Mr. Polanco
E2Honors Packet due March 3rd
Read Flowers for Algernon in its entirety, and answer all questions.
Complete vocabulary assignment for Flowers For Algernon, and memorize all definitions
Write definitions / original sentences for all vocabulary from Unit 2/Springboard, as well as definitions for Literary Elements and Grammatical Skills. You will need to know all these terms upon my arrival back to school.
Complete the following pages to Springboard. Answer all questions, and provide full annotation and margin notes for all literary passages
- “Us and Them” by David Sedaris (Page 73-79 )
- Grammar(Pages 426-444)
- “Matrimony With a Proper Stranger” by Miguel Heft(Pages 84-87) (We will not be watching the movie Bend It Like Beckham, though I highly recommend you catch it on-line or on Netflix)
- “Where Worlds Collide” by Pico IyerPages 99-102
- Excerpt From “The Hunger of Memory” by Richard Rodriguez Pages 103-107
Write an essay about a Cultural Conflict as reflected by any two subjects from the stories read from Springboard (Do Not write about Bend It Like Beckham):
“Us and Them”
“Matrimony With A Proper Stranger”
“Where Worlds Collide”
“The Hunger of Memory”
Follow all steps and rubric found on pages 96-98
Assignment for:
Flowers For AlgernonMr. Polanco
by Daniel Keyes
Answer each of the following questions in paragraph form by using references/quotes from the book (with page numbers) to help support each answer.
- How does the diary or journal-entry form of the novel affect the emphasis of the narrative? Is Charlie dependable as a narrator as he progresses through his various stages? Is Charlie capable of providing insight into the other characters, or is he too preoccupied with himself?
- Compare and contrast the characters of Professor Nemur and Dr. Strauss. How do their reactions to Charlie’s intelligence differ? How do their approaches to science differ?
- How does Algernon function as an alter ego for Charlie? How does Algernon’s condition represent Charlie’s condition?
- What is the role of memory in the novel? How do Charlie’s flashbacks further the general themes of the novel?
- Do you think that Charlie’s writings as a mentally disabled man at the beginning and end of the novel accurately represent the way a disabled person genuinely might write? Defend your answer, and explain why you think these passages are written as they are.
- What is the significance of Charlie’s relationship to Alice? With Fay? How does he feel about each? What role does each relationship play in his development?
- How has Charlie changed at the end of the novel? Is he different from the person he is at the beginning of the novel, and if so, how? Do you consider the novel’s ending to be tragic or inspiring?
- Does the novel make a definitive statement about the role of intelligence in human life, or does it simply explore this idea as an open-ended question?
Flowers for Algernon: Vocabulary List
Read the list of vocabulary words, study their definitions and take note of their parts of speech. Then, use them to complete the sentences from the novel (Homework # ____ ).
1)To Admonish (verb) – to advise against something, or to scold someone for something mildly. Example: The teacher admonished him about talking too much.
2)Berserk (adj.) – violently frenzied; wild; crazed. Example: He suddenly went berserk and began attacking people.
3)Composure (noun) – a calm, self-controlled state of mind/being. Example: Despite the hysteria and panic around him, he retained his composure.
4)Cordial (adj.) – warm and sincere; friendly. Example: He gave us a cordial greeting.
5)To Cower (verb) – to crouch or cringe in fear. Example: The soldiers found him cowering in the closet.
6)Depraved (adj.) – corrupt; wicked; perverted. Example: The depraved criminal was given a life sentence.
7)To Despise (verb) – to regard with disgust, contempt and distaste; to loathe. Example: She despised him for his arrogance and his pettiness.
8)Docile (adj.) – easily managed or handled; giving in to supervision or direction. Example: The docile horse was easy to train.
9)Erratic (adj.) – differing from what is normal or regular; lacking consistency. Example: He found her erratic behavior confusing.
10)Euphemism (noun) – a mild, indirect or vague word or phrase substituted for one which is harsh, offensive or blunt. Example: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”
11)Exigency (noun) – a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy. Example: He promised help in any exigency.
12)To Flail (verb) – to strike or lash out violently; to thrash. Example: He flailed his arms wildly.
13)Futile (adj.) – having no useful result. Example: All of her efforts to escape were futile.
14)Intuition (noun) – knowing without rational processes. Example: Her intuition told her to take the door to the left.
15)Juxtaposition (noun) – the act of placing two contrasting things close together or side by side. Example: The interior designed admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.
16)Luminescent (noun) – emitting light. Example: Her luminescent velvety brown eyes are stunning.
17)Naiveté (noun) – state of being naïve; innocent and artless. Example: He found her naiveté charming.
18)Ornately (adv.) – flashily, excessively, or showily decorated/adorned (in style or manner). The palace was decorated ornately in the style of Louis XIV.
19)Paradoxical (adj) – something which seems absurd or contradictory or nonsensical, but which in fact shows a possible truth. Example: Religious and philosophical truths often are often paradoxical.
20)Platonic (adj.) – spiritual and ideal, not physical or sexual; Example: His admiration for her was purely platonic.
21)Pompous (adj.) – excessive self-esteem; arrogance. Example: He was a pompous minor official.
22)Prognosis (noun) – prediction of a disease’s course. Example: The prognosis for your condition is good.
23)Queasy (adj.) – nauseas; sickened. Example: The boat ride made me feel queasy.
24)Self-effacing (adj.) – modest; not drawing attention to oneself. Example: Clark Kent’s self-effacing behavior is meant to encourage people to ignore him.
25)To Usurp (verb) – to take over or occupy without right; to seize wrongfully through force. Example: The pretender tried to usurp the throne.
Sentence Completions (Note that in the case of verbs, the tense/agreement may need to be changed):
- Charlie ______, not knowing what his mother will do. His arms go up automatically to ward off blows.
- He was smug and ______. I felt like hitting him, too.
- I had to trust my ______to help me make the right decision.
- The more I thought about him, the worse became the ______feeling that comes before fainting.
- The sudden memory shows him that his hatred is really directed at a ______governess who had terrified him with frightening stories and left a flaw in his personality.
- Before they had laughed at me, ______me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hated me for my knowledge and understanding.
- On the far wall, across from the sofa, hung an ______framed reproduction of Picasso’s “Mother and Child.”
- Our relationship remains ______.
- “Did you think I’d remain a ______pup, wagging my tail and licking the foot that kicks me.”
- “There will be enough time later to talk of ______for your condition.”
- As Burt would put it, mocking the ______of educational jargon, I’m exceptional . . .
- It’s ______that an ordinary man like Nemur presumes to devote himself to making other people geniuses.
- I’ve got to realize that when they continually ______me to speak and write simply so that people who read these reports will be able to understand me, they are talking about themselves as well.
- When someone from the audience asked Burt if he was suggesting that this ______behavior was directly caused by increased intelligence, Burt ducked the question.
- The constant ______of “Algernon and Charlie,” and “Charlie and Algernon,” made it clear that they thought of both of us as a couple of experimental animals who had no existence outside the laboratory.
- The headline read: Moron-Genius and Mouse Go ______.
- I tried to keep my ______(despite my feelings of anger).
- I longed to reach out for her, but I knew it was ______. In spite of the operation, Charlie was still with me.
- I have often reread my early progress reports and seen the illiteracy, the childish ______, the mind of low intelligences peering from a dark room, through the keyhole, at the dazzling light outside.
- “I can’t help feeling that I’m not me. I’ve ______his place and locked him out the way they locked me out of the bakery.”
- He was doing his best to be ______, but I could see by his face that he was skeptical.
- “I’m sure that from the beginning you planned for all ______. So what happens to me?”
- I stare inward in the center of my unseeing eye at the red spot that transforms itself into a multi-petaled flower-the shimmering, swirling, ______flower that lies deep in the core of my unconscious.
- I open my eyes, blinded by the intense light. And ______the air, and tremble and scream.
- Unfortunately, he is no longer the humble, ______person you knew him to be. Now he is a braggart.