FlowerFlowers for s for

AlgernAlgernonon

by Daniel by Daniel KeyesKeyes

Central QuestionsCentral Questions• Does intelligence hold the key to happiness or

peace of mind?• What would happen if it

was possible to artificially increase

someone’s intelligence?

“ “How strange it is that people of How strange it is that people of honest feelings and sensibility, honest feelings and sensibility, who would not take advantage of who would not take advantage of a man born without arms or legs a man born without arms or legs or eyes – how such people think or eyes – how such people think nothing of abusing a man born nothing of abusing a man born with low intelligence.”with low intelligence.”

Daniel KeyesDaniel Keyes• Daniel Keyes is a resident of Southern

Florida. Born in New York, he joined the U.S. Maritime Service at seventeen and went to sea as ship's purser. After Keyes left the sea, he resumed his studies at Brooklyn College where he received his B.A. Degree in psychology.

• He has been employed as an associate fiction editor, a fashion photographer, and school teacher, and a Professor of English and American literature Ohio University.

• Keyes' award-winning first novel Flowers for Algernon was published in 1966 and has never gone out of print. It has been widely translated and is studied in schools and colleges around the world.

Anticipation Guide – Do You Anticipation Guide – Do You Agree or Disagree?Agree or Disagree?

1. Intelligence makes a person more likeable.2. Mentally handicapped people cannot hold a

job.3.  A real friend is someone who would never

make fun of you.4.  Rats are smart animals.5.  The more you read the smarter you become.6.  A person’s IQ tells how much knowledge a

person has.7.  The more intelligence a person has, the less

worries they have.8.  Surgery can fix almost any problem these

days.9.  People should be paid based on their IQ

rather than how well they do their job.10. Animal testing is okay as long as the animal

doesn’t die.11.  If money wasn’t an issue, I would have an

operation to change something I don’t like about myself.

Parts of the Brain Parts of the Brain • Frontal Lobe-

associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving

• Parietal Lobe- associated with movement, orientation, recognition, perception of stimuli

• Occipital Lobe- associated with visual processing

• Temporal Lobe- associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory, and speech

Brain ScansBrain Scans

RorschacRorschach Testh Testanalyzing aanalyzing a

personalitypersonality

based onbased on

inkblotinkblot

designsdesigns

Rorschach TestRorschach Test

Rorschach Rorschach TestTest

Take a look at the Take a look at the following inkblots following inkblots

and write down what and write down what you see.you see.

Can you say Irish Wristwatch fast…..

12

2

3

4

5

Rorschach Test – Wasted Rorschach Test – Wasted Ink??Ink??

Once deemed an “x-ray of the mind,” the Rorschach inkblot test remains the most famous—and infamous—personality test. An examiner hands ten inkblots one at a time to a viewer, who says what each blot resembles. Five blots contain color; five are black and gray. Responses to the inkblots are suppose to reveal a person’s personality and mental health. Advocates believe, for instance, that references to moving animals—such as the dinosaurs mentioned above—often indicate impulsiveness, whereas allusions to a blot’s “blackness”—as in the spaceship—often indicate depression. Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach debuted the test in 1921 and it became very popular by 1945. The test has been criticized because researchers found that psychologists often interpreted the same responses differently. Even though the results might be questionable, the test is still used by today’s psychologists.

“ “It looks like two dinosaurs It looks like two dinosaurs with huge heads and tiny with huge heads and tiny bodies. They’re moving bodies. They’re moving

away from each other but away from each other but looking back. The black looking back. The black

blob in the middle reminds blob in the middle reminds me of a spaceship.” me of a spaceship.”

Thematic Thematic Apperception TestApperception Test

The TAT is a personality test. The subject looks at a series of 30 pictures and is asked to make up a dramatic story for each one, including:

• what has led up to the event shown • what is happening at the moment • what the characters are feeling and

thinking, and • what the outcome of the story was.

Mazes

Sample Sample TAT TAT

PicturesPictures

What has lead up to the event?

What is happening?

What are the characters feeling?

What is the outcome?

Verbal Verbal Rorschach TestRorschach TestAnswer “yes” or “no” Answer “yes” or “no”

to the following to the following statements.statements.

I salivate (mouth I salivate (mouth waters) at the sight waters) at the sight

of mittens.of mittens.

My father was My father was

a good woman.a good woman.

I often lie to make I often lie to make myself obnoxious.myself obnoxious.

I prefer spiders to I prefer spiders to lima beans.lima beans.

Chiclets make me Chiclets make me sweat.sweat.

Boredom excites Boredom excites me.me.

Eggplants make me Eggplants make me blush.blush.

Weeping brings Weeping brings tears to my eyes.tears to my eyes.

I believe I smell as I believe I smell as good as most good as most

people.people.

Halitosis is part Halitosis is part

of my style.of my style.

I would never tell I would never tell my nickname in a my nickname in a

crisis.crisis.

I always let people I always let people get ahead of me at get ahead of me at swimming pools.swimming pools.

Santa rarely Santa rarely answers my answers my

letters.letters.

Sitting in the glove Sitting in the glove compartment compartment

makes me makes me claustrophobic.claustrophobic.

It is hard for me to find It is hard for me to find the right thing to say the right thing to say when I am sitting in a when I am sitting in a

room full of room full of cockroaches.cockroaches.

I am tired of being I am tired of being elected President.elected President.

I believe in I believe in Cincinnati.Cincinnati.

I have an I have an uncontrollable urge uncontrollable urge

to touch people’s to touch people’s teeth.teeth.

The three greatest The three greatest men who ever lived men who ever lived

were Eleanor were Eleanor Roosevelt.Roosevelt.

When I look down When I look down

from a high place, from a high place,

I want to spit.I want to spit.

Most of the time I Most of the time I go to sleep without go to sleep without saying “good-bye.”saying “good-bye.”

VocabularyVocabulary1. impair – to make or cause to become worse2. absurd – obviously senseless, laughably

foolish3. vacuous – lacking in ideas or intelligence,

empty4. introspective – examining one’s own mind

and feelings5. hypothesis – a possibility, theory, educated

guess6. opportunist – one who takes advantage of

an opportunity without regard for anyone’s feelings or consequences

7. regression – a return to a less-perfect state.8. shrew – an animal resembling a mouse but

having a long pointed snout and small eyes and ears.

9. psychology - The science that deals with mental processes and behavior

Match each vocabulary word to Match each vocabulary word to the correct picture.the correct picture.

Major CharactersMajor Characters• Charlie Gordon• Alice Kinnian• Fay Lillman• Rose Gordon• Matt Gordon• Norman Gordon• Harold Nemur• Jay Strauss

Will you take the “smart drugs”?

• What personal goals could you achieve by becoming a genius?

• What drawbacks might there be to becoming a genius in such a short time?

• How might others including your friends, family and schoolmates react to your new intelligence?

• Can you think of anyone famous who is a genius? Would you want to take their place? Why or why not?

Irony• Irony is the contrast between the way

things seem and the way they really are.

• In situational irony a character expects one outcome but the opposite occurs.

• In dramatic irony the reader or audience has important information that the character does not have.

Journal

• What is your opinion of the experiment? Be specific with the pros and cons.

Advantage or Advantage or Disadvantage??Disadvantage??

Create A Venn DiagramCreate A Venn Diagram

Charlie Before Surgery

Charlie After Surgery

Rewrite these excerpts, correctly Rewrite these excerpts, correctly using appropriate punctuation using appropriate punctuation

marks in the appropriate places.marks in the appropriate places. “You got to mix them up, she showed?

me” how. to mix! them) up,. and now; I can! mix up all kinds” of punctuation, in writing? There, are lots! Of rules? to learn; but im getting’g them in my head.

One thing I? Like about, Dear Miss Kinnian:

(that’s the way it goes in a business letter if I ever

go into business) is she, always gives me’ a reason” when—I ask. She’s a gen’ius! I wish I cou’d be smart” like, her; (Punctuation, is; fun!)”

True or False?True or False?1. _____ Charlie does not understand the purpose of the “Raw

Shok” test.2. _____ Charlie is a hard worker and is conscience about how he

performs.3. _____ Both scientists thoroughly agree to select Charlie for the

operation.4. _____ Charlie is not scared about the operation.5. _____ After surgery, the change is immediate.6. _____ Algernon had the same procedure as Charlie.7. _____ Charlie’s friends at work are excited about the “change”

in Charlie.8. _____ Before the surgery, Charlie was unaware of the cruelty

he faced.9. _____ Charlie is aware of his deterioration after the surgery.10. _____ Charlie becomes a genius at one point.11. _____ At the story’s end, Charlie has kept most of his “genius”

status.12. _____ Charlie feels sorry for himself and wants others to feel

sorry, as well.13. _____ Charlie remembers being a genius.14. _____ Charlie regresses back to his “old” self.

Final QuestionsFinal Questions1. How did having little or no intelligence affect Charlie’s

feelings, emotions, and perceptions?2. Why did Miss Kinnian feel that Charlie was the best

candidate for the operation?3. Why were Charlie and Algernon subjected to the same

tests?4. How did the operation affect Charlie’s intelligence and

his personality?5. How did the operation affect Charlie’s relationship with

people surrounding him?6. How did the doctors know that the operation was not

going to be permanently successful?7. Why might an intelligence-altering operation be

unethical or risky?8. Why did the doctors not want Charlie to see Algernon

after the surgery?9. How did Charlie’s friends react to his becoming

smarter?10. How was knowing what the outcome would be difficult

for Charlie?

The Movie VersionThe Movie Version

• Cliff Robertson won an "Oscar" for his performance in the movie version of Flowers for Algernon, "CHARLY."