Ignorance Is Bliss
Yuliana Havryshchuk
Mrs. Nayyar
ENG3U
6 December 2011
Ignorance is Bliss
“Ignorance is bliss” is a world famous quote from an old poem written by Thomas Grey. It highlights the inherent relationship between ignorance and happiness. Ignorance is often presented in a negative light- its positive aspects never explored. Daniel Keyes’ short story Flowers for Algernon demonstrates the possible benefits to living in ignorance, through Charlie, a man with a mental disability who has his intelligence tripled through a scientific experiment. His journey of realization supports the fact that living in ignorance is often easier and more satisfying than living with the burden of awareness.
People who are ignorant, or unaware of their surroundings, can never be negatively affected by them. Before the operation that increases his intelligence, Charlie is oblivious to the derogatory way that people treat him. He is happy to receive any kind of attention. He is blissful. Charlie does not understand the meaning behind the insults, and is therefore not affected by them. One of his progress reports states, “Joe Carp said what did they do Charlie, put some brains in? That made me laugh. They’re really my friends and they like me ” (Keyes 4). Had Charlie been as intelligent as the average person, he would have been hurt by the statements his ‘friends’ make. Being ignorant, he remains happy. Joe and Frank get Charlie intoxicated and force him to perform undignified tasks, such as mopping toilets, while everybody watches and laughs at him. Charlie writes in his diary, “Joe said Charlie is a card when he’s potted. I don’t know what that means but everybody likes me and we have fun” (Keyes 5). He does not recognize that his ‘friends’ are being cruel. He recalls, “I went out to buy a newspaper and coffee for Joe and Frank and when I came back there was no one there. I looked for them all over till late” (Keyes 5). A rational, reasonable person would be devastated if they received such
Mrs. Nayyar
ENG3U
6 December 2011
Ignorance is Bliss
“Ignorance is bliss” is a world famous quote from an old poem written by Thomas Grey. It highlights the inherent relationship between ignorance and happiness. Ignorance is often presented in a negative light- its positive aspects never explored. Daniel Keyes’ short story Flowers for Algernon demonstrates the possible benefits to living in ignorance, through Charlie, a man with a mental disability who has his intelligence tripled through a scientific experiment. His journey of realization supports the fact that living in ignorance is often easier and more satisfying than living with the burden of awareness.
People who are ignorant, or unaware of their surroundings, can never be negatively affected by them. Before the operation that increases his intelligence, Charlie is oblivious to the derogatory way that people treat him. He is happy to receive any kind of attention. He is blissful. Charlie does not understand the meaning behind the insults, and is therefore not affected by them. One of his progress reports states, “Joe Carp said what did they do Charlie, put some brains in? That made me laugh. They’re really my friends and they like me ” (Keyes 4). Had Charlie been as intelligent as the average person, he would have been hurt by the statements his ‘friends’ make. Being ignorant, he remains happy. Joe and Frank get Charlie intoxicated and force him to perform undignified tasks, such as mopping toilets, while everybody watches and laughs at him. Charlie writes in his diary, “Joe said Charlie is a card when he’s potted. I don’t know what that means but everybody likes me and we have fun” (Keyes 5). He does not recognize that his ‘friends’ are being cruel. He recalls, “I went out to buy a newspaper and coffee for Joe and Frank and when I came back there was no one there. I looked for them all over till late” (Keyes 5). A rational, reasonable person would be devastated if they received such
Cited: Allin, Bill. "Why Intelligent People Tend To Be Unhappy." Scribd. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.scribd.com/doc/8778/Why-Intelligent-People-Tend-To-Be-Unhappy>. Gray, Thomas. "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College." Poetry Foundation. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173566>. Keyes, Daniel. "Flowers For Algernon." Fantasy and Science Fiction. Mercury Press, 1959. Web. 7 Nov. 2011. <http://dorinta19.bizland.ro/FLOWERS%20FOR%20ALGERNON%20.htm>. Kruger, Justin, and David Dunning. "Unskilled and Unaware of It." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1999. Web. 17 Nov. 2011. <http://people.psych.cornell.edu/~dunning/publications/pdf/unskilledandunaware.pdf>.