Flowers for Algernon: Part 1
Focus: Text Structure and Irony
Analyzing Text Structure
Analyzing text structure helps you in the following ways:
o Understand the organization of the text
o Makes it easier to locate the author’s main points
o Makes it easier to understand how ideas relate to each other.
To help you identify text structures, do the following:
o Look for signal words and phrases that indicate the structure
o Think about how the structure works to give meaning to the story
1. (P. 204) What do the headings suggest about the structure of the story?
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2. (P. 204) What word keeps the events in this entry in order?
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3. What kind of text structure is this?
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4. (P. 212) How does the structure of the text help you see that Charlie’s intelligence is
increasing?
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5. (P. 213) What chronological signal words does Charlie use in the his April 20th entry? How
has Charlie’s use of signal words improved since the beginning of the story?
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Identifying Irony
Irony occurs when there is a difference between what is expected and what actually happens in
a short story, poem, or play.
• Situational irony
o An author creates situational irony when a character expects a particular outcome,
but the opposite occurs.
• Dramatic irony
o An author creates dramatic irony when the reader or audience has important
information that the character or characters do not have.
For example, dramatic irony may result when a character lacks selfawareness and acts according to false ideas.
Situation
The only things Charlie
sees in the inkblots are
inkblots.
Other workers at the
factory use the phrase
“pulling a Charlie Gordon.”
Dr. Strauss gives Charlie
the TV to listen to at
night.
Charlie wants to be smart
like his friends, Joe Carp
and Frank Reilly.
Charlie believes Miss
Kinnian gets something in
her eye and has to leave
the room.
At the end of Part 1,
Charlie is realizing that
there are negative aspects
to becoming smarter.
Type of Irony
Why is it ironic?
(Usually, what is expected to happen?)
Situational
Dramatic
Situational
Dramatic
Situational
Dramatic
Situational
Dramatic
Situational
Dramatic
Situational
Dramatic
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Flowers for Algernon: Part 2
Focus: Point of View, & Character Inferences
Characterizing Charlie & Making Inferences
Method of Characterization
Inference
Example from story
(It is clear that… or I know
that…)
(In the text, it says that…)
Charlie’s Actions & Reactions
What do you learn about Charlie,
based on how he acts or reacts to
others?
Charlie’s Words (Dialogue)
What do you learn about Charlie,
based on the things he says?
What Others Say about
Charlie (Dialogue)
What do you learn about Charlie,
based on the things that other
people say?
Charlie’s Thoughts and
Emotions
What do we learn about Charley
based on his dreams, wishes,
hopes, fears and feelings?
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Identifying Point of View
Point of view is the vantage point from which a story is told.
•
•
•
•
•
First Person Point of View
o The narrator is one of the characters in the story.
o First person pronouns, such as I, me, my, and mine are used in telling the story.
o Since the narrator is a character in the story, he/she may not be completely reliable.
o We find out only what this character knows, thinks, and witnesses.
Third Person Limited
o The narrator is not a character in the story.
o Third person pronouns, such as he, his, she, hers, it, its, they, and them are used in telling
the story.
o The narrator tells the story from the vantage point of one character.
o The narrator can see into this character’s mind, but not any of the other characters.
o We find out only what this character does, knows, thinks, and witnesses
Third Person Omniscient
o The narrator is not a character in the story.
o Third person pronouns, such as he, his, she, hers, it, its, they, and them are used in telling
the story.
o The narrator is all-knowing, and can see into the minds of all the characters. The narrator
can also report what is said and done.
o We find out what all the characters do, feel, think, and witness.
Second Point of View
o Second person pronouns such as you, your, and yours are used.
o Most stories are NOT told in second person. It is reserved for items of personal address,
such as letters and editorials.
Stories are usually told from the first-person or third-person point of view.
Directions: On the lines provided below, indicate whether the sentence is an example of first, second or
third-person narration.
1. _______________I don’t know what eating has to do with getting smart.
2. _______________I realize that Dr. Nemur is not at all a genius.
3. _______________Charlie hates competing with Algernon.
4. _______________You’ve got to be a little patient.
5. _______________I lost my reader that we were using.
6. _______________And you remember every single thing you read?
7. _______________Once again now I have this feeling of shame burning inside of me.
8. _______________You’ll see how the different branches of learning are related.
9. _______________The test still doesn’t make sense to me.
10. _______________Fanny explains to Charlie why he was rejected at work.
11. From which point of view was “Flowers for Algernon” narrated? _______________
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Analyzing Conflict
Directions: Identify four conflicts that characters face in the story and fill in the following chart with as
much information as possible.
Character vs. Self
Describe conflict from story (who was involved, what happened, etc.):
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Explain how the conflict is resolved (or why it wasn’t):
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Character vs. Character
Describe conflict from story (who was involved, what happened, etc.):
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Explain how the conflict is resolved (or why it wasn’t):
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Character vs. Nature
Describe conflict from story (who was involved, what happened, etc.):
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Explain how the conflict is resolved (or why it wasn’t):
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Character vs. Group
Describe conflict from story (who was involved, what happened, etc.):
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Explain how the conflict is resolved (or why it wasn’t):
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Name ___________________________________________ Date ________________________ Block _______
“Flowers for Algernon”
What is theme?
Theme is an observation about life that the author shares with the reader. A theme should not be confused with
the subject of the story, which is what the story is about. The theme is usually more important and usually
harder to figure out. It is the central message of the story and the main point the author is trying to make. For
example, in Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the subject of the story is murder, but the theme is
that you can never escape your crimes.
Directions: Think for a moment about what the most important word in “Flowers for Algernon” might
be. Brainstorm a list in the box below. After you have made your list, circle the word you think is the
most important of all.
Directions: Now that you have chosen the most important word, go back through the story and look for
what the author and narrator (Charlie) have to say about that word. These passages will give you clues to
what the author’s message, or theme, is. You should find at least FIVE good quotes from the story.
PAGE #
QUOTE OR PASSAGE
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Directions: Now, based on the information you have gathered, decide what you think the author is saying
about the word you circled on at the beginning of this lesson. THIS IS YOUR THEME! Write it below.
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Directions: Use the information you have gathered above to fill in the following paragraph frame to
answer the following question. Be sure to use the quotes you wrote down from the story.
In your opinion, what is the major theme in Daniel Keyes’s story, “Flowers for Algernon”?
I think the theme of Daniel Keyes’s story “Flowers for Algernon” is
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I believe this is the theme because _____________________________________________________________
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The theme is present in the story when _________________________________________________________
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I think the author’s message was ____________________ because ___________________________________
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