Hey everybody,
I wanted to blog more about the essay we read called "Flowers for Algernon" This essay really spoke out to me because of the way it took an in depth look at intelligence. As I started reading the essay it was strange how it opened with so many grammar issues and mistakes, but after reading the whole thing I thought it was a really clever way to get the reader in the mindset of Charlie.
The beginning of the story made it seem like this operation that would take place would "right the wrongs" in Charlie's life and give him the life he had always hoped for. However, it wasn't until Charlie got his intelligence that he (as well as us the audience) began to see the negative aspects of his life. In a sense, it was like he was awoken from a dream and was plunged into a nightmare. I was really surprised to find out that his "friends" had actually been making fun of him at his own expense, and perhaps what's worse is that he found this out by looking at the same thing happen to someone else, which he was involved in.
I thought it was upsetting to see him begin to struggle with himself after his intelligence began to slip away. I had never thought of a scenario where your mind could just disappear from you like grains of sand falling through your hands. But what was more upsetting to me was that one of the main reasons he did not want to lose his new found intelligence was that he didn't want people to make fun of him again. But overall I though it was a very powerful, emotional piece and did a great job of putting you in the shoes of Charlie.
This piece really opened my eyes to the extreme bullying issue that takes place in schools all throughout the United States. It's such a shame that Charlie, the bullied, has to feel how he does when his so-called friends are making fun of him for something he cannot help. It also saddens me that just like kids who are bullied, Charlie felt he had to run away to escape his problems, which is what most kids do when they reach their breaking point. I think this piece should be used as an eye-opener to everyone, especially teenagers, that think they have the right to bully others and to say that there will always be someone stronger, older and wiser that could do they same if they wish.
ReplyDeleteThe author did a very good job of using ethos and made you feel for Charlie. In his case, the story almost proved that ignorance is bliss. When he did not have the intelligence, he believed he had friends and a good job. However, after gaining that intelligence and losing it, I do not think he can go back to how he used to be or even have a carefree attitude.
ReplyDeleteYes, I enjoyed this reading as well and that is why I blogged about it. I thought that it was a powerful and an emotional piece also!
ReplyDeleteI think we both agree that Charlie did not need anything fixed in his life. I feel like we mentioned this in class, but I wish he would have stayed ignorant. Then he would have never realized how bad people treated him or just how much he did not know in general. He was truly care-free like a child and they had to take that away from him. It is like when a child desires to be older, but we keep telling them to enjoy their young years while they still have them. I did not want him to change.
ReplyDeleteIt was so sad to learn that isolation from society can happen at both ends of the spectrum - if you're not smart enough, you're excluded. If you're too smart, you're still excluded. It's as if people, through social punishment, weed out anybody who is unlike or too different. It really connects back to everything we've read about with Sister Outsider as well as the other essays we've been reading.
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