Name_____________________________ Eng. Per. ____ HR____

Flowers for AlgernonBy Daniel Keyes

McDougal-Littell Literature pages 188-215

Before Reading:If it were possible, would you want to see what the future holds for you in ten

years… even if you couldn’t change it? Write one benefit of knowing the future as well as one negative.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Daniel Keyes Biography

Daniel Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 9, 1927. He was educated at Brooklyn College, where he received an A.B. degree in 1950. After graduation, Keyes worked briefly as an associate editor for the magazine Marvel Science Fiction while pursuing his own writing career; he later taught high school English in Brooklyn. In 1952, he married Aurea Georgina Vazquez, with whom he had three children. Keyes returned to Brooklyn College, received an A.M. degree in 1961, and went on to teach English on the university level, first at Wayne State University in Detroit. Michigan, and then at Ohio University, where in the 1970s he became Professor of English and director of the university's creative writing center.

Keyes was still teaching high school English when he first published the work that would make his reputation. The original short story version of "Flowers for Algernon" appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1959. After the story won the Hugo Award for best science fiction story of the year and was adapted as a television drama, Keyes expanded the story into a novel, published in 1966. The novel won the Nebula Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America (tying with Samuel R. Delany's Babel-17) and was filmed in 1968 as Charly. The film was a notable success, earning Cliff Robertson an Academy Award as Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie Gordon.

Although none of Keyes' other work has achieved the popular and critical success of Flowers for Algernon, he has continued to write while pursuing a full-time career in English academics. He published two other novels, The Touch (1968) and The Fifth Sally (1980), and the nonfiction works The Minds of Billy Milligan (1981) and Unveiling Claudia: A True Story of a Serial Murder (1986). Both The Minds of Billy Milligan and The Fifth Sally share with Flowers for Algernon a concern with extraordinary psychological states, as both books examine the phenomenon of multiple personalities. Indeed, Keyes was able to write his book on Billy Milligan—the first person in the United States ever acquitted of a major felony on the grounds of multiple personalities—only after several of Milligan's selves read Flowers for Algernon and agreed to work with the author.

Now retired from Ohio University and living in Boca Raton, Florida, Keyes has recently completed a new novel and seen his work attain tremendous popularity in Japan. Daniel Keyes Collected Stories (1993) and The Daniel Keyes Reader (1994), and the sequel to The Minds of Billy Milligan, The Milligun Wars (1993), have all been published in Japan, with The Milligan Wars appearing in a U.S. edition in 1996.

2

Intelligence Quotient Summary (IQ) IQ scores reflect general capacity for performing intellectual tasks, such as solving

verbal and mathematical problems.

IQ Scores & RatingsWhat is a good IQ score?  What is a high IQ score?  What is a low IQ score?  These are

common questions, particularly after someone finds out their score from an IQ test.Lewis Terman (1916) developed the original notion of IQ and proposed this scale for

classifying IQ scores:

Genius 144 0.13%Gifted 130-144 2.14%Above average 115-129 13.59%Higher average 100-114 34.13%Lower average 85-99 34.13%Below average 70-84 13.59%Borderline low 55-69 2.14%Low <55 0.13%

More notes on High IQ and Genius IQ:

Einstein was considered to "only" have an IQ of about 160. Mensa is a society for people with high IQ, in the top 2% (1 in 50).

3

The Rorschach TestThe Rorschach test (pronounced "ror-shock") has been popularized in films and books

for decades, but most people know very little about it. The Rorschach cards themselves are supposed to be kept secret although outlines of them can be found on various websites and in medical texts. (Note that most of the time when you see Rorschach ink-blots in films and books, they are not the real blots.)

Blot Confidentiality The Rorschach ink blots are supposed to remain secret so as not to "pollute" the test

population (people to whom the test is given to). The theory behind the test, created by Hermann Rorschach, is that the test taker's spontaneous or unrehearsed responses reveal deep secrets or significant information about the taker's personality or innermost thoughts. These days most reputable psychologists feel the Rorschach is unreliable at best and dangerously misleading at worst. A few psychologists still believe in it as a valid diagnostic tool, however, despite the availability of more modern, sophisticated personality tests.

Rorschach Test AdministrationThe test giver will rarely if ever give you any guidance; they will instead tell you that

you're free to do whatever you like with the card (flip it, tilt it, lay it down, etc). About 50% of people who take the test do flip or rotate the cards, and the psychologist is supposed to note anything and everything you do with them. It's reported that some psychologists will penalize you (in terms of the results) if you don't turn the cards around or upside-down. All in all, it's a very odd thing to score people on, and the Rorschach is practically the only test that uses a metric like this.

Your Responses According to some psychologists, stating "This is a..." constitutes a "bad" response. You are supposed to know that the cards don't actually represent any recognizable figures, so saying something like "This looks like ..." is considered a more "healthy" response. When you think about it, this preoccupation with literalness is rather silly. No one who says "This is..." in response to a card really thinks that's what the card is actually an image of. If they did they would likely be too mentally disordered to even take the test in the first place.

Some psychologists and psychiatrists feel that tilting the card at an angle is a "bad" response (or at least an "unhealthy" one). Likewise, trying to be a smart-aleck and stating that "This is just an ink blot" is considered a very bad response. Making noises or covering up parts of the card also counts against you- this may even be taken as an indication of possible brain damage. (Interestingly enough, making an exasperated noise in a meeting or covering up part of a spreadsheet to visualize it better aren't usually considered signs of brain damage. Go figure.)

Good Answers And Bad Answers What is a "good" answer versus a "bad" answer? This is a tricky question, and even the psychologists who swear by the Rorschach test don't agree on this (although there is some agreement on what constitutes a really bad answer). Your best bet is probably to stick to "seeing" healthy, friendly images. Avoid dark or violent answers ("I see Satan eating a baby's brain!"). Butterflies, people holding hands, leaves, mountains, etc are all generally considered to be "safe" responses (although nothing is guaranteed when taking the Rorschach). If you can show how a particular shape really does resemble something, go ahead and say so. If you come up with a novel or particularly interesting answer you may get "points" for your creativity. The fact is, however, that in the end it's mostly up to the examiner as to how your responses are interpreted. This is in

4

direct opposition to more objective tests like the MMPI or MMPI-2

Don't try and be outlandish, provocative, obstinate, or oppositional- these won't curry any favor with the test giver (and will in fact typically count against you). Taking an excessively long time to answer or answering immediately (not taking any time to ponder the card at all) will virtually always count against you.

The Rorschach Ink Blots We'll show you the card outlines, but not the actual printed card itself. The cards are numbered 1 through 10, and that is the order in which they're always given to you by the psychologist.

Card 1

5

Card 2

Card 3

6

Embedded Vocabulary

Directions: The embedded vocabulary is listed below. Add your own sentence utilizing a form of each vocabulary word.

1. absurd - adj. ridiculous or unreasonableYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. impair – verb – to weaken; damageYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. opportunist – noun – a person who takes advantage of any opportunity without moral regard, to achieve a goalYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. proportional - adj – having a constant relation in degree or numberYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. refute – verb – to prove as falseYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. sensation – noun – a state of great interest and excitementYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. specialization – noun – a focus on a particular area of studyYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. tangible – adj. – able to be seen, touched, or understoodYour sentence: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7

Flowers for AlgernonVocabulary Review

1. George became a sensation when he…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Fred's progress on his experiment became impaired when…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why would the player refute the referee's call?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Being an opportunist, Henrietta walked by the teacher's desk and…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What would be an absurd amount of math homework?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. The police were looking for tangible evidence…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. The number of AR points assigned a book is proportional to…____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What topic might be your specialization when you go to college?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8

Specialized Vocabulary

The words on the following table represent some of the vocabulary specific to the study of the mind, medical words. Review these words and connect them to the events in the story "Flowers for Algernon".

Vocabulary Word

Dictionary Definition

1. hypothesis A tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation.

2. syndrome a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease 

3. regression the reversion to a chronologically earlier or less adapted pattern of behavior and feeling.

4. introspective

observation or examination of one's own mental and emotional state, mental processes, etc.; the act of looking within oneself.

5. illiteracy a lack of ability to read and write

6. psychology the science of the mind or of mental states and processes.

9

Flowers for Algernon – Part 1pages 190-200 - Stop at Progress Report 10

1. Who is Charlie? Why is he keeping a journal?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When Charlie first meets Algernon, what task must they complete?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why does Miss Kinnian recommend Charlie for the operation?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What will happen Charlie’s intellect after the operation?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why does Charlie hate Algernon?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Explain in detail how Charlie’s perceptions of his “friends” at work change in this section. Use an example from the text in your explanation._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Charlie finally beats Algernon. What does this suggest to the reader?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10

Flowers for Algernon – Part 2pages 201-208 – Stop at Progress Report 12

1. What do Charlie’s friends mean when they say someone “pulled a Charlie Gordon”?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How is Charlie’s second Rorschach test different than his first?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Now that Charlie is becoming smarter and smarter, how do people react?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How have Charlie’s feelings for Miss Kinnian changed?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Why does Charlie lose his job? Elaborate on the irony of this situation.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is Charlie’s opinion of the doctors, Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. By the end of Journal Entry May 18, describe what has happened to Charlie’s social relationships.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Why was Charlie upset about the incident with the dishwasher?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As a result of this episode, what decision does Charlie make?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Flowers for Algernon – Part 3Pages 208-215 – End of story

1. How has Algernon changed? And why is Charlie “working so hard?”11

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the Algernon-Gordon Effect?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. List at least three (3) different adjectives that accurately describe the tone of the June 15 entry.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Which of Charlie’s functions have been affected so far?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. As Charlie observes his own deterioration, what does he know about his condition?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Why does Charlie put flowers on Algernon’s grave?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. How do Charlie’s work friends behave after he returns to his old job? Explain the significance of their attitudes.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Why does Charlie decide to leave New York? Was this a good or bad decision? Explain your answer.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What is Charlie’s final piece of advice?_______________________________________

12

Name_________________________________________ Eng. Period____

Flowers for AlgernonLiterary Elements – Theme, Motifs, and Symbols

1. Theme – The theme is a central message, concern, or purpose explored in a literary work. The theme is not a summary of its plot, but a message about human frailty and behavior.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Motifs – The motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Symbols – A symbol is anything that represents something else.Algernon______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Story of Adam and Eve______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13

Name___________________________________ English Period_______

"Flowers for Algernon"Literary Devices

Directions: Select the best literary device for the following quotes from the text.Use idiom, metaphor, simile, irony, foreshadow, or paradox.

_______________ 1. Dr. Nemur had a shrew of a wife. (line 470)

_______________ 2. …the dream of her [the wife] life was to have a big shot husband. (line 472)

_______________ 3. Dr. Strauss was trying to ride to glory on his coattails. (line 467)

_______________ 4. You're like a giant sponge now. (line 488)

_______________ 5. It's slipping away like sand through my fingers. (line 797)

_______________ 6. I put flowers on Algernon's grave about once a week. (line 851)

_______________ 7. You've got guts. (??)

_______________ 8. … I was giving Dr. Nemur an inferiority complex. (line 582)

_______________ 9. Before, they laughed at me and despised me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hate me for my knowledge and understanding. (lines 536-8)

_______________ 10. I have the feeling of shame burning inside me. (line 534)

_______________ 11. This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I once knew. (line 535)

_______________ 12. You'll see how the different branches of learning are related. (line 490)

14

Identifying Character TraitsDirections: Charlie is a dynamic character. The reader sees Charlie’s personality

change throughout the course of the story. Identify three (3) specific and different character traits for the main character, Charlie – 1. Before the operation; 2. At the height of his intelligence; 3. At the end of the story. Copy a supporting excerpt for each trait. In the last box, identify one of Charlie’s character traits that remain the same throughout the story.

Charlie – Before the OperationCharacter Trait:Example Excerpt:

Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

Charlie – After the Operation-At the Height of his IntelligenceCharacter Trait:Example Excerpt:

Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

15

Charlie – At the end of the storyCharacter Trait:Example Excerpt:

Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

Identify a significant trait that remained the same throughout the story.Character Trait:Example Excerpt:

16