Flowers for Algernon

Plot

Charlie Gordon, a man with IQ 68, undergoes an experimental procedure that dramatically increases his intelligence. Told via his progress reports. As he surpasses his doctors, he gains awareness of past humiliations and develops a relationship with his teacher Alice Kinnian. When lab mouse Algernon (who had the same procedure) deteriorates, Charlie realizes his enhancement is temporary. He watches himself decline.

Key characters

Themes for 2026

• •Definition of 'progress' — is higher intelligence always better?
• •Arriving at a destination only to be forced to leave
• •Ethics of human experimentation
• •What makes a person valuable — intelligence or character?
• •Temporary vs permanent achievement

Cross-subject hooks

• →Science: gene editing, cognitive enhancement, CRISPR ethics
• →Special Area: the 'mistake' of premature human trials
• →Social Studies: how society treats the cognitively disabled

Debate angles

• ⚖Should cognitive enhancement be available to all or none?
• ⚖Is intelligence the right metric for human worth?
• ⚖Is reversible progress real progress?

Quotes worth knowing

• "I dont know why Im dumb agen or what I did rong. Maybe its because I dint try hard enuff."
• "P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard."
• "Strange about learning; the farther I go the more I see that I never knew even existed."
• "Now I understand one of the important reasons for going to college and getting an education is to learn that the things you've believed in all your life aren't true."

Study questions

1. Track the spelling and grammar over the progress reports — what does Keyes communicate that Charlie himself can't?
2. Did the doctors fail Charlie ethically, scientifically, or both?
3. Compare the pre- and post-surgery Charlie. Which one would each character in the story choose?
4. Algernon dies in the maze. What does Charlie's last request tell you about how he understands his own decline?