“Flowers for Algernon”
Persuasive essay “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes is a science fiction story about a mentally impaired man who was given the chance to fix himself. Charlie Gordon, the mentally impaired man, should not have had the surgery done to him. The opportunist doctors did not care about Charlie, and only used him for their personal gain. Once Charlie became a genius, he realized the inconceivable sacrifice he made by letting the operation be tested on him. Since the doctors mislead Charlie by not telling him the hazards of the surgery he might have terrible consequences. After all, since Charlie had the chance to die, the decision to have the surgery was a dreadful one. Charlie Gordon was already an outcast in society,
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Nemur and Dr. Strauss Charlie was disposable, and only used for their personal gain and advancements in the operation. The institute thought Charlie was a good person to test on, because he had no one to care and look out for him. Also, even though Charlie was a human being, he was viewed equal to lab mice. Charlie was not informed about the risks and consequences the surgery could bring upon him, which led him to thinking life would be impeccable. The doctors; opportunists, could have made a logical assumption that Charlie might die because of the other mice they tested on that died. Since the doctors mislead Charlie, he will probably face his own demise as did the other lab …show more content…
It was wrong for the doctors not to tell Charlie the risks of the surgery because one of them was him dying. Charlie realized the horrible mistake he made, and would probably end up paying for it, even though it was the doctor’s fault. Charlie had no regrets for having the surgery done to him, because he achieved his goal of becoming smart. Before Charlie started to regress, he tried to correct what went wrong with the surgery because he was the only one in the institute who could. Charlie knew that he was happier when he was ignorant, because he could not see how cruel the world actually was. Since the doctors mislead Charlie, and Charlie may likely die, the decision to have the surgery was a destructive
The doctors didn’t inform Charlie about the surgery anything what so ever. They didn’t tell him about the risk or what could go wrong doing the procedure. They treated Charlie as a lab rad, which he is not. They had no respect for Charlie or his well being and only cared about their research. Charlie as a patient has the right to be treated as one, not a test subject.
The surgery worked at first, but then he gradually lost his newfound intelligence. Even Though he ended up where he began, his life was very different. Although Charlie had a nice life before the surgery, it allowed him to realize that some parts of his life were different than he thought they were and because of this he was better off after the surgery. Throughout the story Charlie begins to realize that some of his best friends actually are just making fun of him because of his low intelligence.
As the experiment takes an impact, Charlie’s knowledge expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who prepared his surgery. The
Charlie then becomes aware of how severe his mental illness is, making Charlie furious and sour about his operation. This operation has many effects on Charlie that can be argued to be positive or negative. It is considered in the short science fiction story ¨Flowers For Algernon¨ by Daniel Keys that Charlie Gordon was worse off after the operation. It’s proven to be this way as a result of Charlie 's behaviors; mental cost after the experiment/the effects of the surgery compared to the
The doctors did try hard to tell him what was happening and Charlie wanted this operation to happen. But the doctors never really got across the full potential danger this operation could have on Charlie as he did not understand what they were saying. The danger and risk of the operation are other reasons the operation never should have been done. The Ethics of Fieldwork also states “that the benefits should outweigh the risks”. The only benefit of the operation was the temporary intelligence.
Name Professor Institution Course Date Argumentative essay The novel, `` flowers for Algernon’’ is an exciting fictional story. The main character in the novel is Charlie who is mentally retarded person who has been involved in a remarkable operation which has led to increase of his I.Q. The story in the novel is too interesting the material in it is so original.
Charlie was a likable person before the operation, all the doctors came to wish him luck: "lots of people who gave me tests came to bring me candy and wish me luck"(314). This shows Charlie was loved and liked by many people in his life before the operation. After the operation, he was not that liked by the doctors who were angry at his unwillingness and for missing two weeks of journal entry's, "Dr.Strauss is very angry at me for not having written any progress reports in two weeks"(329). He also started to lose respect of the doctors after learning they only knew two languages:"I realized Dr.Nemur is not all genius. . . . Dr.Strauss on the other hand might be called a genius, although I feel that his area of knowledge are to limited"(330-1).
I think that Charlie should have the surgery because of these 3 reasons, he is super smart, he realizes a lot more things in life , and that he can power through depression. The first reason that Charlie should have the surgery is that he is
Claire Aguilar-Hwang Mrs. Veitch 2 2/15/18 Endless Possibilities Entering a rocket, risking life, exhilarating adventures waiting. Travelling to the moon, to the endless possibilities in outer space, just like what 37 year old Charlie Gordon feels in the science fiction short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. He has a surgery, risking his life. There are highs and lows waiting for him the minute the surgery is complete.
Although, if Charlie did not have the surgery, he would not have had the experience of becoming super smart. Charlie would agree with me that he did not feel happy with himself that he had the surgery. He decided that he wanted to leave New York because he was so embarrassed about pulling a “Charlie Gordon.” Charlie should not have had the surgery because, before the surgery, he had the motivation to become smart, and after the surgery, he became depressed and realized that the world plus the people in it are
Flowers for Algernon explores themes of ethical dilemmas in scientific research. Charlie Gordon is the first human to undergo an experimental operation to triple his IQ from 68 to 204. His mental capacities dramatically increase, but the consequences are drastic when the operation fails and he regresses. Under Charlie’s circumstances, the operation was unethical. Charlie, mentally disabled, cannot give informed consent.
Flowers for Algernon Argumentative essay Intelligence is a valued aspect to many people, but it can be achieved in options that aren’t labeled “intelligence-altering surgery”. The doctors, Dr.Nemur and Dr. Strauss do not follow the ethics of fieldwork. They chose the wrong person, Charlie Gordon, to do the surgery on, and didn’t wait to find out that the side-effects include death. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, the doctors made a bad choice by choosing Charlie Gordon for the intelligence-altering surgery.
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
The novel Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes effectively explores the complex human experiences of disability and the impact that it has on individuals and society through its three major themes; Self-realisation , Alienation and loneliness and treatment of the mentally disabled by society. Through these themes this response will highlight the difficulties experienced by people with disabilities and the people in their lives. The first theme in Flowers for Algernon is self-realisation. Charlie’s new found knowledge has allowed him to have the ability to voice his needs and wants for understanding, acceptance, and love.
He also became bitter which made him all alone without friends or family at the end of the story. The surgery was a disturbing encounter physical and intellectually and just caused Charlie to feel isolated. If the knowledge was permanent the surgery could have