“Flowers for Algernon” Argumentative Essay “Flowers for Algernon”, written by Daniel Keyes, is a touching composition that portrayed hope for a mentally impaired man, Charlie Gordon. However, the operation to increase his intelligence failed, with devastating consequences. Undoubtedly, the operation should not have been performed on Charlie for a number of reasons. First of all, it introduced him to the inhumane society that he lived in. Secondly, he was treated as if he was an experiment, not a human being.
Charlie discovered that the operation was only temporary which means he contributed to science. Readers may argue that charlie 's surgery was a bad idea. Charlie being smart was only temporary. However, in the time period that he was smart he developed new feelings such as love, anger, and hate. “... I was angry at first when Dr. Strauss told me I was giving Dr. Nemer a complex.”
“Flowers for Algernon” Argumentative Essay In the story “Flowers for Algernon”, written by Daniel Keyes, a mentally challenged, thirty-seven year old man named Charlie Gordon received a once in a lifetime opportunity- he may be able to triple his intelligence. The experiment- which was not tested on humans- was run by two doctors: Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss. The medical professionals were opportunists and would try anything for the experiment to work- even permanently subdue humans. Charlie dreamed that his chance to be an average, intelligent man would arrive.
For example, on page 299, “I felt sick inside as I looked at his dull, vacuous smile, the wide bright eyes of a child, uncertain but easy to please. And I had been laughing at him too. Suddenly, I was furious at myself and all those who were laughing at him.” Here, Charlie was realizing that people were mean and rude to people who weren’t like them. That people looked down to people who were different than them or not as smart.
The people he thought he trusted fell in the same group as all the other nobody in his life that just brought him down into a repeating cycle of hate and so much more that he can now see. Charlie uses the word “dumb” as if it's the opposite of standard society in a way and when people in general refer to the word dumb they have negative influences and Charlie is portraying this thought as one of his own because he has heard it so many times he's beginning to believe it himself. To succeed in life if you have enough determination it doesn’t matter whether or not you have the intelligence for it. Nothing worth putting time into will ever be easy because life is about giving 110% towards what means most to
Also, he gains visual intelligence when finally seeing a image on a card. But after the surgery he becomes depressed because the surgery was not the dramatic break of a man becoming a genius with a surgery. He pushes everyone away he loved due to the operation being a failure. After the surgery Charlie realized that his friends were making fun of him. Which makes him question if his friends are really truly friends.
Flowers for Algernon Argumentative Essay In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon made a disastrous mistake; proceeding with the operation to raise his IQ. The surgery backfired on Charlie in numerous ways. One of the reasons being, Charlie learned that who he thought were his close friends did not appreciate him.
Charlie had this incredible desire to be smart. He wanted to be intelligent he wanted to be accepted into society. The drive he had to be someone to himself is what took to where he need to go. He was the one who took himself to night school. He is the one got himself a job at the factory.
However, after the surgery, Charlie finds intelligence was a nice treat but was far from an importance in life and only took him away from what truly mattered. One could believe Charlie was wrong to undergo the surgery because of the side effects that came with the surgery such as physical and emotional instability, and amnesia, the depresion it came with, and how he lost all of his friends and loved ones with his extreme intelligence. First off, one reason Charlie should not have gotten the surgery is the depression and suicidal thoughts it came with for
Charlie found out how to scrutinize, write, prabble, and understand people better than he ever could. Charlie gets so smart that he
He accomplished what many scientists take lifetime’s to do, in a few short weeks. Evidence of this is represented by this quote,”Dr. Strauss thinks that I’m working too hard. Dr.Nemur says I’m trying to cram a lifetime worth of research into a few weeks,”(Keyes, 238). As the quote clearly states, Charlie devoted his short time, as his intelligent self, to try to solve the great mysteries of science.
There were many side effects, but the doctors had told Charlie. Charlie happily agreed, unknowingly running to his doom. Charlie's doctor's had acted unethically when they had preformed the operation to increase Charlie's intelligence. Charlie's doctors, Dr Strauss and Dr Nemur, had failed to fully examine the effects the operation would have on Charlie.
His motivation doesn’t change because of his intelligence because that is who Charlie truly is as a person. Charlie is a person who strives to be accepted by the people he is
Charlie should have this operation because he doesn’t understand life as much as everyone else does. He got this little sense of, “Wow, I really had no clue what learning, love, and life was like. Now I do!” and that motivated him to become smarter. Charlie had to race against a mouse named Algernon who also had the experiment.
When Charlie becomes intelligent, it teaches the reader that all of that hard work was worth it, and it had bred an immense amount of success. This a great time for the reader to really learn this lesson and see it in effect because this story makes you happy for Charlie’s accomplishments. It gives you the perspective that nobody is ever a lost cause, and they can be the change they want to see in themselves. This story is also extremely emotional, it makes the reader really sad when Algernon and Charlie begin to deteriorate. It again teaches the reader to be grateful for what they have when they have it, because you never truly appreciate something until it has been taken away from you.