Jump to content

Brida

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    413

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Brida

    Five facts...

    in General Chat

    Posted · Edited by Brida

    4. I love, love, love, love autumn! It's my favorite season! I was so happy it rained the other day, I almost cried!

     

    So do I :giggle: I especially like the dry leaves on the ground, that make crunchy sounds when you step on them...Not to mention, their colour is fabulous!

    Has anyone read...?

    in General Book Discussions

    Posted · Edited by Brida

    Thank you Roland :)

    Sounds good - dark, humour, dealing with mental health...I think I'm going to like it.

     

    EDIT : haha, thanks Chrissyˇˇ I was looking through the Fiction part of the Forum, but I guess I gave up the search too soon :D

    Brida's 2010/2011

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by Brida

    REVIEW

     

    *Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes*

     

    Synopsis:

    Charlie Gordon, IQ 68, is a floor sweeper, and the gentle butt of everyone's jokes, until an experiment in the enhancement of human intelligence turns him into a genius. But then Algernon, the mouse whose triumphal experimental tranformation preceded his, fades and dies, and Charlie has to face the possibility that his salvation was only temporary.

     

     

    ''Exceptional refers to both ends of the spectrum, so all my life I've been exceptional.''

     

    I decided to start my review with this quote (which I've already mentioned in another thread) because it contains the basis of a lot of problems this book deals with.

    Is it ok to use science in order to increase a human being's IQ's thinking by that that the person will be more content with itself, and more useful to both itself and others? Is it ok to play God? I personally think it's not ok, even though I appreciate science and its importance, but I don't think it's alright to decide in the name of another person he'd be better off were he more intelligent. Also, I don't think it's alright to make that assumption based on personal opinion that people with lower IQ should be changed at all (here I'm referring to

    what Charlie often mentions, how the scientists act as if he wasn't a person before the operation

    ) - who are we to decide they're not good enough. Obviously those less intelligent need more help from other people (so yes, increasing their IQ and therefore making them able to become more independent is useful, but also pretty selfish on society's account) but still, there are some pretty needy intelligent people out there too.

     

    I wouldn't say this book is emotional, rather that it causes a lot of emotions in the reader. I went from emphathising, feeling sorry for Charlie, sympathising with him, to being annoyed by him, surprised by him, to emphathising (and possibly loving him as a person) again.

     

    Also, it's been mentioned before (in the FfA thread), but I have to mention it to. The ''transition'' from Charlie IQ 68, to Charlie the Genius :D

    and afterwards, from genius to the old Charlie

    is incredible! So smooth and natural, I actually kept rereading the progress reports where you can notice the difference, to work out how he (the author) did it, because it seems like it's fast, but not sudden. Don't know how to descibe it, but I think that those who have read it will understand.

     

    There's so much more to write about, but I'm gonna stop here.

    I would recommend it (and already did actually :D ) to others :)

×
×
  • Create New...