Flowers For Algernon Identity Analysis

487 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Does society shape an individual

District Writing Assessment

Have you ever wondered how our own individual identity and character does determine how we contribute to society? Whether we help our community by giving back or to harm our community by robbing people or spraying graffiti on the walls. Our character can be based on past experiences for example, if you grew up in a house with parents or a parent that abuses you, and you feel like you just don’t belong with your family, chances are that you may be desperate to find a fix to your problems, and soon enough you find a group that makes you feel fit in but does all the wrong things that could potentially harm you or others whether its emotionally, physically, and or psychologically. That could determine how you …show more content…

In the short story “Flowers for Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon was a 30-year-old mentally impaired man who wanted to be smart so that he could fit in with the rest of the society. Only shortly after he got his operation, he witnessed how horrible people treated a young mentally impaired teenager, so he decided that he would continue improving the failed experiment that was cancelled by the original creators due to its negative side effects that were proven to be deadly to their lab rat named Algernon. The reason he wanted to continue the experiment was because he never wanted anyone to have to go through the struggle of being mentally impaired which is what people would base his identity on. Charlie has shown that his identity effected other people’s idea of a impaired man almost making them think that he is not just like them and that he couldn’t do anything that a “normal” person could do, yet he proved them all wrong when he started learning from basic skills to learning college courses. In “The Outsiders” written by S.E. Hinton, Ponyboy is identified as a greaser which also stereotypes his character as a good for nothing bully who only smoked and beat people up all day, which was proven wrong when he helped save children trapped in a burning church while

Show More
Related

  • The Significance of Stereotypes Illustrated in Hinton's Novel, The Outsiders

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    In our community stereotypes play a part in life, but in The Outsiders it is the core theme of the story combining with teenage struggles. In The Outsiders the main character Ponyboy Curtis conforms to the image of a Greaser and seen as the most stereotypical example of a Greaser. On some occasions he can see through the stereotype to see that we are all the same, because it is just how other people see you that make you different, and that doesn’t matter. In some chapters Ponyboy says that he is a Greaser and they are Socs but in others he says they are a...

    Read More

  • The Treatment and Lives of the Mentally Handicapped During the Great Depression

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    An excellent example of this view of the mentally handicapped can be found in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, with the character Lennie. The other characters in this novel such as George and Curley treat Lennie as if he were a child all throughout the novel. George never lets him do any of the talking when t...

    Read More

  • English 1020 Reflection

    1548 Words  | 4 Pages

    Assignment 3A reflective letter allowed me to express how the process went when writing my research paper. Writing this letter also allowed me to know what could have been done differently when writing the research essay and future assignments. Another assignment that allowed me to reflect on my writing process over time was the Literary Narrative. For this assignment I created a poem about my reading and writing process from the age three years old until now. I enjoyed this assignment and was able to share my creative writing style while expressing how much I value reading and writing

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Essay On The Outsiders

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character.

    Read More

  • The Education of the Lower Class: A Perpetual Problem

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kozol, Jonathan. "Fremont High School." 2005. The Norton Field Guide to Writing. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. 641-48. Print.

    Read More

  • Mark Salzman's True Notebooks

    93 Words  | 1 Pages

    The book, True Notebooks, by Mark Salzman is about the author volunteering at juvenile hall to teach juvenile offenders how to write. The teenage offenders he teaches are high risk offenders meaning they are incarcerated for murder or other serious crimes. This book is a good read for anyone and is appropriate for this class because we are all learning how to write. This book is a good book for this class and any reading or writing class because it’s funny, sad and captivating and it should be kept as a required

    Read More

  • Reflection On I Am Going To Fail

    1878 Words  | 4 Pages

    ‘I am going to fail’ was the very first thought that crept into my mind on that very first day of class. Before I stepped into the classroom on the first day, I felt pretty good about my writing. I had done previously well in English, and didn’t think this class would be much of a challenge. This all changed on the first day of school, when my professor talked about the level of reading and writing expected for this class. I remember thinking ‘I don’t read, why couldn’t I have been born someone who likes to read?!’ Since this moment on the very first day of class, I have grown immensely through hard work. In this essay, I will explain what I have learned over the course of this class about myself, and about writing.

    Read More

  • Flowers for Algernon Theme: Disabilities

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though Daniel Keyes wrote Flowers for Algernon in 1966, its messages about humanity still are true today. One of these themes is people treat people with mental disabilities poorly. The main character Charlie Gordon is a mentally disabled adult with a low IQ. Charlie is constantly being picked on by others, but he doesn’t realize it because he’s too slow to figure it out. Later on in the story, however, Charlie is chosen to get an operation to have his IQ is raised. I think people today are still picking on others who are less smarter than them.

    Read More

  • Flowers For Algernon - Comparing And Contrasting

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • My Experience With English 1301

    1090 Words  | 3 Pages

    My analysis over the development of my writing throughout this semester. I will assess many aspects of my experiences with English 1301 up to this point in the semester. I will explain the ways by which I have blossomed as a writer during this time. I will provide brief examples of my work to show what I am basing the evaluation of my writing on. What my conceptions of writing were, at the start of, the semester and compare it to what they are now. I will clarify how my work this semester reflects the concepts of writing and reading we have been working on and studying in class. I will tell about what and how particular reading assignments have been influential in my growth of creative ideas. Lastly, my interpretation of what it means to be a writer, and how my experiences this semester has influenced my opinion on writing.

    Read More

  • A Thousand Splendid Suns Identity Analysis

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    Culture influences identity greatly and this can be seen in “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. When looking at all of the characters in this book there always seemed to be one that stood out to me more than all of the other characters. This unruly character that made so many decisions and executed so many actions that I would never even dream of doing or hear of others doing. Rasheed is proud of his culture and embraces it with open arms, he is not a man of change and refers to some of the changes around him disgustingly as “modern”. Making it very clear that he is not and never will be like those revolting “modern men” and that he is on a much higher level than them.

    Read More

  • Writing Self-Evaluation

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    I believe it is important for any student who wants to do their best in a class to take a moment to evaluate their own work to determine the rate their writing is progressing and how they can continue to advance their writing. When I looked through my own work I asked myself “what have I learned this semester?” and “what do I still need to learn in order to improve my writing?”. Answering both these questions will help me with my last step of my self-evaluation, developing a plan to learn new skills.

    Read More

  • Reflection Essay

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the course of the semester, I feel that I have grown as a writer in many ways. When I came into the class, there were skills I had that I already excelled at. During my time in class, I have come to improve on those skills even more. Before I took this class, I didn’t even realise what I was good at. This is the first class where I felt I received feedback on my writing that helped me to actually review my work to see what areas I lacked in and where I succeeded.

    Read More

  • Changes in the Classroom and Education System

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    Writing and Learning Disabilities International: Overcoming Learning Difficulties 6.3 (2006): 347-67. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Classroom Observation Report

    1250 Words  | 3 Pages

    Two days a week in the morning, the children participate in a reading and writing block called “literacy and writing workshop.” The classroom is organized into five different levels with one group having one extra person; the levels are based on scoring of reading assessments. The groups are rotated so that each may spend 15 minutes cycles with either the teacher or Para-educator. The groups not with an instructor were to work on the “Daily-5” (explanation later) until their scheduled lesson. After the students finish their lesson, they are to fill the remainder of the workshop time working on “Daily-5.” This workshop is part of a regular routine. The students understand that after a reading a story with the teacher, they are verbally given a writing assignment. The assignment is usually to write a five sentence paragraph and color a picture related to the reading.

    Read More

More about Flowers For Algernon Identity Analysis

Open Document