Discussion Leader

STORY: Flowers for Algernon

NAME: Jihwan Park DATE: 2024.3.4

The Discussion Leader’s job is to …

CHAPTERS: report 11

“
• 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. How was Charlie right to act when he saw Gippy stealing money?
Ans1: Charlie pretended that it was his friend's story, and indirectly told Gimpy about stealing
money. But I don't think that's a good idea. This makes Gimpy aware that Charlie is aware of his
illegal actions. Gimpy is a character who is likely to justify his actions, not reflect on them.
Therefore, it would have been better to tell Mr Donner directly about Gimpy's actions.

Q2. Was Charlie's mother's discipline method wrong?

Ans2: We can see that Charlie experiences trauma in his life after becoming smarter. When he was
with Alice, there was a story that reminded me of his mother. If you look at the story, you can see
that Charlie is trying to forcefully hit him. Therefore, you can see that Charlie's mother is
disciplining him in the wrong way.

Q3. Can Charlie fall in love with Alice?

Ans3: It can be seen that Charlie is not emotionally mature, no matter how intellectually excellent
he is. Looking at the story, it seems that Alice is not yet interested in him because she sees him as
an emotionally immature adult.

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 …

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• 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. Have you ever witnessed someone doing something illegal? How did you behave?
Ans1: I have witnessed someone cutting in line while watching a performance. After witnessing it,
I once told the person who cut in line not to timidly cut in line.

Q2. What do you mean by your parents' existence as a child?

Ans2: I think parents are beings that give psychological stability. Furthermore, parents play the
role of punishing their children for their behavior. However, I thought that emotional maturity can
be difficult when parents treat their children wrong, like Charlie.

Q3. Does Alice feel sorry for Charlie on the one hand? If she were to end up liking him, would it
be compassionate love?
Ans3: She stays with Charlie, learns more about his family environment and the situation he finds
himself in, and will feel sorry for him. I think that perhaps if she deepen her emotional connection
with him through the emotion of compassion, she will be able to love him. Therefore, it seems that
there is a high possibility of loving out of compassion.
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: depraved
Passage where the word occurs in the book: The sudden memory shows him that his hatred is really directed at a depraved
governess who had terrified him with frightening stories and left a flaw in his personality.
Meaning of the word: It means being morally corrupt.
Reason for choosing the word: I didn't know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: Depraved people don't change into morally right people.

2. MY WORDS: restrain
Passage where the word occurs in the book: She slipped her arm through mine and pulled me close to restrain me.
Meaning of the word: It means suppressing emotion or desire.
Reason for choosing the word: I didn't know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: Restraining desire is an attitude to learn.

3. MY WORDS: animatedly
Passage where the word occurs in the book: As we entered the cafeteria on Forty-fifth Street and picked up our trays, she
spoke animatedly.
Meaning of the word: It means that you are full of energy and vitality.
Reason for choosing the word: I misunderstood the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: I drank coffee to start the day animatedly.

4. MY WORDS: selfconscious ( self-conscious)

Passage where the word occurs in the book: I made you selfconscious.
Meaning of the word: It means realizing one’s position, one’s actions, and one’s personality.
Reason for choosing the word: I didn't know the meaning of the word.
Make your own sentence with the word: I want to drink water, but I am self-conscious.

5. MY WORDS: undercharged
Passage where the word occurs in the book: He had deliberately undercharged the customer, and there had been an
understanding between them.
Meaning of the word: It means paying below the fair price.
Reason for choosing the word: I expected the meaning, but I didn't know the meaning of the word for sure.
Make your own sentence with the word: It is wrong to deliberately undercharge.
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 62 second ~ third paragraphs
Differences : a culture of discussion
Strange how when I'm in the college cafeteria and hear the students arguing about history or politics
or religion, it all seems so childish.
I find no pleasure in discussing ideas any more on such an elementary level. People resent being
shown that they don't approach the complexities of the problem they don't know what exists beyond
the surface ripples. It's just as bad on a higher level, and I've given up any attempt to discuss these
things with the professors at Beekman.
2. page 69 second ~ third paragraphs
Similarities : jealous and Complain with the company
There was nothing more to say, to her or to the rest of them. None of them would look into my eyes.
I can still feel the hostility. Before, they had laughed at me, despising me for my ignorance and
dullness; now, they hated me for my knowledge and understanding. Why? What in God's name did
they want of me?
This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I knew and loved, driven me out
of the bakery. Now, I'm more alone than ever before. I wonder what would happen if they put
Algernon back in the big cage with some of the other mice. Would they turn against him?
MY CULTURAL QUESTIONS:
1. Does the culture of discussion exist in our country?
2. How does the culture of discussion affect everyday life?
3. What do Korean companies thick about employee complaints?