Essay Topics

DIRECTIONS: Choose one of the following essay topics.  Make sure you address EACH bullet.  Use quotes from the story to support your ideas/arguments.  The essay will be DUE June 9^th.  It will be scored using the provided rubric.  Each essay must consist of five paragraphs. 

1.        Write an essay in which you explore and analyze the theme of perception versus reality.  Keep in mind our discussion about “Allegory of the Cave.”

• What is Charlie’s perception of his life before the surgery?  How about after the surgery?

• How does Charlie’s perception of his life differ from the reality of his life?

• Explain how the events in Flowers for Algernon relate to “Allegory of the Cave.”

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2.       Write an explanatory essay about the following quote: “Ignorance is bliss.” 

• Use DACH when responding to the question (dissect, analyze, connect, hypothesize).

• Fully explain HOW “ignorance is bliss” using details from Flowers for Algernon.

• Use specific information from the story (character names, events, etc.) for support.

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3.       Pretend you are Charlie’s doctor (Dr. Strauss).  Write an analytical and reflective essay in which you analyze Charlie Gordon’s character development.  DO NOT write an essay explaining how Charlie became smarter.  Rather, write an essay about how he changes emotionally and socially.

• Describe Charlie before the surgery.

• Describe Charlie after the surgery.

• What factors contribute to the changes in Charlie (other characters, flashbacks, acquisition of knowledge, etc.)?

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4.       Write a persuasive essay about the following prompt: Charlie’s intelligence greatly improved.  However, his intelligence regressed by the end of the story, leaving Charlie mentally handicapped once again.  Should doctors continue to perform this surgery on other individuals?

•  Fully explain why or why not by providing three body paragraphs supporting your decision.

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5.          Write an allegory that is based on the theme of the darkness and light of the cave/real world from Flowers for Algernon.  Recall that we read an allegory earlier in the year, Terrible Things, based on the Holocaust.

·         Allegory: a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings from our current novel.  An allegory is a story with two meanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.  Your allegory must closely relate to the lessons and journey’s experiences that Charlie Gordon went through…just like the allegory of the cave.

·         Minimum of 2.5 pages.

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6.       There are a variety of genres in which stories are told.  In this unit, we’ve encountered parodies, nonfiction, philosophical, allegorical, and scientific.  Write a compare and contrast essay comparing Flowers for Algernon to “The Simpsons” episode and “The Little Mermaid” (the Disney classic.)  You will need to watch “The Little Mermaid” in order to include accurate and relevant details.

Option #A: Character Essay

·         How is Charlie similar to Ariel in “The Little Mermaid”?

·         How is Charlie similar to Homer Simpson?

·         In what ways are the characters different from Charlie?

Option #B: Genre Exploration

·         How does “The Simpsons” parody episode accurately reflect on the fictional story of Flowers for Algernon?

·         How does the children’s film “The Little Mermaid” movie accurately relate to the allegorical story about the cave?

·         How do the protagonists (Homer, Ariel, and Charlie) face the adversities of life outside “the cave”?