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Research and Writing 3

I've finally finished. The General Introduction was probably the hardest thing I had to write because I ran out of ideas fairly quickly. Still, it was even harder to find the motivation to actually copy the criticisms out of the books to include in the file. Then I had to put everything together. In the end, the organization and stuff was more difficult than the actual writing. And, for the first time in my life, I have an appreciation for a novel for reasons other than entertainment.

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Research and Writing 2

Now knowing that the novel is about dehumanization rather than authority, all of Bromden's hallucinations and what not make sense. I found a much shorter passage for my first annotation, which went well, being 3 pages. There's a lot to write about in these passages. Ken Kesey's work is really full of literary techniques and motifs. The other annotations were easy to write once I found the passages. The intro to annotations was a bit tougher, though still fairly easy since most of the techniques I wrote about in the annotations run throughout the novel. I was a bit confused about whether I should be specific and cite examples or just stay pretty general, so I kinda compromised but was more on the specific side I guess. I still got a check on it, though, so hooray.

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Research and Writing 1

I hit up the library and easily found criticisms because I was able to checkout a couple of casebooks filled with essays. I read about five of them, two of which I didn't really see fitting with the approach I decided to use. The first one I read blew my mind because I never thought Chief Bromden's heritage had anything to do with the message of the story besides a cultural confliction, but there was more to it than that. When I first started writing my abstracts, I had no idea what I was doing. It took me an hour just to get one page done and it wasn't good at all. But once I figured out what I was doing, I was able to finish them fairly quickly on two of the criticisms I want to use. Now I'm looking for passages to annotate. I'm thinking of doing my first annotation on the entire first chapter because it sets up a lot the motifs that Kesey continues to use throughout the novel, but I'm pretty sure that it's too long even though it's a short chapter. 

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #5

I already finished the book, as I said in the fourth post, but I need a fifth blog about reading it so, hell, here I go. I watched the movie, and Jack Nicholson was perfect as McMurphy, but without Chief Bromden as the narrator it seemed to lose a lot of what the book had. It acted like Chief Bromden's ability to speak and hear was a plot twist, but that's a pretty weak plot twist if you ask me. Maybe he should have consulted M. Night Shyamalan, but then again he was probably like 5 at this time, oh well.  Anyway, now thinking about it, McMurphy's death, whether or not his own failure, is Chief Bromden's success, as it is what motivates him to finally escape the ward. I'm still sad about his death though :'(

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #4

Now I have finished the novel, and the ending was awfully depressing. The party the patients had was, as I saw it, their ultimate expression of humanity  by pursuing their desire for fun. I've also noticed that McMurphy is portrayed as a very sexual character, which the other characters clearly aren't, since the first meeting in the novel is about Harding's sexual problems with his wife. McMurphy revives the humanity in each patient, which includes sexuality as a part of the human condition, and why Billy Bibbit gets it on with that one girl. I'm not quite sure why he committed suicide because the fear of his mother knowing he had sex doesn't seem enough of a motivation to kill himself to me. I also don't know what to make of the ending, as McMurphy loses the battle with Nurse Ratched with the lobotomy, but reviving the humanity in the other patients and motivating Bromden to escape wins him the war I guess.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #3

Now I've reached the end of Part 3, which was very interesting. Now that McMurphy has returned to his usual shenanigans, he seems to have upped the ante in them. The fishing trip marks a significant change in the other characters in my eyes, as their rebelliousness has increased and this seems to be the ultimate act of rebellion. McMurphy seems to serve the purpose of inspiring the patients to stand up for themselves and pursue their own interests. Bromden's outright revelation that he's never been deaf or dumb is part of this change, and he seems to be less concerned or obsessed with machines. All of the characters seem more human, especially Bromden, who has returned to his life. 

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #2

I've reached the end of part 2, and so far I've really noticed the presence of machines, especially in the similes and Bromden's dream. His dream struck me as crazy at first, especially since there is such an evident obsession with machines and he is clearly paranoid, but had it just been a dream, then Blastic wouldn't have died in his dream or in real life. The fog, too, comes up a lot, and continues Bromden's suspicion of the Combine, though it's clearly unreal since no one else seems to notice the fog. However, Bromden seems to be encased in the fog during moments of confusion, and once being enveloped in it he feels helpless and can't do anything. The other patients probably have similar feelings of confusion and helplessness, though the fog is a physical manifestation of these that is unique to Bromden. Cheswick's death was unexpected, but after the attempt to save him failed, seemed treated pretty lightly. I don't know if everyone is too messed up to care about his death or they are just demonstrating how selfish we are or society has made us. So far, McMurphy had been acting out of selfishness, which was emphasized when he stopped trying to bother Nurse Ratched out of his fear of staying on the ward, but in returning to his original goal with the knowledge of the possible consequences, I think he has discovered a new motivation, one much less selfish and in the interests of the other patients on the ward.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest #1

Right from the beginning, it's made pretty clear that Chief Bromden is insane. So far, he's pretending to be deaf and dumb, which I could understand if he had an anxiety problem or something, but it seems he does it so the administration will spill their secrets while he's around. I don't quite understand why he does this because in order to maintain this appearance, he can't share the information with anyone else. He also tries to remain invisible when he's huge and is convinced that everyone else is a machine. McMurphy doesn't seem to be insane, but maybe that's part of the question. His goal to avoid work and his desire to bother the nurse could make him insane. He has a very boisterous and flamboyant personality, and I think he wants to bother the nurse to maintain a feeling of superiority in a world where he is out of control. Nurse Ratched, to me, more similar to McMurphy than different, and they conflict because "likes repel." She also desires superiority and achieves that over the patients, just like McMurphy, and she is also very cunning and deceptive. The main difference is that Nurse Ratched has the support of the institution and McMurphy is acting alone.

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Picking the work #2

I talked to Mr. Kreinbring, and he said that The Godfather and Mario Puzo were too popular and there wouldn't be much critical research done on him.  That pretty much settled it and I have chosen One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 

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Picking the work #1

I've already picked out my work, but I'm going to write this as though I haven't. 

I am debating whether I should read The Godfather or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I mainly narrowed it down to these two because one, The Godfather was a really good movie so the book is bound to be interesting, and two, because Victor Fawaz recommended One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. They also don't seem too long, my brother read Nostromo which is double the length of the One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I'm not looking for that.

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My backpack is standard, it carries everything I, along with any other student, need to learn and succeed in school. 10-15 lbs

My grades don't weigh much physically on paper, but for the past 4 years, even way before that, they've been one of my heaviest burdens. My own expectations make the burden even greater. 100 lbs

My ipod only weighs a few ounces, but I've become dependent on it. I haven't really become dependent on the ipod, but on technology all together. Each time my internet doesn't work or the power goes out, I realize again how dependent I am upon technology. My dependence on technology is a burden I don't often feel, but when I do, it weighs a lot. 50 lbs

My speedo is again lightweight, and maybe a bit inappropriate. But it represents the burden of swimming. Each practice brings more pain. 50 lbs

The star and crescent is a symbol of Islam, which is a heavy burden on my life. I appreciate Islam and everything it has done for me, but every fast and prayer is a burden I have to bear. On top of that, I have to demonstrate a good image of Islam. 125 lbs

Being a National Merit Semi-Finalist, I now have to take the SAT and apply to become a finalist, in an increasingly competetive program where I could fail. I will be disappointed if I don't become a finalist but it wouldn't matter to me too much. 15 lbs

My family is a bit weird, but important to me. Everyone needs someone for support, and family members are often the first to do so. This is the case with me. Though they expect a lot of me, the support me a lot and I depend on them for almost everything (financially wise, absolutely everything). To please them is a burden, but they help me more than they pressure me. 50 lbs

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The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Lockerrevealed the dark side of a war we are currently in. The Iraq war has obviously cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives. The movie portrays the dangers faced by the soldiers and the effects the war has on their lives. It follows a bomb squad in Baghdad and portrays their struggles with the war. Specialist Owen Elridge needs a psychiatrist because of the stress of the war, who is then killed, which is a heavy blow to Elridge. Also, one scene consists of the squad finding the dead body of a boy who was turned into a bomb. This horrific scene illustrates the extent of the terrible things done in war. One of the most interesting parts of the movie is that Sergeant James returns to the war after his tour of duty is over, as though war is his drug. It portrays war as an addiction, an addiction that has clearly prevented Sergeant James from returning to a normal life.

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I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed---and gazed---but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.

William Wordsworth

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Moral Principle

My basic moral principle is to be accepting of other people. This includes treating them with respect and not annoying them about their flaws, because I know I have my own. This is my basic moral principle because I know there are some who won't accept me because of their views on Islam and I know what it feels like to be excluded. Sometimes it's hard to do this because I'm impatient, but I hope I can accept everyone.

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Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Offwas clearly geared for entertainment. It is very exaggerated and funny. The portrayal of the characters seems exaggerated, too, because so many kids in the school probably wouldn't start raising funds and Ferris's setup for skipping school is very elaborate. The events are obviously exaggerated, from the newspaper article about Ferris's illness to Ferris singing in a parade. It does, however, portray actual teen problems like sibling rivalry and hatred of school. The intended audience was younger people and its purpose was mainly entertainment.

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Parent Thing

My dad hasn't seenRebel Without A Causeand he can't really relate. He didn't really have family problems like Jim Stark and didn't move so he was never the new kid. On top of that, he grew up in India, where the popular culture was far different than here. In India, children generally have to respect the authority or else they get beaten (not as much anymore as corporal punishment has been banned in India). They also don't have knife fights and most teens don't have cars there so most of the things the characters in the movie did, my dad couldn't do.

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Rebel Without A Cause

While watching this movie, although bored, I recognized some of the common problems for teens and the effects they often have. Problems with popularity, being the new kid, and having problems at home. The fact that he was trying to be different from his "chicken" father obviously caused a lot of his stupid actions. When it comes to the teens themselves, I didn't believe the things they were doing, probably because chickie-runs and switchblade fights aren't too common nowadays. All of the popular culture was clearly outdated. The audience could've been parents in the 50's, with the purpose being to expose the possible problems their children are facing. Today, those same problems are prevalent, we just don't do the same things.