Charlie Gordon In Daniel Keyes 'Flowers For Algernon'

“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.

Charlie was better of after surgery because he was given a twenty-five dollar bonus. At first he didn’t get any bonus because he didn’t get anything in the factory. When he got the twenty-five dollar bonus he wanted to go out with Frank and Joe, but “Joe said that he had to buy something for his wife and Frank said he was meeting his cousin for lunch (127).

If someone offered you to increase your intelligence, would you accept it? In the story “Flowers for Algernon,” written by Daniel Keyes, the main character, Charlie Gordon, faces an operation that changes his intellectual capacity for a short time. He has an IQ of 68 and this operation will triple it. I think he should have the operation because without it, he never would have learned the things he now knows.

“Flowers for Algernon” Persuasive Essay If you had an I.Q. of 68, and you could have a surgery to triple it, would you? In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon”, by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon, a 37 year old man, has an I.Q. of just 68. Charlie was able to have a surgery to triple his I.Q., making it 204 but it wasn’t permanent.

In the short story “Flowers for Algernon,” Daniel Keyes leaves the reader saddened, stunned and ultimately forming questions. Keyes also highlights several characters, a particular character is a mentally disabled janitor named Charlie Gordon. He has a sixty-eight IQ, works at a paper factory in New York, and is oblivious to his surroundings. Gordon’s deepest desire is to increase his intelligence by doing an operation that has only been done on a mouse, whose name is Algernon. Soon after the operation is done, Gordon starts becoming a super-genius with more knowledge than most doctors. He understands elaborate mathematical equations and can read and write at an age beyond his years. However, his increased intelligence starts to “ware off,” Gordon starts losing huge chunks of intelligence, he is unmotivated and is overall ashamed. His three stages which include his wanting to be the one for the operation, his super genius self, and his deteriorating self-are important in Charlie Gordon’s character development.

Before and after the A.I. surgery Before the A.I. surgery Charlie had a mental disorder were he couldn’t learn, read, or write. Charlie had a job at Donnegans factory. Everyone at the factory bullied him. “It’s a funny thing. I never knew that joe and frank and the others liked to have me around all the time to make fun of me. Now i know what it means when they say.” “You pulled a Charlie Gordon.” “I’m ashamed” (keyes,231.) After the A.I. surgery charlie didn’t get bullied at donnegans factory when he got his job back. Charlie was always getting bullied when he was younger and before the A.I. surgery.

Charlie was able to choose between what’s good and what was bad. In his goodbye letter, Charlie explains that “That is why I’m going away from New York for good. I don’t want to do nothing like this again. I don’t want Miss Kinnian to feel sorry for me. Everybody feels sorry at the factory and I don’t want that either, so I’m going someplace where nobody knows that Charlie Gordon was once a genius and now he can’t even read a book or write good (July 28).” Charlie would have never left for New York if he hadn’t have had that surgery. Also, his “friends” Joe Carp and Frank Riley would have continued to use Charlie for humorous

Joe Carp and Frank Reilly support the theme when they compare their intelligence to charlie’s. After, they realized they were smarter than Charlie,

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 if you were developmentally delayed do you think it would be ok for your parents to sign off for you to have a possibly life threatening surgery? In the science fiction story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes a thirty-seven year old man named Charlie Gordon has to face this challenge. He wanted nothing more than to be smart and fit in. He had the opportunity to have an Artificial Intelligence surgery to triple his I.Q. Charlie Gordon should have had the A.I. surgery because it made him feel he had a purpose in life. After Charlie had the A.I. surgery he saw the bad things his friends did to him he felt he had a purpose and he became smart even if it wasn't permanent.

Hi I’m Charlie Gordon. The story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes is about a 37 year old guy that has a metal state or IQ of 68. No I don’t think Charlie should have had the operation done on him.

A neurosurgeon asks you to agree with getting an Artificial Intelligence(A.I.) procedure, to increase your I.Q. by three times. Would you do it? Charlie Gordon, a thirty seven year old man with a mental disability, faces this exact question in the science fiction story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. He goes through with it, but afterwards, he discovers good and not-so-good things about life ,that he never knew. Carlie was better off before he had the A.I. surgery, because he lost friends, he regressed lower than before the surgery,and he developed new emotions, negatively affecting himself and the people around him.

The novel Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, has been an eye-opener to many for years on end, and sparked new ideas for readers all around the world. The novel focuses on Charlie Gordon—an adult with an extremely low IQ—by following him and his experiences through his written progress reports. The only view of his life the reader obtains is through his eyes and what he writes down, which may act as both an advantage and disadvantage at times to the reader. One day, a couple of doctors got in contact with Charlie and asked him if wanted to participate in an experiment they were conducting meant to enhance one’s IQ. After eagerly accepting the offer, Charlie realized the world he lived in was not what he once thought it was.

Therefore, intelligence does not bring happiness. For Charlie, Ignorance is bliss. He realizes that his so- called ‘friends?’ were just using him to entertain their perverse humor. Also, he was fired from the job that he loved because his new intelligence level. This promotes Charlie into a short depression. This short depression made it clear that Charlie’s life prior to the experiment was better than his current conditions since he had a job which he looked forward to and so- called “friends”.Charlie says on May 20th "Now I'm more alone than ever before” (Keyes, 108). He had nobody to relate to at this point of the story because his intelligence grow to overpower other surrounding him. Charlie’s intelligence has already exceeded his teacher and the doctors. Before Charlie gained intelligence, even the simplest things in life were good enough for him. After he gained intelligence,none of those things mattered to him because his mind grew more complex. As a result, he felt alone and buried himself in his work.

One passage that came to my attention, was when, Charlie and his doctors went to the convention in Chicago. Mr. Nemur treated Charlie like a guinea pig, rather than a human being. This made a big impression on me to think about other people's feelings, because what I may say could be hurtful to the other person. The way Charlie acted after Mr. Nemur treated him for who was and not who he is, made him run away with algernon. “ It may sound like ingratitude, but that is one of the things I resent here, the attitude that I am a guinea pig. Nemur’s constant references to having made me what I am, or that someday there will be others like me who will become real humans beings” (keys, 145). This passage made me feel really