Flowers for Algernon s1

Flowers for Algernon Name: ______Study Guide Hour: ______8th Grade Comm Arts Saeger Middle School

An inference is when you add together what you read with what you already know to come to a conclusion. What inferences can you make after reading the first three “progris riports?” (R1G, DOK 2) What you read + What you know = Inference My name is Charlie Gordon. I am 37 years old and 2 weeks ago was my birthday… I was very skared even thou I had my rabbits foot in my pockit because when I was a kid I always faled tests in school…

It is unusual for adults with mental retardation to attend college or any higher level educational institution. Name: ______Hour:______Points of View. A story can be told from several points of view.

1st person means the narrator is telling the story. As in: I am reading a short story and can’t wait for lunch.

2nd person is the ‘you’ point of view and commands/directs the reader to do something. As in: You should consider completing all assignment to improve your grades.

3rd person means the story is told by an omniscient narrator who is not part of the story. 3rd person always uses pronouns like he, she, they, them, theirs and so on. As in: Marsha ran for the bus as fast as she could, and the other students tried to tell the bus driver to stop, but he didn’t. She missed the bus again.

1. From what point-of-view is Flowers for Algernon written? (R2C, DOK 2)

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2. How do you know this? Please provide at least three, specific examples. (R2C, DOK 3)

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3. Explain why you believe Daniel Keyes chose to tell this story from this point of view. (R2C, DOK 4)

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A parallel character is another character (in the same piece of literature or another) that is very similar if not almost exactly the same as the original character chosen.

1. Reread “Progress Report 8 – Mar 23” on page 187. Identify Charlie’s parallel character and explain why this is the case. (R2B, DOK 1)

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2 Name: ______Hour:______Character Development. A great story has believable characters that are revealed to the reader through the character’s thoughts and actions; we call this character development.

1. Reread “Mar 25” where we are introduced to several of the factory workers that work with Charlie. Use the chart below to explain what each character’s actions and reactions tell us about him. (R2Cf, DOK 2) Character Action or Reaction What this tells us about the character. Joe Carp

Frank Reilly

Amos Borg

Charlie Gordon

2. Charlie says, “Their really my friends and they like me.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? (R2Cfg, DOK3) ______

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3. In the “April 6” entry (page 190), Charlie’s character develops even further; Charlie sympathizes with Algernon. Why? (R2Cf, DOK 3)

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3 Name: ______Hour:______Irony. Irony is the contrast between what is expected or what appears to be and what actually is.

1. Which of the following is an example of irony? (R2B, DOK2)

A. Charlie thought that when Joe and Frank were laughing at him, they were being friendly, but they were really making fun of him. B. Joe and Frank were laughing at Charlie. C. Charlie did not seem to mind that they were laughing at him.

2. Which of the following is an example of irony? (R2B, DOK2)

A. Charlie was chosen for the experiment because he wanted to “be smart” B. Charlie began the experiment as a mentally retarded man and ended the experiment as one of the chief researchers. C. Charlie seemed to enjoy being more intelligent.

Tone and Mood. Tone is what the narrator thinks and feels (it comes straight from the story). Mood is what you feel about the story (it comes from your feelings).

1. Reread “April 27” on pages 195-196. Describe the tone of this entry. Or, in other words, what is the emotional state of Charlie, the narrator, at the end of this passage? (R2Cb, DOK 2) ______

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Hint: Word choice helps to determine the tone. So, as you look at this entry, note the use of words such as “don’t seem to be getting along,” “arguing,” “shouting,” and “trembling.”

2. In the “April 27” entry, Charlie says, “I don’t know why for sure, but it was as if I’d seen both men clearly for the first time.” What does Charlie mean by this? (R2Bfg, DOK 3) ______

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4 Name: ______Hour:______Foreshadowing is when a writer gives a hint or clue as to what will happen later in the story. Allusion is when a writer refers to a person, event, book or thing usually from history.

In “Progress Report 12 April 30,” Charlie’s co-workers sign a petition forcing him to leave his job. The only co-worker that did not sign the petition is Fanny Girden, who Charlie believes to be honest. Charlie asks Fanny what is wrong with wanting to become more intelligent. Fanny replies,

“It was evil when Eve listened to the snake and ate from the tree of knowledge. It was evil when she saw that she was naked. If not for that none of us would ever have to grow old and sick, and die.”

1. Fanny makes an allusion to another story. What is it, and why do you think she would bring this up? (R2B, DOK 3) ______

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2. What Fanny says may foreshadow an upcoming event. What do you predict that Fanny is foreshadowing? (R2Ce, DOK 2)

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5 Name: ______Hour:______Context Clues. If we don’t know what a word means, we look at the sentences around it for clues to figure out what it means.

“The operashun dint hurt. He did it while I was sleeping. They took off the bandijis from my eyes and head today so I can make a PROGRESS REPORT.” (page 186)

Operashun and bandijis aren’t really words, but we can figure out what he means by reading the rest of the sentence. The same is true for unfamiliar words.

“Dr. Nemur appears to be uncomfortable around me. Sometimes, when I talk to him, he just looks at me strangely and turns away. I was angry at first when Dr. Strauss told me I was giving Dr. Nemur an inferiority complex. … How was I to know that a highly respected psychoexperimentalist like Nemur was unacquainted with Hindustani and Chinese? It’s absurd when you consider the work that is being done in India and China today in the very field of his study.” (pages 199-200)

1. What does “inferiority complex” mean? (R1E, DOK 2)

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2. What does “absurd” mean? (R1E, DOK 2)

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“When the owner came to see what the excitement was about, the boy cowered as if he expected to be struck and threw up his arms as if to ward off the blow.” (page 200)

3. What does “cowered” mean? (R1E, DOK 2)

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6 Name: ______Hour:______Protagonist is the main character in the story Conflict creates the plot and is either external or internal conflict.

External Conflict Internal Conflict Man versus Man Man versus Self Man versus Society Man versus Nature

1. Reread “May 18” on page 200. Our protagonist, Charlie, reveals his conflict. What type of conflict does Charlie have? (R2Cf, DOK 2)

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2. How does Charlie solve this problem? (R2Cg, DOK 1) ______

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3. In the “May 20” entry, Charlie retells what happened at the corner diner to the bus boy. He becomes angry with both himself and society. Explain these two conflicts. (R2Cf, DOK 2)

Man versus Self Man versus Society

4. Charlie decides on one solution to solve both of these conflicts. What is his solution? (R2Cg, DOK 1)

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7 Name: ______Hour:______

Climax is the high point of the story for the reader. Frequently, it is the moment of the highest interest and greatest emotion. Climax is the point at which the outcome of the conflict can be predicted.

1. Reread the “June 4” and “June 5” entries. This is the climax of the story. Charlie’s extensive research into increasing intelligence brings him to a conclusion. What conclusion does Charlie come to? (R2Cf, DOK 2)

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2. Charlie said, “It’s slipping away like sand through my fingers.” This is an example of: (R2B5a, DOK 1)

A. Metaphor

B. Hyperbole

C. Simile

D. Symbolism

3. Reread the “July 7” entry. What do you notice about this entry? (R2Ab, DOK2)

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4. How might this relate to your own writing? Is punctuation necessary for clarity? Clarity means easy to read. (WEab, DOK2)

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8 Name: ______Hour:______Character Development. Remember, a great story has believable characters that are revealed to the reader through the character’s thoughts and actions; we call this character development. There are two basic types of characters: static and dynamic.

Static characters: they do not change. This is also called a flat character. Dynamic characters: they change throughout the story. This is also called a round character.

1. Reread the entry “July 27” on pages 208-209. Aside from Charlie’s character development, other characters have changed. Use the chart below to explain the character changes. (R2Cf, DOK 2)

Character What did this character do that Is this character dynamic or surprised you? static? Joe Carp

Frank Reilly

2. Charlie is clearly a dynamic character that has changed through the story. Create a graphic organizer that compares Charlie before the operation with Charlie at the very end of the story. While Charlie is mentally retarded during both of these timeframes, there are some significant differences. Make sure these differences are included in your graphic organizer. (R2Cf, DOK 2)

9 Name: ______Hour:______Theme is the big lesson/moral OR the central idea/insight. Common themes from literature include:

- Things are not always as they appear to be. - Love is blind. - Believe in yourself. - People are afraid of change. - Don't judge a book by its cover.

1. Which statement below best reflects the theme of Flowers for Algernon? (R2Cb, DOK 2)

A. Progress and technology are evil.

B. It is wrong to mistreat others, particularly those with a mental disability.

C. It is good to know who your friends are.

D. Mice should not be used in experiments.

2. Explain why you believe this to be the theme of Flowers for Algernon. Provide at least two examples. (R2Cf, DOK 3)

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10 Name: ______Hour:______

PLOT -- The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the sequence of events in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential parts of plot: a) Exposition - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.

b) Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).

c) Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?

d) Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between climax and resolution).

e) Resolution - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story.

1. Use the plot chart below to write out the five essentials parts of the Flowers for Algernon plot. (R2C, DOK 2)