Motivation Vs. Intelligence: What is More Important? In the story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, a man named Charlie Gordon, who has an IQ of 68, has an experimental operation to make him smarter. Even though Charlie was very dumb, he was extremely motivated. This is what led him to be chosen for the experiment. As he gained intelligence, his motivation drove him to discover new research for why his mouse friend, Algernon, experienced decaying intelligence. Many people think intelligence is more important than motivation, but they have not considered the reasons why motivation is more important than being smart. Someone who is smart has the potential to do great things. However, if they lack motivation, those things will never get done. Without being motivated, being intelligent is useless because …show more content…
People who are successful would not be without motivation. This is because they would not want to push themselves, and would never get anything done. While they might be intelligent, they would never use their smarts for the greater good because it would require difficult thinking, and/ or determination. In the story, Keyes talks about how Charlie is working day and night trying to find out the reason for Algernon’s sudden regression and why it killed him. The doctors say he is working too hard “trying to cram a lifetime of research and thought into a few weeks”, buit that doesn’t stop him. Five days later, Charlie successfully interpreted the “Algernon-Gordon Effect”, which explained why Algernon’s intelligence decayed at the same rate it multiplied. (301). As one can see, Charlie’s ambition resulted in a huge success in the field of neurological experiments, further demonstrating that motivation is what drives success. Intelligence cannot get you that far- Charlie could have sat around during the peak of his intelligence, and would have never conducted his ground-breaking experiments if he did not have motivation to do
In Flowers for Algernon, a science fiction novel by Daniel Keyes, Charlie undergoes an experimental surgery that has negative results. The first negative result of the surgery is that he is very depressed. From his Progress Report on June 19, he says, “I feel the darkness closing in. It’s hard to throw off thoughts of suicide.” This clearly shows that since he has lost his intelligence he is having darker thoughts, while before he had never thought of these things. The second negative result of the surgery is that he leaves everybody behind intellectually. In his Progress Report from April 28, Miss Kinnian says, “I don’t feel intelligent. There are so many things I don’t understand. You're accomplishing in days and weeks what it takes normal
At first he thinks it is a mindless job that he can handle. But then he goes to the hospital for the surgery. After the surgery, he becomes very smart. Then once back at work he changes the way the machines work. He says, "I figured out a new way to line up the machines in the factory, and Mr. Donnegan says it will save him ten thousand dollars a year in labor and increased production." (Keyes, 200) Charlie used his raised IQ to help make the company work in a smarter and more efficient way. He left what he knew becuase he was promised the chance to be smarter than he was before and it
“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.
Throughout the whole book, Charlie is determined to become smarter. But he is impatient. Most importantly Charlie becomes understanding, after an operation to make him smarter. First of all, Charlie is determined.
What defines intelligence? Is it how much you know? Or could it be how much you want to learn? These are the questions that Charlie Gordon was probably thinking before his fatal destiny. All he wanted was to know what is was like to be perceptive. He became envious of his peers and the world around him. Charlie thrived to understand the world through the eyes of a genius. However, he truly should've been careful with what he had wished for.
In the story "Flowers for Algernon," by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon had a brain operation that would boost his IQ by 3x the amount he had already had. Charlie, being a man with an IQ of 68, had a major change in thought. He not only grew intellectually, but he grew emotionally too. That is what I am here to prove to you today. Now there may be some controversy on this topic but, based upon the context we can only assume that over all, the operation was more beneficial to Charlie than it was harmful, this is mainly because it gave Charlie a chance to have a taste of intelligence, which is what he had always wanted, and it strengthened his friendships, that is beneficial because any strong relationship is worth so much more than a simple one.
Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a piece of literature that asseverates that perhaps intelligence is a seamless fundamental. Precisely, for 34 old Charlie Gordon who initially wants to attain intelligence because he has been dimwitted throughout his whole entire life. Mr.Gordon is given an opportunity to be chosen for an operation. Fortunately for Mr. Gordon he happens to be the perfect candidate for the operation that will result to be semi-successful. As for Charley a 1968 film that portrays a 34 year old who seeks
One thing Charlie repeated many times before the surgery was “I want to be smart” (Keyes 225) also that he would do whatever it takes to become smart he would work really hard so he could be smart and fit in. That is why Charlie should have had the A.I. to give him what he really wanted even if it wasn’t permanent. A common argument against this position is that the surgery wasn't permanent and that it is not worth being smart for a few weeks. But i argue that Charlie was very grateful for being smart even for just a little while. While he was smart he was able to make scientific advances that most people could not od in a lifetime And he did it in a few weeks and he was grateful to give back to the people who made him
A high Intelligence Quotient may not always correlate with one's happiness. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon is a mentally challenged man with an I.Q. of sixty-eight. Due to his motivation, and desire of becoming “smart,” he attends an adult night school class with his teacher, Miss Kinnian where “[he tries] the hardist and reely… [wants] to learn” [sic] (6). Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur select Charlie upon the proposition by Miss Kinnian. The doctors will perform an operation which may triple Charlie’s I.Q. and “make [him] smart” (5). The operation on Charlie made; him into a social outcast, lose his routine and income, and bring him to an early death. Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss’ operation on Charlie Gordon should not be performed.
Imagine working to become intelligent, then having an operation to become intelligent, and then losing it all in the blink of an eye; motivation and intelligence, what matters more? Motivation matters more due to the fact that it can get one farther in life because it pushes to do amazing things. Intelligence is not always the answer but it can be effective when used with motivation or as a result of motivation. Charlie’s motivation shows he is working to become intelligent, finish his research, and stay intelligent. Without intelligence where would the world be?
Intelligence is very hard to come by and to obtain it you usually have to work for it, but in the story Flowers for Algernon a book written by Daniel Keyes a 32 year old man named Charlie becomes qualified to undergo a surgery to triple his intelligence. Charlie has worked very hard to become smarter and he has persevered through all the hardships there are as he tries to become more intelligent, even when it looks like he might give up. Even though Charlie is a very hard worker he was still picked on by people he thinks are his friends. Charlie was invited to a party which he thought would be fun but he ended up getting laughed at by everyone there, so he ran out feeling ashamed and embarrassed. After this event happened where he was laughed
We all have different values. Some people believe kindness is important, while some people believe getting what you want is more important. One topic in the story “Flowers for Algernon” is happiness versus intelligence. Some people believe that it is possible to have both, but in Charlie Gordon's case, he can have one or the other. Charlie Gordon had a life changing experiment to hopefully cause him to become more intelligent and have his IQ of 68 tripled in size.
From the inability to write out a cohesive sentence, to having a perceived IQ of over 200. Unfathomable in this claim in today's understanding but in the realm of science-fiction anything and everything is possible, even having the mind of one person enhanced past unimaginable levels. But with every great Triumph for every great achievement there is a downfall, a falter, a end to the regime...and in Charlie's case it was one that tore at the cords in our heart, the very fiber of our soul, and almost made us wish we didn't embark on this emotional roller-coaster that is "Flowers for Algernon". As the story progresses notice Charlie speech becoming more intelligent and his sentence going from completely missed spelled out of order and very basic, to becoming as complex as that of postdoctoral research paper. We as readers see his rise along with animal test subjects the smartest among them being a small white rat named Algernon, and together they both experience this exponential rise to intelligence, but as the readers ill prepared for what was to come, we see the small white rat Algernon losing his intelligence...
Intelligence is like a key, opening new doors and passages, unique ways of seeing the world. Intelligence makes people aware of their surroundings. Charlie Gordon, the main character in Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, started the story as an intellectually underdeveloped man who had an Intelligence Quotient of 68. He attends a night school for “ slow adults”, which is taught by Mrs. Kinnian . When Charlie is offered the opportunity to receive an experimental surgery, which claims that it will triple the participant’s Intelligence quotient, he accepts it.
In the story, Charlie said, “I'm glad i'm going back to work because I miss my job and all my friends and all the fun we had there.” Therefore, Charlie is so happy when he is with his friends and he loves spending time with them. To reach intelligence, you first have to achieve happiness first in life because without happiness people feel devastated. “I beat Algernon! I didn’t even know I beat him until Burt the tester told me,” said Charlie. This is another example of happiness because Charlie stayed on task and was so motivated that he finally accomplished something big. Whenever you try your best and believe in yourself you can always accomplish