Flowers For Algernon Essay Questions

Out of the population of the United States, only 0.13% of them have a low IQ score (“IQ and Educational Needs”), however, the intense pain and injustice they will have to endure is much more than what most people receive. In the short story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur choose Charlie, a 37-year-old man with an IQ score of 68, as the human test subject in a heighten intelligence experiment. As a person with a very low IQ score, it is very hard for Charlie to live in this world, so when Ms. Kinnian, his educator, introduces him to the procedure, he embraces it willingly and hopes it will change his life for the better. The experiment changes his life as he intends, but it also shifts his perspective on the

Besides that, Charlie is a good choice for Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss' human test subject because the experiment aids Charlie in achieving his overall goal of getting more intelligence, and improves his understanding of the world. Charlie does not regret taking part in the experiment even at the end of the story. Charlie is an excellent choice for the human test subject because he gets to be smart, which helps him achieve his long-term goal. Charlie states at the beginning of the story that he “want[s] to be smart” (Keyes 182). His desire to become smart encourages him to write all of his detail progress reports. He also did a brain operation although he fears it. Because of how sluggish and difficult it is for him to understand what other people are saying due to his low IQ, he wants to be smarter so it could be easier for him to communicate with others. In other words, he can not understand the hidden meanings beneath others' words. Equally important, his

Charlie is “glad [that he] got a second chanse to be smart” (Keyes 209). He sees the experiment's outcome as an opportunity to start all over in his life. He feels that a higher intellect will help him start his new life on a positive note and that with a higher intelligence, his life track will climb up and up rather than staying in the same spot no matter how hard he tries. Charlie cherishes the life he have after the experiment, where learning things becomes faster, understanding people's feelings becomes easier, and it takes him no time to think of a solution to a question. Some may argue that Charlie will die soon, however, his death do not simply mean it is not worth it to do the experiment because the experiment brought him one of his greatest memories in life. Through the experiment, Charlie “lerned a lot of things… and [he is] grateful that [he] saw it all for a littel bit” (Keyes 209). Without the surgery, Charlie might die one day without fully understanding what transpires in his life. Although his death comes earlier, the memories and experiences of him as an intelligent person will stick in his head forever. The process is way more important than the result, so even if Charlie dies one day, he is not going to regret doing the experiment because it gives him the abilities, intelligence, and love he will never understand without the