Thursday, September 29, 2011
Ryan Makinen Week 4 comparison post
In the comparison between Flowers for Algernon and Of Mice and Men, Flowers for Algernon is the favorite. Flowers For Algernon is a better read because it shows more of the discrimination that people face. In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie gets discriminated against the most because of his mental disability. Multiple characters in the novel give him a hard time and treat him as though he is inferior to them, and is an animal. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is a character who also has a mental disability, bu the only person who seems to give him a hard time is Curley. Although Curley picked on him because he doesn't like big guys, he kept picking on him because he thought that it would be easier for him to get away with it because of Lennie's mental disability. Both novels show society's expectations for humans regardless of their intelligence. Both novels also show that innocence is bliss. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie doesn't really know what's going on because he always forgets, but this allows him to focus on what he wants, and it makes him happy. All Lennie really thinks about is how someday he might be able to tend rabbits. In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie doesn't really know what's going on as well. He thinks that the workers at the bakery are his friends because they always seem to be laughing and having a good time. Even though they're laughing at him, just the fact that they're laughing makes him happy. But after the surgery, Charlie was much more intelligent and aware of what was happening around him, so he realized that they weren't really his friends and he became less happy.
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I also agree that Flowers for Algernon is a better “read” and book. However, I never thought about the point you made. That point being that Flowers for Algernon does a better job of showing the discrimination that mentally handicapped people face on a daily basis. In my post I also noticed that Lennie rarely is a victim of discrimination due to his mental disability. He only gets discriminated by George in addition to Curley. George only gives him a hard time because he wants Lennie to get better and to remember things more often. He gives him discipline so he will hopefully learn from his mistakes. I also agree with the point you made about Lennie and Charlie and how they never really know what is going on. This could be looked at as a benefit as, Charlie and Lennie, are always happy because they seem to be in their own little worlds.
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