Cuckoo's Nest IV

Did McMurphy win?

Parts one and two describe Ratched's control over the ward. You could say she had everyone wrapped around her finger: the patients, the black boys, the other nurses, and even the doctor. Part three, as I've said, is the build up to McMurphy's victory over Ratched. After the fishing trip, everyone felt a close bond to McMurphy. This gave the patients a stronger relationship with each other and against Ratched. McMurphy "stripped" her of her power, her pride, and the idol she made herself out to be to the patients. So does McMurphy lose when Ratched send him up to be lobotomized? I believe the fact that she sent him up there showed that she was weak and she unable to defeat him. I do not believe this causes the patients to lose faith in McMurphy but rather have more faith in what he tried to show them: Nurse Ratched is not God. And after McMurphy returned in the state he was in, Ratched's intention was to restore everyone's fear in her. She wanted to send a message to rebellion. Bromden smothering McMurphy did not just kill McMurphy, but it destroyed his doubts and fears of Nurse Ratched. Bromden and McMurphy are the true winners.

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.

Hamlet: ACT III, SCENE I *paraphrased*

ACT III, SCENE 1. A room in the castle. (PART C)

OPHELIA
My lord, I have memories of you,
That I wish to give to you
Please, take them

HAMLET
No, not me
I never gave you anything

OPHELIA
My honored lord, you very well know you have;
And, with them, your sweet, romantic words,
Has made the memories more rich, although fading
Take these letters; they have lost their value to me

HAMLET
HA, HA! Are you sincere?

OPHELIA
Excuse me?

HAMLET
Are you beautiful?

OPHELIA
What do you mean?

HAMLET
That if you are sincere, your honesty
should give no approach to your beauty.

OPHELIA
So could beauty and honesty be related?

HAMLET
Sure, since beauty's power can easily
change a decent girl into a whore,
than the power of decency can change
a beautiful girl into something pure.
This used to be a great puzzle to me,
but time has solved it. I loved you once.

OPHELIA
At least you led me to believe you did.

HAMLET
You shouldn't have believed me,
no matter how hard we try to be virtuous.
I never loved you.

OPHELIA
I have been deceived

HAMLET
Get yourself to a nunnery at once.
Why would you produce more sinners like yourself?
I'm fairly good myself, however,
I could accuse myself of such horrible crimes
that it would've been better if my mother
had never given birth to me.
I am conceited, vengeful, and ambitious,
with more bad thoughts in me than
I can fit into my own head, and more
than I have time to carry it out in.
Why should people like me be creeping around
between earth and heaven?
Every one of us is a criminal.
Don't believe any of us.
Get yourself to a nunnery.
Where's your father?

OPHELIA
He’s home

HAMLET
Lock him in, so he can play the fool
in his own home only. Good bye.

OPHELIA
Please, God, help him!

HAMLET
I have heard, well enough, of the makeup you wear
God gave you one face and you paint over it:
You dance and lisp and blame your maliciousness on ignorance.
I’ll have no more of this. It’s making me mad.
I say there should be no more marriages:
All those who are married already, but one, shall
Stay married. The ones that aren’t will never marry,
Get yourself to a nunnery.

Hamlet's Plan

I've decided to blog about the section of Act II I paraphrased. I was given Hamlet's monologue in scene ii on page 71 (lines 563-615). After Hamlet sees the player's performance he has his own idea for Claudius. He asks the player if he can act out a play called "The Murder of Gonzago" which plays similar to the death of his own father. In his monologue, you can tell the passion he has as he expresses his reaction to the player's performance. However he doesn't have the power to express his own passion as the player does as he says, "Is it not monstrous that this player, but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul so to his own conceit that, from her working, all his visage wanned, tears in his eyes, distraction in's aspect, a broken voice, and his whole function suiting with forms to his conceit?" He only wishes to express his feelings while an actor expressing fiction can do it better. As he explains how the player might act out his feelings with words like drown the stage, horrid speech, and make mad the guilty the reader can only imagine how much passion he has inside. With this in mind and his father's unavenged death he uses the "Murder of Gonzago" to catch Claudius in his conscience. With the similarity to the death of the late Hamlet's, Hamlet hopes that Claudius will show a guilty face during the premiere during the play.
The best part of this monologue is the ending when Hamlet says, "The spirit that I have seen may be the devil; and the devil hath power t' assume a pleasing shape." He fears that Claudius may not have a reaction at all and calls it the power of the devil.
I ask myself: Is he really out of his mind or does he have too much bottled up that he just needs to get out?


Well, if anyone's interested my paraphrased monologue is below:


Ah, alone at last
I’m such a scoundrel!
Isn’t terrifying that that player,
Acts only in fiction, but with so much passion?
How can he exert how he wants to feel
With tears, a chocked up voice, and body language,
If that is not how he truly feels? And all for nothing!
For Hecuba!
What Hecuba to him?
Or he to Hecuba, that he cried over her?
How would he REALLY feel if he had a true reason to
And the passion that I have?
He would soak the floor with his tears,
And draw the crowd’s ear with his horrid voice,
Make the guilty go crazy, and shock the free
Perplex the ignorant, and amaze, indeed,
Very pair of eyes and ears.
Only I, a dull-spirited rascal, peak,
Like a day dreamer, inactive of my cause,
And says nothing; no, not for a king whose property
A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward?

Who calls me the bad guy?
Breaks my pate across?
And plucks off the hairs on my beard and blows it right back in my face?
Yanks me by the nose? And lies through their teeth?
Who does this to me?
Ha!

Goddammit I should take it; cause I cannot
Take matters in my own hands; I should have feed all the vultures with this slave's corpse: bloody villain!
Remorseless, inconsiderate villain!
Vengence!
What an ass I am! I should be brave
I am the son of my dear murdered father.
I will prompt my revenge by heaven and hell,
Poor my heart out with words with a curse.
A scullion!

Guilty animals sitting at a play would be struck through the soul and physically react to cunningness of a scene ;
Though he will not admit murder he will speak with his reaction.
I’ll have these actors act out something similar to my father’s death to my uncle:
I will observe his reaction and take it from there.
I may see the spirit of the devil: who has the power to act differently than expected
And possibly out of weakness and with his “powers” might damn me to the truth: I’ll have more evidence than this: this is where I’ll catch his conscience.