Flowers for Algernon By: Daniel Keyes Presented by: Elisha Santos Yahaira Herrera Erin Edwards Winter Calderon Rimonda El Seblani Jessica Chen

“He [Charlie] used to be…” ~Fanny (pg.235 ) On page 235 of Flowers for Algernon, Fanny explained to Charlie why people no longer talks to him after the operation. Fanny described Charlie as a person with a bright personality, but she started of with “He used to be…”, emphasizing the past tense in the word “used”. I personally think this meant that Charlie’s co-workers and “friends” no longer think he is the person he used to be. This misunderstanding probably started when Charlie kept the secret about his operation because Charlie never lied or kept a secret from them before. The secret about the operation was the first time Charlie ever seemed suspicious and that caused Charlie’s co-workers to harbor distrust in him.

* "...good, denpendable, ordinary man- not too bright maybe..." ~Fanny (pg. 235) In this part of the quote, Fanny describes the "Old Charlie Gordon" as an ordinary but dependable man. Through the text, you can see that Charlie was good because he did what he was told and he did not complain. Likewise, he was dependable he did what he was told and he would always do it because he thinks that was the right thing to do. Fanny also described Charlie as ordinary meaning that he, even with his disabilities, was a normal person. Fanny and the rest of the workers think of the Charlie after the operation as a whole new person. Even though Charlie is smarter after the operation, the "Old Charlie" is still there. The kindness, the need for knowledge, and the determination to make friends is still in him. What Charlie's friends and co-workers did not understand was that Charlie Gordon is still Charlie Gordon just enhanced and polished some more. Fanny did mention Charlie's flaw too. She mentioned how Charlie wasn't too bright and suddenly, Charlie came back healthy and smarter than ever. To those who did not know about the operation, Charlie seemed suspicious and made his co- workers discomfortable.

* "...but honest." ~Fanny (pg. 235) Fanny also referred to Charlie as honest. Charlie's friends and co-workers thinks that Charlie is dishonest after the operation. If people cannot trust others, then the other person immediately becomes unreliable. While the workers think that Charlie used to be honest, I think that Charlie was honest because he was naive and kind. An example of Charlie being honest would be on page 223 the doctors told Charlie to make up a story about a few pictures. "I said why shud I make up lies." (pg. 223). It was shown here how Charlie refused to tell a false story about people because he said it was lying even if it was for a test that would be used to make him smarter. In this part of the text, Charlie can be seen obeying his superego instead of his ID because it was right to lie even if it was for his own desires.

* "You used to be a good, dependable, ordinary man- not too bright maybe, but honest." ~Fanny In general, Fanny was saying how Charlie was suspicious and she explained how everyone thought he was different now which made everyone discomfortable. They no longer think they know him which was wrong because Charlie was still Charlie. The co-workers thought they understood the old Charlie but actually, they only understand the surface was what Charlie really was. They think they understand him because he could not express himself well so they think what he said was what he actually thought but the truth was that he was limited physically. Charlie's friends thinks he is no longer dependable or trustworthy. I think Charlie's attempt to be smart showed his struggle to fit in with everyone his. His ID desired knowledge but his Superego told him that he cannot become smart over night. His ego, balanced out the ID and the Superego, but Charlie still ended up loosing what was important to him: his friends.

Adam and Eve lived in the garden of Eden. God said that they could eat fruit from the trees except one. This was the tree of good and evil. If they ate from the tree they would be punished. There was a snake who said that the fruit tasted delicious and told eve it would make her wise. Eve choose to eat the fruit and told Adam to eat it too. God saw that they both ate the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve had become naked and was asked to leave the garden. “It was evil when Eve listen to the snake and ate from the tree of knowledge. It was evil when she saw that she was naked…”(235) -The forbidden tree -The snake persuade s Eve -Eve gives Adam the fruit

The Operation vs. The Fruit The operation helped Charlie become intelligent not for the things Dr. Strauss, Dr. Nemur, and Ms. Kinnian taught him, but from his mistakes. From his mistakes he had learned who he really was. Charlie wasn’t intelligent in his brain, but in his heart because he was every caring, hopeful, and optimistic. Charlie’s punishment was that his intelligence from the operation did not last long. He also almost lost his friendship, which had seemed more important in the end, because of his intelligence. Even though Eve made the mistake of eating the fruit when God had said not to, she had learned her mistake. Eve’s and Adam’s punishment was that they had become naked and had to leave the Garden of Eden. They also never regained God’s trust again.

Charlie’s similarities to Eve Fanny, Charlie’s co-worker, refers to Charlie as Eve in the Quote because he had listened to the doctors and teacher, like how Eve listened to the snake. if the quote was re-written to make it about Charlie it would say: It was wrong when Charlie listened to the doctors and teacher and had the operation. It was wrong when he saw that he had changed.

Ms. Kinnian vs. Snake Ms. Kinnian Snake Ms. K convinces Charlie Gordon to take this operation to become smart. Ms. K urged and believed that Charlie could become intelligent even faster with this operation. The snake/serpent persuades Adam to eat the fruit to become smart. The snake only gave one little push for Eve to eat the fruit and to give Adam one too. Should I be smart?

“Shame burning inside [Charlie]” Another quote we found was “shame burning inside [charlie] as he recognizes that [his] intelligence has driven a wedge between [him] and his friends.” W here C harlie starts to realize that he has to choose between brains and “ friends ”.

What is this quote trying to explain to the readers? We believe that this means that charlie only wants his “friends” to like him. He soon realizes that he would rather be dumb, and have “friends” than be smart and have his “friends” not like him.

friends vs brains brains ●makes him feel good about himself ●helps him realize who are his friends ●might have even helped him make new friends that support him ●enjoys being smart friends ●Makes him feel bad ●Only like to make fun of him ●Don’t support the surgery because then they can not make fun of him Which would you choose?

The Boy vs. Charlie "I WAS FURIOUS WITH MYSELF FOR LAUGHING AND FOR ALL THOSE THAT WERE SMIRKING AT HIM. I JUMPED UP AND SHOUTED' SHUT UP! LEAVE HIM ALONE! IT'S NOT HIS FAULT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!" Grrr!

The Ultimate Struggle HAD TROUBLE BALANCING THE SUPEREGO AND THE EGO KNEW WHAT THE BOY WAS FEELING THROUGH PAST EXPERIENCE HATED LAUGHING AT HIM BECAUSE KNEW HE SHOULDN'T BECAUSE HE USED TO BE IN THE BOY'S PLACE

Overwhelmed by Emotion "I FELT ASHAMED FOR BOTH OF US.” LEFT SCENE FROM HIS SUDDEN OUTBURST

"HOW STRANGE IT IS THAT PEOPLE OF HONEST FEELINGS AND SENSIBILITY, WHO WOULD NOT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A MAN BORN WITHOUT ARMS OR LEGS OR EYES-HOW SUCH PEOPLE THINK NOTHING OF A MAN BORN WITH LOW INTELLIGENCE." Lack of Compassion

A New Understanding THOUGHT NO MATTER WHAT YOU YOU SHOULDN'T BE TREATED LIKE THAT FEELS FOR THE BOY IN THE WAY THAT HE WAS BEING USED LIKE CHARLIE'S FRIENDS USED TO TREAT HIM NOW UNDERSTANDS HE WAS NEVER THE ONLY ONE BEING PICKED ON FOR BEING DIFFERENT

Charlie’s intelligent so he was like bye old me. He did not want to remember his old self. He sees the boy and sees that used to be him. After that it changed his whole perspective on his intelligence. Charlie admits how he set aside the”Old Charlie Gordan,” but he could not deny that [he] was just like [the boy].

“Old Charlie Gordan,” The “old Charlie Gordan” was when he was dumn.He was a 37 year old man with the IQ of 68 (which is low).He was in an adult school and they would laugh at him because he could not spell.

Pictures

He could not deny that he was just like the boy Charlie had to face the reality that,that used to be him. It was difficult for Charlie to realize he was just like the boy because he did not want to remember the past. In the story the boy was laughed at, and that used to happen to Charlie. He was afraid to admit it.

“EVEN A FEEBLE MINDED MAN WANTS TO BE LIKE OTHER MEN”(237). ❖ Feeble-minded: Lower IQ than the average. Feeble: Lacking in strength or weak. ❖ Wants to be: The desire(ID); dreaming of something more than what is possible. ❖ Wants to be like other men: The desire to average/normal; Smart, stronger, and to fit into the crowd. Charlie and after It shows him reaching for his desire to learn how to read and write

ANALYSIS “Even a feeble minded man wants to be other man”(237). ❖ In my opinion this supports the prompt because it explain how Charlie wasn’t comfortable with himself so he wanted to changed to be like other, and fit in. ❖ Like a maze some paths lead you to dead ends and some lead to success, and all Charlie wants is that path to success. ❖ Charlie doesn’t know whether to himself and be happy or to became what he wants and be alone.

TWO PATHS ❖ Charlie has a choice to either be intelligence or to have his friends. ❖ Intelligence can buy or get you many thing you want but it wont give you the caring and loving support your friends will.