Flowers for Algernon

1
Flowers for Algernon

• Daniel Keyes

202 - 248
2
Meet the Author

• Daniel Keyes
• Daniel Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York.
• Flowers for Algernon was first published in
  1959 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science
  Fiction.
• The story was later expanded into a full-length
  novel, and then made into a movie called Charly,
  a musical play, and a TV production.
• Read his full biography on page 248

I am fascinated by the complexities of the
human mind.
3
VOCABULARY

• absurd
• hypothesis
• impair
• introspective
• naivete
• opportunist
• proportional
• regression

• sensation
• shrew
• specialization
• statistically
• syndrome
• tangible
• vacuous

4
absurd

• adjective ridiculously unreasonable
• Its absurd to when you consider the work that is
  being done in India and China today in the very
  field of his study.
• Student demonstration

5
hypothesis

• noun a theory used as a basis for research
• The hypothesis here proven may be described
  simply in the following terms
• Student demonstration

6
impair

• verb to weaken damage
• Motor activity is impaired there is general
  reduction of glandular activity there is an
  accelerated loss of coordination.
• Student demonstration

7
introspective

• adjective examining ones own thoughts,
  feelings
• I keep telling myself how important this
  introspective journal will be.
• Student demonstration

8
naïveté

• noun a lack of sophistication simplicity
• I have often reread my progress reports and seen
  the illiteracy, the childish naïveté, the mind of
  low intelligence peering from a dark room,
  through the keyhole, at the dazzling light
  outside.
• Student demonstration

9
opportunist

• noun - a person who takes advantage of any
  opportunity to achieve a goal, with little regard
  for moral principles
• Dr. Nemur said that Dr. Strauss was nothing but
  an opportunist who was trying to ride to glory on
  his coattails.
• Student demonstration

10
proportional

• adjective having a constant relation in degree
  or number
• Artificially increased intelligence deteriorates
  at a rate of time directly proportional to the
  quantity of the increase.
• Student demonstration

11
regression

• noun a return to a less developed condition
• Ive got to find the reason for the sharp
  regression in Algernon.
• Student demonstration

12
sensation

• noun a state of great interest and excitement
• Algernon and I were presented to the American
  Psychological Association . . . we were quite a
  sensation.
• Student demonstration

13
shrew

• noun - a mean, nagging woman
• I remember hearing Burt say that Dr. Nemur had a
  shrew of a wife who was pushing him all the time
  to get things published so he could become
  famous.
• Student demonstration

14
specialization

• noun a focus on a particular activity or area
  of study.
• He was educated in the tradition of narrow
  specialization the broader aspects of background
  were neglected far more than necessary even for
  a neurosurgeon.
• Student demonstration

15
statistically

• adverb in terms of the principles used to
  analyze numerical data
• As will be seen by my report, these and other
  physical and mental deterioration syndromes can
  be predicted with statistically significant
  results by the application of my formula.
• Student demonstration

16
syndrome

• noun a group of symptoms that characterizes a
  disease or psychological disorder
• As will be seen by my report, these and other
  physical and mental deterioration syndromes can
  be predicted with statistically significant
  results by the application of my formula.
• Student demonstration

17
tangible

• adjective able to be seen or touched material
• I suspect that Dr. Nemur, who is sixty ten
  years older than Dr. Strauss finds it necessary
  to see tangible results of his work.
• Student demonstration

18
vacuous

• adjective showing a lack of intelligence or
  thought
• I felt sick inside as I looked at his dull,
  vacuous smile, the wide, bright eyes of a child,
  uncertain but eager to please.
• Student demonstration

19
Connect to Your Life

• What do you know about your brain?

20
Build Background

• In the short story you are about to read, doctors
  experiment with a surgical method to increase the
  intelligence of a mentally challenged man.
• Each area of the brain controls a different
  function.
• Look at the illustration of the brain on page
  202. What areas might the doctors operate on
  during the surgery of the main character? Why?

21
Focus Your Reading
Characterization

• Characterization consists of the techniques a
  writer uses to create and develop characters.
• These techniques include
• describing the characters appearance
• presenting the way the character talks, thinks,
  and behaves
• showing what others think of the character
• making direct statements about the character
• Examples

22
Focus Your Reading
Making Inferences

• When you make a logical, or educated, guess about
  a character or even based on story clues or your
  own experience, you are making an inference.
• Story clues Own experience Inference

23
Mazes

• Ready set GO ! ! !

24
Read

• Read the selection (pages 202-248).
• Demonstrate the reading strategies you use by
  writing out thoughts, questions, predictions,
  etc. on your notes page.
• Be sure to wrap up your thoughts with your final
  reaction to the selection.
• Prepare for discussion by preparing at least 3
  discussion starters.