WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH

(ELC 15WO)

ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

Contents
1. Language
2. Writing
3. Essay Writing
4. Summaries
5. Comprehension
6. Literature
APPENDICES

A) Course outline for the year

B) Teaching and Learning Philosophy
C) SAICA competency framework and pervasive skills
D) Acknowledgement (to be signed and returned to your tutor)

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DOCUMENT AND SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY AND

CONSULTED REGULARLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
ELC15WO LECTURE NOTES
LECTURER: N MATEBESE

Recommended Additional Reading

Textbook: English Handbook and Study Guide, by Beryl Lutrin and Marcelle Pincus
Those who have access to this book read pages 1-47. (Refresher)
Additional reading is advised, the notes provided are not sufficient.
Communication
To obtain the ability to communicate effectively, students should academically be able
to use the correct vocabulary. This is especially important in both written and spoken
forms of communication. Correct use of communication is important because it affects
every aspect of a person’s life.
*Social Communication (Family, Friends, WhatsApp, Facebook)
*Academically (School work)
*Business (workplace)
Therefore, when you correct your vocabulary, you improve all areas of your life and
reflect professionalism.

Dictionary Use
*Every student should own a dictionary. (Longman South African School Dictionary.)
Dictionaries are used to work out the different meanings of words. Different information
is provided in dictionaries, not only the meaning of words.
*Descriptions of words (meaning of words and simple examples on how to use the
word)
*Pronunciation of words (How words are said)
*Parts of Speech (verb, noun, etc.)
*Context of the word (Formal/Informal)
*Whether the word can be used in singular or plural form.
For example, cooler/Kool*uh/cooler box noun is a container for cold food and drinks.
Introduction to Language
Developing Vocabulary
To form sentences, we first must know words. We need to know the meaning of the
words, including grammar.
Sentences
These are a group of words joined together to express thought.
They begin with Capital Letters and end with full stops.
For example, I went to the shop.
Four Types of Sentences
Statements- something that is said.
Questions- something that is asked.
Exclamations- How things are said (emotions): fear, surprise, anger, etc.
Commands- when orders are given.
To understand the general idea of sentence structuring; phrases and clauses in
sentence structuring need to be formed correctly.
(Kindly refer to the additional reading in the textbook recommended)
*NB*Recommended reading from pages 6-60.

Punctuation
Punctuation allows written text to be easily understandable. Otherwise, it would not
make sense.
Capital letters.
Sentences always begin with capital letters. Capital letters mark the beginning of
sentences. Words with capital letters indicate the following:
For example, titles in books, names of places, names of people, and the first word in
direct speech.
For example, Sharon went to Durban.
Full Stops.
These indicate the end of a sentence. They also can be found after certain
abbreviations (pg. 58-59.)
For example: Prof. (Abbreviations)

Commas (,)
Commas indicate pauses in a sentence. Commas are used to separate words or
phrases in lists.
 Paul went to buy milk, juice, and fruit.
We also insert commas before and after words such as however and nevertheless.
 He was late for her exam and did not write it.

Incorrect punctuation can confuse and create double meanings. For example:
(a) The pastor, called Brown, thanked him warmly and left quickly.
(1a) Meaning: The pastor, whose name is Brown, thanked him warmly and quickly
left.
(The pastor’s name is Brown.)

Changed by inserting the commas in different parts of the sentence, it means something
different. For example:

The pastor called Brown, thanked him warmly, and left quickly.
(1b) The pastor called somebody whose name was Brown, thanked him, and left.

Changed again this sentence could have a different meaning.

(b) The pastor called “Brown,” thanked him, and left.
(1c) Meaning: The pastor called out to the person whose name was Brown, thanked
him, and left quickly.
 (Called out to a person/shouted out to a person called Brown)

Colons (:)
The colon always introduces something: a list, an explanation or elaboration, a
quotation, or direct speech.
Colons indicate that a list, an explanation, or an idea is about to follow.
For example, the following groceries must be bought mayonnaise, green pepper, bread,
and cheese.
Semi Colons (;)
1. Semi-colons are used to join two related sentences.
(a) Sandy was riding her bicycle; her phone was in the back of her bicycle.

2. Semi-colons are also used in sentences where lists/Items and sentences are
included.
*Remember, commas are used when listing items, but semicolons are used when
joining sentences.
3. Semicolons indicate two opposing ideas without writing two different sentences.
For example: In summer, she swims; in winter, she skates.
4. A full stop or the conjunctions may replace semi-colons, but, so, for, and although.
Therefore, a semicolon can be used with no conjunction but two main clauses.
For example:
(a) Ingrid worked hard for the examinations, so she had nothing to fear.
(b) Ingrid worked hard for the examinations; she had nothing to fear.
Question marks (?)
Question marks are placed at the end of questions. Therefore, if your sentence ends in
a question, a question mark is inserted, NOT a full stop or an open-ended sentence left
blank.
For example: Will Sally be attending his lecture?
Exclamation marks (!)
Exclamation marks are used to indicate the tone of statements. Exclaiming means
suddenly saying something loudly due to surprise, excitement, or shock. They reflect
emotions.

For example, William shouted, ‘Ouch!’

*Exclamation marks follow doing words such as verbs.

For example, yelled, shouted, commanded, and exclaimed.

Quotation Marks (““)

Single quotation marks were often used to indicate the titles of books.

*Quotation marks indicate direct speech.

*Quotation marks are used in repeating someone else’s words.

Brackets ()

Brackets are used to explain additional information.

The Apostrophe (‘)

The apostrophe is often used informally to join two words. These words are not to be
used in formal writing.

Examples of how apostrophes are used are:

*I have I’ve
*You have could be you’ve
*We have is we’ve
*They have is you’ve
*Have not is haven’t
(Other examples are seen on page 13 of the textbook
Levels of language

Formal Language
This form of language is used in professional situations. It exudes respect and
sophistication. We use this language in the workplace, in interviews, or in written work.
Vocabulary is carefully chosen because it needs to be accurate.
Formal grammar is used.
The tone used is serious and polite.

Informal Language

This is everyday language use. The language one uses on WhatsApp, Twitter, and
Facebook. This language is often used in your everyday interactions with people around
you.
Vocabulary is less sophisticated and more relaxed.
Simple sentences are used and can have contradictions.
Slang can be used as well as colloquialism. (Abbreviation of words such as haven’t)
The tone is warm and friendly.
Grammar is more informal.

Writing: Letter Drafting

Formal/Informal Language
Informal Writing
Formal Writing

Features of Letter Writing

Formal Language
This form of language is used in professional situations. It exudes respect and
sophistication. We use this form of language in the workplace, in interviews, or in written
work.
Vocabulary is carefully chosen because it needs to be accurate.
Formal grammar is used.
The tone used is serious and polite.

Informal Language
This is everyday language use. The language one uses is WhatsApp, Twitter, and
Facebook. This language is often used in your everyday interactions with people around
you.
Vocabulary is less sophisticated and more relaxed.
Simple sentences are used and can have contradictions.
Slang can be used as well as colloquialism. (Abbreviation of words such as haven’t)
The tone is warm and friendly.
Grammar is more informal.

Examples of informal language

(a) Slang
This is made up of language that is informal. Slang differs depending on place as
well as time. Examples of slang are chick, dude, etc.

(b) Jargon
Jargon consists of expressions, words, or phrases used by a particular group of
people or professions.
 Golfers use jargon such as birdies, eagles, and nineteenth hole.

Writing Letters

Features of Informal/Friendly Letter

Sender Address: The sender's address is on the page's right-hand side.

Date: The date is written below the address of the sender.

Recipient's address: The recipient's address is not written on the letter but on the
envelope.

Salutation: Salutation is the greeting found on the line below the date on the left-hand
margin.

 A line is left between the greeting (salutation) and the first paragraph.
  Lines are also left between each paragraph.

Introductory paragraph: The paragraph is kept short and straight to the point.

Middle paragraph: This paragraph contains at least two paragraphs. This is the section
of the letter where the important information is relayed.

Conclusion: conclusions are just that: the sender should conclude on the main points
and state the way forward.
 A line is left between the last sentence of the conclusion and the signature
box.

Signature box: The ending (complimentary close) depends on how well you knew the
recipient.

For example:
Your granddaughter, Love, Kind regards, Yours, Yours sincerely.

Name: Writing a surname is unnecessary when writing to family or friends. Therefore,

the sender only writes their name.
The Writing Process

Written communication allows a person to express themselves. It also showcases skills

one might have in varied topics (allowing for debates), thereby allowing creativity.
Developing writing skills allows one to cultivate the ability to express themselves
accurately. The saying, “practice does make perfect”, is perfect in this situation. There
are important factors to be considered in developing your writing skills.
These are Content, format, sentence structure, vocabulary, language, punctuation,
spelling, and creativity.

Essay writing

This lecture will explore creative writing, but referencing will not be considered.

Planning

 Research is a very important factor in writing essays. Planning your work

beforehand allows for a coherent, precise, logical, and well-structured essay.
To yield such results, the essay needs to be well-researched. This means
there needs to be a topic first. One needs to know what they will be writing
about. (Meaning there needs to be an idea to start with.)

There are five stages:

Stage 1: You need to consider the topic you will write about.
Stage 2: Gather information that can be found from various sources:
-Research
-The Internet
-Handouts
-Your own knowledge/ideas.
-Discussions
Stage 3: Outline, Plan, and structure your work. Structure the work to make it
make sense. In other words, it should be logically structured.
 Stage 4: Always start with a first draft before submitting the essay. Revise if it’s in
chronological order then edit spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Stage 5: This is the final copy; you rewrite the final copy neatly and in the
required format.

 Flow charts are diagrams that allow essays to look more structured. They
show different stages of the essay. They allow the writer to structure their
work in the correct way as well as place it chronologically.

Paragraphs

Paragraphs are texts with multiple main ideas and must be divided into
paragraphs. Paragraphs have topic sentences, meaning there is a main idea of
what the paragraph will contain. The paragraphs then contain the topic sentence's
main idea and supporting sentences.
Separating work into paragraphs results in a well-structured essay. Paragraphs
are sentences dealing with one idea at a time; here, we have one topic with
separated paragraphs that deal with supporting details. This means one has one
idea/topic, and the rest of the paragraphs expand on the main idea. The last
paragraph, though, summarizes the whole idea/topic.

Begin new paragraphs when there are:

A new idea, opinion, argument, time, place, or when reaching a conclusion. (This
is not a closed list.)

Paragraphs are separated into:

Introduction: The first paragraph is called the introduction. It introduces what you
will be writing about. The purpose is to give the reader an idea of what you will
discuss or write about. The introduction should be interesting to the reader as well
as short. The more interesting the introduction, the more inviting it is to the reader.

The Body: Here, the development of the essay is explored. Paragraphs look at
different aspects of the same topic. This is the supporting part of your essay. It
supports statements stated in the first paragraph or expands on the topic of the
essay. The essay is fully developed in the body. It can be separated into three
parts. (Paragraphs) These paragraphs intertwine because they elaborate on the
topic of the essay. For example, if the topic were on B.M.W vehicles, the
paragraphs would touch on the engine performance, speed of the vehicle, then
the design of the vehicles, and the sales. The conclusion would then either be pro
B.M.W vehicles or not.

The Conclusion: The conclusion is the last paragraph that rounds up everything.
Points of view can be expressed here. The person reading should feel a sense of
finality, and the main argument is reinstated. The writer should also conclude the
argument, briefly using the evidence from the previous paragraphs in the essay's
body. Words used are in conclusion; it is therefore evident, thus, and
consequently. These words help with the flow of the text.
 Essay Categories

Personal Writing
This is a more realistic form of writing. Mostly, experiences, thoughts, feelings,
and ideas are shared. It is written in the first person (I).

Narrative writing
This type of essay is when a person accounts for events or incidents. There’s
always a plot or storyline with some moral lesson to learn. Narratives require
more:
 Planning
 Introduction, body, and conclusion set as a storyline.
 Characters
 Narrated in the past tense.
 Conclusions that end with powerful moral lessons to learn.

Descriptive Writing
This form of writing requires describing situations, feelings, people, and places.
Descriptive writing:
 Requires attention to detail.
 Creativity
 Detail
 Present tense is mainly used but not always.

Persuasive Writing
When persuading an audience on their opinion, belief to gain support. You can also be
taking a stand in supporting your opinion.

Discursive writing
This type of writing requires one to debate a certain topic. Therefore, it requires analysis
of topics. For this you will need knowledge and written opinions on the said topics. It is
more informative and deals with facts. Every fact must be substantiated through
evidence and referencing.
Summaries
Summarizing is an important skill to learn before attending University. When one learns
how to summarize properly, information from different sources can be integrated into
one document. In an examination, a summary tests your understanding of a text and the
ability to recognize important information in texts.
What is a summary?
The purpose of a summary is to shorten the original text by extracting only the important
information, mainly the main ideas and supporting details, and then combine these two
into a shorter version of the original text. In simpler terms, this means students must
recognize the main (important) points in a text and shorten it only using the important
facts of the text. Summaries clarify texts. They also help in preventing plagiarism.
How to summarize
The ability to write meaningful summaries needs practice, and some steps need to be
followed.
 Students need to identify the topic of the text. This means you need to figure out
what the text is about. The only way to find this out is to reread the text at least
twice briefly.
 To determine the writer's main points, go through the introduction and conclusion
of the text.
 Go through different sections of the text, identifying the main points and the
topics covered in each section.
 Make notes on each paragraph, only extracting the important information of each
paragraph/topic in each paragraph.
 Then combine the notes you have made into paragraphs. Ensure all the
important information in the main text is included in your paragraphs.
 Take care not to include unimportant information or examples thereof.
 Make sure that the summary reflects the main text and does not stray from what
the main text was written about.
 If you are writing an assignment, cite the source of the information. Citation
guards against plagiarism.
 In the end, write the number of words you have used in brackets.

Types of summaries
  Heading- can be as short as one word.
 Point form- this means it can be in bulleted order or numbered.
 Prose- full sentences in a paragraph form.

Revising
Work must be revised to correct how the work is organized. This allows the flow of the
essay to be structured better. The paragraphs in essays make more sense when the job
is in order.
Work is revised to make sure that the information has been presented logically.

Editing
Editing, on the other hand, is slightly different. Sentences are corrected for grammar,
punctuation, spelling, etc. There is an editing process that is a checklist for correctness:
 Instructions - Has the student followed the instructions correctly? The question
needs to be reread to follow its specific instructions.
 Content – students should review their work and check whether the contents are
relevant and logically structured.
 Legibility – the work should be neat, and students should write legibly.
 Paragraphs – are the paragraphs separated into relevant paragraphs
(introduction, body, and a conclusion)
 Sentence construction – check for repetition and whether formal language has
been used.
 Tense – Be careful not to use past and present tense.
 Spelling – Students should correct their spelling mistakes.
 Punctuation - Do sentences start with capital letters and end with full stops? Are
question marks, exclamation marks, commas, colons, and semi-colons used in
the correct places in sentences?
 Additional checks – Correct tone, aim, audience, and style.
Comprehension
Reading
People encounter different texts that they need to read to extract different types of
information communicated. This means that the more fluent you are in reading, the
faster you can obtain this information.
Reading requires interacting with text. Reading is a process that requires one to focus
on the meaning of the words. (Sentences that are created by different combined words)
Words that are separated are limited in meaning, but when words are combined, they
have more meaning. This means that when reading, the focus is not on letters or single
words but groups of words that form understandable phrases. For example, in the
sentence, “In today’s news,” When we see a phrase that is familiar, the reader can
identify or guess what is to follow.
Why do we read?
We read for different reasons and have different expectations from different texts.
Meaning that different texts have different purposes.
 To relax- We sometimes read for leisure, which can be done anywhere from
home and traveling. When we read for leisure, we speed read because we do not
need to remember what we read about. (speed read)
 To find information- when we research for essays or find numbers in diaries.
(scan)
 To preview- before trying to read something thoroughly, you want to know what it
is about. (skim read)
 To study- To study text, one must be alert because the reading requires
concentration. This is because information is being read not only for
understanding but for remembering as well. (study reading)

The writer’s purpose:

Writers write with a specific purpose, and perceptive readers are meant to identify such
a purpose.
To:
 Inform
 Persuade, or
 Promote goodwill.
 Entertain
 Express a feeling
 Satisfy a need.

Types of Reading
Different types of styles of reading consist of:
Scanning
Scanning is the fastest reading technique. Scanning requires the reader to understand
the information before they scan the work. Scanning is when the eyes glance quickly
across the pages until you find the text you seek. Scanning is used to look for a
particular name, keyword, number, or amount.
Skimming
Not every word is read when one is skimming. When one skim reads, they look for the
general overview of the text. The headings and how the material has been organized
are looked at. One tries to look at the main idea and how it links together. We then get
an idea of the writer's tone, purpose, and intention. Skimming is used when:
 To preview- to get a general idea of what the text is talking about, note the
heading and read the opening and closing paragraphs.
 For surveys- read headings, subheadings, introductions, summaries, as well as
italicized texts.
 To review- when one is revising work that has already been studied because
your focus is on remembering the main points studied previously and elaborating
on them.

Study Reading
This type of style requires intensive reading. It requires reading to understand that text
needs to be read slowly and carefully. You cannot read without thinking because it
requires remembering the information provided.

Helpful tips:
 Understand the purpose for reading that article, novel or any text. Is it to find
information, research, or for an essay?
 Underline or highlight important information (make sure it is relevant to the
topic/purpose at hand.
 Identify and choose key phrases and keywords in sentences and paragraphs.
 Find the main idea of the text.
 Make notes linking the selected information.
 Identify the linking words such as first, second, on the other hand, but, or, in
conclusion, to sum up. These words reflect the development of ideas.
 Ask questions and try and read through the text to understand some answers.
 Write the key information in your own words to better understand it.

Reading for Meaning

There are guidelines to understand why one is reading.

 Obtain a general understanding of what the text is written about.

 The text's title will give one a general idea of the intention of the reading as well
as what the reading will be written about.
 The author will help you identify the era (time the text was written), style, and
subject covered in a reading.
 The introduction will also state what the text will be about.
 The conclusion will reflect the writer’s intention of writing the piece or what he
wants to achieve.

When reading through comprehension, ask yourself:

 Who is the writer, and who are the characters?
 What is the main idea of the story?
 Where is the setting? (Where does it take place?)
 When does it take place? (which era, date, time)
 Why was the text written? (What is the writer’s intention?)
 How has the writer expressed himself? (language used)
 Read and reread the passage.
Highlight the main ideas of each paragraph.
Types of Questions

Contextual/Factual Questions

The factual questions test the storyline. What, Where, and When. (Reread questions
asked in a comprehension)

Interpretative/Inferential Questions
These types of questions require the ability to understand and analyze the text. It needs
deeper thought into the content and the ability to decide what the text is trying to say
without it being stated blatantly in the text. The text's tone will provide an idea of the
writer’s intention.

The language used in Questions.

How has the writer expressed himself? We look at punctuation, grammar, and
vocabulary.

Style Questions
What type of style is used? Is narrative, descriptive, formal, informal, simple, elevated,
or humorous?

Tone Questions
The passage's tone may be angry, apologetic, humorous, personal, or impersonal.
Are these emotions implied or explicit?

Questions on the writers' Intention

The student should first decide on the actual intention and whether the writer has
achieved this. This should be followed by supporting facts.

Opinions
All that is needed is a response to what you have read about.
 You may be asked to assess a character or situation.
 Or you may be asked to comment on the writer’s style, intentions, thoughts, and
feelings.
 You must be able to support your opinion.
Answering Techniques
Answering questions correctly requires one to follow instructions as indicated.
  Do the answers require full sentences, phrases, or words?
 Never start sentences with conjunctions: because, and, but, and so.
 Always look at the mark allocation before answering because it will indicate how
much text to write.
 The numbering of the questions should correspond with the numbering of the
answers.
 When two examples are required, always write two, not more or less.
 Do not write sentences if asked for one or two words.
 Each answer is written on a new line.
 Edit your work before submitting it.
 Write legibly.

Literature
Literature is a body of written work. It includes both Fiction (Novels and short stories
that are made up) and Non-Fiction (Drama and Plays that are based on true stories), as
well as poetry and Visual Literacy.
Written works are versions of the world we live in, the relationships we are in, as well as
the relationships we encounter as we grow.
On the surface books relay stories, but one always finds a deeper meaning, a sense of
understanding from the story line. This is because these stories either have personal
experiences or moral lessons that need to be learned.
When analyzing or studying literary work, there are certain points one needs to
consider:
Title
 The title of the piece introduces the work. This means that you can identify what
follows by recognizing the title.
 There is a close association between the literary work and the book's title.
Setting
The Novel is set against a background called the setting.
 The setting is the time and place where the work is done. As well as the context
of the work. The context is the situation in which something happens for one to
understand it better. This could be the attitudes and values in which the work is
set, written, and received.
 As a reader, you identify the setting by examining the language and information
provided. This way, you can pick up what the theme is as well as who the
characters are.
Characters
When dealing with characters, we look at their physical appearances, personalities, and
actions. This means:
 Appearance: we look at their age, the way they look physically (physical
appearance), dress, social class, mannerisms the way they behave, mode of
speech (the way they talk), accent, dialect (language that is different from what is
expected in a particular region)
 Personality: is the character intelligent (smart), sensitive, attitude, introverted, or
extroverted? Positive or negative qualities, sincerity, or falseness
 Action: The characters' actions are intertwined with the plot and themes. This
means that their actions form part of the plot/storyline.

You get to know and understand characters by looking at:

 What does the writer say about them?
  What the other characters say about them.
 What they say and think about themselves.
 The things they do, how they react in certain situations, and the other characters
around them.
The characters become more real because you get to know them.

Protagonists
Protagonists are the main characters in stories.

 Their strengths and weaknesses are revealed to readers.

 Personal thoughts are shared with the reader. This could be a soliloquy- where
the main character appears to be talking to himself.
 Conflict- characters develop in conflicts that appear in literary works. They can
also adapt to changing circumstances. As readers, we become aware of any
emotional turmoil portrayed by the main character.
 Characters are not studied alone but in context (understanding the storyline) with
the setting and other characters.

Plot/Narrative
The plot is the storyline that the writer develops.
 It can be linear, meaning it’s in chronological order (beginning, middle, and end),
flashbacks, or prophetic (future).
 There will be a plot (main storyline) and a subplot (a secondary plot that co-exists
with the main storyline.) For example, in Shakespeare, we get the main storyline
of two star-crossed lovers who die tragically. Then, the subplot is the two families
that do not get along) Subplots add tension and complexity to the storyline.
Subplots normally unfold after the story.
Themes/ Sub-themes
Main idea of the story. e.g. love, war, ambition.
 They convey messages from the writer. These can be the writer’s beliefs or
opinions.
 Exposition is the main theme introduced at the beginning of the work.
 Themes can be conveyed figuratively (meaning they can be metaphoric, not
literal). For example, she blew her head off when she heard about the accident.
She did not blow her head off. This means she was very angry. Therefore, some
themes need in-depth analysis.
Style
The way that the work has been written to achieve the writer’s purpose.
 The word choice and the language used.
 The style may be literal, figurative, formal, informal, detailed, concise, simple, or
verbose.
 Styles used are different and depend on whether the story is narrated in the first
or third person.
The type of style used depends on:
 Why the work was done (purpose)
 The place and the time the work has been done (setting)
 The audience is the readers for whom the work is done.

Tone

How the writer has expressed himself.

 The writer’s attitude, underlying feelings, or emotions. This is imparted in the
vocabulary. (direct speech, sentence length, punctuation, and attitude)
 The tone is then described as friendly, sharp, angry, and humorous.

Mood/Atmosphere
The mood or atmosphere is the feeling the reader experiences after reading the text.
 It is created by the author's language use and his tone.
Intention
This is why the work was written. (The purpose)
 Is it to entertain, inform, or educate?
 Has the intention been met? The whole purpose will be lost if it is not executed
properly.

Flowers for Algernon

Writer
 Daniel Keyes was born in 1927.
  Lived in New York and worked as a merchant.
 He studied at Brooklyn College, where he obtained his degree and his master's.
 He worked as an editor at Marvel Science Fiction
 He went on to become a teacher.
 Daniel loved science fiction and wrote Flowers of Algernon in 1959.
 In 1959, it won the Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction and the Nebula Award.
 Flowers of Algernon paints a picture of what life might be had one been more
intelligent or less. Fictional but a dream some might wonder about. It also
reflects human behavior regarding how people receive each other in varied
circumstances. It reviews human behavior realistically, set in a fictional manner.
 Nature of intelligence vs human nature.

Characters

Charlie Gordon
The story is told through Charlie’s diary. (Progress Reports) Charlie is the narrator of
the story as well as the protagonist in the story. Charlie goes through an operation that
transforms him from a mentally disabled man to a genius. The writer expresses many
themes and human truths through this journey of transformation. Charlie, who is a
mentally disabled person, lacks intelligence and is a trusting, caring person. He thinks
the people around him, especially his coworkers at Donners Bakery, are as sweet as he
is. As he gains intelligence, he realizes the people around him have been cruel. This
cruelty stems from the fact that he wouldn’t understand due to his disability. Just as
much as he realizes that people were kind towards him out of pity, as well as the
knowledge that he is inferior. (We spoke about this in class) this newfound knowledge
makes the intelligent Charlie keep away from people. His operation, at the same time,
increases his intelligence, and it distances people away from him, just like his disability
did.
At some point, when Charlie is at his most intelligent, he convinces himself that he is no
longer in love with the one person who has always been there for him. (Alice) Charlie
realizes that he needs to come to terms with his traumatic past, and he goes through
emotional cleansing. This is when he must face his past. He differentiates himself (the
new Charlie) from the old disabled Charlie. He sees himself as two people. The new
Charlie is going through changes (emotional maturity), and the old Charlie is full of
insecurities mostly instilled by his mother, Rose. (Fear and shame)
Charlie grows intellectually and starts treating those he deems inferior to him the same
way he was treated when he was disabled. Charlie learns how to give and receive love
only toward the novel's end. He learns to forgive his family and then regresses to being
mentally disabled. He finds self-fulfillment in a brief relationship with Alice.
Alice Kinnian
Alice is the only person Charlie has a fulfilling personal relationship with. Throughout the
novel, Alice is loving and kind towards Charlie. She does not care much about the
operation but is more concerned about Charlie’s well-being. Alice is a teacher for the
mentally disabled at Beekman College, a job she is passionate about. She takes care of
her students and recommends Charlie for the operation. She recommended Charlie
because he was willing to learn even when disabled.
Alice sees her students as human beings and enters a confusing relationship with
Charlie. Alice is confused because she is unsure whether she is being appropriate.
Alice treats Charlie the same throughout the book. Her affection does not change. Alice
is both intelligent and very loving, unlike the various characters that have one without
the other. (See themes)

Professor Nemur

He is very intelligent but not good at showing human emotion. Professor Nemur is a
cold person. He does not care about Charlie and is only concerned with advancing his
career. He sees Charlie as only an experiment just like Algernon. He has a dominating
wife; he is desperate to get his career ahead and have his colleagues regard him as
intelligent. Nemur does not like anyone more intelligent than he is.

Rose Gordon

Rose is Charlie’s mother. She is in denial, obsessed with normality. She pretends as if
Charlie is not mentally disabled. She lies and tells herself that a jealous neighbor
bewitched Charlie. She names her second-born normal because it sounds normal. She
concentrates on Norma’s success and tries to ignore Charlie as if he didn’t exist. When
Charlie started maturing, especially sexually, his mother had him chased away from the
house. It made her angry. By denying that Charlie existed she also could ignore that
she had failed as a parent. In the end, Rose has gone mad from her obsession with
normalcy. She develops dementia, and when Charlie visits her, she reflects on the
emotions of dementia.

Dr. Strauss

Dr. Strauss is the neurologist and psychiatrist who experiments on Charlie. He is

Professor Nemur's colleague. Dr. Straus differs from Professor Nemur because he is
concerned about Charlie and how the operation will affect him.
Burt Selden
Burt is a graduate assisting Dr. Strass and Professor Nemur on their experiment. He is
a master’s student doing his thesis. He oversees the tests that are being done on
Algernon and Charlie.
Faye
Faye is a free-spirited woman with whom Charlie has a short-lived affair. They live in the
apartment that Charlie moves into after Charlie is intelligent. She is the only person who
does not know Charlies' history.

Norma Gordon
Norma Gordon is Charlie’s sister. She grew up resenting that Charlie got special
treatment, but when they meet when Charlie is intelligent, she regrets ever feeling that
childish.

Matt Gordon
Matt is Charlie's father; he always tried to protect Charlie from his mother but gave in
too easily to her bullying. He was a good person.

Algernon

Algernon is the mouse that is a test subject in the experiment.

Flowers for Algernon

Progress Reports 1-7
Flowers of Algernon is told in the form of progress reports written by Charlie, who is a
subject in an experiment aimed at making him intelligent. Charlie is a mentally disabled
man who was chosen as part of a scientific experience. The experiment itself is aimed
at enhancing mental intelligence in humans.
Progress Reports (mentally disabled Charlie)
 In the first progress report, we are introduced to a 32-year-old Charlie with a low
I.Q. (intelligence quotient). He works at a bakery and attends literacy classes at
Beekman College Centre for Retarded Adults. We are also introduced to Miss
Alice Kinnian, who teaches the literacy class. We are also introduced to
Professor Nemur and Doctor Strauss, the experiment's directors. We learn that
they have asked Charlie to diarize his emotional progress and what he thinks
throughout the experiment.
 Charlie meets Burt Shelden, and he administers a test on him, but Charlie can’t
be imaginative, and Charlie worries that he has failed the test. (raw shok test-ink
test)

 Doctor Straus and Professor Nemur have tested their intelligence-enhancing

experiment on animals and are looking for a human subject.
 Alice recommends Charlie as the subject the doctors are looking for because of
his love for learning. He is keen to learn.
 Charlie reveals that his mother encouraged him to learn. At the same time, we
learn that Charlie does not know where his parents live nor whether they are still
alive. This revelation is exposed when the doctors inform Charlie that they will
need permission from his parents. He also worries that the progress reports
result in poor work performance. (Refer to when he drops a tray of rolls)
 Charlie undergoes another test, where he is shown pictures and requested to
make up stories about them. He tells the woman administering the test that he
does not make up stories because he would receive hiding if he made up lies.
 Algernon is a mouse that has undergone the same experiment as Charlie
successfully.
 We are introduced to Algernon, who outwits Charlie in a maze they are both
requested to solve.
 Charlie informs us that the scientists have found his sister. Permission has been
granted for the experiment to be done on Charlie by the sister.
Flowers for Algernon
Progress Report 8-9
The progress reports begin with suspense because we do not know whether the
operation was a success. The writer reveals that it has been successful when:
 Charlie grows increasingly impatient over his results. He had expected them to
be instant after the operation. (This creates suspense because, as readers, we
want to know whether the operation was a success or not.)
 His mental capacity increases in progress report 9; this is revealed when his
mental capacity increases.
 The writer reveals improvement in the spelling and punctuation in the progress
reports.
 His reading has improved to such an extent that he can read a novel called
Robertson Crusoe perfectly.
 He has improved so much mentally that he can operate the dough machine at
Donner Bakery. This is impressive because he has worked at the same bakery
for more than sixteen years and has never been able to use the machine. He is
so intelligent that he even improves how the dough machine works. (redesigns it)
 He also understands what the Rorschach test is.
 Charlie also beats Algernon in a maze.

Charlie also develops emotionally, which can be painful at times. This is revealed when:

 He realizes that his friends at the bakery have been mean to him for fun. He
starts questioning everyone’s motives. He questions Burt and Professor Nemur’s
intentions.
 He does not want to share his progress reports.
Charlie has a sexual dream and is confused by it. Charlie develops sexually, and he
associates it with something shameful.

 He becomes embarrassed, which means he knows what others think of him.

 Rose instills shame towards sexual acts; this is evident when she shouts and
gets Charlie removed from the house when he has an erection.
 As well, Rose would not allow Charlie to be left alone with his sister.
Charlie recovers his childhood memories.

 The revelation of his childhood memories exposes that his present is intertwined
with his past.
 They affect his development in the present.
 The only person that protected him was his uncle Herman.
 Charlie was always under suspicion.
Flowers for Algernon is a novel that uses science fiction to develop its narrative.

 It uses a television-like device that assists Charlie in learning. Keys develops a

powerful fictional story, but the powerful message leaves the reader with a
powerful impact. The reader does not think of the impossibility of the storyline but
is left with a powerful emotional impact.
Progress Report 10-12
Charlie grows intellectually.
 This is evident when he improves the dough mixer.
 He is also able to notice and think about moral issues, such as when he
discovers Gimpy has been embezzling money.
 Now that he is on the same level intellectually, Charlie does not find the people
around him as impressive as he used to. He finds them insecure and limited.
Charlie also realizes that Prof. Nemur thinks of him as just an experiment. They do not
think of him as a person who has his own thoughts and feelings.

 Nemur says Charlie is an inanimate object. (not alive) Charlie overhears him.
 This statement implies that Nemur gave Charlie humanity.
Charlie understands how he was excluded from society/certain groups when he was
disabled. At a later stage, when he is more intelligent than other people, he still feels
excluded/rejected. (People who knew Charlie)
 Gimpy used to be kind towards Charlie, but he joins the other workers and tries
to get Charlie fired.
 Gimpy feels like he wasted his kindness on Charlie.
 Mr. Donner no longer feels he should protect or shelter Charlie.
 Fanny believes that Charlie’s newfound intelligence is not a blessing.
People who did not know Charlie:

 Professors who do not like conversing with Charlie because he is smarter than
them.
 His intelligence, just like his mental problem, is a social curse.
 Charlie is bored by the college students, but at the same time, he misses the
Bakery.
Charlie grows sexually as he develops a closer relationship with Alice.

 His memories of Norma and her bloody panties remind him of shame and
violence. He associates this shame and violence with his mother. His mother
beat him up when she found him with an erection.
  Charlie’s abnormality so tormented rose that she denied him any sexual growth.
She taught him it was shameful to behave in such a manner.
 Charlie struggles with sexual maturity, and this is evident when he is with Alice.
This makes him unable to live as a mature adult because of the shame that was
instilled by Rose, who beat him up every time he developed sexually.

Progress Report 13
Flowers for Algernon
The people around him have taught Charlie inferiority. He struggles to accept his new
independence as a smart man.
 At first, Charlie does not realize that his intelligence allows him to make his own
decisions because he is so used to being controlled.
 Even when angered by those around him, he doesn’t react because he is used to
being controlled. Some of Charlie is used to being controlled like his mother did.
 Charlie realizes he can make his own choices, evident when he runs out of the
convention, cutting ties with the lab.
 Charlie is allowed to trust himself and his decisions because he has realized that
he has improved mentally. At the novel's beginning, Charlie associated
intelligence with making new friends. As he becomes intelligent, it is evident that
this isn’t so.
 The writer reveals through the characters that Charlie is intellectually smarter.
Alice indicates that she cannot keep up with Charlie’s knowledge. Charlie
indicates frustration with the Beekman professors. Charlie also realizes that he is
smarter than Nemur and Straus. (Charlie accuses Professor Nemur of being a
fraud because he does not know Hindi. Though Professor Nemur never said he
spoke the language. Charlie meant here that Professor Nemur was not smarter
than him, which he can now admit.)
 Charlie no longer views the people around him as smart, so he judges them on
their ability to have compassion. (we covered this in class) Therefore, the more
compassionate, loving, and caring a person is, the more Charlie thinks that they
are good people. This is evident in how well he thought of the false doctor. (Dr.
Guarino) He finds him caring and kind. This is the opposite of what he thinks of
Nemur because, as smart as Nemur is, he is cold and calculating.
 Charlie goes from resenting Algernon to becoming very protective of the mouse.
He sympathizes with the mouse who must solve puzzles for his food. When he
frees Algernon, he also frees himself from feeling like an experiment.
 Charlie realizes that the experiment will not last, and in this way, the writer
creates suspense because we pay attention to Algernon. As readers, we know
whatever happens to Algernon will happen to Charlie. (regression of intelligence)

Progress Report 14/15

 Charlie visits his father, and we are exposed to how Charlie views himself as two
people. The old Charlie and the new Charlie.
 The reader is exposed to Charlie and Matt’s relationship. Though Matt could not
defend his son from Rose, he has always supported him. Charlie likes his father
and does not tell him who he is because he fears that his father knows the old
Charlie and will not accept the new Charlie like his bakery friends. (The bakery
friends rejected the intelligent Charlie because they felt threatened.)

 Charlie creates a new relationship with Fay.

 Charlie develops a personal and emotional relationship with Faye. Faye is the
only person with whom Charlie interacts on an emotional level who does not
know Charlie's disabled history. Charlie allows himself to enter a relationship with
a person who is not interested in science or experiments. (straight lines) Her
feelings control Faye. She is a perfect teacher for Charlie, who is emotionally
scarred.
 Charlie tests himself by creating emotionally difficult situations to see whether the
old Charlie will cope. Charlie is curious to know what is causing his confusion
sexually. This is evident in how the old Charlie reacts violently to sexual intimacy
with Alice, but he is curious about sex when it comes to Faye. This is because
the old Charlie has known and loved Alice even before the new Charlie emerged.
On the other hand, the old Charlie does not know him; only the new Charlie
knows him.
 Charlie attempts an experiment by pretending Alice is Faye to trick himself into
being intimate with Alice. He cannot be intimate with Alice though, because he
realizes that he is inhumanly treating Alice. He would be making Alice an
experiment which is no different from how he was treated in the lab.
 Minnie is introduced, and Algernon’s violent reaction to Minnie is a reminder of
Charlie's own regression. This attack creates suspense because the readers
wonder whether Charlie will react the same toward Alice or Fay. As well, when
Algernon loses his intelligence, the readers wait for Charlie’s regression into his
disability.
Progress Report 16
 Charlie has realized that his intelligence will regress. He focuses on solving the
mystery of why his intelligence is regressing. At the same time, he wants to be
emotionally mature enough to be with Fay and Alice.
 One of the themes in the novel is the conflict between intelligence and emotion,
which is intertwined (joined) in this section. Charlie can leave Fay’s world of sex,
drink, and dance and go back to the Lab. Charlie can only go back when Alice
convinces him that his work is too important to be compromised by distractions.
Alice can remind Charlie that he receives emotional gratification in his work.
 Nemur and Charlie argued for the cocktail party and some of the things Nemur
said to Charlie were true. Charlie accuses Nemur of being arrogant and cold.
 Professor Nemur reminds Charlie that he was kind-hearted and sweet before the
operation. Nemur informs Charlie that he merely operated on him but is not to
blame for the new cold Charlie. Charlie is the creator of the cold new Charlie and
cannot blame Nemur.
 Charlie realizes he cannot fault Nemur for being the way he is when he behaves
the same way. Charlie grows emotionally because he takes responsibility for his
own life.
 Now that Charlie has learned responsibility and independence, he gets the
strength to visit his mother and sister. This completes the struggle to deal with his
past.
 The readers meet Rose; unlike his father, Charlie introduces himself as himself.
He struggles to make his mother realize who he is. ( Rose has dementia and has
lost her mind). Charlie tries to make his mother happy because he wants to know
that he tried his best to fix things with his mother. Charlie wants to please his
mother so much that he pretends he has always been normal and successful.
 Charlie also meets his sister and can forgive them both after meeting them.
When Norma relays how she felt he had all the attention, he can understand how
she felt. By forgiving them, Charlie can unshackle his past pain.

Progress Report 17
The writer creates suspense.
In the last Chapter Charlie struggles to retain the information he had. As his mind
regresses, as the readers, we hope that he can find a “cure” in time. We hope for a
miracle before he regresses to the old Charlie. We are hopeful because we have been
through this journey with Charlie and hope for a happy ending.
 Readers are disappointed as the last progress report falters into bad punctuation,
grammar, and spelling. We are reintroduced to the old Charlie, who still has
some memories of the new Charlie, just like the new Charlie had memories of the
old Charlie. (Metaphoric window, one Charlie looking at another.)
 The reader bids farewell to the genius Charlie; we know he is never coming back.
He can find sexual fulfillment with Alice, and in the end, he says that “the love he
had found with Alice is more than what people find in a lifetime.” He no longer
feels shame towards sex and can be intimate with Alice.
 This is quite sad because not many people meet the love of their lives. We know
that he has found emotional fulfillment.
 Though Charlie’s regression implies he has gained nothing. The readers know
that Charlie has grown in so many ways in his journey of forgiveness. (his past)
 Charlie’s emotional fulfillment is his. His emotional journey in forgiving his past is
due to the operation.
 At the end, Charlie writes about how he is glad he met his family and was able to
forgive them. This is an indication that he understands the journey he just went
through, though he has regressed to his disability.
 Charlie has gone through a meaningful experience in his life.
 Though he has hated Warren State, in the end, he believes he will be happier
there.
 At the end of the novel, Charlie’s reports are more educational to the professors
to love more. (emotional freedom)
 Charlie, in the end, understands what he is worth as a person when he asks for
the scientists to place flowers on Algernon’s grave. He recognizes the mouse as
an individual, not as a laboratory animal.

Flowers for Algernon

Themes
Themes are the ideas that are explored in literature.
The way disabled people are treated.
The book looks at the mistreatment of disabled people. The writer’s fictional portrayal of
intelligence that diminishes; allows the writer to tell a story that reflects how society
mistreats disabled people. After the operation, Charlie becomes intelligent; with that
intelligence, he can understand the people around him. He realizes that people have
always based their attitudes towards him on feelings of superiority. Mainly people think
of disabled people as less human. The people at the bakery have been cruel towards
him at times. He also realizes that some people around him feel superior to him.
(Condescending) Condescending in their charity as well as thinking they are
intellectually superior.
Strangely Charlie also behaves the same way he was treated towards disabled people.
The more intelligent he becomes, he also mistreats disabled people, thereby becoming
condescending as well. He later wanted people to treat disabled people the way he
would have liked to be treated when he was disabled. We observe this behavior when
he is in a diner and sees people laughing at a mentally disabled boy. He reprimands
them, requesting that they view the boys as human beings, not inferior. However, when
he visits Warren State, he is scared and shocked when he sees the other disabled
people who look lifeless in a sense. He fears them because he is in denial about the
fact that he once looked like them and will regress to it again. He is unable to be warm
towards them.
The writer opens readers to a disabled person’s life and feelings firsthand through
Charlie. He condemns the mistreatment of disabled people and displays a fictional story
on why it occurs. (Why people mistreat disabled people.) Charlie also goes through the
same struggle. From being disabled to realizing how people treat people like him; to
treating the very same people the same way. Through this struggle, Charlie learns to
like himself; people are also human. Especially having been disabled and
condescending towards other disabled people when he got intelligence.

The conflict between intelligence and emotions.

 Charlie’s mental retardation affects his emotional and intellectual development,
but this does not mean that the two cannot be developed at the same time.
(There is no impossibility)
 Charlie is initially (retardation) a trusting and friendly person, but as he develops
intellectually, he becomes cold and arrogant.
 The more he understands the people around him and the world he lives in; the
more he turns his back from human contact. This is evident when he convinces
himself that his intelligence has erased his love for Alice.
  The incompatibility of emotions and intellect is portrayed in Professor Nemur and
Fay. Prof. Nemur is brilliant but lacks friends and has no humor. On the other
hand, Fay acts illogically by being ruled by her feelings.
 Charlie thought he could only choose one and not the other. Only when Alice
encourages him that he does not have to choose does he realize he can have
both. Which are the extremes represented by Fay and Prof. Nemur.
 Charlie finds true fulfillment when he finds emotional pleasure in his work and the
people around him. This is when his relationship finds true fulfillment with Alice.

The continuance of the past in the future

 Charlie recovers from his childhood after his operation. This illustrates how his
understanding of the present is fixed in his understanding of his past. Charlie's
past resurfaces at key points in his life. (presently) We then know that there is an
old Charlie who is a separate person from the new Charlie. This is because
Charlie considers them separate. The past keeps watch of the present. This is
evident when Charlie longs to be intimate with Alice, but the old Charlie panics
and distracts him. This is a sign that the shame Rose instilled in Charlie is still
there even though he does not remember it.
 Charlie cannot move on emotionally until he deals with the traumas of his
childhood. It is the same with Charlie’s mother, who has the same problem of not
dealing with her past. Her past ties control her. Charlie visits Rose, but Rose still
has problems with Charlie not being normal even when he is intelligent. This is
illustrated when Rose tries to attack Charlie with a knife. It illustrates that her past
interferes with her actions in the present. Rose cannot separate her memories of
the old disabled Charlie from the intelligent Charlie. This visit is a reminder of
how the past can affect the present.

Motifs
Motifs are recurring themes that help develop the literary work's main themes.

The Changes in the spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

The way Charlie writes, what he writes immediately, indicates his mental capacity. The
writer indicates Charlie's changing mental state through the change in grammar in the
progress reports as the novel progresses.