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Summary: Punctuation, is? fun!
Review: Using a highly original and intriguing premise, Daniel Keyes shed light on America's mentally challenged population with Flowers for Algernon. The novel consists of the journal of Charlie Gordon, a retarded adult selected for a experimental surgical procedure meant to increase his intelligence. Charlie is gleeful at the opportunity to become as smart as an average adult. But, as the experiment succeeds (and the narration's sloppy English slowly becomes more scholarly), Charlie's broadening comprehension and maturing emotions leave him prey to new hardships, such as the revelation that he is an object of mockery at the bakery where he sweeps floors, moral disagreement with the doctors who designed the experiment and a need to understand the parents who had forsaken him years ago. These complications lead to a few instances where Keyes seems unsatisfied with developing a tremendously interesting sci-fi concept and grapples with vague, inconsistent philosophical ideas. Still, the author deserves acclaim for his significant skill for character development, compelling insight into this almost invisible portion of the population and stunning originality.
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Summary: Flowers for Algernon
Review: Flowers for Algernon, written by Daniel Keyes, is a fictional account of a mentally retarded man's operation to increase his intelligence, and the eventual regression into ignorance as the effects of the experiment fade. Charlie Gordon is a mentally handicapped man whose life has been filled with harsh mocking, and he has struggled to become intelligent. He undertakes an experimental operation to reverse his retardation and make him intelligent. The experiment is a success, but side effects begin to become apparent, and he slowly begins regressing back to his former state of mind. The novel is written in a diary format from Charlie's point of view, and includes his experiences with friends, love, and life. It is a memorable tale of courage shown by this man who wants to be smart his whole life, and when he is finally given intelligence it begins to slip away. I now feel that I have a new understanding for the mentally retarded, realizing now that even though they may not comprehend as well as others, they still have emotions and feelings. The story is very moving as Charlie must observe his own regression, knowing fully that he will lose all of the information he has gathered. It presents an interesting argument of whether it is better to be blindly satisfied and ignorant, but never experience the world in full, or to be obtain the intelligence that one searches for their entire life only to have it taken away. Overall this book is an interesting story of one man's search for his true self in intelligence and ignorance.
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Summary: school made me read it
Review: Even though my 7th grade Language arts Teacher made me read Flowers for algernon, I think that it's a great book. I would reccomend it to all of those kids that are 12 and over, for there is some "unappropriatness" for little kids in it. All in all, Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a GREAT BOOK!!!!!!!!!!
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Summary: Flowers for Algernon
Review: Flowers for Algernon is an awesome book! The way Daniel Keyes wrote like Charly would write before turning into a genius was interesting. Changing from retarded to a genius in a matter of two weeks is amazing. I like the way Mr. Keyes went in depth in describing the way Charly felt about his teacher, Ms. Kinnian. (...) It was extremely compelling.
I loved this book, and I would recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: Flowers for Algernon
Review: Buy this book! I recently finished Flowers for Algernon and I was blown away. It is a very strange but successful mix of science and human relations. Charlie is a mentally retarded man who works in a bakery and greets life with a positive attitude despite his restrictions. Having a chance to "better" himself and become smarter, Charlie takes place in a scientific experiment along with a mouse called Algernon (hence the title). As his knowledge becomes enhanced he also learns new adversities that creep up such as the realization of the cruelty of others. Soon after Charlie gains brain power, he falls in love and learns to deals with life on his own. Charlie's experience is told through a series of progress reports he was told to make by the head scientists.
This novel gave me a smack in the face about the reality that people are constantly prejudiced against for things beyond their control. Open this book and the interesting writing style the author uses just compells you to find out more. And you'll have to read the book, because I'm not giving away any more!
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Summary: Brilliant and Innovative
Review: I read this novel after performing in the one-act play based on the short story. I must say I found this to be a fascinating and enthralling novel. I was especially amused at how Daniel Keyes wrote the from Charlie's perspective by starting off with incredibly bad spelling and slowly progressing in sophistication. I think part of the novel's power is its tragic ending in which we learn we are what we are and there are some things we just can't change--we just learn to live with them.
I like the books that make you alter the way you look at society and the individual. Notice how before the operation Charlie was so good-natured but as a certified genius he becomes bitter, resentful and frustrated (yes, we geniuses have such a hard life). I could go on and on about this novel but it would be so much more meaningful (and a heck of a lot less boring) to read it yourself. So hop to it!
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Summary: Flowers For Algernon
Review: This book is about a man and a mouse. The man's name is
Charlie Gordon. And the mouses name is Algernon. Charlie is not
that bright . He went from retardation to genius. The whole book
is base on his journal. The way charlie went from retart to genius is he had a operation.
Before they did the operation on charlie tey did it on
a mouse. Which is Algernon. Algernon was a genius too.
BECAUSE he had he same opertion as charlie did. At the end
charlie and algernon... Well I'll letyou figure that out for yourself. I love reading this book. You will too if you read it.
Thank You
Ricky
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Summary: Very touching
Review: Charlie Gordon's "progris riports" make up the majority of the text in Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon. In his early thirties, mentally challenged Charlie works at a bakery, cleaning up and running errands. The only thing that Charlie has ever wanted in life is for people to like him. He thinks that if he were smart, people would want to be his friend. Charlie tries hard to learn how to read and write, but it is a long, ongoing process. Charlie decides to take part in a study conducted by some professors at the school he attends. The experiment involves Charlie's having an extraordinary brain operation that will help him to become extremely intelligent. After the operation, Charlie's new IQ helps him to understand how common it is for people to be cruel to others. Charlie soon realizes that all his life, people have been laughing at him, not with him. As Charlie becomes smarter, vivid memories of his childhood begin to disturb him. Unfortunately, after a few months Charlie's intelligence begins to fade and he regresses to a worse mental state than before the experiment.
This book truthfully portrays how people treat others different from themselves and how unkind we can be to each other. This book gives us a glimpse of what it feels like to be made fun of and looked down upon by others.
Unfortunately, this book is on the Banned Book List. Censors claim that "explicit love scenes were distasteful." It also contains limited profanity and references to drinking. I believe that these scenes are essential to understanding how Charlie is progressing mentally as well as emotionally. They also are necessary to help us understand the characters' personalities. I feel certain that eight graders and above would be able to handle this book. I would certainly recommend it to adults as well as mature young people.
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Summary: A fuller appreciation for our own life
Review: This work is only superficially science fiction. It is actually a human story of great power that uses science merely as a means to explore themes like pain and loss, alienation, society's prejudice for intelligence, and our innate fear of mental deterioration.Throughout this work, the author must improvise. Consider what he has to overcome. Keyes is telling, in the first person, the story of a mentally retarded man, and he must convey his character's universe to readers who, by virtue of being readers, are far from retarded. The author also has to bring his character through an immense intellectual range, from a barely functional literacy to a genius level mind, and he has to do so not only incrementally, but honestly and believably. There are many other nuances that Keyes handles deftly, but the two already mentioned would sink the average author as he leaves dry dock. We all remember the bell shaped grade school plot diagram - the one wherein Mrs. Frump shows us the story starting at the bottom, rising to its climax, then down again to some strange French province called the "dénouement". Almost every story we have since read has conformed to this plot design. But how many stories apply this curve not to the plot, but to its central character? This is the secret to Keyes's achievement. We are invited into Charlie Gordon's mind and our sense of his world expands as his mind expands, until we can't tell if the quickening pace of the thoughts are Charlie's or our own. What a wonderful device. It seems unfair to even call it a "device" - as if it were something the author uses to con us. Add to this Charlie's emotional journey, and the story grips with rare poignancy. There is one stipulation. To live and breathe as Charlie, one must be willing to accept the book's device, immerse oneself in its first person perspective, and go along for the ride. Readers who approach their reading with a reserved detachment will find this book manipulative. It IS manipulative, but in the way that all good fiction is: the author is guiding us to undiscovered country. The author never pummels his message nor engages in easy sentimentality. If you are the sort of reader who can chip off your encrusted cynicism for an afternoon and let Charlie Gordon in under your skin, you will appreciate this story as one of still reflection and quiet pity. It will give you a fuller appreciation for your own life. As a postscript, a film titled "Charly" was made based on this novel starring Cliff Robertson in the named role. Robertson won an Oscar for his portrayal of the central character. In its abridged way, this film is almost as good as the book, and gives a different slant to Charlie's life.
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Summary: The book that changes your outlook on life
Review: Flowers for Algernon is about Charles Gordon, a man in his early 30's who is one of the more bright retards. Written from Charles point of view, this book is full of Progress Reports; full of Charles' thoughts and feelings. After his operation, we begin to see him as he progresses with his intelligence. We begin to see that, as Charles gets more intelligent, and the more he begins to understand his surroundings, and the people he thought were his friends were making fun of him; he becomes more irrational, and his thoughts start to focus on his studies more than on his surroundings. I believe this to be true of all of us; the more intelligence we receive, the more detached we become of our friends and family, feeling that all small conversation is lost, and that long, deep conversation are lost on them, for they do not understand. It becomes astonishingly evident as we progress - along with Charles - through this book, that society outcasts its retards along with its more intelligent individuals. Society laughs at the slower ones, seeing them not as human beings, but as carpets they can wipe their feet on as they pass by them; while fearing the more intelligent: whether the ones with more education will steal their jobs, or that when they are talking with these human beings, they feel inferior. Either way, they expect more of the underlings, and look for the overlings to fall. You gain awareness - as with Charles - that he is gradually losing his intelligence, as the end of the book comes into play. After Charles becomes smart enough to hold his own in a conversation, he begins to see women in a whole different light; beautiful, loving women, with incredible bodies. He falls in love with his old teacher, and she reciprocates his love in the full form. But, his inner Charles ( the old Charles, the retarded Charles) will not let him get near to his one love, he is too afraid and panics. As his love for women moves along and passes, he gradually, but more evidently begins to lose his intelligence, although he tries with surprising vigor to maintain it. This book is a very good for your self-conscience and inner child. After you finish this book, take a look at yourself, and how you take for granted each day that you can read and write. As you take advantage each day of your life by not reading just once! I've been in the mind of one less intelligent than myself, and I loath myself for not taking advantage of the books and education that was put in front of me. Their is a million worlds out their that we can enter into, but we choose not to; pioneers have paved that road for us, it takes our determination to enter onto that road and travel it until the end, then at the end of that road, enter into the next one, and follow through with it until the end.
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