Notes on progress reports

Progress report 1

March 5, 1965

Miss. Kinnian is Charlie’s adult school teacher.

Charlie Gordon is 37 years old and wants to be smart.

Charlie writes in the form of progress reports.

Mentally impaired is a euphemism for mentally retarded.

Progress report 2

Charlie Gordon has an IQ of 68

Charlie takes a Rorschach test (inkblot test) and he thinks he failed.

“I think I failed”

“People see pictures and all that I see is spilled ink.”

Progress report 3

Charlie wants the surgery even if it might be temporary.

Charlie takes the Thematic Apperception Test witch is a test where one looks at pictures and tells a story. Charlie can’t lie about people.

Miss Kinnian tells Charlie that he has motivation.

Charlie loses to Algernon over 10 times when doing the maze.

Charlie wants to be smart and have friends.

Charlie did not know that white mice are smarter.

Progress report 4

Drs. Nemur and Strauss are arguing about using Charlie.

Dr. Nemur is worried about the success of his experiment.

Dr. strauss is convinced about Charlie the person.

Ms. Kinnian tells Charlie that they do not know if the operation will be permanent.

Ms. Kinnian tells Charlie that he had good motivation and Dr. Strauss agrees.

Algernon’s motivation is the cheese but Charlie did not have any cheese.

Algernon had the operation before Charlie.

Dr. Nemur agrees to use Charlie.

Progress report 5

Charlie is superstitious (rabbit’s foot, lucky penny, black cat).

Charlie wants to be smart like other people and have more friends.

Dr. Nemur takes Charlie’s candy away before the operation but Charlie does not understand that his is for his safety.

Progress report 6

Dr. Nemur tells Charlie how to spell progress report.

Dr. Strauss tells Charlie to write down what he feels and thinks.

Charlie says that he doesn’t know how to think and after the surgery he tells the doctors that nothing happened.

“What do smart people think about?” “fancy things”

Progress report 7

Charlie is ignorant of the results of the operation and wants instantaneous success.

Charlie gives signs of frustration about losing to Algernon in the maze races.

Charlie thinks writing the progress reports are stupid.

Progress report 8

Charlie returns to the factory (janitor)

Charlie will make money for keeping his progress reports.

Algernon received the operation first and intelligence will be increased by 3 times (68) (204)

Dr. Strauss gave Charlie a video with teaching material.

Charlie can learn during his sub-conscious level of sleep.

Joe Carp and Frank Reilly are not really Charlie’s “friends.”

“To pull a Charlie Gordon” is a metaphor.

Progress Report 9

Charlie learned how to work the television.

Dr. Strauss says that Charlie has a conscious and subconscious mind.

Joe invited Charlie to Muggsy’s Saloon and bought him a drink.

Charlie showed how he mops the toilet.

Mr. Donnegan is the owner of the plastic box factory.

Joe and Frank send Charlie to get a newspaper and they leave him.

A cop brought Charlie home.

Mrs. Flynn is Charlie’s landlady.

April 6- I beat Algernon!

Charlie has bruises on his body because he fell after the saloon.

Ms. Kinnian says at worst: “You will have it for a little while, and you will do something for science.”

Charlie reads Robinson Crusoe.

Ms. Kinnian says Charlie’s spelling is getting better.

Progress Report 10

Charlie learns to use the comma. ,,,,,,,,,,,

Commas are important for monetary reasons. (10.00 10,000.)

Charlie starts to use a dictionary and spell appropriately.

Punctuation is fun!!

Charlie wanted to correct his old progress reports.

“I feel sick inside. Not sick like for a doctor, but inside my chest it feels empty like getting punched and heartburn at the same time.”

“I felt naked.”

Now I know what it means “to pull a Charlie Gordon;’ I am ashamed.”

Progress Report 11

Charlie begins to learn more subjects and other languages

Charlie is expected to raise his IQ to over 3x his original IQ of 68!

Dr. Nemur defines IQ as a scale; Dr.Strauss defines IQ as a measuring cup; and Burt says that they are both wrong that IQ measures a lot but doesn’t mean anything. (similes)

Determinism, free will, and realism

Charlie realizes that he did not understand the directions on the Rorschach Test

Charlie improves the efficiency of the assembly line for the plastic box factory and is awarded a $25 bonus. This probably saved the company $10,000.

Ernie delivered packages and was involved in the statement “to pull a Charlie Gordon.”

Amos Borg is the foreman (4man)

Dr. Strauss is a neurosurgeon and Dr. Nemur is a psycho experimentalist.

Dr. Nemur wants to be the Chair of the Psychology Department at Princeton

Ms. Kinnian tells Charlie that he is like a “giant sponge” soaking up knowledge.

Ms. Kinnian tells Charlie that the different levels of learning are like a “ladder” which you continue to step higher and higher to see the world.

Charlie is surpassing Ms. Kinnian and the doctors.

Progress Report 12:

844 people signed the petition to get Charlie fired, except Fanny Girden

“It was evil when Eve ate from the tree of knowledge…”

Typing is the motor skill that shows that Charlie is becoming more intelligent

Nemur Strauss

Scale measuring cup

Pessimist optimist

Cares about reputation cares

Struggles with self-doubt knowledge is limited

The dishwasher boy reminds Charlie of his old self

“I felt sick inside”

People do not laugh at people in a wheelchair but laugh at someone mentally impaired.

Progress Report 13

“It happened today; Algernon bit me.” First signs of deterioration

Deterioration: irritability, uncooperative, amnesia.

June 4th letter: I am grateful for the time I was intelligent and I do not blame you for the failure of the experiment

Scientists learn from their mistakes

Algernon-Gordon Effect- the hypothesis is as fast as his intelligence increased; it decreased

Algernon died June 8th

Charlie leaves New York because he does not want pity

Charlie reminds the doctors to put flowers on Algernon’s grave.