One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

Words: 1246

Pages: 5

Open Document

The Impact of Stories

What is the purpose of the book? This is a question numerous people think about when they look at a library or book. Books are about sharing knowledge that has been gained with others. The way this is done is through stories or just listing facts. The more common of these is to tell a story that conveys a certain message. There are some stories that have been flagged by the public due to what is a part of the story. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is one such book. Kesey’s work has been banned in some schools due to its use of drugs, sexual situations, and violence. Kesey’s novel contains this as well, making the population split on whether they should ban or keep the book in schools. Although those opposed to Kesey’s work claim that it is teeming with inappropriate topics for schools, the message that is conveyed is more important.

The constant usage of drugs in the story causes some people to oppose letting go. Kesey’s work continues to be …show more content…
For example, on page 267 McMurphy attacks the Big Nurse and severely injures her. Those opposed to Kesey’s work claim that this teaches teens to be aggressive. Niel L. Whitehead, however, claims violence is a part of life and teens must learn to accept that. Kesey’s work helps teens do this by giving them bounteous examples of violent behavior and how some deal with it. An additional example of violence is on page 215 when McMurphy and the Captain start shoving each other after arguing. The opposition claims this shows a harmful way to solve issues. However, Mellissa Gradel claims that using words is better than violence and writers show this by giving those who have been silenced a voice. To conclude, Kesey put violence throughout his work to send a message about using words instead of violence and to help teens come to terms that violence will appear in their

Essay on One flew over the cuckoo's nest

Anthony Cutrone Mrs. Cooley Contemporary Literature 16 May 2010 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay The decade of the 1960’s was a period of rebellion in America. It was a time of change compared to the previous decade of the 1950’s. “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey is a novel that shows how different the traditionalist 1950’s was from the rebelling 1960’s. The novel challenged the thinking of the 1950’s by using characters to represent the different time periods. The setting…

Words 600 - Pages 3

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is a book that has been being challenged since 1962. It has been challenged so much because it shows many examples of criminal activity, sex, and different views of society that makes people feel uncomfortable. It has been a conflict of interest for many years whether or not this book should be read in school. This book should be read in highschools because it addresses issues of the modern day society in a way with lessons to be learned Starting…

Words 603 - Pages 3

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

Ephraim Rosenstock March 22, 2024 Mr. Essex English Sem. P 3 An Examination of Christianity: Kesey’s “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, author Ken Kesey argues against the perversity of Christianity in American society, claiming its structural nature, fanaticism, forced conformity, perceived moral corruption, and intransigence beget adverse effects, both for the population at large and individuals, although especially vis-á-vis those who don’t conform. His book…

Words 1221 - Pages 5

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

Similarly, Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" delves into the theme of rebellion against institutional authority and the quest for self-determination. Set in a mental institution, the novel portrays the struggle of the patients, particularly the charismatic McMurphy, against the…

Words 840 - Pages 4

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 1. List 2 diagnosis you saw in the movie and what symptoms were you aware of? Martini appears to be suffering from disorganized schizophrenia. He sometimes stares into space seemingly detached from reality, and he is disorganized in his thinking and behavior. Martini sees things that are not actually present which is evident during the basketball game. He appeared to be hallucinating as he passed the ball into the fence stating, “Catch it, catch it!” Martini also…

Words 809 - Pages 4

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Part III The hierarchy of needs; a pyramid of the different requirements people have to meet to reach self actualization. If the basic needs aren’t met then the psychological needs won’t be obtained, if the psychological needs aren’t acquired then self actualization can’t be achieved. In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Nurse Ratched and the ward itself are inhibiting the patients from fulfilling self actualization by depriving them of their psychological…

Words 717 - Pages 3

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, focuses on the power struggle between a dictatorship and a democracy. This book is about a mental hospital with a well-ordered system, until a new patient arrives and turns it all upside down. The use of sound and manipulation gives power to those who use it to their best ability. Bromden has a twisted way of manipulating others by pretending by fooling them into thinking he cannot hear a thing. Bromden holds a lot of power that no one knows about because…

Words 1188 - Pages 5

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest Ken Kesey’s misogynist persuasions are the crux of his novel, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Society and, more specifically, the mental hospital are referred to as the “Combine” controlled and manipulated by machine-like individuals. Kesey exposes the system by shifting the paradigm of society’s “hierarchy” in favor of women, making men subjects of emasculation. These characteristics are resonated through the Big Nurse, Chief’s mother, and Harding’s wife.…

Words 645 - Pages 3

Essay On One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest exhibits a crucial case study of feminist criticism. Based on the context of the novel, Kesey seems to reject the idea of female dominance. Feminist criticism deals with the reinforcing and undermining the oppression that women face. There are three important characters, which are Nurse Ratched, Candy, and Vera Harding. The author tends to show a bias towars the traditional norm of women, who are expected to be submissive and polite to others. This is exemplified…

Words 809 - Pages 4

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Essay

Ken Kesey depicts the women in the book as overpowering. During one of the Group Meetings, McMurphy witnesses Nurse Ratched encouraging the men to tear into Harding and his sexual problems, which leads McMurphy to say, “‘No, that nurse ain’t some kinda monster chicken, buddy, what she is is a ball cutter.people who try to make you weak so they can get you to toe the line, follow their rules, live like they want you to’” (Kesey 60). Describing Nurse Ratched as a “ball cutter” emphasizes her dominating…

Words 742 - Pages 3