Eng. 11 - April 25

Bring a sheet with quotes - include page numbers
Purpose of an essay: "Looking at the text as a work of art, demonstrating clear critical judgment and explaining to the reader of your essay how the enjoyment of the text is assisted by literary devices, linguistic effects and psychological insights; showing how the text relates to the time when it was written and how it relates to our world today."

Make sure you are discussing what One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest shows us about human nature and the topic of the essay.

Does this novel show us anything about how systems work? Politics? Rebellions generally (think countries or even schools)

Approaches - use symbols to show aspects of these themes or use characters.

Come up with a statement - eg. "In order to effect change in any system, society needs a rebel."

Could have a secondary quote about any of these topics - but make sure to cite it properly.

Can you compare Mack's actions to any other protesters? (Gandhi, MLK, Jesus?)

Umbrella topics (power can also be a topic for gender stereotypes and racism)

Don't forget to go over your class feedback and personal feedback (blue sheets and greensheets)


Rebellion, Freedom & Hope

- Symbol of fog
- Mack is a symbol of hope - things might change
- "maybe the combine is not controlling things"(305) - Chief realizes he's in control of his own life
- Control panel - Chief's fog starts to fade - Mack gives everyone hope
- Chief's control panel - Chief is in control of his own mind - future - he feels "as big as a mountain"
- Proves to himself that he can do it
- Hope - makes all the patients feel better [what about Cheswick, Billy]
- Harding says they're "sick men now, not rabbits" - shows progress
- Control of self and actions
- In the hospital - feel like prisoners
- Mack seems to choose the ward rather than prison (so is freer in the ward)
- Rebellion leads to hope - hope leads to freedom
- Mack breaking the glass is a form of rebellion
- Mack singing in the shower - uses his masculinity to make the Nurse feel weak - intimidates her


Power, Volition, Control

-Chief raising his hand - he realizes he's an individual and he has power - this shows his volition
"Big Nurse recognizes this power and knows how to put it to use…. Or you'll end up over on that side" (18)
- Big Nurse uses her book - manipulates people
- Uses their weaknesses - Billy Bibbit's mother [ended up with him killing himself]
- Log book = symbol of power
- Bird = chief ["one flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest"
- Chief acting as though he's deaf and dumb = giving up his volition/power
- Power switch - Mack thinks he has power until he finds out he's committed
- Nurse Ratched - says "if you're committed, you're under the jurisdiction of the staff"
- Other patients got power from Mack - when he resists fighting - they lose power
- Nurse's uniform - shows us at the beginning - starched - can't see her shape - later - her less starched shirt shows she has less or more power? Is she embracing her femininity?
- Harding stands up to Nurse - voluntary patients leave - they have their own volition
- Nurse has to change her style - she is "exposed" can't go back to the same way
- Chief thinks he's small - at the end he feels "as big as a mountain"
- Beginning - Chief's hand feels like it's "swelling up" (25) when he meets Mack - before he thinks the Nurse is swelling up "as big as a tractor"
- He also refers to his mother becoming "twice the size" of his father - his mom feels more powerful than his dad who sold the tribal land and then became an alcoholic
- "you grew half a foot already" - Mack says to Chief - this builds Chief up
- Does Mack use Chief - or is he compassionate? - in the end Chief has improved immeasurably
- Chief raising his hand - thinks Mack does it - but then realizes he does it on his own
- Baseball game - sit in [peaceful protest]

Society's Stigmas, Gender, Racial Stereotypes

- Combine - ward is a place where "they" send people to fix mistakes
- Machinery = systems (Chief is schizophrenic - his tribal lands/natural place is taken over by the dam - machinery)
- Nurse reinforces fear - keeps her power
- Nurse wants people to conform
- Mack represents rebellion
- Wheat = wolves chaff = rabbits - combine sorts
- "something bigger is making all this mess" - Mack? Society rather than the nurse [can't see the forest for the trees]
- Chief's father knows the government will never respect tribal decisions - decides not to fight [Chief doesn't want Mack to fight near the beginning]
- Billy
- Mack is confused why people are "voluntary" - Harding feels different - [the "shameful finger of society"
- Harding knowing he's gay and society says it's wrong - causes psychological disruption
- Nurse talks about Candy (314) - feels better than Candy since she's a nurse and Candy's a prostitute - Kesey has powerful women (Harding's wife, the Nurse, Billy's mom, Chief's mom) being terrible - prostitute, who is powerless, is nice
- "society decides who's sane and who isn't"
- [fishing trip = manhood]
- Mack has more power when it comes to gender - example of the towel scene
- Chief thinks the Nurse is bitter about having big breasts (women can't be powerful and be feminine)
- We just find out that Mack was in jail for raping a 15 year old - then Nurse is confronted by Mack in a towel (this would make any woman feel powerless, mad, upset…)
- Nurse lives in a society when men feel proud of what they've done to women ["she was plenty willing"]