“Flowers for Algernon”

1. “Flowers for Algernon”

2. Meet danielkeyes • Born in 1927 in NY • Studied psychology in college • Interested in the “complexities of the human mind” • Writing shows interest in personality and intelligence

3. “Flowers for algernon” • First published as a short story (1959) then a novel (1966) • Filmed under title Charly in 1968 • The short story won the Hugo Award for Science Fiction Achievement, the novel won the Nebula Award, and the movie won a best actor Academy Award for Cliff Robertson.

4. Skim through the text • What do you notice about… • The layout? • The headings? • The language? • The spelling? • The narration?

5. About the text • The misspellings and punctuation/capitalization errors are intentional. The author has written as if the main character, Charlie, is keeping a diary. • Charlie writes phonetically, meaning the way words sound. You can probably easily figure out what the word is; the spelling may just be wrong. • If Charlie is telling the story, what point of view is this story then?

6. Additions to literary glossary

7. irony • A form of expression in which the intended meaning of the words used is the opposite of their literal meaning. • Verbal Irony: occurs when a person says one thing and means something else. • Ex: Saying “Nice job!” when someone messes up

8. 2 types of Irony when we are reading Situational Irony: when the outcome of a situation is the opposite of what was expected. Dramatic Irony: when you, as a reader, knows something a character does not.

9. Comparing/contrasting • Use this skill throughout your reading of the story. • Compare/contrast how the main character, Charlie, changes throughout the story. • Watch his actions, his words, and most importantly, his thoughts very closely.

10. Quick write: Have you ever wished your life would change overnight? What would you wish to change? What would happen if your wish for change really came true?