Flowers for Algernon

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Area: Ethics, Literature/Language Arts
Grade Level: High School & Beyond, Middle School
Topics: happiness
Estimated Time Necessary: Two class sessions

Lesson Plan

Objectives:
Class 1
Students will examine how Mill differentiates levels of happiness and how these levels impact ethical behavior.
Class 2
Students will identify moral dilemmas and apply utilitarian principles to the characters and events in “Flowers for Algernon.”

A Utilitarian Perspective

The attached PowerPoint (also found on the Resources tab of this lesson plan) introduces Mill’s idea of higher and lower pleasures by incorporating short videos showing forms of both higher and lower pleasures. Students will discuss, first, whether it is possible to distinguish between high and lower pleasures and, if so, to which level each video would belong.

Next, the students will read the short story “Flowers for Algernon,” and reflect on it using Mill’s ideas on pleasure.

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Discussion Questions

  • John Stuart Mill believed that we could prioritize intellectual enjoyments over more simple ones. He famously said, “It is better to be Socrates dissatisfied, than a fool satisfied.” How can you connect this quote to Charlie Gordon?
  • What does Charlie learn about his “friends,” Joe and Frank? In this instance, would it be better to be a “fool satisfied” and not know what Joe and Frank really think of him? Explain.
  • How does Charlie feel when he starts to become more intelligent than the doctors and Miss Kinnian? Does he seem like he has become “Socrates dissatisfied”? Explain.
  • Does it seem like Charlie understood the procedure he was signing up for? What ethical issues does the story raise and how might we approach these issues?
  • Do you think that people are able to live happier and more fulfilling lives when they are more intelligent? Given your answer, what changes, if any, might you recommend to the current education system?
  • How was Charlie’s identity affected by the experiment?
  • Was Charlie’s identity defined more by his own thoughts about himself or how others perceived him? Explain.

Resources

This lesson plan was created for PLATO by: Marc Pierlott, Cherry Hill High School East, New Jersey.

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

If you would like to change or adapt any of PLATO's work for public use, please feel free to contact us for permission at info@plato-philosophy.org.