Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Everyone should have a Voice (week 3 post)
In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie’s voice is not heard at the beginning when he is mentally retarded and also after his surgery. That is because no one knows what to do with someone who is as old as an adult but can only think like a seven year old. Charlie could never express his feelings because everyone would just laugh at him and he never knew why they were laughing; the workers at the bakery never told him why they laughed and joked around him all the time. As Charlie gets smarter after his surgery, he still can not say what he thinks because the doctors and scientists do not want him to and even though Charlie is smarter, his socialization is still below par. For example when Charlie and Ms. Alice Kinnian are hanging out, Alice can not keep up with how smart Charlie is not and liked the way he was before the surgery because she could talk to him easier and she did not like him emotionally before than she does now. When Alice
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Hi Brianne!
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you, that Charlie did not have much of a voice in the beginning of the book, due to his mental disability. While he agreed to undergo the procedure that would increase his intelligence, he didn’t comprehend its possible consequences or failure. His mother ultimately made the decision to allow Charlie to participate in the experimental brain surgery.
However, I believe that as his intelligence skyrocketed, and his understanding of the world around him accelerated, he increasingly obtained a voice in his intellectual and social affairs. For example, Dr. Strauss initially directed Charlie to avoid subjects pertaining to psychology in his studies. As time passed, he researched the subject without direction by Strauss. Alternatively, Alice advised Charlie to wait until they officially became a couple, which, as he matured emotionally, he acquired the voice to object and push the subject. Charlie’s voice has grown to the point at which he is considered equal or superior to the scientists at Beekman College and the psychological industry itself. He has secured enough of a voice in society, that he is able to publish his own scientific analyses, piano concertos, and participate in the research of his surgery.