There is a video and lesson on why flowers for Algernon were banned.
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In 1959 a fantasy sci-fi story was written about a mentally handicapped man named Charlie Gordon.He wants to be smarter so when he gets the chance to undergo a scientific experiment that will inject him with a solution to make him smarter, he says yes.The mouse that was the original experiment, Algernon, shows real promise and increased intelligence, which is why they move onto human trials.
The evolution of Charlie is shown in journal entries in the book.He lost his friends because he realized what he thought was real friendship was actually pity.He is now aware of the negative behavior he had never seen before.Charlie develops a relationship with Alice, his teacher at the school where he works, during this hard time.She thought of him fondly, but as he got smarter, their relationship blossomed.
The relationship and evolution of Charlie falls apart when they fall in love.Alice is forever in love with the man inside Charlie that is hidden by his disability, because the solution that had been making him smarter fails, and he devolves back into his original self.The story ends with Charlie back to his original self but with fond memories, as he tries to correct the formula throughout his journal entries.
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The book was attacked for the small sex scene within its pages because it is sad and learning how to be compassionate with those less fortunate.In Flowers for Algernon, Charlie and Alice have a moment together, and he documents it in his journal, which is how we see it.Because this book is usually read in high school English courses, parents were angry that this was shown to their children.
The sexuality of the book was the most complained about by parents, but other concerns were due to the reference on alcohol and language.The adult nature of the book makes it more vivid for the reader.Anger was brought up because of the lack of morality shown in the book, as well as the fact that Charlie has an additional sexual encounter with another woman.
The book was banned in several schools due to the explicit nature of the sex scenes in the book.It was challenged in other schools, but instead of being banned, they were pulled out of the curriculum and put on the library shelves.The schools did not teach it to the students.The American Library Association has a list of the most challenged books.
The touching story of a mentally disabled man that subjects himself to experiments to increase his intelligence was the subject of Flowers for Algernon, a science fiction story.During the journey of becoming smarter and then reverting back to his old self, he falls in love with his teacher and has an emotional and physical affair, making the story very controversial for school curriculums.The book's ability to strike a nerve in feeling for the main character, Charlie, seems to make the more intimate parts of the book even more shocking.Even though this book has been banned and challenged, it is still in many school curriculums.
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