Do you think Charlie Gordon should have had the operation? Charlie Gordon in “Flowers For Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes has an operation that makes him a genius but the then slowly goes back to normal again. I think Charlie should have had the operation. My first reason on why Charlie Gordon should have had the operation is because while Charlie Gordon was mentally handicapped he couldn’t tell if people were making fun of him he thought they were his friends. But since he became smarter he understood that people just laughed at him because he made a fool of himself. And during the story he even laughed at a boy just like him before the operation. On page 75 Charlie enters a diner where a dishwasher boy who is about 16 and mentally handicapped drops and breaks a few plates and everyone starts laughing at him. “As his vacant eyes moved across the crowd of amused onlookers, he slowly mirrored their smiles and finally broke into an uncertain grin at the joke which he obviously did not understand. I felt sick inside as I looked at his dull, vacious smile, the wide, bright eyes of a …show more content…
Kinnian was saying for the first time in his life and he loved her but toward the end of the story he couldn’t bare to see her because he was so embarrassed because he had lost his intelligence. On page 84 Miss Kinnian came to Charlie’s door wanting to talk to him. “ Miss Kinnian came to the door but I said go away I don’t want to see you. She cried and I cried too but I wouldn’t let her in because I didn’t want her to laugh at me. I told her I didn’t like her anymore. I told her I didn’t want to be smart anymore. That’s not true. I still love her and I still want to be smart but I had to say that so she’d go away. She gave Mrs. Flynn money to pay rent. I don’t want that. I got to get a job. Please . . . please let me not forget how to read and write . . .” Keyes
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
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.
If Charlie didn’t have the operation he would not be able to realize that Joe and Frank were making fun of him. Joe and Frank would just keep making fun of him and he would not be able to stick up for himself. Once in the story Charlie said,“It's a funny thing I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others liked 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” (page 524). Somebody who has been made fun of before should know that anybody would want to stick up for themselves. This shows that it was a blessing for Charlie to have this operation because now he can stick up for
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
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
With his simple minded approach to life, he was able to live happily without problems or difficulties that we face in relationships today. Although he was never smart, Charlie was a good person before the surgery.
To begin with, as Charlie matured mentally, he started seeing the world in a whole new aspect. After the operation, Charlie lost his positive outlook on life. He was oblivious of most negative things in life because as a mentally challenged person, they think laughing is laughing and dispute is dispute but they never know why. He was so oblivious because he couldn’t infer different people’s emotions. Charlie also started to realize that there is a difference between laughing and mocking. Before, Charlie always thought that his “friends” were always laughing with him, now that he understands human nature and sees the cruelty in our world; he understands that his “friends” were actually laughing AT him. After seeing a mentally challenged dishwasher at a local restaurant dropping dishes and making a mess, he saw people...
Charlie's surgery to triple his intelligence had three significant events. Although certain events may have affected his life, I believe that this surgery was mandatory for Charlie. Not only did this operation help with Charlie's low IQ, but he also helped science by being their test-subject. This surgery made Charlie's life worth living and he could relate to others and share his opinion about the natural world. Charlie should be thankful for the operation and its affects, otherwise he would've lived a mediocre and meaningless
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.
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.
He desperately wants to become smart so he can communicate and live just like everyone else does. Charlie wants this operation so he can be smart and prove to everyone he isn't like he used to be. " Gimpy hollers at me all the time when I do something wrong, but he really likes me because he's my friend. Boy, if I get smart, won't he be surprised." (p 5)
After the A:I surgery Charlie Gordon discover feelings. Charlie took Miss Kinnian to dinner because he aligned the machines differently to save money for the factory. He was going to take Joe and Frank but they said no. Miss Kinnian was his teacher at
The reason why they did not act ethically is because they did NOT check with Charlie about possible effects of the surgery, and did not talk to him about the risks. In this way, it appears they are more
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.
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.