Laura+extra+credit-Flowers+for+Algernon

 __Biography of Daniel Keyes__
====  __**Early Life and Education:**__       ==== ====  Daniel Keyes was born on August 9th, 1927, in Brooklyn, New York. He was an educated man who attended Brooklyn College, where he received an A.B. degree in 1950. After graduation, Keyes worked as an associate editor for the magazine //Marvel Science Fiction // while pursuing his own writing career. Later; he taught high school English in Brooklyn. In 1952, he married Aurea Georgina Vazquez, with whom he had three children. Keyes returned to Brooklyn College later in life to receive an A.M. degree in 1961, and went on to teach English in the university level. He first taught at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and then at Ohio University, where in the 1970s he became Professor of English and director of the university's creative writing center. ==== ====   **__Career/Flowers for Algernon:__**         ==== ==== <span style="FONT-SIZE: 36pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #0e80e9; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Keyes was still teaching high school English when he first published the work that would make his reputation. The original short story version of "Flowers for Algernon" appeared in //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction // in 1959. After the story won the Hugo Award for best science fiction story of the year and was adapted as a television drama, Keyes expanded the story into a novel, published in 1966. The novel, __Flowers for Algernon__, won the Nebula Award of the [|Science Fiction] Writers of America (tying with Samuel R. Delany's [|Babel-17]) and was filmed in 1968 as //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Charie //. The film was a notable success, earning Cliff Robertson an Academy Award as Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie Gordon. Keyes did not really have another work that achieved the popular and critical success of Flowers for Algernon. In the mean time, he still    <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> continued to write while pursuing a full-time career in English academics. ====

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">__** Other works: **__
====<span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: #0001ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> He published two other novels, //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Touch // (1968) and //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Fifth Sally // (1980), and the nonfiction works //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Minds of Billy Milligan // (1981) and //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">Unveiling Claudia: A True Story of a Serial Murder // (1986). Both //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Minds of Billy Milligan // and //<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Fifth Sally // share with //Flowers for Algernon// a concern with extraordinary psychological states, as both books examine the phenomenon of multiple personalities. Keyes was able to write his book on Billy Milligan—the first person in the United States ever acquitted of a major felony on the grounds of multiple personalities—only after several of Milligan's selves read //Flowers for Algernon// and agreed to work with the author. ====

**__Plot Synopsis:__**
<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt; COLOR: #0070c0; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">This book is about a 32 year old man named Charlie Gordon, who has the IQ of 68. In the beginning of the book, Charlie volunteered to be the subject of an experimental surgical procedure which would more than triple his IQ. Although Charlie has subnormal intelligence, he is unusually motivated, and he is taking night school classes at the Beekman University Center for Retarded Adults. At first, he is afraid he wouldn’t be chosen for the project. He doesn't understand what to do when he is asked to tell what he sees in inkblots, and when he traces through a diagram of a maze in competition with Algernon, a mouse who is running an actual maze, Algernon always wins. Nonetheless, Charlie is eventually chosen by the scientists and was on his way to having a higher IQ. Throughout the book Charlie begins to gain more knowledge and has a change in attitude and behavior. You will have to read the rest to find out what happens to Charlie Gorden and Algernon. Quotes: "...all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but it's very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot." (Keyes 3) This quote expresses the emotion that Charlie is going through when he finds out that he is going to actually have a average IQ, or above average IQ.

"I beet Algernon. I dint even know I beet him until Burt Selden told me. Then the second time I lost because I got so excited. But after that I beet him 8 more times. I must be getting smart to beat a smart mouse like Algernon. But I dont feel smarter." (Keyes 22) This quotation shows that Charlie is improving and the scientists are doing something right in their experiment, and are on their way to success with Charlie Gorden. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt; COLOR: #0070c0; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma"> **__Criticism:__** This book had many great ideas along with themes and symbolism. What worked was how it was laid out and told from Charlie's point of view. What didn't work, was the length, I thought that maybe there shouldn't have been so much about some of the events that happened throughout the book. Overall this book was a great read and should be read by many others. I would give this book an 8 out of 10.

** __Literary Information:__  ** **full title** · <span class="chapt_body_italic">//Flowers for Algernon// **author** · Daniel Keyes **type of work** · Novel **time and place written** · Original short story written in 19 59, in New York City; expanded novel version written from 19 62 to 19 65 in New York and Ohio. **date of first publication** · Short story published in 19 59 ; expanded novel form first published in 19 66 **publisher** · Harcourt Brace Jovanovich **narrator** · Charlie Gordon, a mentally disabled man who undergoes experimental surgery to increase his intelligence
 * genre ** · Science fiction
 * language** · English

** __ Placement on the College Bound List: __ ** This book was placed on the list for the college bound because of its unique motifs and themes. This classic story won many prizes, for both the book and movie. Keyes had great imagination when he wrote the story of Charlie Gorden, that is why it was most likely placed on the list for the college bound. For more on the College Bound List, check out: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/outstandingbooks/fictionoutstanding.cfm __**Recommendation:**__ I would recommend this book because it has a great a plot line and excellent themes. I found this story to be very creative and worthwhile. If you like to read journals, and biographies, you will definitely love __Flowers for Algernon.__ **__Why is this book so outstanding?__** The book, __Flowers for Algernon__, is so outstanding because of it's an out of the ordinary story, and symbolism. Some symbols that are recognized in the book are: Algernon, the window, and lastly Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge. Algernon symbolizes the future for Charlie. Without Algernon the scientists would not be able to do their experiment. As a young child, Charlie's memories often included looking out a window. The window represents emotional distance from normal, intelligent people. Lastly, Adam and Eve along with the tree of knowledge represents Charlie's journey from retardation to genius. There are many twists and turns throughout the book that make it great as well. This is why __Flowers for Algernon__ is an outstanding book.

Melissa Agee's A Death in the Family Laura Buck The Good Earth Kyle G Knowles A Separate Peace
 * Links to other great Wiki Sites*

Index to all the wikis: http://park204.wikispaces.com/Honors_English10A-NonFiction

Sources: Keyes, Daniel. __Flowers for Algernon__. Florida: Harcourt, Mar. 1966.

"Flowers for Algernon." __Sparknotes__. 2008. Barns&Noble. 7 Nov. 2008 < http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/goodearth/ > "Flowers for Algernon Book note summary." __Bookrags__. 2000-2006. Glam Publisher Networks. 7 Nov. 2008. http://www.bookrags.com/notes/alg/QUO.html

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 11.5pt; COLOR: #0070c0; FONT-FAMILY: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma">