Flowers for Algernon by: Daniel Keyes

Cornell Notes/AOL Study Guide

PP. 33-63 Elements of Literature

Trimble-spring 2011

Reading 8

Subplots • A minor plot that

relates in some way

to the major story

– Always has some elements

in common with the main plot, such as characters or setting

– Less important than main plot

Parallel

Episodes

• Repetition of certain elements of the plot

Example:

• fairy tales that have three parallel episodes like when Goldilocks tries the bears’ beds three times to see which one is just right

Vocabulary 1. Misled

2. Tangible

3. Refute

4. Invariably

5. Regression

6. Verified

7. Obscure

8. Deterioration

9. Hypothesis

10.Introspective

Misled • verb

• fooled; led to believe something wrong.

• Joe and Frank

misled Charlie into

thinking they were

his friends.

Tangible • adjective

• capable of being seen or felt.

• An early tangible

benefit of Charlie's

operation was his

improved skill at

spelling.

Refute • verb

• prove wrong using evidence.

• Charlie used his

research to refute the

work of Drs. Nemur

and Strauss

Invariably

• adverb

• always.

• Charlie’s co-workers invariably laughed at his mistakes

Verified • verb

• confirmed.

• Charlie wanted the

results of his

research verified

by other scientists

Obscure • verb

• hide.

• Charlie wanted to

obscure the fact that

he was losing his

intelligence

Deterioration • n. used as adj.

• worsening; decline.

• Because of his

mental

deterioration,

Charlie could

no longer read

German.

Hypothesis • noun

• theory to be proved.

• The doctors’

hypothesis was

that they could

improve

intelligence

through surgery.

Introspective

• adjective

• looking inward.

• Charlie kept an

introspective

journal of his

thoughts and

feelings.

Exit Ticket Response:

• Please respond to the following questions in complete sentences. Be

sure to read the second part of the prompt and reply accordingly.

• Would you rather be the smartest person in school, or the most popular? Please explain your choice.

Synopsis

• Charlie Gordon:

– Mentally impaired

– Undergoes surgery to improve intelligence

– Social and scientific problems persist

drawing

conclusions

• From Charlie’s report, what do you think he is supposed to do on the Rorschach test?

• What does Charlie’s reaction to the test reveal about him?

P.35- plot

• Describe the

main character in

this story.

• What conflict

does he face as

the story opens?

Series of related events in a story.

Exposition: introduces the characters

and their conflicts

The main character is a mentally

impaired 37 year old man. More

than anything he wants to be smart.

He hopes to be chosen by doctors

for a procedure that may increase

his intelligence.

P. 36-Subplot

• What do Charlie

and Algernon

have in common

and what do you

think their

relationship may

be?

• This is the first

appearance of

Algernon.

Algernon and Charlie

may be subjects of

the same experiment.

Algernon and Charlie

may compete

throughout the story.

P. 36-Conflict

• What is the first

major hurdle

Charlie must

overcome? How

is it resolved?

Charlie wants desperately to be chosen for a procedure that will make him more intelligent. It is resolved when he is selected.

P.37-Foreshadowing

• Why might

the author

have

included the

bad luck

omen at this

point in the

story?

Experiment might fail/the success of the operation is a much a matter of luck as anything else.

P. 37-Subplots

• Note about subplot/parallel

episodes

• Describe

Charlie’s feelings

about Algernon at

this point in the

story.

The subplot of Algernon will parallel the main plot involving Charlie. Charlie views Algernon as a competitor.

P. 37-Infer

• Why does

Charlie

want so

badly to be

smart?

• Charlie knows he’s different from other people…all he wants is to be like them.

• He wants to be respected as he sees intelligent people are.

• He believes being intelligent will help him understand the world around him.

P. 38-

Parallel episodes

• This is the first time

that Charlie has

raced Algernon or

taken tests since

the operation.

What do these

events indicate

about the outcome

of the procedure?

Charlie loses to Algernon, indicating his intelligence hasn’t increased. However, his attitude towards testing seems to have changed-he no longer fears tests rather he resents them.

P.39-

Subplots

• What do Dr.

Strauss’s

comments about

Algernon

indicate about

Charlie’s own

prospects for

improvement?

• They suggest there is still hope that the procedure will be a success.

• Algernon’s progress

was slow. • It is encouraging

that Algernon’s improvement may be permanent.

P. 39-

Character

• What can you tell about Charlie from his laughing at his own ridicule and his certainty that these men are really his friends?

• Charlie is unable to evaluate situations accurately.

• Charlie is eager to

have friends and he mistakes attention for affection.

P.39-

Speculate

• Why do

other factory

workers

make fun of

Charlie?

• Making fun of Charlie makes them feel superior; some may see Charlie as not wholly human.

In-Class Response: (Write your responses directly in your Flowers for

Algernon Cornell Notes)….

• What has changed about Charlie since the first progress report? Do these character changes affect any of the subplots of the story to this point?

• What do you think will happen to Charlie’s relationships with these two men as the story progresses?

P.41-Parallel

episodes

• How does this episode with Algernon differ from previous ones?

• What does it indicate about Charlie?

• For the first time, Charlie beats Algernon in the maze test.

• This indicates the

procedure is working.

P. 41-

Subplots

• What might

Miss Kinnian

have to be

scared of

when she

sees Charlie?

She might be scared about what the Doctors have done to Charlie; its scary to see someone you know begin to change so drastically.

P. 42-

Subplots

• Why doesn’t

Charlie need

to race

Algernon

anymore?

• Charlie’s intelligence has reached a level where competing with the mouse is no longer a challenge.

• Charlie sees

Algernon as more of a pet at this point.

P.43-Parallel

episodes

• How do Charlie’s feelings about his drinking episode differ from the earlier one?

• Charlie is more self-aware and recognizes how gullible and trusting he has been.

• Charlie feels ashamed

because he realizes he is an object of ridicule to people he considered his “friends”.

In-Class Response:

• Remember…before beginning “Flowers for Algernon” we discussed whether we would prefer to be the most popular or the most intelligent person.

Continuing on your notes….

• Now, explain what makes a popular person? Meaning, what qualities does a popular person possess?

• Does Charlie have any of these qualities?

P. 45-Parallel

episodes

• How is Charlie different from the way he was the first time he took the Rorschach test?

Charlie is now angry and suspicious; before, he was eager to please and bewildered. Now, he thinks for himself and understands what the test itself is all about.

P. 45-Parallel

episodes

• How has Charlie’s attitude about lying changed from the last time he took the test?

Before the surgery he never lied because he always got caught. Now, he realizes (with a certain sense of wonder) the potential for lying without getting caught.

P.46-

Subplots

• What kind of feelings

does Charlie seems to be developing for Miss Kinnian?

• The fact that Charlie had to get up his nerve to invite Miss Kinnian to dinner suggests he’s developing a more complicated (perhaps romantic) attachment to his teacher.

P.46-

Subplots

• One of the ongoing subplots in this story is Charlie’s relationship with his two doctors. Do the doctors seem to have Charlie’s best interest at heart?

• What does Charlie’s reaction to his encounter with the doctors suggest about how he is changing?

• The doctor’s appear to be more concerned with petty disputes and personal glory than with Charlie’s well-being.

• Charlie’s awareness of

the doctors’ motives shows his growing ability to perceive and analyze complex situations.

P.47-

Interpret

• Identify the figurative language that Miss Kinnian uses.

• What does it suggest about her intelligence?

• She compares a learner to a “giant sponge” and branches of learning to “steps on a giant ladder.”

• Neither simile is very

poetic or original, but the concepts convey suggest Miss Kinnian is of above-average intelligence and wise.

P.48-

Foreshadowing

• What do Miss Kinnian’s remarks suggest about Charlie’s future?

• What might she be frightened of?

• Miss Kinnian might be worried that Charlie’s increasing intelligence won’t bring him happiness, that he won’t like what he finds when he understands more of the world around him.

• She’s frightened that the experiment will end in failure.

P.49-

Subplots

• How does this episode

with Fanny Girden

differ from earlier

episodes with Charlie’s

coworkers?

• What effect does this

episode have on the

conflict Charlie faces

as a result of his

operation?

• Fanny is not teasing or making fun of Charlie. She is a fair-minded and plain-spoken person who nevertheless dislikes and fears the change in Charlie.

• Because Fanny likes Charlie and

refused to sign the petition, her judgment of what’s happened to him as “not right” emphasizes his isolation from everyone, including people who might otherwise be his allies.

Part 1: Reading Check

a. What is the operation meant to do for Charlie?

b. Why does Dr. Strauss think Charlie would be a good subject for the experiment?

c. Who is Algernon? What happens when Charlie first races Algernon?

d. What are some signs that Charlie is changing now that he’s had the operation?

Respond in your notes:

• As a continuation of your notes…

• Re-read the last few lines in Part 1 on page 49.

• What do you think about people who

dislike others who are different from them?

P.51-

Irony

• What is ironic

about Dr.

Strauss’s

reminder? pa

Before the operation, Charlie was able to write only in simple sentences; now he is so smart that he must remember to write simply so that his complicated thoughts can be understood.

P.53-

Subplots

• How has Charlie’s heightened intelligence created difficulties in his relationship with Miss Kinnian?

• pa

Charlie’s intellectual development has surpassed hers. He must be careful to speak to her about topics she can understand.

P.53-

Plot

• What kind of

unexpected

complication

has the

operation

produced for

Charlie?

Rather than bringing him closer to other people, the surgery has left Charlie more isolated than ever.

P.53-Parallel

episodes

• How does the dishwasher’s experience resemble episodes from Charlie’s own life?

• page

Like Charlie at the factory, the dishwasher at the restaurant is an object of amusement and ridicule for others. He is clumsy, confused, and fearful.

P.55-Parallel

episodes

• Note that the change in

Algernon’s behavior may

have deeper implications for

Charlie.

• Speculate about

what is happening

to Algernon and

what this could

mean for Charlie?

Algernon’s intelligence is diminishing. This change suggests that Charlie could also become “disturbed and vicious” or that his operation is destined to fail.

P.55-

Plot

• What

complication

has made

Charlie so

conscious of

time?

Algernon’s regression suggests that Charlie may have little time before he can no longer do research.

P. 56-

Character

• What is

driving

Charlie?

The same force that propelled him to work so hard when he was mentally disabled; a strong desire to succeed. At the moment, however, he realizes that time is probably running out for him.

P.57-

Resolution

• How is the

experiment

involving

Algernon

concluding?

It appears to be a failure. Algernon is deteriorating rapidly. His body is weakening and he is losing memory.

P.58-Parallel

episodes

• How does Charlie’s behavior mirror the behavior of Algernon at an earlier point in the story?

As Algernon begins his decline, he became disturbed, not wanting contact with others. Charlie is the same way.

P.59-Find

details

• What signs

do you see of

Charlie’s

increasing

decline?

He has begun to make mistakes in his writing: he spells because as because and forgets the apostrophe in “Todays Sunday.”

P. 60-

Subplots

• Why

does

Charlie

send

Miss

Kinnian

away?

Although he needs her assistance, Charlie wants to maintain his self-respect. He is embarrassed to have the woman he has loved and respected see him in his deteriorated condition.

P.62-

Irony

• Why is it ironic that Joe Carp and Frank Reilly act as Charlie’s protectors?

• Why do you believe they are acting as his protectors?

Joe and Frank took pleasure in tormenting Charlie when he was previously mentally disabled, so readers won’t expect them to come to Charlie’s aid now.

• Describe and evaluate the story’s ending.

– The story ends with Charlie’s complete regression to being mentally disabled.

• Have all the subplots and “loose ends” been tied up? – He has lost all of his artificially acquired intelligence, yet

he still seeks to improve himself and hopes for success.

• What more do you want to know?

Reading Check: Part II

a. At the beginning of Part 2, what conflicts is Charlie having with the doctors? With himself?

b. How does Charlie react when the boy in the diner drops

the dishes?

c. What does Charlie’s research reveal about the results of the experiment?

d. What are some of the signals that tell you that Charlie's mental state is getting worse?

e. At the end of the story why does Charlie decide to leave New York?

Writing Activity

• Pick a character from the story, other than Charlie, and write one or two separate progress reports from their perspective (1st person). The progress reports should correspond to Charlie’s.

• For instance, what might Miss Kinnian have written the night she and Charlie had dinner? What might Frank Reilly have written the day Charlie returned to work at the factory? – Use your best spelling and grammar

– Each entry should be no less than one paragraph (approx. 8-11 sentences)