Work Cited Page

• Keyes, Daniel. Flowers For Algernon. USA: Daniel Keyes, 1959.
• Keyes, H. "Daniel Keyes Bio". H. Keyes, Spider-Hill Design. 4/21/09 <http://danielkeyesauthor.com/dbsbio.html>.

Characterization

In the beginning of the story, Charlie was really happy that he had many "friends". The only thing he was unhappy with was being mentally retarded. Dr. Strauss [the therapist] and Professor Nemur [the scientist in charge of the experiment] helped Charlie throughout the duration of the experiment. After the surgery, he was a little frustrated because he wasn't becoming smart as fast as he desired. As time passed, his intelligence grew and he was pleased. Charlie then started to show off because he was so impressed and proud of his intelligence.

! SPOILER ALERT !

At the end of the book, the experiment ends up failing, and he becomes mentally retarded again. Although this is upsetting and depressing, he is happy and enjoyed it while it lasted.

-Stephanie Lizzul [edited by Angelina Castro]

Plot

Once Charlie went through the experiment, his intelligence grew. This all wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Ms. Alice Kinnian. Ms. Kinnian was Charlie's teacher at the school for mentally retarded adults. She read with Charlie every night and never gave up hope on him. Soon, he became so intelligent, he was even smarter than some scientists! One day, Charlie decided he was going to write a paper on his experience with Algernon and the experiment. Charlie seemed to be following the same path Algernon had. Algernon had become moody and sure enough, Charlie had, too. When Ms. Kinnian brought Algernon a friend, he bit her. Charlie did the same thing, but emotionally. He hurt Alice by constantly snapping at her. Towards the end of the book, Algernon dies. Will Charlie follow the same path?

-Stephanie Lizzul

Conflict

There are many conflicts in the book, "Flowers For Algernon". The major conflict would probably be how Charlie struggles during the duration of the experiment. In the beginning of the story, Charlie is mentally retarded. He is determined to learn and agrees to undergo the experiment in hopes to raise his I.Q. drastically. The experiment is indeed successful, and Charlie begins to remember memories from long ago. Charlie struggles with trying to gain not only knowledge, but the maturity and emotional state he should be in at his age.

-Angelina

BIOGRAPHY OF DANIEL KEYES

Daniel Keyes, the well known author for Flowers For Algernon, was born in New York and is now a resident of Southern Florida. He joined the U.S. Maritime Service at the age of 17 and served as a ship purser. Then when he got out of the army, he went back to study in Brooklyn College, now CUNY. He received a B.A. Degree in psychology. He also was an associate fiction editor but left to join the fashion photography business. Then he earned his license to teach writing in New York City Schools. While teaching, he went back to Brooklyn College to get his degree on English and American Literature. After he received the M.A. degree, he left to teach creative writing Wayne State University, but then joined Ohio University as a Professor of English and Creative Writing. Brooklyn College awarded him for his award winning book, Flowers For Algernon.

Flowers for Algernon was translate world-wide an is studied in schools and colleges everywhere. April 1995, Harcourt Brace r-published the book. Also it was released by Parrot Audio Books, narrated by Daniel Keyes HIMSELF. Cliff Robertson won an Oscar for making the book into a movie called CHARLY. "The novel was also adapted as a stage play, and after productions in France, Poland and in Japan, it was adapted with Japanese background for a Japanese production, and televised by NHK. Developed as a dramatic musical, "Charlie and Algernon" was performed at the Queen's Theater in London's West End (starring Michael Crawford), at the Terrace and Eisenhower theaters in Washington, D.C. and at the Helen Hayes on Broadway." (Keyes, H. "Daniel Keyes Bio". H. Keyes, Spider-Hill Design. 4/21/09 <http://danielkeyesauthor.com/dbsbio.html>.) After the famous novel, he published 3 more novels; THE TOUCH, which deals with human tragedy connecting with a radiation accident, THE FIFTH SALLY, which was the first novel to talk about multiple personality disorder, and his latest work, UNTIL DEATH..., which is a novel which talked about a double homicide n Florida and problems that comes along about the competency for execution. The book was published in Japan on February 18, 1998 with the Japanese title UNTIL DEATH DO US PART: THE SLEEPING PRINCESS. Adding to that he wrote 3 nonfiction books; THE MINDS OF BILLY MILLIGAN, which is about the first in history to acquit major crimes because of multiple personality problems, THE MILLIGAN WARS: A TRUE-STORY SEQUEL, and UNVEILING CLAUDIA, which is about a murder issue. His latest book, ALGERNON, CHARLIE, AND I: A WRITER'S JOURNEY, is a book the retraces his steps that he took when he was writing FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON. Not only that but there is a TV movie of FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON.You can visit him in New york in his book signing conference soon.

-Opal Lim

P.O.V. (Point of View)

Alice Kinnian: I used to be happy for him, but now I'm not sure. Before people used and humiliated him now they hate him. We used to have a good relationship, we could talk and I would teach him spelling and grammar. Charlie taught me a few things in return. But now he is crashing. I can't help but fall into a deep dark hole when I see him alone in his apartment. I know he wants to be loved on his last days, but he is afraid. I'll always love him though.

Norma: He's back! Charlie is back. The last time I saw Charlie he couldn't even spell and I was ashamed of him. He used to embarrass me, but I was so horrible to him. I remember when he was little he would wet his pants when he was scared. I thought it was gross, but he couldn't help it. The last time I saw him, he was being taken away to be with "his kind". Now Charlie is intelligent. It hit me that I shouldn't have treated him the way I did.

Algernon: This is so weird. I can race, I love running. I'm kept in this cage all day, so the humans can do tests on me with another one of their kind. At first he would curse me, because I would beat him in the races. He hated me, I knew it. Now I see a more compassionate side he strokes my fur and says my fur is soft. I can't help but wonder why I'm so different and important.

-Zoe Edwards

TONE

The tone of this story is different throughout the book. The way how Charlie writes at the beginning of the story is different than how he writes throughout the rest of the story because he is mentally retarded. As the book goes on and the experiment and quest to give Charlie a normal I.Q. continues, you can see a clear improvement of the way how he writes and his spelling. Charlie begins to enlarge his vocabulary and have a clearer understanding as to what is going on. There are key events, such as times when Charlie is reminiscing back to certain experiences that stick out in his mind, where he begins to understand what really happened whereas before the experiment took place, he didn't.

-Angelina Castro

THEME

There's a lot you can learn from the book Flowers For Algernon, but I think that the most important one is understanding yourself. You should appreciate how you are born and learn how to work around that. I think that Charlie didn't realize that, but learns it the hard way. This was something that Charlie should've learned by himself. He has to go through so much pain and suffering when it was something you have to work and find on your own.

-Opal Lim