No matter how you feel: Get Up, Dress Up, Show Up, and Never Give Up! Anonymous
Idea Transcript
Before/After Surgery Charlie Before the Operation
Mental ability
Emotional development/feeling s
Motivation
Understanding of others and the world around him
Charlie After the Operation
Charlie has low mental ability. He misspells simple words, like March (martch) and important (importint). He is 37 and attends a night school for “slow adults.” He describes himself as a “slow reeder.”
Charlie’s intelligence triples. He doesn’t notice it at first, but his spelling and grammar improves.
Charlie knows the difference between right and wrong. He refuses to tell lies because he says he always gets caught. Charlie feels badly when he loses to Algernon. He is very excited to be selected for the operation. Before the operation he is scared and nervous.
Charlie is mad that Miss Kinnian doesn’t come visit him after the operation. He is impatient and frustrated that he doesn’t look or feel smarter. As he begins to gain intelligence, he is excited to learn new things, like when he beats Algernon. He is ashamed when he realizes people make fun of him. He loves Miss Kinnian. Charlie feels lonely like Robinson Crusoe.
Charlie is very eager to learn. He often says how hard he tries. The doctors notice that Charlie has “intenss motor-vation.” He wants to be able to read and spell and be smart like other people. Miss Kinnian says Charlie is the best pupil in her night school because he tried hard and really wanted to learn.
Charlie’s frustrations affect his motivations. He says writing the progress reports is stupid. He then begins to notice how quickly he is able to learn--thinking isn’t so hard for him anymore. Charlie is curious, which leads him to question and seek answers. He skips a day of work when he finds out that Joe and Frank were making fun of him.
Charlie is very superstitious. He carries a rabbit’s foot, lucky penny, and horseshoe into the surgery.
Charlie realizes Joe and Frank are not his friends and they keep him around to make fun of him.
(Students can include additional notes of their choice here.)
(Students can include additional notes of their choice here.)