Normality In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

In the book, The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney’s thesis is that there is more to people than their disabilities, it is not restricting nor is it shameful but infact it is beautiful in its own way. With a plan to travel the United States, Mooney decides to travel in a Short bus with intentions of collecting experiences from people who have overcome--or not overcome--being labeled disabled or abnormal. In this Mooney reinvents this concept that normal people suck; that a simple small message of “you’re not normal” could have a destructive and deteriorating effect. With an idea of what disabilities are, Mooney’s trip gives light to disabilities even he was not prepared to face, that he feared.

Learning about the world is challenging enough, but to unlearn it knowing what is being lost is even more burdensome. Charlie Gordon is a man that learned the world and lost it all. Is knowledge admirable while it can be retained or is ignorance bliss when it can’t? Knowledge is excellent, even if it is only for a little while, even if it is retained for a short period because people know what the world is, even when that knowledge is lost, people will retain a certain understanding of the world before they “unlearned” it. Some say “ Knowledge is a wonderful tool in life, but if a man acquires knowledge, but soon “unlearns” the knowledge yet understands how the world should be, and then loses it, ignorance is bliss so the man does not know how people treat them in atrocious ways, and it shall stay that way for his/her benefit.”. All people deserve to acquire Knowledge, so they have the experience of how life should be. Charlie Gordon acquires knowledge of how the world is and how people treat people who have mental setbacks. To come from a position where he is made fun of, to know this, and then back to being treated as a person that has a mental disability, knowing how he is treated has multiple pros including some cons.

Charlie Gordon learns valuable life lessons about acceptance and tolerance throughout this book in the short time that he is able to comprehend. “There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life, no matter what its location, age, gender or disability” (Sharron Angle). Acceptance is a huge necessity in life just as it is in “Flowers For Algernon”. Everyone, no matter what they look like or act like, should live in a world where they are accepted as who they are even if they do not fit into the “normal”

In Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron,” the author defines normal through one of his characters; however, this definition contradicts itself based on the idea that normal is established by the majority of society. The definition of normal in Vonnegut’s story is established in the character of Hazel, due to the fact that she hasn’t been given weights or any other handicaps to limit her. The author’s description of her “perfectly average intelligence” is reflected through the fact that “she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts” (299). The sense of normalcy is emphasized through her line, “Who knows better’n I do what normal is?”

Although everyone is their own individual, society determines who is considered “normal.” In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon struggles to fit in with the people around him because of his mental illness. Elie Wiesel faces the same struggles while trying to survive in a concentration camp in Night. Charlie and Elie have both been challenged by the concept of identity. In Flowers for Algernon and Night, these characters have faced many conflicts including not having their identity accepted by society, having insecurities about their identity, and being mistreated based on their identity.

Stereotypes are no secret. Everybody develops them in some way or another and uses them in social interactions. These generalizations, both positive and negative, about a characteristic(s) of a group (“Stereotypes) have existed throughout modern and historical societies. The husband in Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral” interacts with Robert based off of stereotypes formed from social norms and media portrayals of disabled persons. He treats Robert in a negative manner at first relying on those prejudices, but as he comes to know Robert, he re-develops his stereotypes and interacts with Robert in a more positive way.

A review of the research literature showed that confounding definitions related to elementary school instructional organization, limited research, and contradictory and inconclusive findings contribute to the difficulty of determining the impact of departmentalization on elementary school students. Also problematic are stakeholders’ influences on instructional organization decisions and how these decisions are viewed in terms of institutional factors such as rules, structures, and social and professional norms.

‘Normal’ what does that mean? For many, this means fitting into the group and being the same as everyone else. In most groups ‘normal’, means having both legs and arms, being able to hear and see, not needing help in everyday tasks, like going to the washroom or getting dressed, drinking and eating. For people with disability, ‘normal’ is different, and changes from day to day depending on the tasks or how they are feeling that day, some need extra help, while others have learned to accomplish tasks by themselves. Through Jim Ferris’s poem “Normal” and Adam Pottles “Hearing Test” a different point of view is given for what is considered ‘normal’. “Normal” uses a simple baseball game to show how disability is affecting a child’s life, while

"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 have feelings and they deserve to be treated they way we would want to be treated.

Character development is the core for Daniel Keyes endeavor to convey themes to his audience by developing the character of Charlie Gordon. One way to develop his character is through relationships with other characters, which is critical in conveying the themes in the book. Another way through which Keyes develops Charlie Gordon’s character for his audience is through letting in the audience on the thoughts of the character in the book so they get on a ride with his emotion, conflict, and dilemmas. Flowers for Algernon illustrates how cruel the society treats the mentally disabled with the use of literary elements. Daniel Keyes conveys the message that the grass is not always greener on the other side through character development.

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most well known poets, He brought in many eras of writing and ushered in new styles of stories. However growing up things weren’t always the easiest and those hardships are often reflected in his writing. One of the biggest examples of this is his resentment towards males and father figures. When he was just a boy his father left Edgar and his siblings with their mother, when his mother passed away he went to a foster family. He differed from his foster father a lot and they didn’t get along. In the documentary The mystery of Edgar Allen Poe it talks about how he viewed women claiming “From his youngest days Poe viewed women as angelic figures” This is actually carried into his writings while the women are viewed

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.

The brain, which is the command center for the whole body must go through many changes in order to reach its full potential. To begin, the once the sperm fertilizes the egg it becomes a zygote. After that happens within 12 hours, the single cell begins to divide to form a mass of homogenous cells. After 3 days the divisions form a mass of cells that continually divide to form the blastocyst. Within 5 days the blastocyst would have migrated to the uterus and hatched and began to invade into the uterine lining to implant. If it does implant by 1-2 weeks the embryo starts to separate into three distinct cell layers: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. The ectoderm, which is the outer most layer, will form the skin and the peripheral nervous

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” - Harriet Tubman. Charlie Gordon is a very welcoming, playful, and genuine man. He attends Beekman College for Retarded Adults and has a strong motivation to learn and to improve his intelligence. He dreams of being popular, and making friends. Throughout the novel Flowers for Algernon, Charlie Gordon changed in many ways. Prior to his life changing operation, he was not able to grasp that the people at Donner’s Bakery were not his friends, they only spoke to him to make fun of him. Charlie acknowledged their harsh actions, and started retaliating. Charlie is a very open