Was it really worth it? Do the pro’s of the surgery outweigh the cons? These are some questions that a reader may ask themselves to understand the theme in this short story. In “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keys, one theme is the use and abuse of science and technology. By granting Charlie the surgery he always wanted, tripling his IQ, does that constitute abuse? I feel that the surgery constitutes abuse. Science was abuse and in the end the surgery was not worth it. A few reasons the surgery wasn’t worth it for Charlie is that the doctors didn’t even know the effect of the surgery to a man's brain, his time while being smart was very short and he was more lonely than he ever was before, finally, he might even have the chance of dying.
Have you ever wanted to have an IQ of 200+ and be considered a genius. That’s exactly what Charlie Gordon got but it didn’t last as long as he wanted it to. Charlie was selected to be the only human to undergo this experiment. First it took a while for his intelligence to start to increase and Charlie thought it wasn’t working. Then Charlie saw a huge difference in his spelling. Charlie’s IQ sat at 300+ plus for a couple of months and then he realized that Algernon, the mouse, was starting to be vicious and biting people. That was the first clue that the surgery may not last forever. Charlie had some very difficult times because of the surgery and because of that I think he should have never have gotten it.
Imagine being three times smarter than you already are through a simple, painless surgery, but there’s a catch. The effects of the surgery that can make you a genius could be temporary, and have not been studied and may be dangerous. Flowers for Algernon, a short story, describes a character who is intellectually disabled. He has to make a choice between having doctors conduct an experiment that involves surgery on him to make him three times smarter or staying the way he is. Charlie Gordon should not have the surgery because it is highly experimental and theoretical, as well as the negative social effects.
“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”-James Madison. In the science fiction story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes Charlie Gordon always wanted to have the power of knowledge. Ever since he was a boy, his life goals were to be smart, have friends, and be respected. All of this was hard for him, as he only had an IQ of sixty eight, so he agreed to an A.I. surgery that would hopefully triple his IQ. Charlie Gordon’s life was much better and easier after the A.I. surgery. After the operation Charlie finally had an imagination, experienced adult emotions, and had a second chance to contribute to the real world and science.
The best kind of stories are those that make the reader believe they are going a positive way and end up completely different, leaving the reader so intrigued. Alice Walker wrote Flowers a short fiction story in 1988. The main character in the story is Myop. A ten year old girl. She is African American. The conflict of the story is that she goes for a walk and suddenly steps on a man's face. This leads her to lose her innocence and grow up. She then understands the cause for her freedom. The story was purposely written through a historical lens. She wrote it this way so we have a greater impact on the story.
In the short story, "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon is a 37 year-old man who has learning disabilities, with an I.Q. of 34. Charlie wants to be smarter. Charlie is tested for an operation that will increase his intelligence artificially. His doctors offer him this operation before they know how it fully affects the lab rat, Algernon, who is being watched for effects after having the same surgery. Charlie Gordon's doctors did not act ethically when they performed the surgery to make him smarter. They should have waited to see the full effects of the surgery on Algernon. They also should have identified that Charlie's I.Q. made him incapable of making a decision if the surgery was safe for him. The doctors did
I think Charlie should not have had the operation because Charlie got to be smart for a short period of time and got to feel what it was like but now he will never be smart again. He has to live knowing all about what smart people get to live life like. In “Flowers for Algernon,” on page 223, at the end of the short story Charlie said, “So I gess it's like I did it for all the dumb pepul like me.” When Charlie said this he was almost regretting the operation. He was saying how it he did it for everyone out there like him that isn’t as smart. As you may be able to
Science is continuing its growth to impact the human civilization in such ways that could never be thought of before. Such growth is demonstrated in Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes when two doctors, Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss, perform a surgical operation on their “test subject” Charlie Gordon to attempt to triple his IQ. As astounding as that sounds, they didn’t realize that operating on Charlie could have many consequences. Charlie’s happiness decreased, the doctors did not follow proper ethical procedures, and at the end of all, Charlie died. All in all, in Flowers for Algernon, the doctors made a very bad choice by choosing Charlie Gordon as their test subject for their intelligence-boosting operation as they did not follow proper
Firstly I would like to start off with an example the backs up, why i think Charlie should have gotten the operation, because with him getting the operation it helps advance science. “ Anyway i bet im the first dumb person in the world who ever found out something important for science”(keyes, 86) this means he did do something important to help science. The way it helps advance science is it helps them see what they have done wrong by all the data they have collected and learn what their mistake was. Another way it helps advance science it that he just helped with an important partin science that could potentially make the whole world smart. If scientists are to figure out what the mistake was they could make all mental and even advanced people even more smart. Also you never know if it would have stayed permanent and if you are Charlie you have to do whatever it takes to
Every day, people go through operations and sometimes experience unpredicted and unwanted outcomes. The story, Flowers for Algernon, is exactly like that. In this story, a 37 year old man, named Charlie Gordon, has a mental disability and participates in an operation/experiment to increase his knowledge. After taking part in the operation, Charlie’s intellect gradually escalates to a genius status. Charlie, the man who had an IQ of 68, was slowly maturing mentally and he started seeing the world with a whole new different perspective. However, near the end of the story, his brain regresses back to where he started from. Charlie shouldn't have taken part in the operation: he started seeing the world in a different perspective, he
Imagine you were given the opportunity to have a surgery that would make you the smartest person in the world, having the largest I.Q. out of anyone, and being able to fulfill your life dreams! That was the situation Charlie Gordon was in. Charlie Gordon was a thirty-seven year old man who lived in New York, in the story ¨Flowers for Algernon¨ by Daniel Keyes. Charlie was a mentally disabled man with only an I.Q. of 68. One day he was interviewed and was chosen to receive a surgery to, at the least, triple his I.Q., making him the smartest man in the world. Charlies biggest dream was to be smart and with the artificial intelligence (A.I.) operation, he could finally fulfill his biggest dream. The life that Charlie Gordon lived improved significantly after the artificial intelligence surgery. Charlie had been given the opportunity to feel new emotions, have an increase I.Q., and
How would you feel about undergoing a procedure to grant you intelligence immediately? Charlie Gordon in Daniel Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon” has the chance to skyrocket to high intelligence by going through a life changing operation. Charlie Gordon is a 37 year old who wears glasses and attends a night school for adults. Charlie is a unintelligent adult with a learning disability. His teacher, Ms. Kinnian, discovers an opportunity for him to withstand an operation to generate intelligence, will he do it? Will Charlie put his life in danger just for intelligence? Despite Charlie’s unintelligence, he is a dynamic and intriguing protagonist. Throughout the story, Charlie proves that experiments can change a person and he takes us on his unforgettable complex journey to show us how he changed.
In the modern world, patients expect their doctors to aid them and to support them. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur conducted an intelligence enhancement experiment on a man named, Charlie Gordon and changed his life. With an IQ of sixty-eight, the scientists altered him and tripled his IQ. However, this operation has not been ethical because the procedure was abstruse to Charlie, the doctors were rushing, and Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss were acting selfishly.
In Flowers for Algernon, the main character, Charlie Gordon is a 32 year old who is mentally disabled. He has been living his life thus far with an IQ of sixty-eight. Although Charlie is not smart, he is very happy, but being happy does not always mean being content, and Charlie is a perfect example of this. Charlies teacher, Miss Kinnian, explained to him that there is a chance for him to get smarter, and that is through a secret surgery. He wants to fit in and be smart like everyone else, but the outcome of the surgery may not be as planned. Charlie’s increased intelligence causes him to lose his innocence. When Charlie loses his innocent mindset he gains experience, which also brings him emotional outbursts. The sacrifices Charlie makes
In the modern world the fine gap between ethics and science has collided. So many new discoveries have been made that doctor’s now have to decide whether or not giving a patient or student help is the right thing to do, or if it is ethical. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, the doctors acted unethically when they selected Charlie Gordon, the main character, for the procedure to triple his intelligence, because they did not not put enough care into the professional decision of would the surgery help and not harm Charlie’s well being, and the doctor’s rushed through the experiment in order to get to the results quicker.
Many people think of change, like hey, that man needs to grow up, he acts like a kid. In the story, “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keys, Charlie Gordon wanted change too. He was a 32 year old with an intellect of 68 (he is mentally impaired) and his parents got a divorce when he was a kid and lived with his uncle until he was seventeen. When he was in his early thirty’s, an opportunity to get brain stimulation surgery was presented to him to help make him smart. The overall theme for this story should be changed. To begin, Charlie was presented an opportunity he could not turn down. Charlie had received word that he could have a second chance of getting brain stimulators. Dr. Strauss instructed Charlie to write down everything that happened