Flowers for Algernon tells the reader about how you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The main character, Charlie Gordon, was mentally retarded. He had a surgery on his brain that was supposed to make him very smart, for the rest of his life. People would make fun of him for being retarded, then once he had his surgery, they still made fun of him because of the change.…
To say that I am a reader would be a stretch. I can not remember the last time I picked up a book for my own personal pleasure. Some would say that should bother me, but I can’t agree with the reasoning behind it. Mostly people bring up how books have broadened their horizons and changed their way of thinking, which is something I can’t relate to. Instead, I would say that I agree with what a good book should do, but I can‘t say I have found a good book, or a page turner if you will.…
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ( Einstein ) This greatly applies to the story, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes which is about a young man named Charlie Gordon who unfortunately has a low intelligence level. Just like the quote, Charlie had the ability all this time to become very smart with an IQ of over 200 after a neurosurgery. Later on the story, Charlie’s operation backfires putting his IQ back down to sixty-eight.…
Having knowledge supposedly makes a person smarter, but it does not necessarily make them happier, kinder, or better. In the story Flowers for Algernon, a man who gains knowledge appears to become more miserable than happy, more angry than kinder, and not much better other than being incredibly smart. The man, whose name was Charlie, was happier before the operation but, after the operation all of his ‘friends’ were scared of him and he was lonely and sad. When the operation’s changes started to wear off, Charlie became irritable and angry. His doctors tried to help him, but he would lash out at them and he became angrier instead of kinder.…
Charlie Gordon is the main character in the story “Flowers for Algernon”. He’s a 37 year-old adult with an IQ of 68. He is mentally challenged but he desperately wants to be smart. Charlie is asked to have a surgery that the doctors think will make him smarter but the results are not guaranteed. Charlie will do anything to gain more intelligence and therefore agrees to have the surgery and take part in the scientists’ experimentation on him and his advances.…
Progressing, feeling, learning, regressing are what Charlie has been through after the artificial intelligence surgery. In the science fiction story "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon a 37 year old man with an I.Q. of 68. Charlie was given an opportunity to have the opportunity of a lifetime. Charlie took the opportunity to have the A.I surgery so people would accept him for who he is. He thought that if he had the surgery people will start to like him more.…
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.…
“Life is like a difficult puzzle, you can try to solve it all, but there’s always gonna be missing pieces” - Anonymous. In the novel, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes shows how being smart can be difficult. Charlie has trouble with his emotions after the operation. Charlie also faces problems in his social life due to his brilliant mind. Therefore, Charlie’s life is more difficult now that he is intelligent.…
More than 3 million people are mentally impaired every year in the United States. Some people are mentally impaired and not able to understand basic things. “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, is about a mentally impaired man was able to become the smartest man in the world with an IQ over two-hundred in less than 2 weeks. Charley Gordon is a thirty-seven year old man who receives “a one of a kind surgeries” that allows his IQ to triple is a few weeks. He becomes the smartest man in the world and learns college subjects overnight.…
Our Actions and Their Consequences Have you ever wanted to change yourself? You may want to rethink that. During the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, Charlie undergoes a experimental surgery to increase his intelligence. The story is a collection of all of Charlie’s progress reports from before to after his surgery. He continually writes better and with more intellect, and then he begins to decline.…
Society’s Responsibility In the United States of America around the time of 1760, colonists were being taxed without the say of the citizens -society-. Without society’s approval, the colonists revolted in saying that there was “taxation without representation.” Society’s responsibility at the time was to prove the king was being unfair and to overthrow him. However, people face a question today that needs answering.…
You Are Who You Are In the short story, " Flowers For Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, the main theme of the story is you are who you are. The main character, Charlie Gordon, has an operation that is supposed to make him smart. The operation work for a month, then it stops working. During the time the operation worked, Charlie's personal life deteriorates.…
Reading opens the door to so much knowledge that I don’t understand how anyone can dislike it. I’m fascinated by how reading allows one to immerse oneself completely into an alternate universe; the greatest feeling in the world for me is to be absolutely engrossed by a…
Reading was something I was practically raised on as a child. My dad made sure that my younger sister and I were read to every single night before he tucked us in, passing down a tradition that he believed had aided in shaping his own childhood. I distinctly remember my simple mind roaming along in the lands of Narnia and Middle Earth as such books instilled in me a restless sense of adventure and a longing to learn. This longing drove me to read more and more on my own, all the while my father continued to read to me at a higher and more complex level, that at the time seemed unattainable. Yet books to me were journies completely separate from my own world and I could never seem to envision them as anything more than a source of entertainment.…
I have been a reader for as long as I can remember. I remember hiding under my covers with a flashlight just to finish a good book. Literature enthralls me, and by the power that the words have on one’s imagination and emotions. Literature captivates the potential to evoke one’s imagination and inspire creativity in anyone who starts to breathe in the precious words. Maya Angelou has the perfect quote to summarize how I feel about the power of literature and reading, “When I look back, I am so impressed again with the life-giving power of literature.…