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Flowers for algernon critical essay
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Flowers for Algernon Analysis Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, is a book about Charlie Gordon, a man with a cognitive disability, who was given the opportunity to undergo an operation to gain intelligence. The topic of whether or not he was better off having the surgery is very controversial. Charlie is better off with the surgery, even though he lost his intelligence in the end, because Charlie got to experience new things, he got to prove people wrong, and he fell in love. Charlie’s decision to go through with the surgery let him experience new things. He shows that he has gone through new experiences through the line, “What makes it awkward is that I have never experienced anything like this before” (Keyes 78). Charlie is a low-functioning adult, so that means he cannot do a lot of things by himself. He was always wondering what it felt like to talk to an intelligent human, and comprehend the words that people would say. No one wants to live their life always wondering what it is like to do, or feel something. Normal people feel …show more content…
Through the line, “All I wanted was to prove that Charlie existed as a person in the past” (Keyes 188), Keyes shows the reader that Charlie wants to prove that he existed before the surgery. Nemur had said that Charlie wasn’t a person before the surgery and that he had created the “new” Charlie Gordon; Charlie was insulted by that. The “old” Charlie never went away. In the book Charlie said, “You can’t put up a new building site until you destroy the old one, and the “old” Charlie can’t be destroyed.” Instead of ignoring his “old” self, he wants to accept that the “old” Charlie will never go away. Charlie isn’t going to let people walk over him like he is nothing.When a person underestimates someone, they will try their absolute hardest to try and prove that person wrong. Charlie knew that he was a person before and after the surgery. Keyes made that obvious by including the quote used
While Daniel Keyes in “Flowers for Algernon” portrayed hope for the mentally impaired man Charlie Gordon, the experiment backfired with devastating consequences. Charlie thought his world would be perfect with no flaw. Intelligence was Charlie’s only hope to blend in with society; however, this operation opened up to a dark time period worse than the beginning. The truth found its way around and gradually revealed everything that was hidden from him. A human, Charlie Gordon was an object in the opportunist eyes, he was the key to their success! Moreover, as a genius, Charlie Gordon understood the failure of the surgery himself.
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.
Because of this operation, Charlie gained intelligence topping even the doctors and having a greater understanding of everything around him. Another great example is that he could show all of his co-workers at work how much he cared about what they think of him. The final example is the strongest in my opinion because of all the friends he gained in the process. So in conclusion, I think Charlie made the right decision in trying and getting the operation done to make him
For example, some may argue that Charlie wanted to be smart so bad that he is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish it. They may say that if one really wants something bad enough, then the negative side effects don’t really matter. However, one must consider how it will affect one’s life in the long run. Charlie ended up dieing- his life is so short that he most likely missed out on several great opportunities. Even if he did get those two months of bliss, it is not worth his life being cut short. Another point some may argue, is that after the surgery, Charlie is able to see people’s true intentions. He no longer just sees what he wanted to, but instead sees reality. This is true, but one must consider that when Charlie starts to see people as they really are, it is very upsetting to him. He is so much happier before, when he thought everyone is his friend. When Charlie is describing his work day in his journal he writes, “Then Frank Reilly said what did you do Charlie forget your key and open your door the hard way. That made me laff. Their really my friends and they like me” (272-273). Even if Charlie didn’t understand the truth, at least he is happy, and why would one want to sacrifice their happiness. One has to consider what is really valuable in life. One final point some may argue is that, Charlie knows what he is doing. He
It succeeded, but the outcome was not what they were expecting. When Charlie started to die, he also got dumber and dumber. He said he wishes he could have another chance to be smart again, and he “doesn't know why im dumb agen,” (Pg 18). If he have never did this surgery, he would not have to deal with this pain and suffering of missing to be smart again. Even if he was going to be forever smart, he was going to die very soon. Is a few weeks of joy worth dying early and not living a fulfilled life? Due to this operation, he wasn’t able to do many things that he could have accomplished. Charlie also said, “ Please let me not forget how to read and write…” (Pg 17). Charlie would never be this sad if he never learned how to read and write. Charlie was already happy with his jobs, his friends, and life was easier when he was not smart. To conclude, Charlie’s life was clearly better off before the
In the movie “CHARLY” by Ralph Nelson and the story Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys, one difference from both is how Charlie’s friends are rude to him to the beginning of the story to the end, one similarity is that Charlie feels accomplished after the operation and, another similarity is that Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur still have the same thoughts about Charlie from both sides of the story. A similarity between the two stories is that Charlie felt intelligent after the operation. Before the operation he was given tests from both sides like the raw shok test. Although he failed the tests, he managed to beat Algernon and succeed. After the operation he felt brand new and wanted to express his smartness and felt more emotions within this event.
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.
He wanted to end up being used for the operation that could have advanced his intellectual progression through a further, more rapid process; in the end, the doctors did use him to test the operation, which has never been experimented on another human being before. Drs. Nemur and Strauss had the opportunity to change the world for Charlie Gordon; the end result was Charlie’s saddening intellectual regression and possible, potential demise. Charlie was obviously 100 percent human, but equivalent to lesser than human. He was treated as a disruption and obstacle in the way at work and was treated similarly to how lab mice were at the laboratory and the hospital room where the surgery was done. If the surgery had been permanently successful, society would benefit from Charlie’s improved, risen intelligence. Charlie Gordon was one of the millions of mentally impaired people living, and for once, felt success in his life. Both intellectually and socially; unfortunately, as a result, his confidence and intellectual success
The movie “Charly” by Ralph Nelson made in 1968 is inspired by the novel “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keys. The main characters are Charly , Alice, Dr.Straus, Dr.Nemur, and Miss Apple. In my opinion, I believe that the was a good movie because the way that all of the events followed.
“Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart.” (Keyes, 53) Charlie wants to get the operation done so that he can finally be smart. If this is what Charlie wants then I think that it was good that he got the operation. If he didn’t want the operation and he didn’t want to be smart then he shouldn’t have had the operation done.
Nemur is explaining Charlie in the same manner as Algernon, and he has asked Charlie not to speak during the session. Growing furious, Charlie wants to release Algernon from his cage. He feels inferior and unexplained, and wants to take action for his suffering. Charlie surely feels anger, and he directs it at Nemur because he is the one who deems Charlie his “subject”. Possession and coercion face Charlie, to which make him suffer miserably.
My first reason that Charlie was right to have the surgery is that he got to teach life lessons to a lot of people and he probably changed some people’s lives. At the beginning of the story Charlie thinks that he has a couple of friends names Joe and Frank. Joe and Frank make fun of and bully Charlie but he does not know. After the surgery charlie comes to realize that his “friends” aren’t really his friends. Through this
I think Charlie is better off with the surgery because he finally feels emotions and starts to have feelings for other people. For example, it states in (Keyes 295)” I don't understand why I never noticed how beautiful Miss Kinnian really is”. This shows that he never had feeling for Miss. Kinnian before the surgery but after the surgery he admires her and wants to be with her. Another example is (Keyes 292)” He’s blushing. Charlie is blushing." "Hey, Ellen, what'd you do to Charlie? I never saw him act like that before.” His “friends” notice that Charlies emotions are changing after the surgery because Charlie has never blushed.
Was Charlie better off without the operation? Through Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes sends an crucial message to society that man should never tamper with human intelligence or else the outcome can be personally devastating. After Charlie's operation, he felt isolated and lonesome, change in personality made him edgy around people or (lack social skills), and suffered from traumas due to past memories.
After the surgery Charlie slowly changes, then starts changing in a matter of days, with his intellect and starts fixing all the errors he was making. “After I figured out how punctuation worked, I read over all my old progress reports from the beginning. Boy did I have crazy spelling and punctuation”(Keyes 28). He starts understanding the tests and why they are doing the tests. He starts to speak with higher vocabulary too. Charlie beats Algernon in the race and everyone is starting to be aware that he’s getting smarter. Charlie started off with an IQ of 68 and started to raise his IQ which meant the project was working. As Charlie is getting smarter, he starting to understand that he was taken advantage of and made fun of. He recognizes that his “friends” were actually fake friends and made fun of his to laugh at him. “I never knew before that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around just to make fun of me”(Keyes 30). He starts recognizing who is actually good to him and does not take advantage of him. He starts to remember a lot of stuff from when he was little and in his past. He starts to remember all the things he learned and memories from his family and so on. Charlie is quickly becoming smart, and the experiment is working as how smoothly as how it went for