Power

Tonight I’ll be talking about one flew over the cuckoo’s nest. Talking about McMurphy and nurse ratchet in respect to their relationship between one other. How they struggle in their race and fight for power for the other patients in the ward and the hospital in general. Ill demonstrate this point by examples from the book itself and connecting to world through the united states of American federal elections that are currently under way. Sorry that I’m using this example again, it’s just a really good example for the book and the dynamics between nurse ratchet and McMurphy. As for a personal experience that i can also rumble about, I guess I can reach way back to my cadet days and relate to the officers and the power struggle between them to control the cadets and other lower ranking officer in the squad.

As for the book that I’m sure you all read as some pretty good examples of their power struggle, and I’m sure you got one or two of them in your head right now. Yes the repeated breaking of the nurses’ station window, is the clearest and best example of McMurphy threat or challenge to her power and the power over the other patients. With ken Kelsey literally demonstrating nurse ratchet almost un-see able control over all the patients and staff except McMurphy by a window. Then McMurphy breaking it showing his challenge to nurse ratchets power, making a remark about how clear it was he almost! Didn't see it there. Forcing her hand nurse ratchet has to back down and retreat, letting McMurphy win this round instilling a false convenience allowing him to organize a fishing trip that he, candy a hooker not an aunt!, the doctor and the other patients go on. In conclusion ken Kelsey is setting McMurphy up for a beating by the combine.

For my world example I’m a comparing Romney as ratchet minus the big boobs and McMurphy as Obama without the red hair. Romney is weird backwards old school republican aligning himself with the crazy rednecks of America or the “combine” much like nurse ratchet in her was. Obama is a semi old school America but whose trying to change and better America like McMurphy who is normal enough to to squeeze by the combine all those years and now is trying to help the other patients in his only weird way. Romney uses scare tactics to sway voters into changing their minds like nurse ratchet uses her silence plus cold face and newspaper clipping to scare the patients into changing their mind. Obama uses a much one laid back approach but simply smooth talking his way in to votes like McMurphy smooth talks the other patient into voting to watch the word series or going on the fishing trip.

As for myself I guess back when I used to attend cadets I remember the officers trying to persuade the cadets to join there group or event, in order to get the go ahead their event or to rank first with their hand picked group. Some would smooth talk you offering perks to you or your hard work others with scare you into it saying that you might get to go at all or you might be out in the last group and rushed through. I guess in the end we all want power to some degree/or reason and use different ways to obtain it whether it through scaring people or persuading them or even flat out manipulation. 

Foreshadowing

Today I’m blogging about foreshadowing in one flew over the cuckoo’s nest. How ken Kelsey tells the storey through chief and the way he words it as well. Using the texts itself I am able to see loads of foreshadowing by ken as chief describes what he’s seeing. Like McMurphy for instance how chief can see what’s going to happen to McMurphy has he rebels and disturbers the ward, trying to get Miss. Ratchets “goat”.  Also when chief was in the staff meeting listening to the staff talk about McMurphy and what they are going to do with him, and miss. Ratchet realizing what she needs to do to deal with him. Foreshadowing through chief on what’s to come for poor McMurphy and his pride. Chiefs himself expressing his thoughts foreshadowing himself like for example listing to McMurphy and rising his hand up and being pulled out of the fog. And with miss. Ratchets looking like she has won and defeated McMurphy and restating her power to all the other patients. The best example i can think of from the texts is when McMurphy realizes what’s in store for him if he kept on the path he was on being committed not a volunteer. On the start of part two joking about being committed and how it was better than jail. Then at the end when he realizes after talking to the life guard what being committed really meant.

Connecting what I’ve learned so far and connecting to myself hmm. Well I guess I can connected to my first ISU book the kite runner and the fact that the book it basically one big ironic foreshadow. In the kite runner the main charter “Amir” does a number of questionable things. That both the reader and Amir can see coming back to bite him the ass. Much like chief looking at what McMurphy and realizing how what McMurphy is doing will also come back and bite him the ass. In thinking about it I guess I can also connect to myself as well. In that when I was in high school I could tell not doing my homework and any school work really would come back to haunt me. Not fully understanding the full ramifications of my actions at the time. I now look back and realize with real world/life experience that I was a complete dumb ass. That I should have put at least a little effort into my schooling and made my life a lot easier. This is also perceived in McMurphy with him hooting and hollering and just generally just trying to make miss. Ratchet mad, with him knowing what could happen. It’s not till later that he realizes the possible consequences of his actions after talking to the life guard.

And finally to the world or in my case to the American election and the Mr. Romney and the foreshadowing the American press have done. How they have predicted his craziness and ultimately his demise. The world can only hope that the crazy backwards man doesn’t get in. Anyways the way they showed how Romney kept changing his standing and his policies on the hot topics of the election and then pretending that he never said anything to contradict himself even though there videos of him saying different. This is in line with how miss. Ratchet chances her stance on the hot topics to please to doctor and possibly the patients. Then the minute she gets the chance changes everything back to the way she likes and wants it to be.  

In the end I guess foreshadowing is really that “gut” you get when you read something and wonder why, why is it there? Is there a reason for it, the answer is almost always yes there is and it up to you to figure it out!

Oppression/manipulation

One flew over the cuckoo’s nest full of oppression and manipulation in the form of racism, complete mind and physical control, fear/threats of harm .Ken Kelsey clearly states different points to each of the ways the patients are oppressed through the racism of the black boys and chief Bromden, the complete control of the patients and Miss Ratchet’s manipulative tactics and abuse of power. The Racist remarks made by Ken through chief Bromden in a demeaning way towards the black boys with who they are and their appearance. Belittling them and making them out to be savage machines that only answer nurse ratchet, also towards chief by others in the storey referring to him as a typical deaf and dumb Indian giving him the nickname chief broom. Ken also shows miss ratchets control by manipulation of the patients through the repetitive schedule, medicine and the fear of the shock shop. Miss. Ratchet also has control over the doctors too, with them fearing her and the dirt she has on them. Then comes Randal McMurry that throws a wrench to Miss. Ratchets plans. By His loud, free laughter stuns the other patients, who have grown accustomed to the control and repressed emotions throwing Miss. Ratchets will oiled and smooth running schedule in to turmoil. Mr. McMurry is a man with is own agenda.

 You can see manipulation in everyday life for instants the school yard with the popular kids and all the kids that want to be in the popular circle. How the popular kids manipulate the less popular kids to thing they wouldn’t normally do, like belittle other kids or make them cause a disturbance in class etc... Much like how miss ratchet manipulates the patients under her control to turn against one other and report everything the other guy does wrong into the log book. Another example of manipulation I can think of would be the media; and there use of commercials, bias interviews or data to change your thoughts or sway your opinion for their gain/profit. Miss. Ratchet also uses this method to her advantage by altering the clocks and picking and choosing the testimonies she use to make her case. A perfect example of Mr. McMurry in class would be Austin. How he freely speaks out in the middle of a listen sometimes helpful other times a nuisance upsetting the classes flow, Sorry Austin you were the first and best example I could think of.

The best example of oppression on the world level today would be the Middle East, with the oppression of the people by the government and the oppression of women as second class people. This relates to cuckoo’s nest with Miss. Ratchet and her staff as the government and the patients as the oppressed people. As for Racism not as common today, but back in the sixties was common place and was harsher towards some races than others.  Like forcing the African Americans to the back of the bus and not allowing them into some restraints with white only signs, and with the Native American by forcing them to their reserves and treating them as basically non-humans. The way this ties in with the book is, this is Ken Kelsey’s world as he wrote the book manifesting itself in the in the charters and the way some are depicted. Showing Ken Kelsey’s views as to where he stood on the topics of the day.