Flowers for Algernonsocratic Seminar

English 10HName:

Flowers for AlgernonSocratic Seminar

Your Task: As you read the novel, answer the following questions. Make your responses as detailed as possible and base your responses on details in the text. Include quotes and page references in your responses. Write your responses on separate paper or download a copy of this handout from my webpage so you can type. Your responses to the questions will provide the basis for a Socratic Seminar. You must finish reading Flowers for Algernon by !

1. “The more intelligent you become, the more problems you’ll have, Charlie” (47). How does Dr. Strauss’s statement come true for Charlie?

1. Keep a detailed list of problems that Charlie encounters as his intelligence increases and of his reactions to these problems. Your examples must span the entirety of Charlie’s “evolution” up to the point where his regression begins.

1. Are there times when ignorance is, in fact, bliss?

1. Why did Keyes choose a first-person narrator?

1. What does the reader learn about the narrator through the Progress Reports before Charlie has the operation? List three main character traits that are revealed in these first Progress Reports and demonstrate each trait with a well-chosen quote from the novel.

1. There is an element of dramatic irony in some of Charlie’s Progress Logs when the reader understands things that Charlie does not, especially regarding his “friends” at the Bakery. Find one example of such dramatic irony and describe how your understanding of the events is different from Charlie’s. How does this difference in perspective/understanding affect your perceptions of Charlie and the events in his life?

1. Reliability is always a factor to be considered when evaluating a first-person narrator because of his involvement in the story’s events. When his intelligence increases, does Charlie become more or less reliable as a narrator? Explain.

1. As Charlie’s intelligence begins to increase, his memories are delivered using a third-person narrator. Find one example of this technique in the novel. Why did the author use this change in narrative perspective?

1. “Don’t disturb the universe…” What does this quote mean?

1. Based on the events in the novel, do you think Keyes agrees or disagrees with the concept within the quote? Was his purpose in writing the novel to send this message? If not, what is a major theme of the novel? Food for thought: Think about humanity, alienation, intellect vs. emotion. Support your answer with evidence from the text.

1. Do you think Mary Shelley agrees with this concept within the quote? Was her purpose in writing the novel to send this message? If not, what is a major theme of the novel? Support your answer with evidence from Frankenstein.

1. Is this novel still relevant today? Why/Why not? Find examples in current “trends” and news topics that demonstrate the relevancy of the topics/concepts in Flowers for Algernon. Food for thought: Do people still try to improve themselves through artificial means (plastic surgery, performance enhancing drugs/supplements in sports, biologically enhancing soldiers, etc.)? Is the grass always greener on the other side? Is it all worth it?

1. Find a current news article, podcast, or documentary that demonstrates current methods of self-improvement.
2. Read and annotate the article. Provide a brief summary of the article and attach the original article to your completed packet.
3. Make a clear connection between the article and the content of the novel.