Is Ignorance Bliss or Is It Better to be Knowledgeable
Being knowledgeable is a very valuable skill to have. In the short story Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, the main charter, Charlie Gorden was both very knowledgeable and ignorant at times. Charlie started off very dim-witted at the beginning of the story, but after undergoing a procedure which increased his IQ threefold he became very knowledgeable. He would later find out the operation was temporary and he reverted back to his old self. Throughout the story, Charlie was at both ends of the spectrum when it came to being knowledgeable and ignorant. Is ignorance bliss or is it better to be knowledgeable? It is better to be knowledgeable because knowledge is power and better decision making.
To begin with, knowledge is power. When Charlie was smart, he researched the procedure he went through. In the story page 302, it says "The unforeseen devotement, which I have taken the liberty of calling Algernon-Gordon Effect, is the logical extension of the entire intelligence speed-up." Charlie became so sharp he overtook the doctors and started researching the experiment farther than the doctors could have ever done. The pre-surgery and ignorant Charlie could have never accomplished such a feat. Furthermore, the more intellectual Charlie learned an …show more content…
Charlie decision making when he was feeble-minded was very primitive. For example, on page 285 it states "I tried hard, but I still couldn't find the pictures. I only see the ink." In a Rorschach test, he thought about the pictures very concretely. When he became intelligent his decision making became more complex and abstract. This helped him conquered vigorous task while his mind kept developing. Also, he understood when people were using him in everyday conversation. He was knowledgeable enough to realize this when Joe and Frank, his friends, were making fun of him at the party they were
Being knowledgeable is a very valuable skill to have. In the short story Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, the main charter, Charlie Gorden was both very knowledgeable and ignorant at times. Charlie started off very dim-witted at the beginning of the story, but after undergoing a procedure which increased his IQ threefold he became very knowledgeable. He would later find out the operation was temporary and he reverted back to his old self. Throughout the story, Charlie was at both ends of the spectrum when it came to being knowledgeable and ignorant. Is ignorance bliss or is it better to be knowledgeable? It is better to be knowledgeable because knowledge is power and better decision making.
To begin with, knowledge is power. When Charlie was smart, he researched the procedure he went through. In the story page 302, it says "The unforeseen devotement, which I have taken the liberty of calling Algernon-Gordon Effect, is the logical extension of the entire intelligence speed-up." Charlie became so sharp he overtook the doctors and started researching the experiment farther than the doctors could have ever done. The pre-surgery and ignorant Charlie could have never accomplished such a feat. Furthermore, the more intellectual Charlie learned an …show more content…
Charlie decision making when he was feeble-minded was very primitive. For example, on page 285 it states "I tried hard, but I still couldn't find the pictures. I only see the ink." In a Rorschach test, he thought about the pictures very concretely. When he became intelligent his decision making became more complex and abstract. This helped him conquered vigorous task while his mind kept developing. Also, he understood when people were using him in everyday conversation. He was knowledgeable enough to realize this when Joe and Frank, his friends, were making fun of him at the party they were