outcomes of the operation are unknown. The operation does succeed, but later Charlie is sent on a riveting downward spiral into the life he tried to run away from. The operation hurt Charlie in every imaginable way; and did nothing to help him.
In society, many individuals attempt to change their appearance or personality for the benefit of others or to improve their own self worth. Ultimately, these changes have the ability to boost one’s self esteem. In Daniel Keys’s Flowers For Algernon, Charlie Gordon undergoes surgery to increase his intelligence. Even though his intelligence is not a permanent transformation, it allows him to become more aware about his own life. Charlie’s transformation is ethical and therefore the result is worth the attempt.
“Flowers for Algernon, first published in 1959, is considered a landmark work on both science fiction and disability literature,” (Werlock 2009). The American Library Association reports that this novel was banned as an obscene for its love scenes. When the main character, Charlie Gordon, increases his IQ from 68 to a level that makes him a genius (after received experimental brain surgery), his maturity leads him to fall in love with his teacher, and a sexual encounter ensues. This caused Flowers for Algernon to be banned and challenged in many places (Plant City, Florida- 1976, Emporium, Pennsylvania- 1977, Oberlin High School (Ohio) - 1983, among others). Most people consider the sexual scenes fairly mild, but there are those who consider any mention of sexual behavior inappropriate for teens or pre-teens, hence the attempts at censorship. Many of the challenges have proved unsuccessful, but the book has occasionally been banned from school libraries including some in Pennsylvania and Texas. Flowers for Algernon has won numerous awards, even for the film, and it is regularly taught in schools around the world; therefore, it should remain on shelves.
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.