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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey

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577,000 citizens out of the 151,325,798 total population in 1950 were enlisted in Psych wards and diagnosed with mental illnesses. Along with the enlistment of thousands of citizens, the practices at the time were far from reasonable or backed up by a moral rationale. They were dark, disturbing places where some or most men and women lost themselves mentally to malpractice operations, including lobotomies and shock therapy. The 1950s was a frightening and uncertain time and we only know that through documentation, fiction or not, it still holds an insight into the world that it once was. Ken Kesey, a famous author of the 1960’s, did just that, documenting his life in the 1950s and 60s. For example, metaphorically portraying society as he saw through his own eyes with One who Flew over Cuckoo’s Nest. But this documentation and literature is viewed as wrong for the school education system to hear, due to its offensive material. With freedom of academic speech and voice being not the staple priority, adversity begins to plague politics …show more content…

The story also shines light on the oppressive acts of Ms. Ratchet and society who controlled and felt a need to change those who did not conform to, or bend to the authorities of her ward or even the “combine,” the metaphor for the manipulative machine plaguing the air of free thinking in the story. However, one day a new patient came into the ward that changed everything. Randle Patrick Mcmurphy was a red-headed gambler that disturbed Ms. Ratchets power. McMurphy allowed the other patients of the ward to see the oppressive nature that they found themselves caught in. The acts put McMurphy into a one-way ticket for a lobotomy to “fix him.” There Mcmurphy was forced to give up the fight and his job was done. In the end, Mcmurphy’s sacrifice was not in vain. Ms. Ratchet lost all control she had over her patients, and they left

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When Nurse Ratched does not grant McMurphy access to the TV to watch the world series, McMurphy proposes a vote to settle the dispute. The nurse agrees to this and Chief describes the moment, “First one, then another, then the next. Right on down the line of Acutes, dragging them out of the fog till there they stand, all twenty of them, raising not just for watching TV, but against the Big Nurse, against her trying to send McMurphy to Disturbed, against the way she’s talked and acted and beat them down for years'' (109). McMurphy has inspired the patients to stand up for themselves against the Big Nurse, despite their fear of consequences. This is the first time that anyone has stood up against the big Nurse, and therefore she is shocked and dismayed.

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Society in the ‘60s was based around the men, and the women could not do much without their husbands, they had very little rights, and were losing more as men came back from war. The book, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s nest is about a mental ward that just received a new patient, Randle McMurphy, who was previously at a work farm for many crimes committed. McMurphy thought it would be more comfortable for him in a mental hospital. He was quite wrong, the woman in charge of his unit, Nurse Ratched, was very hard on her patents using abuse, medication, and electroshock therapy to keep her patients in fear of her and the outside world. These two are accustomed of being the top dogs and do not get along well, they battle for power throughout the book.

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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest By Ken Kesey

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Movie vs. Book Analysis Ken Kesey’s portrayal of needed mental health reform was bolstered in the 1970s production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The fictional lives of these patients in the psychiatric ward allowed insight into the misconceptions held surrounding mental health. Further, it exposed the shortcomings of authority in relation to the patients. Although both iterations of Kesey’s influential work highlighted the individualistic qualities of those on the ward, the film and novel greatly differed in regard to the perspective the story was told. Kesey expressed in his novel the events from the Chief's eyes, the mysterious and often misconstrued patient.

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The novel, “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” by Ken Kesey features many references to Christ and the Christian religion. McMurphy the protagonist acts a leader, savior, and role model to the other characters. Kesey makes constant visual and symbolic referrals to Christ throughout the novel. Moreover, he utilizes McMurphy as a symbol of Christ when he leads and inspires the patients to embrace their masculinity and humanity against Nurse Ratchet’s cruelty. Kesey uses the symbolism to depict McMurphy as Christ and savior of the patients

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One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Should Be Banned Essay

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Literature, old or modern, has always been subject to criticism and judgement due to the issues that exist within classic novels. Whether the issue contains profanity, violence, or content too mature for young readers, award-winning books’ existences receive threats to be banned and forgotten. Unfortunately for Ken Kesey’s classic, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, this may be the only course of action. While the novel displays violence unsuitable for high-school curriculums, Ken Kesey’s classic should be in every library for adult readers. Although the novel teaches valuable life lessons about individuality and is mild compared to modern media, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest should be banned in all high school curriculums because it incorporates

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The Process of Becoming Sane An individual’s struggle toward understanding and awareness is the traditional subject for the novelist. In an essay, apply this statement to one novel of literary merit. Have you ever awakened from a deep sleep and had no conception of where you were or what anything around you was? The analogy of having a foggy head explains what it is like to not be able to comprehend the aspects around you.

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By weakening McMurphy’s power in the ward, she creates an environment where can continue to thrive in her power through the systems she has set in place. However, Nurse Ratched’s plan does not succeed and McMurphy is allowed to proceed with his fishing trip. He continues to undermine the nurse’s authority to the point where he physically assults her after she blames Billy’s death on him. His actions give Nurse Ratched an opportunity to give him the ultimate punishment, a

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Conformity In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

1380 Words | 6 Pages

In the struggle between freedom and power, McMurphy’s sacrifice allows freedom to prevail. His leadership in a rising rebellion parallels many of the countercultures that arose during the 1960s. His rebellion fights against Nurse Ratched in the way that the countercultures fought against the government and society in the past to the present. The men in the asylum are unknowingly unhappy before the arrival of McMurphy. Through his antics, the men are saved from society in the form of Nurse Ratched’s regime.

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In addition, Ken Kesey uses the electroshock therapy table to serve as an example of the consequences that would occur if an individual were to rebel against the power of Nurse Ratched. It is associated with crucifixions similar to that of Jesus Christ in the Roman time period with “clasps on his wrists, ankles, clamping him into the shadow [and a] crown of silver thorns over the graphite at his temples” (283). Kesey references the crucifixion of Christ to characterize McMurphy as a Christ figure. He is being sacrificed in exchange for the patient’s freedom. In the hospital, Ellis, an acute, is an example of the consequences of not abiding by the hospital’s regulations that serve as a reminder for the rest of the ward members to conform to the rules inflicted by Ratched.

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The whole asylum could be described as one big machine that creates an unnatural state for human beings and is running smoothly, until one day an outside force comes in to shake things up. Rather than being an evil person, Nurse Ratchet is a part of this perfect machine, like a cog in a watch, who represents authority and power in an oppressive society. Jack McMurphy is the free-spirited outside force that does what he wants, when he wants, disrupts order and constantly undermines Nurse Ratchets authority. The patients in the ward are the by-product of the manufacturing process and represent the weak individuals in a society that cannot fend for themselves. The patients believed they were already in a utopia, until McMurphy introduces his ideal

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The concept of social alienation and various methods of subduing patients like electric shocks and lobotomy were prevalent which further alienated the patients rather than curing them. The movie highlights the strong bond between the patients. The human condition of friendship and bonding is highlighted. During the last quarter of the movie, the protagonist McMurphy had a chance to escape the institution, but he hesitated and stayed to support his friend ‘Billy’. The strong bond that he created with the patients led him to risk his escape plan to stay behind for his friend (Kesey).

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