Change In Daniel Keyes 'Flowers For Algernon'

Once Charlie was at his full capacity of an IQ of 204, he decided not to let his intelligence go to waste. He chose to study in the field of artificial intelligence. In the text it says “Tomorrow, I will discuss with Dr. Strauss the manner in which I can work in this area. I may be able to help him work out the problems of widespread use of the technique used on me. I have good ideas of my own.” (Keyes 238). This quote goes to show that Charlie was going to and did contribute to the real world and science, by coming up with ideas and solving problems. This saved so many people from disappointment. Charlie really did help many people in science and the real

The Withlacoochee River Park lies on four-hundred and six acres of land, however, the area it is essentially part of is much larger system known as the Green Swamp, a 560,000 acre area that supplies a massive amount of drinking water to our state’s population. In addition, the swamp provides habitats for a plethora of Florida’s native wildlife, including alligators, white-tailed deer, and black bears. The Green Swamp is also contains one of the largest cypress swamps in the state of Florida, meaning Withlacoochee River Park is a highly important ecological asset to Florida’s natural environment.

In the first place, Charlie became so smart, it started to destroy his brain. When Algernon died, Charlie knew that the same thing would happen to him, so he started conducting research. He dedicated all of his time to find out what happened to Algernon and what will happen to himself. In the story, “I’ve got to know if and when it will happen to me.” (Keyes, 78) The text implies that he knows it will happen to him and he is determined to learn more about it. He finds out that the operation is killing him, he is dying. He became so smart that his brain started to malfunction; his brain no longer worked.

For example, by the end of the book, his IQ lowered, and left him where he started from. In that way, he has not changed. While at the convention, Dr.Nemur was explaining his hypothesis, and Charlie noticed a mistake. And in that moment, he realized his knowledge was going to be short lived. “The professors had made a mistake, and no one else had caught it. I wanted to jump up and tell them, but I couldn’t move. Like Algernon, I found myself behind the mesh of the cage they had built around me. Now there would be a question period, and before I would be allowed to have my dinner, I would be required to perform before this distinguished gathering. No. I had to get out of here.” (Keyes, 162) After this huge climax in the story, Charlie came to the conclusion that he would still write the reports, to show his regression and decrease in his IQ. As time went on, it was getting more and more obvious how difficult it was for Charlie to read and write. By his last report to the University, he forgot everything he had learned while he had the IQ of a genius, he forgot everything about his relations with Alice Kinnian, and he forgot all that he had learned about himself, he only remembered very little. “I don’t know why Im dumb agen or what I did rong. Maybe its because I dint try hard enuf or just some body put the evel eye on me. But if I try and practis very hard maybe Ill get a littel smarter and know what all the words are. I

As a consequence, having the operation created the chance for unpredictable and unwanted outcomes. Charlie was the first human patient for the experiment. Since the doctors have never tried the operation on a human being before, the chances for making mistakes are higher. This was proven as Algernon soon experiences side effects as his intelligence regresses and he eventually passes away. Soon, Charlie also regresses back to his original intelligence state. In conclusion, having the operation created unpredictable and unwanted outcomes. I inferred that Charlie wouldn’t die like Algernon did because the last line in the book in which he asks that someone puts flowers on Algernon's grave shows that he hasn't lost 100% of his memory of what happened. The fact that he remembers Algernon and his meticulous ritual of placing flowers on his grave shows that with repetition and reminders, he does have the capacity to recall details about the time he spent with intelligence. It's there somewhere in his subconscious, just like his childhood memories were before. While Charlie maintains most of his intelligence, 16 days after Algernon bit Charlie, Algernon died. And even after 13 days realizing his intelligence is regressing, he isn't showing signs of sickness, just showing that he is absentminded. Having all these different factors influenced all these different outcomes. In

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things”, -Henry Miller. When one reads this quote, it may have a different meaning to them than to others. To Charlie Gordon, it practically defines his life journey. In the shorty story “Flowers for Algernon”, Charlie Gordon is a main who obtains an IQ of 68, and desires to be smart. Charlie finally gets his dream one day by partaking in an intelligence enhancing operation. His perspective of life is much different before and after the surgery. Although Charlie seems happy before the surgery, Charlie is able to apprehend reality through a “pair of new eyes”, regarding the operation. Three arguments why Charlie’s emotions are happier following the surgery are: He learns about lies he had in life, Charlie had a positive learning experience, and Charlie discerns his full potential.

In life, “our souls are not hungry for fame, comfort, wealth or power; our souls are hungry for meaning” (“What we hunger for”,1) in life. One’s identity is important to their survival on Earth. In Lena Coakley’s Mirror Image and Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon, Alice and Charlie Gordon tries to find their purpose in life. After Alice’s brain transplant, she is challenged by people such as her sister, Jenny, telling her that she is a completely different person now, stating how “sometimes, I think my sister is dead” (Keyes,6).This is shown when Alice’s mom bakes her a cake containing chocolate with mocha cream, a cake that Alice had previously loved before the brain transplant. When Jenny sees Alice not loving the cake like she usually would

Imagine yourself as a young child. You’re extremely happy and you have little to no worries. Now imagine yourself as a teenager or adult, and you’re the exact opposite, because of school, relationships, jobs,money, or responsibility. These contrasts tie into the theme I’m about to introduce you to. This theme is expressed thoroughly in many parts of the story, Flowers For Algernon, which is “Ignorance is Bliss”. In the story, the main character Charlie Gordon undergoes an operation to gain intelligence. After a while, he finds out the operation is only temporary, which leads many negative things to his mind including stress. Two reasons this story explains great examples that “Ignorance is Bliss”, is that when you’re ignorant or unintelligent or even young, you’re upbeat and when you are smart, you endure much more stress and worries. I remember when I was young, and I had nothing to worry about in life.

Literature’s benefits are most evident through the mental growth of those who allow themselves to lie subjective to what they come across. The emotional maturity is what becomes recognizably essential through Daniel Keyes’s work, “Flowers for Algernon.” Throughout the novel, readers observe a man struggling with a dangerous imbalance of his intellectual and emotional age. Intellectually disabled until age thirty-two, Charlie exhibits the mental and emotional age of nine to eleven. Throughout his emotional infantry, a sense of naivety and gullibility are manifested. He raises his faith and expectations to improbable heights and must face the disappointment of reality. This idea is conveyed in Brett Cox’s literary criticism through the

After reading the first short story, “Flowers for Algernon”, we notice that the main character lives in his own childlike world. He has his own wishes and dreams, especially those of becoming a normal man. Later on in the story, he achieves his dream of becoming an ordinary person, eventually progressing to the mental level of a genius. It is clear that Charlie is unreliable both before his surgery and once his mental abilities surpass that of a normal person. He transforms from a man with an immature vision of the world into a genius with a complicated vision for society. The only time we can consider Charlie somewhat reliable is when he is in between the stages of mental disability and genius. It is during this time that he is what he

As Charlie's intelligence increases he thinks that he will be more liked the higher his intelligence climbs, but later Charlie discovers that whether you are of lower intelligence then most of the population or of higher intelligence you still will not quite fit in. "I've discovered that no one really cares for Charlie Gordon whether he is a moron or a genius. (Keyes 172) Charlie's relationship with Alice also shows how whether he is of extreme low extreme high intellect he still cannot communicate with her the way he needs to. " I'm just as far away from Alice with an I.Q of 185 then when I had an IQ of 70" (Keyes 88). In today's society if a persons thoughts slightly differ from those of the majority of the population then they will be scrutinized and shunned from the others. People are not willing to look at an idea through a different perspective and this is shown in Flowers For Algernon, when Charlie discovers the fault in Dr. Nemur's experiment and confronts him about it, Dr. Nemur treats him like the old Charlie who is to mentally challenged to be correct. It is repeated numerous times during the novel that Charlie was "created" by the experiment and was not a "human being" because of his below 100 IQ before the operation. "I'm a human being, a person- with parents and memories and a history- and I was before you ever wheeled me into that operating room." (Keyes 112). Society needs to learn that even those who are different then most of us still are humans and

Dilemmas happen everyday. Some dilemmas can be good, and some can be bad. A dilemma is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives.  In the story, Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes wrote a story about a 37 year old man named Charlie  who has a disability, he doesn't understand thing that normal people can. He then is encouraged by his teacher to get a surgery done to become smarter. Some people think that the surgery was a good idea,or some think it was a bad idea. In my opinion, I think that Charlie made the wrong decision about the surgery. Some people think that Charlie should of have the operation to make his dream come true In my opinion, I think he shouldn't have had the surgery because, people weren't expecting him to be new, it would not be permanent, and he put his life in danger.

In Daniel Keyes’ compelling novel, Flowers for Algernon, the main character undergoes both important emotional and physical changes. The book has an interesting twist, as it is described in the characters “progress reports”. This book has a science fiction undertone, and takes place in exciting New York City. As the novel begins, the main character, Charlie Jordan is thirty-two years old, but cannot remember anything from his childhood.

Notre-Dame of Paris is one of the most prominent cathedrals in the land of Paris and portrays many diversified Gothic characteristics. This research essay will explore the cathedral in detail while emphasizing on the influence of Gothic architecture on the cathedral. Notre-Dame of Paris bears all the structural features of a Gothic cathedral including the famous rose window. By far, the Gothic style has influenced the entire design of Notre-Dame of Pairs. If there were other influences, it would be too minor to be taken noticed of. The construction began in year 1163. Being a significant building to the locals, she bore important responsibilities. Eugene Viollet-le-Duc played an important role in the cathedral’s restoration.

Stereotypes are well known among humans and many of us have been faced with the criticism of such stereotypes. One of the most well known stereotypes is those belonging to famous artists. These stereotypes come from many of the movies created about such artists. Some believe that famous artists are someone people that are abnormal or odd in their way of thinking or actions. When asked what comes into someone’s mind when asked about famous artists may also be how they are not famous until death.