11–20 of 215 posts
She said dont be scared Charlie you done so much with
so little I think you deserv it most of all.
There's something curiously American about Flowers for Algernon... our general popular culture tends to value physical achievement (the athlete) more than mental achievement (the nerd/geek). So here's the story of how the co-workers/peers of a mentally disabled individual, Charlie, (who they ridicule initially) react to the reversal of that disability (with suspicion and distrust) and then the re-imposition of that d…
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Flowers-for-Algernon-banned-in-...
There's something curiously American about Flowers for Algernon... our general popular culture tends to value physical achievement (the athlete) more than mental achievement (the nerd/geek). So here's the story of how the co-workers/peers of a mentally disabled individual, Charlie, (who they ridicule initially) react to the reversal of that disability (with suspicion and distrust) and then the re-imposition of that d…
Why is it banned? Graphic sexual content! /s https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Flowers-for-Algernon-banned-in-...
Despite all my rational efforts; all the maths and research - there is a speck of insight that only poetry and literature can reach. It's irritating and comforting at the same time.
Thank you for this. This is exactly how I felt but could not articulate.
You might also like this phrase I adore, which expresses the same sentiment in a more general way:
"And the words slide into the slots ordained by syntax, and glitter as with atmospheric dust with those impurities which we call meaning."
Of course, Anthony Burgess is much more of a poet than I am.
The arc of intelligence in Flowers of Algernon is the same arc that we’ll all experience over our lifetime. With old age, we, too, will lose our intelligence. If we value intelligence, in and of itself, we’ll eventually face a crisis of sorts. But, if we value making the most of our intelligence, we are resilient.
Applying this framework to Charlie, there’s much less to be sad about. He made the most of the intelligence he was gifted, and that’s what really matters.
This was a formative read for me many years ago but only recently realized there is also a novel version. Has anyone here read both?
I read the short story a few years after that. I think it’s the essence; I perceive it as a distillation of the novel (rather than the novel a dilution of the story, though I’m aware the story was first.) I guess had I started with it, I’d be considering it _the_ most important short story I’ve ever read today.