Illustrator - Madi Stevens 9-2

    I illustrated this picture of a brain all cracked and falling apart for section 4. I drew this because in section 4 Charlie's intelligence is slowly going away. After Charlie watched what happened to Algernon with him losing his intelligence and going a bit crazy, Charlie was scared that was happening to himself. Charlie was having suicidal thoughts sometimes but he knew he couldn't end it all because he said 'When I think of Charlie waiting at the window. His life is not mine to throw away. I've just borrowed it for a while, and now I'm being asked to return it." (page 194). Charlie was slowly losing his memory and starting to not remember where he put things or where he lived which is why there are cracks on the brain representing what symptoms were happening first. Once Charlie was starting to forget how to read and write that's when pieces of the brain started chopping off because that's what Charlie didn't want to lose most. 

(Will hand the Image in)

Quotes- Madi Stevens 9-2

Quotes from Flowers for Algernon

"Somehow, getting drunk had momentarily broken down the conscious barriers that kept the old Charlie Gordon hidden deep in my mind." page 136

      This quote has a deep meaning behind it. Charlie is loving being intelligent and feeling smart all the time but, sometimes he looks back on how he was in the past. He was drinking alcohol to get drunk so he can forget about his old self and focus on his new self. The intelligent Charlie Gordon, not the mentally disabled Charlie Gordon.

"Fay was clear, but Alice was wrapped in mist." page 132

     Charlie is  wanting to forget about Alice. He's trying not to call her anymore so he won't get hung  up on her again so in his mind, he is becoming more distant from Alice. Charlie is trying to live in the present right now so he is keeping his mind on Fay whom is with him right now.

"In spite of the operation Charlie was still with me." page 137

    So even though Charlie got the operation and is very intelligent now, the old Charlie is still with him. Charlie sometimes will act like he never got the operation, like when he was drunk with Fay on the previous page. I think what Charlie was trying to say was that having the operation or not, the old Charlie will always be a part of him.

"And I can't be alone anymore." page 140

    Charlie is wanting to contact with the board of directors at the Welberg Foundation to see if he can do some independent work on the project but he wants to talk to Alice first. Charlie talked to Alice about how he feels and what he thinks about when 'Charlie is watching him'.

"Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other men." page 139

    When Charlie is saying this I think he was talking about his old self. To be  feeble minded means to be mentally slow. When Charlie was mentally retarded at the beginning of the book all he wanted and kept saying was to be intelligent like the other men he knows.

 

 

Charlie's Hardship - Jennifer 9-2

                                                           Character Commandant

"I'm forgetting things I learned recently. It seems to be following the classic pattern, the last things learned are first things forgotten. Or is that the pattern? Better look it up again." Page 206

R: Charlie is pretty much having to look up words and things he doesn't remember. He's acting pretty calm in this quote, and just doing what he has to for himself. I'm guessing he's feeling pretty bad, just not saying it. His main problem is him now having a pattern of forgetting the last things he's learned. Charlies already come to the realization that he is having a loss of memory. That's what the author has revealed in this passage from the book.

"Fay has a new boy friend. I went home last night to be with her. I went to my room first to get a bottle and then headed over on the fire escape. But fortunately I looked before going in. They were together on the couch. Strange, I don't really care. It's almost a relief." Page 166

R: Charlie was gonna go to Fay, until he saw her with another man. He doesn't really care about that for some reason. He's feeling fine about, and not taking it to heart. This doesn't seem to be a big problem to him or any hardship. The authors revealed Charlies change of feeling towards Fay.

"I had dreamed of a time like this, but now that it was here, what good was it? I couldn't tell her what was going to happen to me. And yet, could I ask her affection on false pretenses? Why kid myself ? If I had still been the old, feebleminded, independent Charlie, she wouldn't have spoken to me the same way. So what right did I have to it now? My mask would soon be ripped away." Page 191

R: Charlies finally come to visit his mother, and his sister has come. He couldn't come to terms with telling his sister he'll be turning autistic again. He doesn't think he needs to tell her, as he's just seen her after such a long time. He's realized that if he had come to her as he was before this surgery, she'd never speak to him the same way. The author is trying to show that Charlies slowly becoming his old self.

"I was seeing myself as I had really become: Nemur had said it. I was an arrogant, self-centered bastard. Unlike Charlie, I was incapable of making friends or thinking about other people and their problems. I was interested in myself, and myself only. For one long moment in that mirror I had seen myself through Charlies eyes- looked down at myself and saw what I hard really become. And I was ashamed." Page 176

R: Charlies seeing himself as how he's really become now. Everything Nemur has said about him, he's now realizing it's true. The problem with Charlie is his smarter self, it's turned himself into a self entered and arrogant guy. This Charlie can't even make friends like the old Charlie did. The authors shown that there are two people within Charlie, his intelligent self and autistic self.

"I'm going to Marks Street to visit my mother tomorrow. A dream last night triggered off a sequence of memories, lit up a whole slice of the past and the important thing is to get done on paper quickly before I forget it because I seem to forget things sooner now. It has to do with my mother, and now more than ever I want to understand her, to know what she was like and why she acted the way she did. I mustn't hate her. I've got to come to terms with her before I see her so that I won't act harshly or foolishly." Page 180 

R: Charlies getting ready to finally see his mother after over ten years. He's preparing himself for this important moment of his life. He's not remembering things, so now has to quickly write it on paper. He's finally got himself to come to terms with his mother. This shows the progress he's made with himself to take the strength and do this. 

illustrator

"Why haven't I ever notice how beautiful Alice Kinnian is?she has pigeon soft brown eyes and feathery brown hair down to the hollow of her neck.When she smiles,her lips looks as if she's pouting."



In chose this picture because in that paragraph Charley is describing miss Kinnian how she looks with every single description of hers.Like how she looks,her hair color her eyes color and her neck

Charlie's GONE

Charlies losing his mind. Fay is with someone else , Alice has been sent away , and Charlie only had time for himself. He's filling his mind with knowledge.

Charlie knows he was only using Fay to keep himself steady, and Fay is fed up with Charlie . Later Charlie finds Fay with another man in her apartment.

Charlie devours every little peice of a fact. His theory is that as the stuff he already learned will disappear, if he finds new knowledge, that will stay with him.

Charlie sends Alice away. He only has time for himself he says. He wants to be alone. 

Charlie gets angry for little things for example Dr Numeur for running more tests on him. 

He went to see his mom and his sister. He was expecting to hate his sister and for that to go both ways. But he was surprised to find his mom and sister proud and sorry for ever sending him off to the warren home.

Charlie is gone. Or leaving. He is losing the smart part of his mind. The old Charlie wants his body back. This Charlie is split between the line of "on the edge" and "everything's alright." This new Charlie is finally gone. 

Haven't left myself behind - Jennifer Amponsah 9-2

Section Three (Illustrator):

This picture shows the two sides of Charlie. From reading section three you learn that the autistic Charlie is still in him. Whenever he starts drinking, his retarded Charlie comes out, Charlie knows that's and accepts that. The beer bottle represents the autistic Charlie. The brain represents the fresh new smart Charlie. The bottle is cracked because the autistic Charlie wants to break out and become free again. This picture is inspired by the part when Charlie gets drunk, and afterwards the women he hangs out with in his apartment tells him he was acting really different from drinking. From that you know that he was acting retarded, autistically how he was before. I chose that scene to draw something from because it really surprised me. I never expected Charlie to be able to become autistic again, especially from drinking. I put the Charlies name on the beer bottle, the way he used to write it before he got smarter, to represent that once he drinks it his original self comes back. I drew the beer bottle on the brain because I want to show that autistic Charlie is imbedded within his brain, and will always be with him wherever he goes.

                                      

Charlie's got feelings too

       Charlie is having a hard time copping with the fact that he's getting smarter and wasn't realizing it. Page # 109That is one of the ways he is confused and possibly lonely . Page # 134 Charlie is facing very many Challenges in his life right now. he is angry with doctor Nemur & all the other doctors because he feels Used in a way.page # 109 Charlie is learning to care for  algernon. Alice and Charlie are leaving each other alone for a while even though they are deeply in love with each other. Page # 143.

Being smart isn't easy - Jennifer Amponsah

Q & A

1: How has Charlie changed from the beginning of the book to now ? 

Charlie has tremendously changed from the start to now. The treatments definitely did workout on him, just as his doctors told him so. His IQ has skyrocketed from where he was before, which was pretty low, and has yet to increase higher and higher. A lot of his memories have been coming to him. He now realized how people use and treat him. Charlie is a smarter person, and knows a lot more then even his own doctors. It's awesome how much progress he's made.

2: Why hasn't Alice and Charlie's relationship worked out ?

Charlie's rise in intelligence is what affected their relationship. Alice doesn't feel as smart as Charlie, which makes her self conscious about herself, and that's not a good thing for a relationship. As well as Alice simply thinking Charlie isn't ready, which I agree with. Charlie is still learning about women, and still getting to know how things in the work and happen. 

3: Are Charlie's doctors really a fraud ?

They are to Charlie because he's so intelligent, and was easy to translate all the other information the doctors couldn't do. To normal people they're not. Not everyone can quickly translate a language their not familiar with as fast as Charlie. The doctors simply didn't know that they possibly used someone else's idea. But their still smart, and put these theories into action with hardwork and dedication in Charlie. I don't think Charlie's doctors are a fraud. 

4: How are Charlie's memories affecting him ?

Charlie has remembered a lot of his past, which weren't all really pleasant. Although Charlie hasn't really wrote a lot about how he feels remembering his past, I believe he's hurt by it. His intelligence probably helps him not to take these non pleasant memories to deeply hurt himself physically, and mentally.

5: Has Charlie's intelligence gotten in the way of his life ?

Yes, it definitely has. Its gotten in the way of his job, friends, school, and his love life. It surely has helped him get to know the truth about himself and others, but still has negatively impacted him. No one said this treatment would just come with great things, there's always bad things that tag along.  

Connecting to the story- Madi stevens 9-2

Connections 

       I can connect to this story in one major way. Well, in the book it does not clearly state how Charlie is mentally ill or what disease he has. Many people that have talked about this book with me has said that he has autism. My little 4 year old cousin Jett, has autism, He was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old. He is non verbal and he has trouble focusing on people trying to talk to him or other things he's doing but he has made a great improvement since he was diagnosed. Back in 1962 when the book was written, autism wasn't a big diagnoses but now, people are trying to get autism better for humans. Jett has a very long attention span for movies and tv shows, he could sit and watch his favourite show for hours. My cousin is getting a lot of help with his autism but I am worried he will have the similar stuggles win friendships that Charlie struggled with. 

http://youtu.be/d4G0HTIUBlI

http://theautismphotographyproject.com/category/jetts-story/

Mood Maven ~ Junaid Arif

In the Story Flowers For Algernon The Author uses bad grammar to show us Charley's point pf view such as bad spelling.The Author uses sad mood in the story because Charley is stupid and no one wants to talk to him The mood throughout the story is suspenseful because the reader is waiting for Charley to get smart in.The Author Uses Complicated words,bad grammar and poor vocabulary because Charley is mentally challenged in the story



1."I couldn't werk the puzzles so good because it was all broke and the pieces couldn't fit in the holes'"
The mood in the story right now is frustrating because Charley doesn't know what hes doing and hes frustrated.


2."Dr Strauss says i should keep a notebook in my pokit for things i don't remembir"

The mood in this section is very forget full because chrarley keeps forgetting things

Poor stupid charley

My five quotes are about charley and how every believes he's getting too smart or was too stupid in the first place. 

- "Next to you I am rather dull-witted. Nowadays every time we see each other , after you leave I go home with a miserable feeling that I'm slow and dense about everything. I find myself wanting to impress you in a way I never thought about doing before. -Alice page 86
I choose this as a qoute because it shows how everyone else is seeing what charley can't . Alice feels pretty much worthless next to him when he's teyong so hard to impress her.

-" I'm not hysterical. I'm sick of you complaining every time I try to do something for your son. You don't care! You just don't care! - rose Charley's mother page 100
Charley's mother and father are arguing about Charleys state of mind and how rose wants to make charley "normal" as if it's some sort of sickness that has a perfectly reliable cure. Charley is hurt by their words , he dosent want them to argue.


     -"  Nemurs constant references to having made me what I am ,or that someday there will be others like me who will become human beings. How can I make him understand that he did not create me? --Page 101
Changing let feels used in a way because doctor Nemur is suing that in some way charley was made by him. He wasn't though. He wants Nemur to know that he is still a human being.


-"Am I a genius? I don't think so. Not yet any way. As Burt put it "I'm exceptional " -page 106
Charley dosent believe he's any smarter, his emotions are not , they are 12 year old emotions.

- " you used to be a good , dependable man - ordinary , not too bright maybe , but honest - and who knows what you done to yourself to get so smart all of sudden. Like everyone's beee saying- it ain't right. - fanny page 75
Everyone charley knows is giving him the cold shoulder. Where will charley turn? He has no where to go.

Changes through quotes - Jennifer Amponsah

These five quotes are about Charlie's changes throughout the pages from the treatments.

"Now I understand one of the important reasons for going to college and getting an education is to learn that the things you've believed in all your life aren't true, and that nothing is what it appears to be." - Page 50

R: In this quote Charlie is as you can see, now being able to think for himself, and realizing the power of education. Throughout his life he could never think for himself, and therefore never have his own opinion on things, but now he can. I think I, and a lot of other people can agree with this. As you learn more things in life your then able to understand things more and make your own decisions on stuff.

"A look passed between them. I felt the blood rush to my face again. They were laughing at me. But then I understood the reason for the look. They weren't laughing. They knew what was happening to me. I had reached a new level, and anger and suspicion were my first reactions to the world around me." - Page 41

R: As Charlie's intelligence increases, he unlocks different emotions and capabilities he was not able to before. Before this whole start of treatments, he wouldn't ever get mad when people laughed or made fun of him. Now he's able to show more emotion, and anger is the main one of them, as that's how he feels about all the horrible things he's been through. I myself used to just stay all happy when jokes were thrown on me, but I've now started to actually defend myself and get angry. 

"I never knew about these things before. It's like if I get intelligent enough I'll understand all the words in my mind, and about my Uncle Herman and my parents. But what he means is then I'm going to feel bad about it all and I might get sick in my mind." - Page 34

R: A negative about this whole treatment Charlie is going through is that he'll remember things and understand thoroughly why a lot of stuff happened to him. His experience with family and people he thought were his friends are mostly bad things. Remembering all these things is hard as he's not used to it, so it will hurt his head. When I think about my past it makes me sad, as I miss a lot of those good memories. 

"I beet Algernon. I dint even know I beet him until Burt Selden told me. Then the second time I lost because I got so excited. But after that I beet him 8 more times. I must be getting smart to beat a smart mouse like Algernon. But I dont feel smarter." - Page 22

R: This is the great start that proved Charlie's intelligence was increasing. Just as his doctors said, he would not realize or feel that he was getting smarter, but he was. I relate his to beating one of my smart friends at a test, which really made me feel smarter. 

"We startid to reed a very hard book. I never red such a hard book before. Its called Robinson Crusoe about a man who get merooned on a dessert iland. Hes smart and figgers out all kinds of things so he can have a house and food and hes a good swimmer. Only I feel sorry for him because hes all alone and he has no frends. But I think their must be somebody else on the iland because theres a picture of him with his funny umbrela looking at feet-prints. I hope he gets a frend and not be so lonely."
- Page 24

R: I believe Charlie was relating the book to his own personal life, as he's being going through this whole journey without friends or family, just his doctors and therapists. I think everyone feels lonely in certain times in their lives, and that's why I really like this quote as it relates to almost everyone.

Unanswered Questions- Madi Stevens 9-2

Why did the doctors choose Charlie for the operation?

Charlie was mentally disabled, which the doctors needed for the operation. Charlie's friendliness and eagerness to please everyone, along with that he was the hardest working student in Mrs Kinnians literacy class for retarded adults made him qualify for the doctors to use him for the operation.

What does Algernon mean to Charlie?

Before the operation, Charlie didn't like Algernon because he was smarter than Charlie and Charlie knew that he couldn't beat Algernon in the races he did with Algernon. Although, Algernon was Charlies motivation to get intelligent and be smarter than Algernon. After the operation and Charlie has finally beaten Algernon in one if the maze races, Charlie starts the like Algernon because he realizes Algernon is a nice mouse.

What changes in Charlies relationship with his friends?

Before the operation, Gimpy, Joe and Frank were Charlies best friends. They made Charlie laugh and Charlie loved their company. After the operation, Charlie soon realized that they would make fun of him and use him for their own entertainment.  

Does being smarter make Charlie a better person?

I think that being smarter is making Charlie a better person. He is becoming more knowledgeable of his surroundings and his memories are coming back to him. He is still the same person before though, he is still very compassionate and likes to please the people around him so he doesn't disappoint someone.

How does Charlies feelings change after the operation?

Charlies mood changes by him having different feelings. Charlie actually got angry at Burt during the inkblot test because he thought they were making fun of him for being stupid like his friends did but Charlie says he has never been that angry before. He said he felt the adrenaline in his body that he hasn't felt before.

The Realism of Autism

Alright , I know that there's a lot going on in this picture but if you look closely enough you can see the symbolism I'm trying to depict. 

I'll start with the most simple and strongly noticed , the colors. At the bottom of the page the colors are in clusters and pushed but going up you realize that they are fading , or becoming less dense, this signifys that the surgery is working for charley. 

     

     Some significant other abstract peices are ;

        -the eyes are deformed and oddly colored 

        -the colors are bolder in the hands 

        -the face is cut in half 

        - one side of Charley's face is droopy 

The reason one of Charley's eyes are deformed or less clear than the other is because charley is beginning to realize what his past was about , and the pain that comes with lifting his autism. The reason his face is cut in half is because he is realizing that his friends were never real friends and they were like the children who would laugh at him when he was younger. That's also the reason half of his face is droopy. 

Charley wants to break free from the wall of autism that makes him stupid. His hands are pressing against that wall , while his head is close to breaking out.