Fantastic+Four!

Fantastic Four Nichol Francis Abbey Mascarello Ciara Zuke Jamie Furgerson

__Mental Institutions; Then and Now__
====From the 1930s through the 1950s, mental institutions were a sort of hell for its patients. Anyone who was considered "abnormal," was housed in one. In most cases, the patients were locked down and straight jackets were a very common use. The treatments were sometimes brutal and focused on containment and restraint. In cases of medical treatment, the patients received very little or none at all. These mental institutions were more about getting the "abnormal" people off of the streets and keeping society safe from them.==== Restraints used on patients in mental institutions. ====In mental institutions today, their main goal is to help their patients. Seclusion and restraints are not to be used in any form as means of coercion, disciplinine, or retaliation. The staff is always well trained and prepared. The patients also now have a wide variety of medical treatment to help their conditions. Mental institutions today treat their patients with respect and make sure they get the help they need.====

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Throughout the book, the author, Daniel Keyes, has to constantly change his voice. In the beginning of the book, Charlie's I.Q. is incredibly low. He has to purposely misspell words to show Charlie's underdeveloped mind. Keyes uses words such as "dum" and "progris" to show how Charlie has a mental disability and low I.Q. As Charlie progresses, Keyes slowly starts making subtle changes, such as correctly spelling a few words at a time and adding in correct punctuation and grammar. When Charlie is at his peak, he speaks with high intelligence. Keyes has to change his voice to using large, complicated words that the average human being wouldn't know. He truly shows Charlie's new and improved high I.Q. Towards the end of the book, however, Charlie regresses. Daniel Keyes has to go back to where he started from, a Charlie with an incredibly low I.Q. He uses no punctuation and misspells words to show this again. As an author, it is incredibly hard to switch between these different voices. There is a huge gap between high and low intelligence levels of speaking, and Daniel Keyes does a terrific job of showing this change in Charlie throughout the book.=====

Vocabulary Changes:
At the period Charlie comes from, we realize that the grammer skills at the time were very different from what we are used to nowadays. Our society uses a very informal dialect. As we address one anotther, "hey, you" or "waddup?" are commonly used. In the 1950's, "Excuse me, sir" or "Thank you maam" were often used. This reveals a major change in our society's ways that we communicate with one another. The thing is, in our language, words such as "Moron" or "Idiot" are not so much referred to as a person who is mentally retarded, but more of a normal, everyday term for someone who has a mind-slip, or messes up briefly. In a way, it has progressed, seeing that now we accept those that are mentally handicapped, and don't put them into categories because of their condition. Even the way we speak has come a long way, some good, some bad.

The window:
The window is an important symbol in Flowers for Algernon. The novel itself operates as a window. Charlie has been asked to produce the progress reports for Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur so that they can gain insight into his mind. At the same time, the reader uses the novel to gain insight into Charlie's mind, as well as the minds of the other characters. The reader actually sees how Charlie's mental functions improve as his writing becomes more advanced. And through Charlie's comments, the reader gains insight into the other characters' personalities and motivations.

On more than one occasion Charlie finds himself looking through a window. It is as if he cannot directly connect with much of the world, but instead must experience it from behind a pane of glass, operating as a passive viewer rather than an active participant. When Charlie's intellect grows, an odd shift occurs; he finds himself on the opposite side of the window. We see that he becomes a much more active participant in the world around him. He even begins to play an important role in the very experiment where he is the subject.

Finally, we might see the window as a protective device. Initially, Charlie's window on the world protects him. Though we know better, he thinks of his coworkers at the bakery as friends. The nasty comments and harsh treatment he receives from them are filtered out by his intellectual window. Of course, as his window to the world opens, the ensuing insight causes him much emotional pain. And as his window is fully opened, even Charlie begins to treat others in a less civil manner. Sometimes the window didn't always show Charlie what he wanted, but it portrayed many different things throughout the novel. The window not only helped Charlie, but also helped the readers.