Week 2 Post

The novel “Flowers for Algernon” did not change or modify my view of mentally disabled people. I already treated people with a mental disability with respect, as I try to respect everybody I meet. However, Flowers for Algernon did give me a slightly better understanding of how the people with a mental disability go about their daily lives. For example, before I had read the book I had thought that people with a mental disability would be depressed most of the time, but Charlie and the other people with a mental disability seemed to be happy all the time. Another thing that surprised me is how some people treated the people with mental disabilities in the book. For example, when Joe took Charlie to a party and showed no signs of sympathy I was in shock. I think that now that more people are aware of what a mental disability is, we are more understanding and respectful than the people in the book. I think that if someone was unaware of what a mental disability is or how it affects the human brain, I definitely think that Flowers for Algernon would have made them reconsider their view.