Cuckoo's Nest III

Part Three takes a drastic turn from Part two. In the beginning it seems as though Bromden describes a pessimistic life surrounded by negative people and a Combine with a scandalous "plan." It seems as though McMurphy withdraws his attempts to conform to Nurse Ratched and has his own plan to change the ward. Because his rebellious attitude McMurphy enourages Bromden to finally speak after so many years. Even though he finally spoke Bromden still needs to be cautous about who knows or secrets he might have heard might put him introuble with the Big Nurse. I do believe this foreshadows a optimistic ending to the story. Bromden breaking his silence after so long to McMurphy is definitely a good omen to the helpless people in the ward. Bromden truely believes McMurphy can rebel and, once and for all, ultimately challenge Nurse Ratched.

Kesey makes it very evident that McMurphy is a strong character. I wouldn't say manipulative. It could be if McMurphy uses the patients mental health to his advantage. I believe that he is a strong leader and someone the patients of the ward have wanted to see in a long time to stand against Ratched.

Cuckoo's Nest II

The presence of McMurphy has changed the whole ward. The patients have changed as well as the nurse. He tries to make is own rules to get under Nurse Ratched's skin. Part II takes a different turn when McMurphy finds out that the length of his commitment lies in the hands of Nurse Ratched and he is one of the few that really is committed. His attitude changes toward the ward as he conforms to Ratched's rules.
Why do the Acutes that voluntarily came to the ward want to stay? Why are the afraid to leave? Why did they put McMurphy in danger by not warning him of the possible punishment for his behavior? Only when Ratched decides to take away the privilege of the tub room does McMurphy rebel and "accidentally" hit the nurse's station window.

I'm a little confused about Harding's wife's visit. Obviously, by the conversation between them, they hated each other. She wasn't satisfied with him and Harding calls her a Nemesis and an unequal. Why did Harding want McMurphy to meet her? Why was she even there? I don't know what to make of it.

Cuckoo's Nest I

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest begins with the typical day of Chief Bromden. Most of Part 1 describes the typical day at the ward for the Chronics and the Acutes as well as Bromden's flashbacks of his past giving the reader a background on the narrator. The flashbacks enter with a nice flow with a fluent string of thought like Kerouac's excerpt from On The Road. Bromden's descriptions and his "cagey" attitude makes me wonder what qualifies him to be there at the ward. I have a lot more questions then thoughts about Part 1. On page twenty-eight "Outside" and "Inside" are capitalized. I've read it and I still have no clue what Bromden is referring to and why those words are punctuated that way. Nurse Ratched reminds me of (if I remember correctly) Orwell's "oligarchical collectivism." She tames/fixes the out of order. No one has a say and she IS the government of the ward. I don't believe she is out to help the patients. What did Bromden mean about her "plan?" She's the director and she's cast her whole show. Ratched drove out all the smart doctors to hold out for one she could manipulate. She hired a specific staff of black boys who hated as much as she did. Is her intention to feel superior? I can't answer anything and the second part just starting to answer my questions.

Lantern

Going to the Lantern and seeing Hamlet in Charles McMahon's direction and Geoff Sobelle's rendition of the character definitely gave me a better understanding of the play. It was amazing to me that Geoff could carry a tune, remember all his lines and act them out incredibly,and run and swing around. I was confused as to why the set was built the way it was, but after seeing him perform, along with the other actors, it's clear that McMahon built the set for Geoff's personality. In an interview McMahon said himself that he wanted something true to the text, but something people haven't seen before. I do not believe you have to read the book to see this play. Just by the body language, the power of each of the actors' voices, and the fact that in the Lantern you feel like your in the play gives the viewer the grasp of the story.
In class on Friday we were discussing the wardrobe of the actors and I agree with the majority of the class by saying that I disagree with Ophelia's dress. It stood out from all the other actors and that's not a compliment. The flower dress did not fit with the scene of the stage and the presence of the rest of the players. She was a little too crazy for me. I actually liked the actress who played Queen Gertrude (forgot her name and couldn't find her name on the lantern blog). She seemed more "out-there" than the class would imagine the character in the book, but I respect her rendition. The queen was seen as more manipulated by Claudius than a conspirator which is what I agree with. And her promiscuous attitude with Claudius added some humor to the show. I didn't quite understand why people were so "freaked out by it." It was funny. I laughed and I got over it. I do not have much to say about the [ Lantern ] Polonius but only that he reminded me of the Polonius in the movie we saw and I related to the movie very well. I also related to Kenneth Branagh because of his passion and energy he put into his words. After Geoff entered and said his first monologue I couldn't keep my eyes off him. Energy in an actor draws you to listen. I don't know if he was trying extra hard because teenagers have a short attention span, but it worked because by what I saw everyone payed attention to him. So i do not believe Hamlet should be played with anything less than the energy I saw from Kenneth and Geoff. They all had draw to them that made you want to listen. I enjoyed the tasteful humor and how the audience had an in-you-face experience.