introduction to one flew over the cuckoo’s nest
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Introduction to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Mr. Bailey Winter 2012. Stereotype vs. Reality. VS. I. 1960’s Counter Culture (AKA Hippies). American Culture. Counter Culture Response. Influx of Disillusioned Affluent Adolescents. Post WWII “Baby Boom”. Vietnam War. Pacifism. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Introduction to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Mr. BaileyWinter 2012
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Stereotype vs. Reality
VS
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I. 1960’s Counter Culture (AKA Hippies)
American Culture
Post WWII “Baby Boom”
Counter Culture Response
Influx of Disillusioned Affluent Adolescents
Vietnam War Pacifism
Rise of TV and FM Radio Challenging of censorship; innovation in art
Assassination of JFK Paranoia and Skepticism about Government
Persistence of Racism and Segregation
Civil Rights Activism and Protest
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Popular 1960’s American Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6h0Od2F1wk
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Counter Culture 1960’s American Music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rywtvmWP9Xs
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Popular Concernshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HpAulI64OU
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Counterculture Concernshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTJgMmHZNYQ
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Ken Kesey
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II. Ken KeseyA. 1935-2001
1. Date rage significance? He was alive for:a. Nuclear Bomb and end of WWII (1945)
b. Vietnam War (1955-1975)
c. Assassination of Kennedy (1963)
d. Assassination of Martin Luther King (1968)
e. First Man on Moon (1969)
2. Tumultuous period in American history greatly influenced his art
Imagine Living Through Events We Only Read About In History Books!
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II. Ken Kesey (cont.)B. Ken Kesey was profoundly affected by the rise of
hallucinogenic drugs.
1. 1959, participates in government-sponsored experiments with people on LSD
2. Experiments took place in a Veteran’s hospital, with often shell-shocked and mentally unstable participants
3. Experiences in this project go on to inspire composition of Cuckoo’s Nest
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II. Ken Kesey (cont.)C. Ken Kesey hosted “acid tests” for friends with “Merry
Pranksters”
1. Traveling parties that advocated use of LSD in San Fran area; eventually became common part of hippie scene
2. Kesey believed LSD taught men to think in new ways
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Kesey on Acid:
(from"The Beyond Within: The Rise and Fall of LSD," 1987)
I believe that with the advent of acid, we discovered a new way to think, and it has to do with piecing
together new thoughts in your mind. Why is it that people think it's so evil? What is it about it that scares people so deeply? Because they're afraid that there's more to reality than they have confronted. That there are doors that they're afraid to go in, and they don't want us to go in there either, because if we go in we might learn something that they don't know. And that
makes us a little out of their control.
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Catholic School Disclaimer:
LSD is a highly dangerous narcotic that can cause permanent psychosis from even a single use. Mental instability, schizophrenia, and detachment from reality are common effects!
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II. Ken Kesey (concluded)
D. Liberal, anti-government, pacifist to the end
E. Continued to experiment with LSD and journey with “Merry Pranksters” even into his 60’s.
F. Profoundly affected by 9/11, and blamed U.S. militaristic conservative government
G. Died from complications related to a liver tumor
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III. Origins of Cuckoo’s Nest
A. Kesey’s Goal: present social evils symbolically as mental institution and its staff
B. Kesey aimed to attack the “uniform, unimaginative, overly conditioned mentality of corporate America.”
C. Kesey hoped to criticize societal pressures that hinder individuality
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III. Origins of Cuckoo’s Nest
D. Title comes from a nursery rhyme Chief Bromden recalls
Three geese in a flock
One flew East
One flew West
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest
Cuckoo’s Nest = asylum (which symbolizes society)
To “Fly Over” = escape/depart/differ from
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IV. Cuckoo’s Nest in Canon of American Literature
A. Widely considered a classic, Cuckoo’s Nest is, like most literature, a response to the literature that came before it.
Think about the major works we have read so
far this year:
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Huckleberry Finn America is like a river: it is alive, constantly
changing.
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The Great Gatsby America is like a valley of ashes: dead, lifeless,
empty
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The Crucible America is like a crucible: a hot, painful test of
integrity and honesty
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Cuckoo’s Nest America is like an insane asylum; society traps,
restricts, and condemns those who are different or unique.
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Combine:
Farm machine: removes grains from the chaff of wheat and other crops. Harvests what it wants, throws away what doesn’t belong as waste.
Why do you think this device is the primary symbol of a Modernist/Postmodernist work?
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A. Puritanism
1. Kesey rejects conservative, outdated beliefs about sexuality and sin
2. Nurse Ratched exemplifies Puritan values
a. “Hidden” breasts
b. Torment of Billy Bibbet
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B. Age of Reason
1. Kesey believed logic could not explain all of human nature
2. LSD was means of rejecting logic and exploring subconscious
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C. Romanticism1. Closest
representation of Kesey’s beliefsa. Rich in symbolismb. Exploration of
imagination and subconscious
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D. Realists1. Kesey, and most hippies,
agreed that life was grim, but refused to accept that it needed to stay that way
2. Emphasis on hope and change breaks Kesey from Realist tradition
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E. Modernism/Postmodernis
m
1. Disjointed, dreamlike writing style is characteristic of postmodern literature
2. McMurphy and Bromden rebel against a symbolic society
3. Patients are stripped of their individuality
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ConclusionKesey’s Cuckoo’s Nest symbolically depicts counterculture opposition to
society’s constraints. Highly influenced by 60’s drug culture, Kesey rejects previous literary eras in favor
of a new approach to writing about the human experience.