Discussion Leader

STORY: Flowers for Algernon

NAME: Jihwan Park DATE: 2024.02.28

The Discussion Leader’s job is to …

CHAPTERS: report 9~10

“
• read the story twice, and prepare at least five general questions about it.
• ask one or two questions to start the Reading Circle discussion.

• make sure that everyone has a chance to speak and joins in the discussion.

• call on each member to present their prepared role information.

• guide the discussion and keep it going.

Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts, feelings, and questions as
you read. (What surprised you, made you smile, made you feel sad?) Write down your questions
as soon as you have finished reading. It is best to use your own questions, but you can also use
some of the ideas at the bottom of this page.

Prepare three Discussion Leader questions

Q1. Can Professor Nemur really be said to be a good professor?

Ans1: Professor Nemur doesn't think he's a good professor. Charlie visited the professor to invite
Kinnian to the film and overheard the story. And it was confirmed that Professor Nemur showed a
selfish attitude for his success. In other words, seeing him act selfishly for research results, I
thought he wasn't a good professor.

Q2. Why have Charlie's friends changed their attitude toward him since he became smart?
Ans2: After he became smart, his friends stomped at the bar, or deliberately embarrassed him. It
may have been caused by his inability to adjust to his smart appearance. But when he wasn't smart,
I thought the reason his friends laughed at his actions might be ridicule. Charlie thought he might
not have recognized it as ridicule.

Q3. Does Charlie think he wants to go back before he became smart?

Ans3: In his progress report on April 26, it was written that he did not want to go back. However,
after he became smart, I think he would rather be happy to go back to being stupid.

Other general ideas:

• Questions about the characters (like / not like them, true to life / not true to life ...?)
• Questions about the theme (friendship, romance, parents/children, ghosts ...?)

• Questions about the ending (surprising, expected, liked it / did not like it ...?)

• Questions about what will happen next. (These can also be used for a longer story.)
Connector
STORY: CHAPTERS:
NAME: _______________ DATE: ________________

The Connector’s job is to …

C
• read the story twice, and look for connections between the story and the world outside.
• make notes about at least two possible connections to your own experiences, or to the
experiences of friends and family, or to real-life events.
• tell the group about the connections and ask for their comments or questions.
• ask the group if they can think of any connections themselves.

These questions will help you think about connections while you are reading.
Events: Has anything similar ever happened to you, or to someone you know? Does anything in
the story remind you of events in the real world? For example, events you have read about in
newspapers, or heard about on television news programmes.
Characters: Do any of them remind you of people you know? How? Why? Have you ever had the
same thoughts or feelings as these characters have? Do you know anybody who thinks, feels,
behaves like that?

Prepare three Connector questions

Q1. Professors are the subjects of human subject research. What are the problems of such human
subject research?
Ans1: It is said that the brain-boosting effect, like Charlie, has been proven. However, side effects
can occur. Therefore, if side effects occur, those who have undergone surgery can suffer
permanent damage. For example, there is a case of malformations of Thalidomide drugs.

Q2. What happens when a researcher gives up morality for his or her own success? Is there such
an example in real life?
Ans2: Unethical researchers lead to innocent sacrifices. This is the case with no data manipulation
or consent from the experimenter. Innocent people are affected. One well-known example is a
study published by Andrew Wakefield, a British researcher, in 1998. He claimed a link between
the MMR vaccine and autism, but was later criticized for conflicting interests with doctored data.

Q3. Have you ever experienced an incident like Charlie that changed the way people around you
treated you?
Ans3: When I was in high school, I did not value studying social studies, so I got a bad grade.
However, in the second semester, I studied social studies subjects hard and got the first grade, so
the attitude of the social studies teacher toward me changed.
Word Master
STORY: CHAPTERS:
NAME: _______________ DATE: ________________
W
The Word Master’s job is to …

• read the story, and look for words or short phrases that are new or difficult to understand,
or that are important in the story.
• choose five words (only five) that you think are important for this story.
• explain the meanings of these five words in simple English to the group.

• tell the group why these words are important for understanding this story.

Your five words do not have to be new or unknown words. Look for words in the story that really
stand out in some way. These may be words that are:
• repeated often • used in an unusual way • important to the meaning of the story

1. MY WORDS: squat
Passage where the word occurs in the book: He relaxes here – squatting against the wall leaning
Meaning of the word: It means you sit with your arms and legs crouched.
Reason for choosing the word: Because I didn’t know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: I squat between the wall.

2. MY WORDS: subconscious
Passage where the word occurs in the book: Dr Strauss says that it means I’ve reached a point where my subconscious is
trying to block my conscious from remebering.
Meaning of the word: It is an intermediate process between unconsciousness and consciousness.
Reason for choosing the word: It's an important psychotherapy method that reminds Charlie's memory.
Make your own sentence with the word: Learning effectively is possible by utilizing the subconscious.

3. MY WORDS: occassionally
Passage where the word occurs in the book: Occasionally, a twitch of his hand or arm mars what he is doing, but in a little
while he is able to twist off a section of the dough and fashion it into a roll.
Meaning of the word: as same as sometimes
Reason for choosing the word: Because I didn’t know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: I occasionally play soccer with my friends.

4. MY WORDS: fuzziness
Passage where the word occurs in the book: As soon as the fuzziness passes away he’ll remember.
Meaning of the word: It means I don't remember well.
Reason for choosing the word: Because I didn’t know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: My memory of the taste of the food I ate yesterday is fuzziness.

5. MY WORDS: gruffly
Passage where the word occurs in the book: “Here,” he says gruffly, tossing it into Charlie’s lap, and then he limps away… .
Meaning of the word: be not soft in one's words or expressions.
Reason for choosing the word: Because I didn’t know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: ‘Never mind now,’ she said gruffly.
Culture Collector
STORY: CHAPTERS:
NAME: _______________ DATE: ________________

The Culture Collector’s job is to …

• read the story, and look for both differences and similarities between your own culture and the culture
found in the story.
• make notes about two or three passages that show these cultural points.
• read each passage to the group, or ask another group member to read it.

• ask the group some questions about these, and any other cultural points in the story.

Here are some questions to help you think about cultural differences.
Theme: What is the theme of this story (for example, getting married, meeting a ghost, murder, unhappy
children)? Is this an important theme in your own culture? Do people think about this theme in the same
way, or differently?
People: Do characters in this story say or do things that people never say or do in your culture?
Do they say or do some things that everybody in the world says or does?

MY CULTURAL COLLECTION (differences and similarities):

1. page 44 first paragraph
Differences
I know I shouldn't hang around the college when I'm through at the lab, but seeing the young men
and women going back and forth carrying books and hearing them talk about all the things they're
learning in their classes excites me. I wish I could sit and talk with them over coffee in the Campus
Bowl Luncheonette when they get together to argue about books and politics and ideas. It's exciting
to hear them talking about poetry and science and philosophy-about Shakespeare and Milton;
Newton and Einstein and Freud; about Plato and Hegel and Kant, and all the other names that echo
like great church bells in my mind.
2. page 33 second ~ fourth paragraph
Similarities
It's Valentine's Day, and the boys are talking about valentines they're going to give Harriet, so
Charlie says, "I'm gonna give Harriet a valentime too."
They laugh and Barry says, "Where you gonna get a valentine?"
"I'm gonna get her a pretty one. You'll see."
MY CULTURAL QUESTIONS:
1. Do you think small talk culture exists in our country?
2. What do you think about the culture of free discussion? Do you think this culture is in place in our
country?
3. What do people think about Valentine's culture in our country?