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Thursday, January 3, 2019
Cuckoo's Nest—due February 14
Read and respond to these statements with 150+ words. (Click the bolded words.)
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Throughout reading the anticipation guide, there were a few statements that stuck out to me that I had to think long on or I wholly agree/disagree. American Indians have been treated more than fairly is one statement that I entirely disagree with. Throughout American history American Indians have never been treated fairly from the Trail of Tears, enslaving them, using up all their resources, kicking them off their lands, giving them unfair treaties and eventually putting them all on reservations. Never in our history did we give American Indians fair treatment instead we used them and thought of them as inferior. They not only did our dirty work but we didn’t give them stuff in return. Many Americans look back on the injustice treatment we gave American Indians and know that we were not good people in our past. We must learn from our history and start treating everyone equal no matter race, gender, etc. I wholly agree that authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader. Personally, when you have the same pattern over and over again, it gets quite annoying, but if you add a little short chapter here and there and change the length it adds excitement, and the reader will not get so bored. Varying the chapter lengths is like fluctuating your voice. If you have a monotone voice(same length chapter), then people get bored, but if you have emotion and a changing voice(various chapter lengths), then the reader is more intrigued. The final statement that I thought was one that stuck out to me would be: everyone is “crazy” to some extent. In the book, all these characters are locked up because they are “crazy” but aren’t we all. Everyone in the world has unique characteristics that make everyone different and these unique qualities can be seen as crazy. Crazy doesn’t mean that the person isn’t mentally stable instead it just that crazy is primarily defined as going against social norms. I believe everyone goes against social norms and everyone is crazy for something it doesn’t matter who you are you are insane to some extent.
The following statement from the Anticipation Guide strongly angered me: “If a novel is made into a film that wins nearly every Oscar, the author should be lauded for enlightening even basic, un-curious, unmotivated minds.” The egotistical snobbishness that this attack on cinematography displays baffles me. Personally, I have greatly enjoyed both the book and film versions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The condescending nature of this comment condemns the artistry, elegance, and devotion that cinematography requires. Denoting moviegoers as “un-curious, unmotivated minds” entirely demeans the raw emotion and experience that they may experience on the TV screen. While this statement devalues films because of their accessibility, I feel that this attribute of cinema only amplifies its merit; how many individuals would have experienced The Godfather, had its masterpiece of a film depiction not been produced? The snobbish tone of this statement blatantly disregards the artistry of directors, producers, and cinematographers, proclaiming authors as the only human individuals capable of complex thoughts—disgusting.
Bunker 5 While examining the anticipation guide, there are few statements I strongly agree/disagree with. The first statement that stuck out to me was “Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings.” I completely agree with this statement. If there was no discipline or structure, people would start doing whatever they want without understanding how their actions are impacting themselves and others. I believe that kids that grow up with parents that allow them to do whatever they want without any repercussions get into lots of trouble throughout their years. I also think they have a rude awakening when they are older and realize there are rules and you can not just do whatever you want whenever you want. The next statement that I agree with is, “Everyone is crazy to some extent.” I believe everyone is just the slightest bit crazy in their own way. Just because something you believe does not seem crazy to you, another person could think you are completely bizarre. Our unique quirks make us the person we are and if everyone had the same beliefs and habits we would all be robots essentially. Another statement that stuck out to me was, “Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive, no choice should be left to the reader.” I completely disagree with this. I think that authors leave the endings of stories inconclusive for a reason. They want to make you think and use your own mind to determine how you think the author intended to end the story. It also makes you think more about what you just read and put parts of the story together to come to a conclusion.
During the novel, one statement that stuck out to me was the idea of authors always live the most interesting lives. Contrary to this fact, I believe that authors do not necessarily have to do so. I believe that authors tend to write certain ideals, beliefs, or thoughts that intertwine to combine and create a new story. Thus, the authors write creatively based upon things that they may have accomplished, observed, or want to experience. In addition, I think that novel titles tend to be better when the titles are more unclear. This is because it enables the audience to critically think about the characters, plot, or setting (which all depict into a message) that the readers must try to figure out similar to a puzzle. For example, I think that “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is referring to McMurphy avoiding the mental hospital changing his personality regardless of how he, and everyone else, is being “treated” for his illness.
After filling out the Cuckoo's Nest Anticipation Guide, many questions stuck out to me. One statement that sparked thought in my head was, "Authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader." When reading all of the books up to Cuckoo's nest I had never thought much about a variation in chapter length. To me when a chapter started and ended it was like the end of a scene and onto the next one. The way Ken Kesey varies his chapter length is brilliant. In my eyes it is a great hidden concept to the book. It keeps us on our toes and allows him to protrude the flashback stories more than they already are. Another statement that made me think was "everyone is "crazy" to some extent". Personally, I mostly agreed. The thing that makes this question so difficult is that we don't have a definite definition of the word crazy. Crazy can mean a lot of things which is why I mostly agreed with it.
Geringer 1 I wholly agree with the statement: “Everyone is "crazy" to some extent.”. I agree with this statement because everyone has a breaking point. It just depends on the person as to where and when that breaking point will be reached. I mostly disagree with the statement: “War veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism.”. I mostly disagree with this statement because soldiers were fighting in a war for us, so we didn’t have to. They are risking their lives every day to make sure we get to keep our freedom. While fighting for our freedom they are living and functioning in an area usually without a government for long periods of time. They should not be expected to jump right back into society and function normally. If anything they shouldn’t be expected to just jump right back into society; some need a break.
After reading through and answering all of the questions on the anticipation guide there were a few statements that really made me think. The first statement would be “literature is losing its place”. I think this is true in many ways. One of the main reasons is people would rather watch a movie. Watching a movie allows you to see the story along with hearing it. It also takes up less time than reading a book does. I think it is very sad that literature is losing its place in this world. Another statement that made me think was “novel titles are best when clear”. I’m still not sure I feel about this one. On one hand, I like to read a title and know what the book is going to be about. However, I also understand that having a title like “Lord of the Flies” is going to bring in more readers than a title like “Young boys go crazy on an island”. Overall, I enjoyed the anticipation guide because it got me thinking about various things.
Ellingson 5 Reading and analyzing the anticipation guide, hands down the easiest statement to disagree with has to be “Monogamy is the only way humans should unite”. I believe monogamy is the only and right way to wholly be involved with someone. I understand being a teenager that we do not have our lives figured out and it seems as though some of us decide to be involved with more than one person at a time. Even though it is outside of marriage, I strongly disagree with those types of people. I have the smallest personal experience but I believe the strongest factor in a relationship is trust, respect, and love. Those attributes carry on to marriage. If you are dishonest, untrustworthy, disrespectful, and unloving in your dating years, marriage will be tough and you can expect the same attributes to carry over. Yes, monogamy is the only way for two people to be intimate and strive as one. It takes two to tango… two halves make a whole… two people wholly engaged in one relationship.
Knutson 2 There were a couple of questions within the anticipation guide that I had put more thought into before answering with my opinion. One of the first questions that I had to ponder on asked if the imagery was not as important as irony, allusion, symbol, setting, or characterization literary devices. I had to very much disagree with this statement. Imagery is one literary device that provides something different than the other literary devices do not show. This literary device gives you a clear picture of the scene that the author is trying to describe. It provides much detail to make the book even more interesting and intriguing. Another question that I also found very interesting was that ending a narrative should not leave the reader hanging on by a thread. I would also have to disagree with this statement. Leaving an open-ended conclusion allows the reader to make their own inference to how the story should end. If the author were just to make up their own ending the reader may not enjoy that particular ending making their overall feel for the book changed for the worse. Making hypotheses and thinking up ideas not clearly stated within the book is part of being a literary critic. Allowing for the end of the book to be open up for thought allows the reader to portray the book in their own way. Lastly, I found a question that I wholly agree with when answering. Having the author make sporadic chapter lengths makes the book different from all others and gives it a different style. The short chapters say much in very few words but get to the point right away. While the longer chapters take a while to show what is going on, but then will usually have more literary devices. This helps to intrigue the reader, even more, wanting to not miss a sentence.
One question on the anticipation guide that I felt strongly about was question 24. Question 24 says that the narrator should not leave anything for the reader to wonder about or decide the outcome of and they should answer all of the questions in the book. I would say I wholly disagree with that because I always enjoy a mysterious ending that requires thought and has multiple different possible outcomes. I don’t read a lot of books, but I do watch a lot of movies and I think this is true for movies as well as books. I enjoy finishing a movie where I am left thinking about how everything ended up. A big part of reading is using your imagination. The story is much better if you can read it and imagine everything happening like a movie playing out in your head. You have to imagine what the characters look like along with everything else described in the book. When the ending is open and unclear, the reader gets to use their imagination to make up their own ending.
Bickley Pd.5 One statement that I agreed with on the anticipation guide was the idea that authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader. I agreed with this statement because when reading novels, it is important to keep the reader engaged in the novel. If the author keeps each chapter the same length, it can make the reader bored or disengaged. Shorter chapters are often times more appealing to readers because it makes the book seem to go faster. If a person continually has to read twenty-page chapters, a reader may choose to stop reading the book. If the author decides to change up the length of chapters, it will allow the reader to stay on the edge of his/her seat. An idea that I disagreed with was the concept that imagery does not rival irony, allusion, symbol, setting, or characterization amongst the most prominent literary devices. I disagreed with this idea because I think that imagery is just as powerful as the previously mentioned literary devices. Imagery allows the reader to make a mental picture of the story based on the author’s words. Without imagery, a story would be bland.
While reading the anticipation guide, the statement that stuck out to me the most was the very first statement. It asks if you can learn a lot from farming, wrestling, and being a drug experimenting hippy. The first part asks if you can learn a lot from farming. I believe that everyone can learn a lot from farming. Not only do you learn how some of your own food is made, but it also makes you realize the long process that is put in place in order to even grow the food. Some may say it may not be that hard with the technological advances we have today, but no one realizes all the hours those farmers put into combining all that food on their thousands or just hundreds of acres of land it takes them many days. On the other hand, I do not know a whole lot you can learn from wrestling because in some cases it is frowned upon in the case of the law, but during entertainment purposes, it is cherished and is looked at as a good thing. When it comes to drug experimenting I feel that it is a person’s choice whether to experiment or not. I get some peoples point where they just want to try it once to see what all the hype is about, but on the other hand, it is not a good idea in my opinion. This is why the first statement stuck out to me in so many ways because everyone can have their own opinion on different situations.
As I read through the questions in the anticipation guide there are a few that stood out to me. One of them is “Literature is losing its place”. I agree with this in many ways in terms of actual books. As technology continues to advance, people find new was of research and entertainment. These can be fulfilled through television, computer sources, and video games. However, I feel like audiobooks and electronic versions are becoming more and more popular. However, people do not really reach for physical copies of books like they used to. Another one I found interesting is “Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings”. I also somewhat agree with this as it can be important in some cases such as a classroom setting. However, I feel like it is also necessary for people to learn things on their own, with less discipline. I feel like guidance is more more important than discipline.
The first statement on the anticipation guide is, “you can learn a lot from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippie.” My reaction is wholly to agree because I believe you can learn a lot from anyone and everyone. Watching different types of people react to different situations or even in their everyday lives, you can learn so much about who you are as a person as well. Your reactions to their reactions of situations can teach you how accepting or open-minded you are. The next statement I chose to react to was, “women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture.” I don’t believe that women try to look for ways to dominate men in a patriarchal culture. I do, however, believe that historically, women do look for ways to be equal to men—the same opportunities, seats of power, and more. To say that women are looking for ways to dominate men would just be flipping the patriarchy, which I hope will one day end.
Kirkeby 2 On the anticipation guide, the first statement stuck with me the most. In my opinion, I believe that you can learn a lot from farming, wrestling, drug-loving hippies. I think that people who experiment with drug use see the world from a completely different angle. I believe that one of the best ways to experience the world is by seeing it from different perspectives. Therefore, by learning from a "hippy" you are able to see the world from an additional perspective that you may not have thought to look through before. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, the perspective of Chief is one that is not easily attainable without the possible use of drugs. I would not be able to think of something like that. The way we are able to see the ward through the eyes of Chief, were everyone talks freely around him like he cannot hear them. This gives a much different feel to the book than if it was written in either third person or form one of the points of views of one of the other characters such as McMurphy or Nurse Ratched.
Rau 1 If there is one question within this anticipation guide that I feel strongly opposed to, it would have to be none other than Question 24. While a direct, conclusive ending to a story may sometimes be fulfilling in the perspective of the reader, I believe that allowing the reader’s imagination and interpretation to roam free is what makes some of the famous novels in the world so historical! The author would paint the scenarios within the story in order to portray a message intended to capture the reader’s attention. In addition to the author’s layout of the story, the reader would then be able to create opinions based upon these scenarios. Therefore, once the reader is able to openly theorize and interpret the text they’ve read, the conclusion to the story would be able to spark a discussion amongst multiple readers. This expansion of readers would then share their own questions further on to others and would cause the novel to gain attention. Whenever this trend occurs, I see this kind of attention as beneficial to society— especially for novels such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where the author intends to leave many situations within the novel such as the fact that no characters really wins in the end. While I have not read the end of the book, I do know that the author’s intentions are to expose the depressing, realistic scenery of how mental asylums’ conditions truly are, and to leave the opinions and justification statements up to the readers themselves. In the end, I hope that more non-conclusive books like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest would be embraced more for the sake of enlightening or persuading readers upon important subjects occurring in the real world.
I think that while doing the anticipation guide there were many questions that were valid but one that sparked my passion the most was "Indians have been treated fairly throughout American history". I could NOT disagree with this more because the Native Americans have been pushed to almost extinction because of the Americans actions. We would always promise them things and then turn our backs on them like treaties and land agreements. We also always looked upon them as savages while they were just participating in their lives how they had always lived. They were one this land first and we took that from them. We even took land from them to build a MONUMENT of our presidents. I also think people are ignorant today still with Native American issues. I see things all the time about people think native Americans are "taking our jobs, land, and money just like immigrants" and it makes me sad because these people are obviously not educated that they were here FIRST. I also think that the question of "everybody is a little crazy" is also very true. Every person is so different and thinks so complexly that there is no way that not all of us aren't crazy. I also think sometimes the "crazy" people have more humanity than us because they don't let society influence them.
The statement that I agree with the most is about the best narrators are the least like the reader. Having nothing in common with the narrator makes the reader think in ways they have never done before. Everybody grows up and lives in different situations, so thoughts and reactions are different for everybody. While reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I don’t have the same conditions as Chief Bromden, but I like being inside of a person’s head and reading what he is thinking. The way he refers back to being with his dad in different parts of the book makes me wonder how he got to where he is. I find it interesting reading about how he thinks he is in a fog and is able to go inside of a painting on a wall. I find the books that the reader is able to read the narrator’s thoughts the most fascinating. They are usually my favorite books because I want to know what is happening and how the narrator responds.
The statement that American Indians have been treated more than fairly sticks out to me because from learning a lot from multiple history classes, I wholly disagree. When the first Europeans arrived in the new world, they took land from the natives in order to expand their own territory. They did so without negotiation, and they did not even try to make friends with the natives. Since then, we haven’t treated them well. Now they are stuck on reservations with nothing but casinos and drugs. The Native Americans who actually want to do something with their life are neglected by their tribes and families. Literature is losing its place- I think this statement is mostly true. It is very clear that more kids are playing video game than they are reading classic novels. People don’t seem to be as interested in books anymore. They are caught up in technology and their busy lives. However, there will always be people who support literature and who will want to keep spreading it.
Sonju 2 I wholly disagree with the statement that endings of narratives must be fully conclusive and no choice should be left to the reader. I thought back to my early days of reading while deciding how to answer this question. Even the very first books we read as children, like The Cat in the Hat, for example, leaves some things up for debate. Where did the cat come from? Where does he disappear to at the end of the book? How did he meet Thing 1 and Thing 2? Dr. Seuss purposely leaves some things ambiguous—he wants children to learn how to be inquisitive. If every question was answered by the creator of a given work, there would be no growing curiosity, no need to explore the possible causes of different phenomena. Curiosity may kill the cat, but The Cat did not kill any curiosity in the hundreds of thousands of kids who have read about him. I am glad that narratives leave the reader with some questions; none of my favorite books tie up every single loose end.
This anticipation guide really makes you think. When reading the question you have to think about each view and decide which one fits you best. You have to read the questions and then read into them. While answering the questions in the anticipation guide two of them really stuck out to me. The first one was number twenty-two which stated: “novel titles are best when clear.” I wholly disagree with this because a title with mystery or confusion can intrigue a person to read more into the book. I know this is true of me, for books and especially movies, because if a title is boring I will not have any interest in reading the book or watching the movie. Another question that interested me was number thirteen which is “everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” I think that this is completely true because no one is perfect so we all have our “crazy” moments. Some people may be more extream than others but we all are slightly crazy.
When reading this anticipation guide for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, many statements stuck out to me. The statement that stuck out to me most was “No book can change a person’s soul or worldview” and I chose the “mostly disagree” option. There are some books out there that can’t change a person’s view or soul, but there are some books out there that can. You can learn a lot from reading in all genres, I know I have. You don’t have to learn to be impacted by a novel. Situations happen in the book that you can learn from and use in your everyday life. Another statement that stuck out to me was “Women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture”. I partly disagree with this one. Women are not looking for ways to dominate men, women are looking for ways to be equal to men. The Women’s March, a peaceful march, isn’t about being more dominant than men, it’s about being equal to men.
Reading and responding to the statements were not as easy as I was thinking they would be. The questions asked proposed answers that some people may not want to answer. Although, these questions help us see how literature can change our perspective on society and on ourselves. Many of the questions perplexed me because I was in the middle of wholly agree/somewhat agree and wholly disagree/somewhat disagree. I really had to sit down and think, what do I really believe in? One of the questions I really enjoyed reading was asking if authors should implement varying chapter lengths to excite their readers. I responded with wholly agreeing with the statement. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, some of the chapters the reader comes across may last several pages and some chapters are only a paragraph long that contain key information. I enjoy the variation of the chapter lengths because it really makes me feel like I am inside Chief’s mind and how he thinks.
Huntimer 2 Question 15, “Literature is losing its place”, stood out to me because it is somewhat true. The younger generation of people are now exposed to so much more technology than what was originally around in the 1960-90s. In my lifetime, I experienced a technical growth from average flip phones to “everything you’ll need” smartphones; also, you should include the growth of technology in medicine. Today, you can see a toddler playing on a tablet in the shopping cart of a grocery store; which would not be a sight when I was younger. In my psychology class, we also learned about Jean-Louis Constanza who wrote a report over his toddler girl’s behavior when she was given a magazine. She looked at the book and tried to “zoom in” on the pictures and slid her finger on the page in an attempt to slide to the next page like a tablet. She quickly became distraught and bored with the “broken tablet” and didn’t want to look at it anymore. Literature, in comparison to technology, is riding in the “back seat” in this modern age. It is not extinct, but it is rare to see people holding a book than a smartphone. I was also surprised by the answers to question 14, “if an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed”. It was surprising to me that 33.7% (196 people) agreed. I believe someone can achieve the demands of a situation through perseverance and hard work. In the case of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, some patients are mentally unable to do certain things, so they seek help from the nurses. We as humans subconsciously only care about ourselves, so when there is a situation (either in survival or personal situations) you subconsciously worry about yourself and your family. The “Golden Rule” is taught to us since kindergarten: Treat others the way you wish to be treated. If you wish to pass a “rigorous situation” that you knew deep down that you wouldn’t be able to do, you wish someone would help you. You can view this question through survival or as another rigorous situation that can be applied towards Brandon Valley; for some individuals, learning and school work is a rigorous situation and tutoring/extra one-on-one work is the only way for them to graduate with the rest of their class. Would you give up on them? This survey provided questions that we would not necessarily think about during our everyday routine, so every answer can have different reasoning behind it depending on the individual’s background.
Reinschmidt 5 While reading and answering the anticipation guide, there were many questions that I entirely agree with, while there were plenty that is highly negotiable depending on the situation. The one that I agree with that immediately stuck out to me was the one dealing with the discipline. If children do not learn the difference between right and wrong beginning at a young age, they easily have the chance of them becoming corrupt. Children that grow up with less parental guidance have a higher chance of losing motivation and getting involved in things they shouldn’t. Another statement I agreed with was the one regarding how literature is losing its place in society. I think this is becoming more and more evident especially in our generation where technology is taking over. As technology continues to advance, I think that as a generation we are choosing to forgo the actual novel itself and turn to the audio version or even the movie. The importance of novels allows us to gain knowledge from the author, enhance our point of views, and even expand our mental capacity. Throughout this anticipation guide, it really helped me think about the novel(s) we are reading and how much our world has changed since these times and the different point of view each author brings to their books.
While I was completing the anticipation guide, a few statements stood out. The first impactful statement to me was, “authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader”, which I completely agree with. When a chapter becomes too long, I often find myself not focusing on what I am reading and have to read the chapter over. In contrast, when short chapters appear, I focus on the plot line and find that they can often leave a stronger impression. However, I disagree with the statement, “the best authors have lived the most interesting lives”. Author’s can write about their childhood and family, or they may have observed marvelous things that are used as writing inspiration. Their lives do not have to be extravagant and interesting because it will always be a different experience from everyone else. Each person’s life is different, and that variation is what creates fascinating stories. Not every reader will find the same meaning in a novel, but that does not mean the author failed. Author’s with simple and typical lives can be relatable to some readers and inspiring to others. It is up to the reader to determine the greatness of a novel. They will only take out of it what they wish.
The quote that reads along the lines of "just because it's in your head, doesn't mean it's not real" has always stuck with me. I believe that everyone's stories are unique because no one will go through the same experiences in the sequence of their life. I also believe that just because society may view different experiences and problems on a higher scale than others doesn't mean your minuscule problem is minuscule to you. You go through different things throughout your life and a problem that may be small to someone who faces bigger problems society wise is just as important as your small problem. The small problem is a big problem for you because that's the only problem you've known to cause you this much distress. I also think that normal is not achievable. With the number of complex thought processes that we have along with the unique ways we respond to similar experiences, our minds are about as confusing as a maze. Although you can strive for perfection, your mind will always have that bit of crazy that makes you, you. The crazy is not a bad thing, rather it is the opposite. Your crazy is what helps you to think things through and make decisions. It will help you to respond to problems in your own way and face dangers head-on. The craziness within you is you, however, while some embrace it, other's repress it so that it is not as noticeable and they appear to have reached the perfection that is normal. Hate to break it to you, but there is no such thing as normal and I think deep down, everyone realizes this. Also, while I do think that books are going out of style to the new generations, I do not think that books hold no meaning. I think that the new generations are failing to see just how much literature can change people's minds. Books are just like music for the soul, they paint a picture for you that you can relate to or have empathy for, and then they show you how you can stand up for the images painted. By reading books, you are opening your mind to see things from a different perspective and open up your heart to be changed by the words inside, just like you can be changed by music from simply listening to the different chords. Also, just like music has different genres, so should books have different literary styles. One book should not fit the same format as the next. The variety in chapters and the variety in cliff-hanging endings is what makes each book unique and amazing.
The first statement that really stuck out to me was the statement that discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings. This stuck out to me because it is true, but to a certain extent. Discipline should not be too cruel, but it should be bad enough to a point where the person being disciplined understands the consequences of their actions. The next statement that really stuck out to me was that the best narrators are those that are least like the reader. This is true on so many levels because it allows the reader to have a chance to view the world, or at least the story, from a completely different perspective. It really allows the reader to delve into a different reality from their own. If the reader were to be very alike the author, the reader would likely lose out on some of the points that the author was trying to make because they already understand the point, but will still do nothing about it. Those two statements were the statements that stuck out to me most out of the survey.
I believe that you can learn a lot from farming, sports (like football), and crazily intelligent hippies. Farming teaches you hard work, a work ethic and the common sense that everyone will need in the future to get their future dream job. Working on the farm is not easy work, getting up at five a.m. to do chores and doing chores again at 5 p.m. Common sense is not given to anyone by birth. It is learned through lessons of learning and future jobs and things that you have learned. Football is more than a gargantuan sport full of gorilla like men. It is a sport for the strongest physically and mental players that give all of their free time grinding in the weightroom and at practice all summer. The crazy hippies teach you more than what drugs are what and how to abuse them like the hippie has done his entire life. The hippies teach you lessons about life that they had screwed up on that they do not want you to make the same mistakes as them. And from this topic, I believe it is more than just crazy people and places and things that can teach you life lessons and more important things about life.
On the anticipation guide, one of the statements and more so the responses it was getting was shocking to me. The statement was “literature is losing its place.” What shocked me was that a majority of the responses said they agreed with this statement. This was shocking to me because as students we are reading and interacting with literature almost every day, if not multiple times in a day. Throughout my own day, I use literature to learn about human body systems, complex math equations, life sciences, correct grammar and how to use it, how to find meaning in every story, and for personal enjoyment. It is my understanding that students may believe literature has lost its place because they are not carrying multiple textbooks in their backpacks or reading books in their free time, but they are using online textbooks and may one day enjoy reading. I believe that literature will never lose its place because people will always want to share their ideas and learn about others idea and literature is the best way to accomplish this.
Kellogg 2 The statement “no book can change a person’s soul or worldview” is to me completely false. I think that there are many books and articles that have made readers contemplate what they believe and think about the other possibilities. As my group discussed in our forum, Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, a book that entails one of Chicago’s past meat-packing plants. Sinclair tells of the conditions of the factory and the contents that really go into the meat because of the filth within the factory. As people read this book, they realized what they were eating for all this time and made a change to this issue. “If an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed”. I also believe this statement to be horribly wrong. The people that cannot match the expectations of others must be helped by others and worked with to improve upon their own skills. Just as the students with disabilities in our school are getting the close collaboration they need to get better, the patients in the ward of the hospital in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest need the same help. Although they are all in the ward to obtain assistance from the staff, they are not always helped to the best of the others’ abilities, as they should be. They should not be set aside and moved to the Disturbed ward just because they cannot be “fixed”. The patients need to gain some skills and strategies as to how to refine themselves as people.
After filling out the Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide, one of the questions in the guide that stood out to me was number 18, “Women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture.” As a woman, I looked at this question as not the kind of domination men have been doing to women since the very beginning of mankind, but the kind that screams for equality, freedom, and most importantly, respect. It is not entirely true that women have been constantly looking for a way to dominate men because we have been suppressed in almost every single decade until now. In today’s world, it is not domination on our minds, but it is the fight and protest for our equal rights and important voices that men have been unfairly born into. On the contrary, would it be the end of the world if America developed a matriarchy?
Graber 7 I mostly agree that discipline is necessary in most settings. Discipline is a way of helping us learn from our mistakes. Discipline creates the kind of person we are and who we are going to become. I think in our society you can tell which students have been disciplined and which haven’t been in their childhood. It shapes who we are and what kind of choices we are going to make. I think that literature is losing its place in our society. Everything is technology and social media derived. Students think it is a punishment to pick up a book and read. They think it is boring and they would rather be on their phone or with friends. I think so much can be learned though from indulging in a good book. You learn more about our society and even about yourself as a person. Novels are so creative and each is so different. It is very beneficial to your education to read books.
Erck 5 I am doing the statement, "Everyone is crazy to some extent." I wholly agree with this statement. I believe that every person in the world has something, someone, or will have something or someone they are crazy about. The sentence itself does not necessarily mean that that human is crazy or insane, but they may simply be crazy about certain things or people. They are people crazy about sports, music, art, jobs, or relationships. Saying someone is crazy, may simply be a declaration of how passionate one is about something; however, there can also be a point of being too passionate about something or someone. This creates an obsession that then may be looked at as insanity. Then again, each person's description of sanity and insanity is different. This makes each perspective far and wide, which makes others come off crazy to me, but to their friends or their culture they are normal. This brings up another point in the perspective of insanity and sanity. Culture. Every culture has many different beliefs, traditions, or rituals. To another culture looking in, it may seem crazy or insane, but to them, it is a part of their everyday life.
A few statements stuck out to me where I agree/disagree on. The first statement says "no book can change a person's soul or worldview." I totally disagree with that statement. I think a book can be very impactful on some people. It can give you the same feeling you get after watching a movie. Sometimes after movies, it impacts me in certain ways and I believe that books can do the same thing. I disagree with the statement that "the 1960s was the worst decade in American history. Sure, during that decade maybe negative events happened, but I do not believe that it was the worst of them all. I think the 1930s may even be worse. The 1930s have the reputation of being called "dirty thirties." So that era may even be the worst of them all. I mostly agree that discipline is absolutely necessary for most settings. I think it is necessary for younger kids at home and in school. But I don't think discipline is necessary for older adults because they know what is right from wrong.
The statement that American Indians have been treated more than fairly is one that I wholly disagree with. I believe that there is unjust treatment of the Native American populations that still exist today. The Western culture that we pushed on the Native Americans was unfair. We gave them almost no time to assimilate to our way of living, and as punishment, we would decimate those who would not assimilate. The immortality of the situation was present during our first interactions with Native Americans, but I still believe that it is prevalent in today's society. Our separation of Native Americans from society with little to no help from the United States. The United States forced them into a lifestyle that they did not want, and expected no problems to arise from it. When problems arose, we did little to fix them, and we still tend to avoid fixing them altogether.
Talcott 2 I totally agreed with the statement "Disciple is absolutely necessary in most settings." I agreed with this because I believe that the right discipline makes people better. Discipline is a great way for young children to learn the difference between right and wrong. Discipline is a way of keeping order. For example, if there were no rules in a classroom, the students could do whatever they wanted without getting reprimanded for their actions. The classroom would be a much harder place for a teacher to teach and students to learn. There would be chaos in the United States if there were no laws in place. Laws and discipline make the world a more peaceful and better world. A statement that I totally disagreed with is “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” Looking back through American history you can find numerous examples where American Indians have been mistreated. One big example is the government forcing American Indians off their land. The Trail of Tears occurred causing a large number of American Indians to die since they were forced off their homeland.
The second question "Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings" got me to thinking a bit. At first, I thought of it at face value and figured that it would make sense to have discipline for almost anything. But then as I thought about it a little deeper, what is discipline? At first, I thought that it would mean the way that you conduct yourself so that you are morally regulated. But when I looked up the definition, I saw that discipline was to the practice of being trained to follow instructions and orders. I guess that would make sense for most things, but it would be a little difficult to always have discipline. If everyone were disciplined, then this world would be a little too monotonous and boring—there wouldn't be much variety. I think there would be a large deficit of creativity if everyone were to be entirely disciplined. I can understand discipline up to a degree, but I think that there are some rules that need to be broken.
One of the questions I found the most interesting was if the best authors are the ones most different from us. Having an author in the complete opposite situation allows us to have a new perspective. Starting with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest having the narrator be a mental patient in an institution allows for us to better understand how they feel. This is very important because we are always told to put ourselves in other’s shoes to help sympathize with them. Having an author that is completely opposite of you and what you have experienced can help you in many ways. But on the opposite side of the that, readers may be able to relate more and take more from a book that has what they have experienced. A further insight and different look on your life experience may change how you feel about a situation and even make it better. Both types of authors are important to help people better understand life.
As I went through the Anticipation Guide some of the statements stuck out to me. In one of them it said discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings. I mostly agreed with this. I think in order to get anything useful done you have to be disciplined. Without discipline, nothing would get done. For example, when we do our group vocab tests or group forums, if people don’t stay on task and work together nothing will be accomplished. Another statement that stuck out to me was that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. I wholly disagree with this, because all throughout history they have not been treated fairly. Just a few examples are us kicking them off their own land and putting them into reservations. Even the Trail of Tears is another great example of American people treating them horribly. They have always been thought of as inferior to Americans, and that just is not right or true at all.
I would like to expound upon the comment listed on the anticipation guide that refers to the treatment and quality of life for Native Americans. Though in the past Natives have been oppressed and crushed, I believe they are now living in a hopeless state which we, the white culture, have created. I understand that those who came before us believed that by providing them with financial stability and reserved land, the shameful way in which we treated the Natives would be forgiven and we would be able to co-exist as two different cultures. However, this has now enabled them to live a life of seclusion and hopelessness. I believe that their intensely rich and unique history and culture has been marred by the present society. I believe that the current reservation system is not adequate, and I do not find it acceptable to stop trying to preserve their culture and history.
The word ‘crazy’ has two definitions. One, meaning “mentally deranged” and two, meaning “extremely enthusiastic”. But, the word crazy has developed a negative connotation over the years because of the society we live in. I definitely think that everyone has some level of craziness in them. Not one person in this world is the same and everyone has different characteristics that make them unique. Everyone has something “crazy” about them. There is always going to be something about someone that another person thinks they are weird or different. If you are passionate about something you could be considered crazy about that idea. To some extent, everyone has something that could be considered crazy because no one person is the same. If we were all the same, it would be just like the Combine in the novel. I think everyone being and acting the same is worse than being called crazy.
All of these questions were very thought-provoking and could be easily debated. On that really stood out to me was question 18. The question states that women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchial culture. This statement is tricky because yes in the past women have been overlooked and not seen as equal to men so nowadays some people feel that women can overdo and just want to one-up all the men. Which I completely disagree with. Of course, there are women in the world that probably do constantly find ways to look stronger and more capable than men but I more feel that the majority of women just want to be equal to men. To be treated the same and to be respected the same when it comes to business and just life and general. Another question that stood out to me was number 25. I was very intrigued from the beginning of the book when Chief Bromeden says that just because it didn't happen doesn't mean it is not that true. I think everyone should consider this in life and in literature when they are considering other people's perspective. When Chief tells the story it is his truth. It is how he interpreted it and how it made him feel.
The question that caught my attention was, "Everyone is "crazy" to some extent." I believe this statement could not be more accurate. Whether or not someone believes they are crazy, a person analyzing them may disagree. Each person has his or her own view and definition of craziness. Some may agree with them, others may not. There are people who are characterized by social standards and societal views as crazy, but they may believe that those who characterize them as such are the crazy ones. The word crazy can mean a lot of different things to people. Crazy can mean: cool, insane, very, disturbed, unstable. I believe that how you are raised will have an impact on your view of what is considered crazy and what isn't. Someone raised in an abusive, broken home may see crazy as situations worse than their own. Whereas someone raised in a loving, healthy home may view that person's situation as crazy. In a nutshell, everyone is crazy in their own way, accepted or not. Craziness is a matter of what your definition of crazy is.
One statement that I wholly disagreed with was, “No book can change a person’s soul or worldview.” I disagree with this statement because some books can influence people’s thoughts and expose them to things they would never experience without books. Not all books are life-changing for everyone, but at least one book can probably change someone’s life. Another statement I disagreed with was, “Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive; no choice should be left to the reader.” I think some of the best books leave a lot of things up to the reader's imagination. Books teach us how to use our imaginations. One of the questions I agreed with was, “Albus Dumbledore is quite right when he tells Harry, who is asking about the realness of his supernatural, metaphysical experience when struck down by Voldemort: ‘Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry; why should that mean that it's not real?’” I agree with this because, even if you see things in a different perspective from others, your perspective is real to you.
The anticipation guide had many true arguments, but a few stuck out to me. A certain one caught my eye, however, because it was utterly false. The statement was that war veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism. This simply does not make sense. One cannot possibly think that veterans are supposed to go back to being normal. They fought for our country; some did not make it and some certainly cheated death. After seeing these gruesome, horrific, and heartbreaking scenes, one cannot think that they can pretend they never experienced these things. War veterans are true heroes and some of them get stuck with PTSD for life which can cause major problems. We must all understand the problems that go on in war veterans’ minds, and respect that some may never assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism.
Kocer 5 One statement that I wholly disagree with on the Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide is “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” Throughout American history, they have been treated the exact opposite of fairly by being pushed off their land and forced to move. A good example of this was in 1838 when Native Americans were removed from their land and forced to make the devastating journey known as the Trail of Tears. One statement I wholly agree with from the Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide is “discipline is absolutely necessary for most settings.” I agree with this because without discipline everything would be much more chaotic. Discipline is making sure that people obey the rules or code of behavior. If people felt that they didn’t have to follow rules and did whatever they wanted, you would have a much more selfish society where people only would look out for themselves. Since there are discipline and consequences to your actions, people are more likely to follow the rules. Rules are usually put into place for people’s own well-being. If there were no laws in society everyone would be at greater risk and danger. When kids are growing up it is especially important to have some discipline. Kids who grow up doing whatever they want without discipline are more likely to find themselves in trouble growing up because they never realized how their actions could affect themselves and others at a young age.
Brummels 1 I believe that question number six: “no book can change a person’s soul or worldview” is a false statement. I think that we can learn a lot from other people’s experiences and stories. Everyone looks at things from a different perspective, our lives shape us on how we see things. If an author does a really good job of explaining something and good with their words, then I can see a book changing someone’s soul or worldview. One statement that I agree with is number seven: “the best narrators are those that are least like the reader”. To make sure that the narrator gets his or her points across, they have to be relatable. The reader is going to be most interested in the book if they have someone that is just like them. Another statement that I agree with is, “everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent”. I feel like everyone has things that build up inside of them and eventually something is just going to pop. We all have a little bit of crazy inside of us.
Van Hulzen 5 The first statement on the anticipation guide that I wholly disagree with is that “American Indians have been treated more than fairly. The world we live in is devoid of true fairness whatsoever. You can not truly prove anything to be fair. People are born differently, with different backgrounds, different ideas, and different goals in life, this makes it humanly impossible to create fairness. Now if I were to look at the treatment of the American Indians through my own opinion, I would say that their treatment by white settlers and the government they created, was insanely evil. There is nothing that could pay the debt that they have, or equalize the situation they are in. American Indians were pushed out of their homelands, only to be later sent to reservations plagued by poverty and violence. They now have certain supports and privileges that the American government has bestowed upon them, but in the end, it does not get them out of their difficult situations or give them back the land that they once had dominion over. The second statement, I do agree with. “Literature is losing its place”. With advancements in technology and forms of entertainment, few people read books willingly. Most people have to be forced to read a book. Books are having less and less influence on the lives of people today. Upcoming generations look for instant gratification and do not have the attention span or devotion that book requires. It is disappointing, but it is the true reality of the decline of literature.
Looking at the statement “literature is losing its place”. I mostly wholly agree, along with 50% of my class. I believe this a true statement because although the literature is studied in the classroom, the age of television is whipping the era of novels. Today not many teens look for books for enjoyment, they look at electronic screens. I believe that this is a large reason for the declining interest in literature. Adding on to that I mostly agreed with the fact that the best authors do have the most interesting lives. There are authors every now and then that are amazing due to there imagination. But I believe that the purest and most intelligent writing comes from those who have a connection to there writing and can relate it to their lives. If you have to authors writing a book to show how the foster system is flawed in America and one was in the system and one had only observed it. The one who had actually experienced is going to be able to write a more heartfelt and convincing story.
The question that I highly disagreed with was the question that asked: "No book can change a person's soul or worldview." Every person is different and has a different outlook on life. This may be true for a person that agrees with the lesson in the book but if the reader is new to the lesson or simply disagrees with it the author may have points in the book that persuaded the reader's mindset. This will then change the reader’s outlook on life and it may make the reader have a different view on how they do things in life. The lesson that they learned from a book has to deal with if they really thought the lesson was worth taking into their lives, meaning that the lesson was very valuable. I personally have read multiple books that have changed my outlook on life and how I do things.
While going through the anticipation guide, statement 24 really came to my attention. "Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive; no choice should be left to the reader (in fact, authors should essentially order--almost menu-like--and direct the reader's interpretation of the ending by leaving nothing open-ended)." I disagree with this statement because I believe reading can be more fun when an author leaves an unclear ending. It creates mystery and causes the reader to wonder and think of possible scenarios for what could happen next or what actually happened in the end. Leaving an unclear ending sucks the reader in and leaves them wanting to dig into the literary theory to learn more about the novel. I hope Ken Kesey leaves us an unclear ending in our current novel. I am saying this because I think this will make our final Forum Friday very fun and interesting. I would like to see where other people are coming from in their reading and how they perceived the novel when they read it. Kesey has done a great job leaving mystery and questioning events in the book for further discussions.
When looking through the anticipation guide, I found only a few that I had strong opinions about. I disagree with the statement, “No book can change a person’s soul or worldview.” I believe every book has an influence on each individual reader and the influence may be different for each person but it still is there. The only time I believe a book would not be able to change a viewpoint would be if the reader is not actually thinking about the contents of the book or not interpreting it in any way. In relation to the novel we are currently reading, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a viewpoint can be shifted in relation to treatment of the mentally ill, treatment of Native Americans, levels of crazy etc. Another statement on the anticipation guide said, “Everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” I wholly agree with this statement. Everyone may not have a mental illness but that does not mean they are sane. Each person is unique and the definition of crazy is so loosely defined that nobody could ever fit into the definition of sane. In our novel, all the patients are mentally ill, except the doctor is trying to decide whether or not McMurphy is. Now obviously, McMurphy has plenty of characteristics that could suggest he is sane but there are plenty others that suggest he is mentally ill and that is the whole point. Crazy cannot be defined by words and never will be.
While looking through the anticipation guide there were two that really stuck out to me. The first one was one of those and it says, “You can learn a lot from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippy.” I 100% agree with this. The statement never says good or bad learning experience, it simply says learn. I think you can learn from any person that you talk to. Each and every person in society has something to offer whether that be a good lesson or a bad lesson. Another one that really stood out to me was “War veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism.” I think that war veterans do need some help after they get back from war. They were just in a traumatic experience and that has probably turned into the normal for them. When they get back now what they are facing is not normal so they need to learn to grow back to how they were previously. Some may have PTSD now because of the war and because of that they should never be expected to fully assimilate back into our society as is.
I think the phrase “Of course it's happening inside your head; why should that mean that it's not real?" Is extremely powerful. People will see things whether they are true or not but that is what they see and how the world is to them. As an individual who lives with someone with mental issues it's clear to see this. There are times when she imagines huge events or comes up with crazy plans that never existed. She struggles to see the difference between reality and what is going on for her. But that is her reality. That is what she is seeing. It is how the world works for her and its something my family has to adjust to rather rapidly sometimes. For either her safety or someone else’s. It is important that when people experience these things that you are understanding and you do not push them away or tell them they are wrong. You have to be kind and make sure they feel valued. They know they are wrong deep down, they just can not stop what is going on around them.
While I was reading the anticipation guide, a few thesis statements stood-out to me. I do not believe that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. When we look at history, there are many examples of times they were treated horribly and unfairly. They have gone through hard times such as being enslaving and forcing them out of their land. Although technology seems to be taking over everything now that the world is becoming more advanced, I feel it is wrong for technology to outrank religiously holy and important places in our world. I do believe that discipline is necessary in most settings. I feel that if someone is disciplined, they are more respectful than someone who is undisciplined. Everyone is different, but I feel that there will always be that one book that someone will pick up and read and be at least somewhat changed by it, even if the change is not drastic. I can speak from experience that I have been changed from books. They give me a new perspective on life and other people’s lives. It is entertaining and very engaging to pick up a novel and have it change you mentally.
The following statement from the anticipation guide, not only stuck out to me, but angered me: “War veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism”. Not only does it belittle the veterans into helpless beings, but also belittles their trials and tribulations. Although I have never been to war, there are countless of men who have, never returning the same. The heartbreak, emotional and physical trauma, combined with the lack of compassion (from their superiors, allies, and enemies) is something no one should have to go through. This statement disregards everything they endured, and claims they should return as a functioning member of society as if nothing has happened. See, what the military does is no only dehumanizes once healthy individuals, it corrupts them into essentially killing machines they can pawn off. It preys on the subconscious hatreds or desires, and manifests them into something that cannot be controlled anymore. To say that they should assimilate quickly is like telling a child to do calculus without helping them. It requires time, commitment, and effort from not only the veterans, but others also.
There happens to be a statement that I have an issue with in the Anticipation Guide. The statement is, "If an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed" and I believe that this statement is completely and totally false. I have played rugby for three years and have met many people, and some of those people could be labeled as "mentally incapable of playing" due to a disability. However, a few of these types of players that I have met and been on the team with have turned out to be some of our greatest assets. One was able to score multiple times, while another was big and could take hits and keep moving. What I've learned is that you don't have to be the best at what you are doing, you just have to try. There's a joke on our team as well that we tell rookies. The joke goes, "Is your heart beating?" Every time they say yes and we'll tell them, "Good, your playing first-string," because we don't even have enough players to start with. Just because someone can't match the demands of an activity does not mean that they shouldn't get to play.
The statement that stuck out to me the most would have to be “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” Personally, I find this to be entirely not true. Although the intentions from the government in terms of giving them pieces of land and money from the government were good, it has not turned into something our former leaders would be proud of. I think that giving them that land and their own set of laws has created a sort of barrier between them and the rest of the world. I have been to the reservations here in South Dakota and have seen first hand how different things are, compared to how I am used to things being outside the reservation. Kids grow up in a society where there is little hope for a better life, and they soon find themselves in jail or in deep poverty as soon as they are old enough. It is a never-ending cycle that this culture finds themselves in.
Spencer 5 WIth the first Question, it was hard to decide whether it was good enough depending on how you thought of drug-experimenting. I thought it was weird that most people agreed with that statement It also shows that in question 3 we all must agree that Indians have not been treated more fairly as years go on. Instead, they are still untreated fairly, like Mr. Broomdmen in the book. I also found that it was interesting that one could say that technological advancements could outrank religion and I guess that depends on the person if they are religious or not. I also find it interesting that books can change the perspective a person has on the world, especially because of how we are analyzing book in Literature. People, when analyzing books, open their eyes to look at how things have been in the past and how some people think about the world. I mean we all have different views.
Betanzo 5 One statement that I completely agree with is that "everyone is "crazy" to some extent." As a human, I feel that it was my purpose to be born different from any other person that was either born before I was or after. Whatever makes each human different from each other can be seen as "crazy" to some extent. Nobody on this planet can be defined as "normal" in my opinion. Even if someone was completely defined as "normal", they may be seen as "crazy" for someone else who finds it odd or weird that someone could be so "normal" when you compare them to anybody else. What makes us "crazy' depends on the situations we encounter with a multitude of people every day. Sometimes jokes that you tell around people that you aren't close with can be taken as crazy to some extent. The reason is due to the relationship you have with the person you aren't close with. Maybe they aren’t as close with you as others are and find your jokes crazy and weird. Although, if you told your “crazy” joke to someone you are close, that person you’re close with may not find your jokes as crazy because they know you so well that whatever came out of your mouth may be defined as normal to them. I also believe that we all have habits or other characteristics/traits that we can consider crazy as well, but it's okay because it makes us realize that we are different and unique in our own and special way. .
Reading opens new worlds to readers. I think a lot can be learned from authors that are very different from the reader. A new perspective on different situations may be revealed to the reader. This causes people to think about things in a new light and maybe even change their stance or learn something new. I do not know if this makes the “best” narrators, but I think there is a lot to be learned from people different than ourselves. I do not agree with the statement, “the best authors have lived the most interesting lives” Some people, and authors, have vivid enough imaginations that they do not need to have lived an exciting life. They create their own excitement through their writing. In some case, I am sure that experiences can lead to better writing, but I do not think it is a necessity. Different life experiences cause people to see things in different ways, but sometimes these differences can help to make a book more enjoyable.
Johnson 1 I believe that with the american indian statement that they have not been treated fairly. We intruded onto their continent and tried to take it over, we brought over disease that killed almost all of them, we then decided to conquer all their tribes and moved them out of where we wanted to live and finally we ended up removing them completely and put them in reservations because we were not very fond of them. I also have to disagree with the idea that a book can't change a persons view. I think this because after reading lord of the flies it changed my whole idea on how every one of us humans has a secret savage inside of us but none of us truly want to experience that side unless it is completely needed to be brought out. Also i believe the way that the cuckoos nest bird completey changed the view of how the ward is run is astonishing in itself.
I believe books change people's views. A book of fiction may not completely change someone's mind but it may drive them into further investigating it. Books like the Jungle and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest caused people to look closer into businesses lives. The Jungle helped food sanitation rules become stricter along with working conditions of the lower class.One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest helped asylums gain better treatment. They were no longer allowed to give lobotomies and shock therapy to help control patients. Patients were more capable of getting to leave the asylum. Both of these things created better existing habitats for the people forced to be in them rather than how they were before the books were created. I also believe authors should vary the size of each chapter. Personally I think people dread chapters less if they know the next one is shorter than the super long one you are reading at that very second.
During this survey a few statements stood out to me. One of these statements that stood out was “Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive; no choice should be left to the reader”. I feel that this statement is somewhat wrong. Sure, for some books this is nice to see the plot finished and then the story book is closed, but when books end with an unfinished ending these is something simply wonderful about it. The ending could be happy like riding into the sunset on a white horse with a charming prince or it could also be depressing like a death of your favorite character at the end or a broken narrator. This could also mean that the reader can make the book with the conclusion that they want to read. Open endings are normally intentional and it helps the book, because the ending is never finished making the ending less disappointing, because the reader is the one to make it up. The second question that stood out to me is “No book can change a person's soul or worldview” I believe this yet to be mostly untrue too. Sure their are a few books that may never change my worldview or soul like “A Rose for Emily”. It honestly didn’t change my point of view, I just thought it was creepy. Meanwhile, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has taught me to wait a while to check if your love is alive, before you do something so drastic. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has lately taught me that we are all crazy in someway and society today is more accepting, but it still needs work.
Of the statements given, there were two that stuck out to me in particular that I would like to discuss. First, number five: "Authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader." I agree with this statement to a degree. Long chapters do not "jolt or incite" me at all; rather, Kesey's sudden, abrupt short chapters are what I notice. If the author wants to devote an entire chapter to a section of the story that is a paragraph long, it must be important. Second is number six. It states, "no book can change a person's soul or worldview." This statement cannot be farther from wrong, in my opinion. As I said in the forum today, there are so many insignificant books out there that are written purely for an enjoyable plot. We don't study these for a reason. The books we choose to study are written with much more purpose and depth; they are subject to debate and critique from high school students, literature professors, and intellectuals alike. This gives them the incredible potential to turn minds and shape lives.
After reading the Anticipation Guide I have formed opinions on the questions. The first question regarding Native American treatment, that Native Americans have been treated more than fairly is something I disagree upon wholeheartedly. Throughout American history the natives have been forced to conform, been stripped of their cultures, had their territory literally taken out of their hands and overall been treated awfully. The question is completely opposite of the reality of their treatment. America today has enabled the bad conditions on their reservations by granted federal money which is mainly used in negative ways on reservations. The second question I formed an opinion on was the question regarding discipline. It stated that discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings. I mostly agree with that question. In my opinion there are some situations in which positive reinforcement or other forms of constructive criticism is better than discipline. Discipline in some cases only causes more problems as the idea to rebel and fight against the person disciplining is the motive
Christensen 5 I wholly disagree that none of the books in the world could change a person's soul or worldview. I believe that books can have a huge impact on a person's life. Authors write about things that are important to them and they put their views and their knowledge into their works of literature. Books have impacted society for many years now. In my own life, I have learned a lot from literature over the years. I have learned that all classes and races of people have different views on the world and everything that goes on in history. I believe that a lot of people have been impacted by literature in the same ways I have. Literature helps people know how others view the world. This is very important because I feel like if everyone knows how other people think and what other people believe, then everyone can understand each other and there would be more peace in the world. So, I think that if novels change at least one person's point of view, they can change the whole world.
Ackerman 5 While choosing how I feel about the questions in the Anticipation Guide for Cuckoo’s Nest, some questions really struck me and made me think about things I have never thought about previously. I read through the statements multiple times and each time, I thought of how you could agree and disagree with a majority of them. One statement that I wholeheartedly agreed with is that “‘everyone is “crazy” to some extent’”. I agreed, without a doubt, to this statement because everyone is crazy in their own little ways. A definition of crazy is “extremely enthusiastic”. This solidified my opinion on this topic, because everyone is enthusiastic over something or another, whether it’s something they physically do or something they do vicariously. A statement that I mostly disagreed with was “discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings”. Although, I agree with discipline, I do not think that it is absolutely necessary in most settings. I think this way, because as a society, people are going to fall into the norm and are going to need to learn things for themselves. I think discipline is necessary when a person or child is wrong, not in most settings. I also believe that there is a time and place for discipline, which would not include most settings. I think that as children are disciplined, they also need to figure things out for themselves. You can not discipline a child for everything they do and expect them to grow up and go into society without some kind of behavioral issues due to the fact that they have never been able to do things without getting some form of discipline.
In the survey, I thought the statement that the endings of narratives must be fully conclusive was among the most interesting. Generally, I would disagree with this statement because part of the enjoyment that is derived from a narrative originates from the reader trying to interpret what the book means to them. However, I do not think that the ending of a narrative should be completely inconclusive. If an author wanted to get some sort of general message across, having a completely vague ending could cause the reader to completely miss what the author was trying to say in the narrative. I think an ending should be vague, but not so open-ended that the author's intent is lost within the confusion. A statement that I agree with is that literature is losing its place. I just feel that there are a lot fewer people taking the time to read whole novels, especially classical literature. I say this because some of it is slightly boring which could not keep the attention of someone with a fast moving life like most people have.
Eichelberg 5 The anticipation guide raises many important questions that may provide insight into how one will interpret the book. One that caught my attention almost immediately is the statement that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. I wholly disagree with this statement due to my knowledge of their mistreatment throughout American history and continues today. Starting with the European claim on already claimed land, Europeans and Americans have continually found ways to restrict their freedom and impose their own culture upon them without providing any real opportunity to assimilate. Many tribes, even today, suffer from a lack of funding and constant infringement on the rights once guaranteed to them through a treaty. Another statement that intrigued me was that everyone is “crazy” to some extent. I wholly agree with this statement because I do not believe that “crazy” or “normal” can either have a single definition. Unlike the 1950’s we have now begun to recognize people’s individuality and accept them for it. I also do not believe that “crazy” is a good term to refer to the mentally ill; simply because they experience a different reality than others does not mean they should be invalidated with such a demeaning term.
I disagree with that idea that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. Ever since white men came to America they have been taking what the Indians had first. The white men have taken their food, their land, and their customs. As these Europeans slowly started to move across America the also started to slowly push the Indians out of their territory. As the years went on these Natives were slowly pushed into a smaller and smaller area without any say to what land they wanted. Americans thought they were doing good by giving these Native Americans their own land that they could do whatever they wanted on it(reservation), but they where actually confining them to an area where they had few laws and no strong system in place. In turn, these Native Americans reservations have become some of the most impoverished places in the US. White men essentially took over the Natives land and forced them to them to become accustomed to their own customs and culture. They the government just there them in their own area so we didn't have to deal with them and told the public that they were doing good by giving them back some of the lands they originally had all had to their own.
TeKrony 7 While reading the anticipation questions, I came across one specific question that I disagreed with wholly. The one that stuck out to me was when it said that Native Americans were treated more than fairly. There are several accounts during history of the bad treatment that they had to go through. Many of them being that they had no choice but to follow what others told them. They were completely taken away from their home and forced to do things how others thought they should be done. Another question that I disagreed with was when it said that novel titles are best when clear. I believe that an unclear title gives you room to ponder and create an image of what you think is going to happen. By making these assumptions, you are putting thought and effort into what the book really could be saying. While reading, your interpretations may change and cause you to rethink about the title that you previously thought would best explain the book.
"Women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture". At first, I disagreed with this statement because throughout history women were always subordinate to men. They were not allowed to go to school, hold public offices, get a job, or even leave the house in some cases. Women's rights movements throughout the course of history have corrected these wrongs and helped women become equal to men. The American people passed a whole Amendment giving women the right to vote. Schools were built solely for women and girls to attend. In modern times, however, women have begun to think that they do not have the same rights as men. They protest for equality and choice but do not fully understand their protest. They do not realize that they do have the same rights and privileges as men, and they do not have the right to choose whether to kill their baby or not. In my mind, the modern feminist movement is completely useless and a waste of everyone's time.
Olivier 1 While reading the anticipation guide, I ran into multiple questions that I agreed with wholly, like the question that asked for my opinion about if a book is capable of changing someone's life. I wholly agree with this statement because there are parts of every book that cause the reader to think about their life or different perspectives. I wholly disagree with the statement about how American Indians have always been treated very fairly. American Indians were forced out of their home, they were never treated even close to fairly. Lastly, I did not agree with the statement that said all book titles that are very descriptive and dont leave much up to imagination are better than vague titles. This state ment is entirely false, I like titles that are vague way better than descriptive titles about what happens in the book. I feel that descriptive titles should only be used in children's books.
One question that was nearly split in half was the statement that “women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture.” I strongly disagree with this statement and am surprised that so many think this way. The equality between women and men has been a long fought battle. Sometimes, modern society thinks that female empowerment equates to female domination. Whenever a woman does something to challenge a man, men often take it as females asserting their dominance. This is entirely false. A female wishing to challenge a man is merely a female wishing to attain equality between the two. The word feminist often comes across as a negative word. People often take this word as a threat to men. The word feminist only means the equality between men and women. It is sad that some figure feminist as an offensive term. Overall, women are trying to find a place in the world in which they are equal to men.
One of my favorite questions was "The best narrators are those that are least like the reader." Over half of the respondents said that they mostly disagreed with this statement, and over a third said that they mostly agreed, easily not a unanimous decision by the classes. However, I answered that I wholly agreed, which is why I enjoy "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". I'm sick of getting everything that I want in a narrator. I don't like heroes. They're boring. When you get everything you want in the narrator, you never think anything of his decisions and the differences between you and him/her. In Lord of the Flies, I'm glad that Ralph had struggles and made bad decisions because I was then able to dislike him. McMurphy in OFOtCN is a whole other story. This man drops F-bombs, gambles, is rebellious, is obsessed with women and wine, affiliates himself with prostitutes, steals, and commits other crude activities. Yet this man is the hero of the book, the good guy, the protagonist. As a Christian with opposition to basically everything I just said he does, the book is incredible because for some reason, I still like McMurphy, and yet I hate the guy. I love the fact that the protagonist is nowhere near perfect and no where near my morals. I get to read the book both from the perspective that this is awful stuff that they're doing and also from a laughing standpoint if that. The book is way more challenging because I myself have to decide what to enjoy, what to trust, what to like about McMurphy and everyone else.
Law 2 I don’t agree at all with number six saying that no book can change a person’s worldview. From the books that we read in class, books we get from the library, books that were found as artifacts, or even probably the biggest one being the Bible have all changed our point of view on many different topics. By reading about other people’s opinions opens up our eyes to different thoughts that we may have never considered or thought about before. Reading from fact-based books, on the other hand, have the power to further our knowledge and allow us to gain more opinions on the new things we learn. They each can have a great impact on how we think and see things in this world. The Bible is the top sold book on this planet and that’s because it has the power to change people, inform them, while building a relationship with God and learning about his story. Books overall have the power to do much more than change our world of view, they may even hold the power to start an action.
When we think of science versus spirituality, one major question arises: should technological advancements outrank spiritually or religiously holy and important places? Our country is built upon the principle of freedom of religion. Based off this belief, the answer should be an obvious no. Every single individual has been extended the rights have the freedom to believe whatever religion they want and have the promise for that to be respected. Western medicine is not the only type of medicine in existence. Homeopathic or eastern medicines have a completely different outlook on the human body, but many people write it off as a pseudoscience when, in fact, some procedures have been proven to be almost more effective. Medically, we all have the same right to refuse treatment. Therefore, there is no issue as to whether or not technological advancements may outrank spirituality because we all have the choice to accept what treatment they may want.
Harvison 5 Many of these questions can spark a debate in terms of what the correct answer is. One of these questions that could draw in many responses is "Discipline is absolutely necessary for most settings". For this question, I put down mostly agree, as I believe that without discipline unruly behavior starts to come out. This was very evident in the book "Lord of the Flies" as in just a couple months span disciplined English boys turned into murderous savages. Another question, "Authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or excite the reader", for this I said that I completely agree. In the current book we are reading now, Ken Kesey had a couple chapters that were just containing about one paragraph each. However, even though these chapters contained very few words in comparison to other chapters, the meaning still was worth dozens of pages, as it can emphasize a small portion of the book into much bigger meanings.
While examining the anticipation guide, there are few statements I strongly agree/disagree with. The first statement that stuck out to me was “Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings.” I completely agree with this statement. If there was no discipline or structure, people would start doing whatever they want without understanding how their actions are impacting themselves and others. I believe that kids that grow up with parents that allow them to do whatever they want without any repercussions get into lots of trouble throughout their years. I also think they have a rude awakening when they are older and realize there are rules and you can not just do whatever you want whenever you want. I don’t agree with number six saying that no book can change a person’s worldview. From the books that we read in class, books we get from the library, books that were found as artifacts or even books we read for fun change our view point. It might take a lot of reading for someone that is stubborn to change their view point, but if a person that was even semi open to new ideas were to read certain books, then they have a chance to change their view points.
The “Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide” really made me think deeply about the principles conveyed throughout the novel. I completely disagree with the statement, “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” I think that they have not been treated fairly from the very birth of America. They have been oppressed and looked down upon, just as Bromden and his family have been treated in the novel. I wholly agree with the statement, “Everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” Everyone’s personalities are different and subjective to change, so I believe there is no “sane” person on this planet. We are all crazy in different ways and to different extents. As we become a more evolved society, I believe that literature is definitely losing its place. With more and more screen time working its way into the children’s schedule, literature is slowly becoming less and less prominent as children grow old. Literature is taking foot, however, in schools and established places of learning.
While examining the anticipation guide, there are few statements I strongly agree/disagree with. I completely disagree with the statement, “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” They have not been treated fairly from the very instant that English settlers first colonized America. I don’t agree at all with number six saying that no book can change a person’s worldview. The Bible, for instance, has impacted millions of people's lives around the world. I wholly agree with the statement, “Everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” Everyone behaves differently and their behaviors are subject to change at any time. I wholly agree with the statement "literature is losing its place". With video games and TV being prioritized by younger children, books are becoming less and less prominent as children grow up. I think schools do a good job of introducing kids to literature, however.
The anticipation guide contained some statements that I definitely do not agree with such as the statement that reads "American Indians have been treated more than fairly." I believe that American Indians have been treated very badly since the Europeans landed in America. Since they landed American Indians have slaughtered thousands of their people and pushed them off of their lands onto small reservations that have become some of the poorest counties in the country. I believe these facts support my position in saying that American Indians have not been treated fairly at all since Europes Arrival in America. There are other statements in which I wholly agree with such as "everyone is "crazy" to some extent." I believe that all of us show tendencies that would be considered somewhat "crazy". While researching some of the worlds most brilliant minds it is not difficult to see strange activity within their lives. Maybe if we gave people who some consider being crazy more of a chance we would learn that they are not much crazier than ourselves.
The anticipation question that stuck out to me was number 24. The question says that authors should leave nothing up to the imagination. I wholly agree with this because the author is the only one who can make the story. If something is left to the imagination, then is it really the author’s work anymore? I do not think it is. When an author clearly ties up all loose ends, then I feel like the book is complete. However, when the loose ends are not tied up, I feel like the meaning of the book could be misconstrued. People like to interpret books on how they feel about it, and maybe not how the author wanted it to be interpreted. While there is nothing exactly wrong with this, I just prefer when authors end the book completely so that I really know what the author was trying to say.
Peyton 5 The question that stuck out to me the most was question 24 which said that the authors should not leave anything up to the readers. I disagree with this because it leaves stuff up for imagination. This makes it more enjoyable to read when readers can put their own opinions to it. I think specific details should be made by the author and not left to the reader. I think the specific details should be specified by the author so then the reader gets the main point of the book and does not get it confused. After that, they can think of what the deeper meaning is for themselves and some readers may see a different message than others which is not a bad thing. Again, it makes the book more enjoyable to the readers because they can interpret the book however they want to. That is why I think that the other can leave things up to the reader.
Throughout American history American Indians have never been treated fairly from the Trail of Tears, enslaving them, using up all their resources, kicking them off their lands, giving them unfair treaties and eventually putting them all on reservations. It was never a good thing to do, but in return, we as the US have never repaid them for what the US has done to them. I believe that an unclear title gives you room to ponder and create an image of what you think is going to happen. It makes the book more enjoyable with what the author has to offer; allows yourself to grow opinions and your overall base thought of some situations. The author paints the scenarios within the story in order to portray a message intended to capture the reader’s attention. The importance of novels allows us to gain knowledge from the author, enhance our point of views, and even expand our mental capacity. Also crazy has many different meanings. Crazy can mean: cool, insane, emotionally, physically unstable, or honestly someone else's opinions of what crazy could be. I believe that how you are raised will have an impact on your view of what is considered crazy and what isn't.
One of the questions that I wholly agree with is “everyone is crazy to some extent”. Nobody in the world is the same. Everyone is unique in their own way and has their own quirks or things that are considered weird. People who are crazy are considered to be not normal, but what is normal? If everyone is different how are some people normal and some people not? There is no perfect checklist that you have to align to to be considered normal. If there was than only one person in the entire world would be considered normal because no person is the same. That person would probably be the one that made the list too. Since everyone is a little weird and different from one another everyone has their own little crazy in them. One of the questions that I disagreed with was “Novel titles are best when clear”. I disagree because I personally think it is a fun puzzle and adventure through a book to find out what the title is really getting at.
Kolbeck 1 There were a few questions that stuck out because they had a clear answer. One of them was about how authors should experiment with making the chapter sizes to jolt or excite the writer. I wholeheartedly agreed with this statement due to a number of reasons. My experience with reading a variety of novels is the most important. I remember significantly enjoying novels more due to their non-linear style of storytelling. I never considered the reading to be sluggish or overly simple. Changing chapters to make them different lengths makes each of the chapters have a unique feel about them, leading to a more memorable book. Another that stuck out with me was the question; imagery does not rival other prominent literary devices. The question is blatantly disrespecting how powerful imagery is in the minds of young readers. Many readers do not get their start by reading advanced scientific journals, but by reading smaller novels that are made to entertain. It is imagery that is used to pull in young children and keep them involved in reading. The last question that I completely disagreed with was that literature was losing its place. Literature has had many prominent places in society, information, and entertainment. While it is true that different forms of entertainment have rivaled literature, nothing has come close to challenging literature and its ability to inform. Newspapers and academic journals are just some of the ways that literature spreads information throughout the world.
Some of these questions require more thought, while others are easy to answer. The first question, you can learn a lot from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippy, is referring to the author I assume, and in this case yes you can learn from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippy. This question really got me thinking about how much I judge those who do drugs, and I think that those who do drugs are unintelligent people who make poor decisions. Honestly though some of them can seem to be very intelligent, like smart enough to write a award winning book that is now taught in high schools around the country. Pretty impressive what drugs can do to one person compared to another. Drugs I think can open some people's eyes while others just lose sight to the real world all together. Another question that I had already thought of before reading the Anticipation Guide was why does Ken Kesey have different chapter lengths? Some chapters are 25 pages long, while others are only 1 paragraph long. I have been trying to tie in what type of symbol, or hint he is putting out for us to catch on to with the shorten, or long lasting chapters. I think it has something to do with the clock and how chief believes that some days the nurse will speed up time, while others she will slow down. I think the long chapters are when chief thinks the nurse has slowed down the clock, and the short chapters are when she speeds time back up.
One of the questions left me in a torn position. The stance was that "Male writers simply cannot represent female characters in a rightly powerful manner." To this, I believe I stated that I mostly disagree. I believe that many men have a deep insight into the life of a woman that they would be able to display women's emotions with decent accuracy. A woman can explain to a man in many ways the way she may feel and he can repeat it in his own words. However, I don't believe that a man can truly ever feel the way the woman feels without ever being in her place. The same goes with everyone though. As a woman, I can say that I understand how men feel or act, but do I really? I myself am not feeling or going through the same things a man is, therefore I can not truly relate. I do believe that male writers can represent female characters in a powerful manner, but not rightly. Another question that I had a strong opinion on was that "everyone is crazy to some extent." I fully agree with this comment as there are multiple degrees or views of being "crazy". What one person may seem as acceptable, another may view as preposterous. For example, there are many different religions in the world, many of which contain what may be perceived as mythical creatures, gods, or acts. Religions display the seemingly impossible, though people passionately believe in their religion. In Christianity, there is an acceptable belief of an unseen omnipotent god, yet the schizophrenic is frowned upon for speaking to his imaginary friend. I'm not against religions by any means, but it is something that has really made me think. Aside from the more in-depth opinions/ beliefs, people view other random acts as "crazy". I find the idea of ketchup on my popcorn apauling and dare I say "crazy", but I know some people eat their popcorn that way. Each and every one of us has our own unique qualities and quirks that are crazy to others. I also believe we are all crazy in the ways we do things on a daily basis such as driving cars. Daily, we go 80 miles per hour in a box of metal in snowy conditions as if we are asking for death. In order to live our lives and be ourselves, we must have a little bit of craziness in us.
Swift 7 The question that stood out the most to me was number 6, " No book can change a person's soul or worldview." Of all the questions in the anticipation guide, this one had the most obvious answer. The purpose of a novel with such serious topics is to challenge the way you think and bring light to an issue in the world. If the books are not changing how you feel about major controversies and ways of life then what is the purpose of writing them. Granted I am sure there are many novels that do not spark change in people, but many do. Novels like "Lord of the Flies" or "How to Kill a Mockingbird" would not have been written just for fun, they were written to get people to change their souls and how they view people or situations. This question actually made me a little frustrated that people could agree with it.
I believe that discipline is an absolutely necessary tool to use when you’re raising a child. Without discipline, kids would learn that it is okay to act or treat others in whatever way they want to. The world would be a horrible place to grow up in because others would be horrible to each other. I also disagree that American Indians have not been treated more than fairly. Even though they have been compensated for their losses. Taking their culture and way of life away is something that money can’t compensate for. Culture is something that is essential to each region and it is something we live by and base our decisions off of. When you take away a culture of a community and force them to live on a reservation because you simply want to claim the land, that is something that can never be repaid with money or supplies.
Throughout the anticipation guide, one statement really stuck out to me. "Titles are best when clear" is something that I completely disagree with. Reason being, I think that difficult titles that are non-clear make readers think outside the book and use context clues to infer why a book has the title it does. Without confusing titles that stir up a conversation, there would be no reason to be literally theorists. The meaning of the book would be obvious and have no need to be discussed. No one really knows the meaning of the book, "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" even though you can infer based on occurrences throughout the book. It could have been Chief, who escaped from the asylum and thought he was flying, but it could be Mac as well. The way he sailed through making everyone's life better in the asylum. He was the only one not "crazy" making him the one who flew over the cuckoo's nest. But without a difficult title to understand, there would be no discussion and deep thinking.
One question from the anticipation guide that caught my attention was question number 14: “If an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed”. Reading this question made me infuriated just trying to imagine this actually happening. It is true that everyone can’t be good at everything and that some things are just too hard for one person to do on their own; however, this does not mean that they should be removed from the situation. When someone is struggling, you should try to help them solve the problem they are faced with. However, this does not mean to solve the problem for them; you must teach them how they can solve the problem and what they can do in the future to prevent this from happening and how they can solve it. Solving without work just shows that you know the answer but showing your works shows that you understand the subject and can use that skill in the real world.
I strongly agree with the statement where discipline is required in every setting. Now, this is assuming that the person posing the statement was implying that discipline is required in every functioning setting. Of course, you can go without discipline but that doesn't mean that things will flow smoothly. Without discipline, there is no order and absolutely anything can happen. Without discipline, we would give in to our every whim and desire as if it was completely fine to carry out. The world can only function properly with the correct kind of discipline. This does not mean that you must be extremely strict and not allow some people to do certain things like expressing themselves; it does not have to go that far. People can still have an enormous amount of self-expressing and creative genius with discipline still intact. People without discipline; especially self-discipline, will not help society move forward as a whole.
Throughout the Anticipation guide survey, question number thirteen greatly stuck out to me as it states, "Everyone is 'crazy' to some extent." I wholly agree with this statement because my perspective on the world is definitely different from those around me. Though it is natural of me to favor those or form friendly relationships with those who have similar ideas as me, I still believe calling someone crazy is simply a synonym for the word different. Often was is crazy is what is unusual or out of place in the eyes of the beholder. Maybe such an oddity is presumed unworthy of inclusion or maybe rather something to be admired. Another statement that stood out to me was, "Literature is losing its place." In my opinion, literature is not losing its place and never possibly could. Whether people realize it or not, literature is everywhere. After watching a good movie, viewers are often pleasantly surprised when they come to the news that the movie was in fact based off a book and of course that also is usually the reason why the movie was good in the first place. The stories that are told through whatever medium of art are still stories and literature is only stories in written form. As long as reading and writing stay a form of communication within our language it will not and cannot be lost.
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Ask 7
Throughout reading the anticipation guide, there were a few statements that stuck out to me that I had to think long on or I wholly agree/disagree. American Indians have been treated more than fairly is one statement that I entirely disagree with. Throughout American history American Indians have never been treated fairly from the Trail of Tears, enslaving them, using up all their resources, kicking them off their lands, giving them unfair treaties and eventually putting them all on reservations. Never in our history did we give American Indians fair treatment instead we used them and thought of them as inferior. They not only did our dirty work but we didn’t give them stuff in return. Many Americans look back on the injustice treatment we gave American Indians and know that we were not good people in our past. We must learn from our history and start treating everyone equal no matter race, gender, etc. I wholly agree that authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader. Personally, when you have the same pattern over and over again, it gets quite annoying, but if you add a little short chapter here and there and change the length it adds excitement, and the reader will not get so bored. Varying the chapter lengths is like fluctuating your voice. If you have a monotone voice(same length chapter), then people get bored, but if you have emotion and a changing voice(various chapter lengths), then the reader is more intrigued. The final statement that I thought was one that stuck out to me would be: everyone is “crazy” to some extent. In the book, all these characters are locked up because they are “crazy” but aren’t we all. Everyone in the world has unique characteristics that make everyone different and these unique qualities can be seen as crazy. Crazy doesn’t mean that the person isn’t mentally stable instead it just that crazy is primarily defined as going against social norms. I believe everyone goes against social norms and everyone is crazy for something it doesn’t matter who you are you are insane to some extent.
The following statement from the Anticipation Guide strongly angered me: “If a novel is made into a film that wins nearly every Oscar, the author should be lauded for enlightening even basic, un-curious, unmotivated minds.” The egotistical snobbishness that this attack on cinematography displays baffles me. Personally, I have greatly enjoyed both the book and film versions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The condescending nature of this comment condemns the artistry, elegance, and devotion that cinematography requires. Denoting moviegoers as “un-curious, unmotivated minds” entirely demeans the raw emotion and experience that they may experience on the TV screen. While this statement devalues films because of their accessibility, I feel that this attribute of cinema only amplifies its merit; how many individuals would have experienced The Godfather, had its masterpiece of a film depiction not been produced? The snobbish tone of this statement blatantly disregards the artistry of directors, producers, and cinematographers, proclaiming authors as the only human individuals capable of complex thoughts—disgusting.
Bunker 5
While examining the anticipation guide, there are few statements I strongly agree/disagree with. The first statement that stuck out to me was “Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings.” I completely agree with this statement. If there was no discipline or structure, people would start doing whatever they want without understanding how their actions are impacting themselves and others. I believe that kids that grow up with parents that allow them to do whatever they want without any repercussions get into lots of trouble throughout their years. I also think they have a rude awakening when they are older and realize there are rules and you can not just do whatever you want whenever you want. The next statement that I agree with is, “Everyone is crazy to some extent.” I believe everyone is just the slightest bit crazy in their own way. Just because something you believe does not seem crazy to you, another person could think you are completely bizarre. Our unique quirks make us the person we are and if everyone had the same beliefs and habits we would all be robots essentially. Another statement that stuck out to me was, “Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive, no choice should be left to the reader.” I completely disagree with this. I think that authors leave the endings of stories inconclusive for a reason. They want to make you think and use your own mind to determine how you think the author intended to end the story. It also makes you think more about what you just read and put parts of the story together to come to a conclusion.
Glen 2
During the novel, one statement that stuck out to me was the idea of authors always live the most interesting lives. Contrary to this fact, I believe that authors do not necessarily have to do so. I believe that authors tend to write certain ideals, beliefs, or thoughts that intertwine to combine and create a new story. Thus, the authors write creatively based upon things that they may have accomplished, observed, or want to experience. In addition, I think that novel titles tend to be better when the titles are more unclear. This is because it enables the audience to critically think about the characters, plot, or setting (which all depict into a message) that the readers must try to figure out similar to a puzzle. For example, I think that “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is referring to McMurphy avoiding the mental hospital changing his personality regardless of how he, and everyone else, is being “treated” for his illness.
After filling out the Cuckoo's Nest Anticipation Guide, many questions stuck out to me. One statement that sparked thought in my head was, "Authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader." When reading all of the books up to Cuckoo's nest I had never thought much about a variation in chapter length. To me when a chapter started and ended it was like the end of a scene and onto the next one. The way Ken Kesey varies his chapter length is brilliant. In my eyes it is a great hidden concept to the book. It keeps us on our toes and allows him to protrude the flashback stories more than they already are. Another statement that made me think was "everyone is "crazy" to some extent". Personally, I mostly agreed. The thing that makes this question so difficult is that we don't have a definite definition of the word crazy. Crazy can mean a lot of things which is why I mostly agreed with it.
Geringer 1
I wholly agree with the statement: “Everyone is "crazy" to some extent.”. I agree with this statement because everyone has a breaking point. It just depends on the person as to where and when that breaking point will be reached. I mostly disagree with the statement: “War veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism.”. I mostly disagree with this statement because soldiers were fighting in a war for us, so we didn’t have to. They are risking their lives every day to make sure we get to keep our freedom. While fighting for our freedom they are living and functioning in an area usually without a government for long periods of time. They should not be expected to jump right back into society and function normally. If anything they shouldn’t be expected to just jump right back into society; some need a break.
After reading through and answering all of the questions on the anticipation guide there were a few statements that really made me think. The first statement would be “literature is losing its place”. I think this is true in many ways. One of the main reasons is people would rather watch a movie. Watching a movie allows you to see the story along with hearing it. It also takes up less time than reading a book does. I think it is very sad that literature is losing its place in this world. Another statement that made me think was “novel titles are best when clear”. I’m still not sure I feel about this one. On one hand, I like to read a title and know what the book is going to be about. However, I also understand that having a title like “Lord of the Flies” is going to bring in more readers than a title like “Young boys go crazy on an island”. Overall, I enjoyed the anticipation guide because it got me thinking about various things.
Ellingson 5
Reading and analyzing the anticipation guide, hands down the easiest statement to disagree with has to be “Monogamy is the only way humans should unite”. I believe monogamy is the only and right way to wholly be involved with someone. I understand being a teenager that we do not have our lives figured out and it seems as though some of us decide to be involved with more than one person at a time. Even though it is outside of marriage, I strongly disagree with those types of people. I have the smallest personal experience but I believe the strongest factor in a relationship is trust, respect, and love. Those attributes carry on to marriage. If you are dishonest, untrustworthy, disrespectful, and unloving in your dating years, marriage will be tough and you can expect the same attributes to carry over. Yes, monogamy is the only way for two people to be intimate and strive as one. It takes two to tango… two halves make a whole… two people wholly engaged in one relationship.
Knutson 2
There were a couple of questions within the anticipation guide that I had put more thought into before answering with my opinion. One of the first questions that I had to ponder on asked if the imagery was not as important as irony, allusion, symbol, setting, or characterization literary devices. I had to very much disagree with this statement. Imagery is one literary device that provides something different than the other literary devices do not show. This literary device gives you a clear picture of the scene that the author is trying to describe. It provides much detail to make the book even more interesting and intriguing. Another question that I also found very interesting was that ending a narrative should not leave the reader hanging on by a thread. I would also have to disagree with this statement. Leaving an open-ended conclusion allows the reader to make their own inference to how the story should end. If the author were just to make up their own ending the reader may not enjoy that particular ending making their overall feel for the book changed for the worse. Making hypotheses and thinking up ideas not clearly stated within the book is part of being a literary critic. Allowing for the end of the book to be open up for thought allows the reader to portray the book in their own way. Lastly, I found a question that I wholly agree with when answering. Having the author make sporadic chapter lengths makes the book different from all others and gives it a different style. The short chapters say much in very few words but get to the point right away. While the longer chapters take a while to show what is going on, but then will usually have more literary devices. This helps to intrigue the reader, even more, wanting to not miss a sentence.
One question on the anticipation guide that I felt strongly about was question 24. Question 24 says that the narrator should not leave anything for the reader to wonder about or decide the outcome of and they should answer all of the questions in the book. I would say I wholly disagree with that because I always enjoy a mysterious ending that requires thought and has multiple different possible outcomes. I don’t read a lot of books, but I do watch a lot of movies and I think this is true for movies as well as books. I enjoy finishing a movie where I am left thinking about how everything ended up. A big part of reading is using your imagination. The story is much better if you can read it and imagine everything happening like a movie playing out in your head. You have to imagine what the characters look like along with everything else described in the book. When the ending is open and unclear, the reader gets to use their imagination to make up their own ending.
Bickley Pd.5
One statement that I agreed with on the anticipation guide was the idea that authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader. I agreed with this statement because when reading novels, it is important to keep the reader engaged in the novel. If the author keeps each chapter the same length, it can make the reader bored or disengaged. Shorter chapters are often times more appealing to readers because it makes the book seem to go faster. If a person continually has to read twenty-page chapters, a reader may choose to stop reading the book. If the author decides to change up the length of chapters, it will allow the reader to stay on the edge of his/her seat. An idea that I disagreed with was the concept that imagery does not rival irony, allusion, symbol, setting, or characterization amongst the most prominent literary devices. I disagreed with this idea because I think that imagery is just as powerful as the previously mentioned literary devices. Imagery allows the reader to make a mental picture of the story based on the author’s words. Without imagery, a story would be bland.
While reading the anticipation guide, the statement that stuck out to me the most was the very first statement. It asks if you can learn a lot from farming, wrestling, and being a drug experimenting hippy. The first part asks if you can learn a lot from farming. I believe that everyone can learn a lot from farming. Not only do you learn how some of your own food is made, but it also makes you realize the long process that is put in place in order to even grow the food. Some may say it may not be that hard with the technological advances we have today, but no one realizes all the hours those farmers put into combining all that food on their thousands or just hundreds of acres of land it takes them many days. On the other hand, I do not know a whole lot you can learn from wrestling because in some cases it is frowned upon in the case of the law, but during entertainment purposes, it is cherished and is looked at as a good thing. When it comes to drug experimenting I feel that it is a person’s choice whether to experiment or not. I get some peoples point where they just want to try it once to see what all the hype is about, but on the other hand, it is not a good idea in my opinion. This is why the first statement stuck out to me in so many ways because everyone can have their own opinion on different situations.
As I read through the questions in the anticipation guide there are a few that stood out to me. One of them is “Literature is losing its place”. I agree with this in many ways in terms of actual books. As technology continues to advance, people find new was of research and entertainment. These can be fulfilled through television, computer sources, and video games. However, I feel like audiobooks and electronic versions are becoming more and more popular. However, people do not really reach for physical copies of books like they used to. Another one I found interesting is “Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings”. I also somewhat agree with this as it can be important in some cases such as a classroom setting. However, I feel like it is also necessary for people to learn things on their own, with less discipline. I feel like guidance is more more important than discipline.
The first statement on the anticipation guide is, “you can learn a lot from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippie.” My reaction is wholly to agree because I believe you can learn a lot from anyone and everyone. Watching different types of people react to different situations or even in their everyday lives, you can learn so much about who you are as a person as well. Your reactions to their reactions of situations can teach you how accepting or open-minded you are. The next statement I chose to react to was, “women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture.” I don’t believe that women try to look for ways to dominate men in a patriarchal culture. I do, however, believe that historically, women do look for ways to be equal to men—the same opportunities, seats of power, and more. To say that women are looking for ways to dominate men would just be flipping the patriarchy, which I hope will one day end.
Kirkeby 2
On the anticipation guide, the first statement stuck with me the most. In my opinion, I believe that you can learn a lot from farming, wrestling, drug-loving hippies. I think that people who experiment with drug use see the world from a completely different angle. I believe that one of the best ways to experience the world is by seeing it from different perspectives. Therefore, by learning from a "hippy" you are able to see the world from an additional perspective that you may not have thought to look through before. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, the perspective of Chief is one that is not easily attainable without the possible use of drugs. I would not be able to think of something like that. The way we are able to see the ward through the eyes of Chief, were everyone talks freely around him like he cannot hear them. This gives a much different feel to the book than if it was written in either third person or form one of the points of views of one of the other characters such as McMurphy or Nurse Ratched.
Rau 1
If there is one question within this anticipation guide that I feel strongly opposed to, it would have to be none other than Question 24. While a direct, conclusive ending to a story may sometimes be fulfilling in the perspective of the reader, I believe that allowing the reader’s imagination and interpretation to roam free is what makes some of the famous novels in the world so historical! The author would paint the scenarios within the story in order to portray a message intended to capture the reader’s attention. In addition to the author’s layout of the story, the reader would then be able to create opinions based upon these scenarios. Therefore, once the reader is able to openly theorize and interpret the text they’ve read, the conclusion to the story would be able to spark a discussion amongst multiple readers. This expansion of readers would then share their own questions further on to others and would cause the novel to gain attention. Whenever this trend occurs, I see this kind of attention as beneficial to society— especially for novels such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where the author intends to leave many situations within the novel such as the fact that no characters really wins in the end. While I have not read the end of the book, I do know that the author’s intentions are to expose the depressing, realistic scenery of how mental asylums’ conditions truly are, and to leave the opinions and justification statements up to the readers themselves. In the end, I hope that more non-conclusive books like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest would be embraced more for the sake of enlightening or persuading readers upon important subjects occurring in the real world.
mckellep 5
I think that while doing the anticipation guide there were many questions that were valid but one that sparked my passion the most was "Indians have been treated fairly throughout American history". I could NOT disagree with this more because the Native Americans have been pushed to almost extinction because of the Americans actions. We would always promise them things and then turn our backs on them like treaties and land agreements. We also always looked upon them as savages while they were just participating in their lives how they had always lived. They were one this land first and we took that from them. We even took land from them to build a MONUMENT of our presidents. I also think people are ignorant today still with Native American issues. I see things all the time about people think native Americans are "taking our jobs, land, and money just like immigrants" and it makes me sad because these people are obviously not educated that they were here FIRST. I also think that the question of "everybody is a little crazy" is also very true. Every person is so different and thinks so complexly that there is no way that not all of us aren't crazy. I also think sometimes the "crazy" people have more humanity than us because they don't let society influence them.
The statement that I agree with the most is about the best narrators are the least like the reader. Having nothing in common with the narrator makes the reader think in ways they have never done before. Everybody grows up and lives in different situations, so thoughts and reactions are different for everybody. While reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I don’t have the same conditions as Chief Bromden, but I like being inside of a person’s head and reading what he is thinking. The way he refers back to being with his dad in different parts of the book makes me wonder how he got to where he is. I find it interesting reading about how he thinks he is in a fog and is able to go inside of a painting on a wall. I find the books that the reader is able to read the narrator’s thoughts the most fascinating. They are usually my favorite books because I want to know what is happening and how the narrator responds.
The statement that American Indians have been treated more than fairly sticks out to me because from learning a lot from multiple history classes, I wholly disagree. When the first Europeans arrived in the new world, they took land from the natives in order to expand their own territory. They did so without negotiation, and they did not even try to make friends with the natives. Since then, we haven’t treated them well. Now they are stuck on reservations with nothing but casinos and drugs. The Native Americans who actually want to do something with their life are neglected by their tribes and families. Literature is losing its place- I think this statement is mostly true. It is very clear that more kids are playing video game than they are reading classic novels. People don’t seem to be as interested in books anymore. They are caught up in technology and their busy lives. However, there will always be people who support literature and who will want to keep spreading it.
Sonju 2
I wholly disagree with the statement that endings of narratives must be fully conclusive and no choice should be left to the reader. I thought back to my early days of reading while deciding how to answer this question. Even the very first books we read as children, like The Cat in the Hat, for example, leaves some things up for debate. Where did the cat come from? Where does he disappear to at the end of the book? How did he meet Thing 1 and Thing 2? Dr. Seuss purposely leaves some things ambiguous—he wants children to learn how to be inquisitive. If every question was answered by the creator of a given work, there would be no growing curiosity, no need to explore the possible causes of different phenomena. Curiosity may kill the cat, but The Cat did not kill any curiosity in the hundreds of thousands of kids who have read about him. I am glad that narratives leave the reader with some questions; none of my favorite books tie up every single loose end.
This anticipation guide really makes you think. When reading the question you have to think about each view and decide which one fits you best. You have to read the questions and then read into them. While answering the questions in the anticipation guide two of them really stuck out to me. The first one was number twenty-two which stated: “novel titles are best when clear.” I wholly disagree with this because a title with mystery or confusion can intrigue a person to read more into the book. I know this is true of me, for books and especially movies, because if a title is boring I will not have any interest in reading the book or watching the movie. Another question that interested me was number thirteen which is “everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” I think that this is completely true because no one is perfect so we all have our “crazy” moments. Some people may be more extream than others but we all are slightly crazy.
When reading this anticipation guide for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, many statements stuck out to me. The statement that stuck out to me most was “No book can change a person’s soul or worldview” and I chose the “mostly disagree” option. There are some books out there that can’t change a person’s view or soul, but there are some books out there that can. You can learn a lot from reading in all genres, I know I have. You don’t have to learn to be impacted by a novel. Situations happen in the book that you can learn from and use in your everyday life. Another statement that stuck out to me was “Women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture”. I partly disagree with this one. Women are not looking for ways to dominate men, women are looking for ways to be equal to men. The Women’s March, a peaceful march, isn’t about being more dominant than men, it’s about being equal to men.
Larson, 2
Reading and responding to the statements were not as easy as I was thinking they would be. The questions asked proposed answers that some people may not want to answer. Although, these questions help us see how literature can change our perspective on society and on ourselves. Many of the questions perplexed me because I was in the middle of wholly agree/somewhat agree and wholly disagree/somewhat disagree. I really had to sit down and think, what do I really believe in? One of the questions I really enjoyed reading was asking if authors should implement varying chapter lengths to excite their readers. I responded with wholly agreeing with the statement. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, some of the chapters the reader comes across may last several pages and some chapters are only a paragraph long that contain key information. I enjoy the variation of the chapter lengths because it really makes me feel like I am inside Chief’s mind and how he thinks.
Huntimer 2
Question 15, “Literature is losing its place”, stood out to me because it is somewhat true. The younger generation of people are now exposed to so much more technology than what was originally around in the 1960-90s. In my lifetime, I experienced a technical growth from average flip phones to “everything you’ll need” smartphones; also, you should include the growth of technology in medicine. Today, you can see a toddler playing on a tablet in the shopping cart of a grocery store; which would not be a sight when I was younger. In my psychology class, we also learned about Jean-Louis Constanza who wrote a report over his toddler girl’s behavior when she was given a magazine. She looked at the book and tried to “zoom in” on the pictures and slid her finger on the page in an attempt to slide to the next page like a tablet. She quickly became distraught and bored with the “broken tablet” and didn’t want to look at it anymore. Literature, in comparison to technology, is riding in the “back seat” in this modern age. It is not extinct, but it is rare to see people holding a book than a smartphone. I was also surprised by the answers to question 14, “if an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed”. It was surprising to me that 33.7% (196 people) agreed. I believe someone can achieve the demands of a situation through perseverance and hard work. In the case of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, some patients are mentally unable to do certain things, so they seek help from the nurses. We as humans subconsciously only care about ourselves, so when there is a situation (either in survival or personal situations) you subconsciously worry about yourself and your family. The “Golden Rule” is taught to us since kindergarten: Treat others the way you wish to be treated. If you wish to pass a “rigorous situation” that you knew deep down that you wouldn’t be able to do, you wish someone would help you. You can view this question through survival or as another rigorous situation that can be applied towards Brandon Valley; for some individuals, learning and school work is a rigorous situation and tutoring/extra one-on-one work is the only way for them to graduate with the rest of their class. Would you give up on them? This survey provided questions that we would not necessarily think about during our everyday routine, so every answer can have different reasoning behind it depending on the individual’s background.
Reinschmidt 5
While reading and answering the anticipation guide, there were many questions that I entirely agree with, while there were plenty that is highly negotiable depending on the situation. The one that I agree with that immediately stuck out to me was the one dealing with the discipline. If children do not learn the difference between right and wrong beginning at a young age, they easily have the chance of them becoming corrupt. Children that grow up with less parental guidance have a higher chance of losing motivation and getting involved in things they shouldn’t. Another statement I agreed with was the one regarding how literature is losing its place in society. I think this is becoming more and more evident especially in our generation where technology is taking over. As technology continues to advance, I think that as a generation we are choosing to forgo the actual novel itself and turn to the audio version or even the movie. The importance of novels allows us to gain knowledge from the author, enhance our point of views, and even expand our mental capacity. Throughout this anticipation guide, it really helped me think about the novel(s) we are reading and how much our world has changed since these times and the different point of view each author brings to their books.
While I was completing the anticipation guide, a few statements stood out. The first impactful statement to me was, “authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader”, which I completely agree with. When a chapter becomes too long, I often find myself not focusing on what I am reading and have to read the chapter over. In contrast, when short chapters appear, I focus on the plot line and find that they can often leave a stronger impression. However, I disagree with the statement, “the best authors have lived the most interesting lives”. Author’s can write about their childhood and family, or they may have observed marvelous things that are used as writing inspiration. Their lives do not have to be extravagant and interesting because it will always be a different experience from everyone else. Each person’s life is different, and that variation is what creates fascinating stories. Not every reader will find the same meaning in a novel, but that does not mean the author failed. Author’s with simple and typical lives can be relatable to some readers and inspiring to others. It is up to the reader to determine the greatness of a novel. They will only take out of it what they wish.
DeWitt 1
The quote that reads along the lines of "just because it's in your head, doesn't mean it's not real" has always stuck with me. I believe that everyone's stories are unique because no one will go through the same experiences in the sequence of their life. I also believe that just because society may view different experiences and problems on a higher scale than others doesn't mean your minuscule problem is minuscule to you. You go through different things throughout your life and a problem that may be small to someone who faces bigger problems society wise is just as important as your small problem. The small problem is a big problem for you because that's the only problem you've known to cause you this much distress. I also think that normal is not achievable. With the number of complex thought processes that we have along with the unique ways we respond to similar experiences, our minds are about as confusing as a maze. Although you can strive for perfection, your mind will always have that bit of crazy that makes you, you. The crazy is not a bad thing, rather it is the opposite. Your crazy is what helps you to think things through and make decisions. It will help you to respond to problems in your own way and face dangers head-on. The craziness within you is you, however, while some embrace it, other's repress it so that it is not as noticeable and they appear to have reached the perfection that is normal. Hate to break it to you, but there is no such thing as normal and I think deep down, everyone realizes this. Also, while I do think that books are going out of style to the new generations, I do not think that books hold no meaning. I think that the new generations are failing to see just how much literature can change people's minds. Books are just like music for the soul, they paint a picture for you that you can relate to or have empathy for, and then they show you how you can stand up for the images painted. By reading books, you are opening your mind to see things from a different perspective and open up your heart to be changed by the words inside, just like you can be changed by music from simply listening to the different chords. Also, just like music has different genres, so should books have different literary styles. One book should not fit the same format as the next. The variety in chapters and the variety in cliff-hanging endings is what makes each book unique and amazing.
The first statement that really stuck out to me was the statement that discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings. This stuck out to me because it is true, but to a certain extent. Discipline should not be too cruel, but it should be bad enough to a point where the person being disciplined understands the consequences of their actions. The next statement that really stuck out to me was that the best narrators are those that are least like the reader. This is true on so many levels because it allows the reader to have a chance to view the world, or at least the story, from a completely different perspective. It really allows the reader to delve into a different reality from their own. If the reader were to be very alike the author, the reader would likely lose out on some of the points that the author was trying to make because they already understand the point, but will still do nothing about it. Those two statements were the statements that stuck out to me most out of the survey.
Poncelet 2
I believe that you can learn a lot from farming, sports (like football), and crazily intelligent hippies. Farming teaches you hard work, a work ethic and the common sense that everyone will need in the future to get their future dream job. Working on the farm is not easy work, getting up at five a.m. to do chores and doing chores again at 5 p.m. Common sense is not given to anyone by birth. It is learned through lessons of learning and future jobs and things that you have learned. Football is more than a gargantuan sport full of gorilla like men. It is a sport for the strongest physically and mental players that give all of their free time grinding in the weightroom and at practice all summer. The crazy hippies teach you more than what drugs are what and how to abuse them like the hippie has done his entire life. The hippies teach you lessons about life that they had screwed up on that they do not want you to make the same mistakes as them. And from this topic, I believe it is more than just crazy people and places and things that can teach you life lessons and more important things about life.
On the anticipation guide, one of the statements and more so the responses it was getting was shocking to me. The statement was “literature is losing its place.” What shocked me was that a majority of the responses said they agreed with this statement. This was shocking to me because as students we are reading and interacting with literature almost every day, if not multiple times in a day. Throughout my own day, I use literature to learn about human body systems, complex math equations, life sciences, correct grammar and how to use it, how to find meaning in every story, and for personal enjoyment. It is my understanding that students may believe literature has lost its place because they are not carrying multiple textbooks in their backpacks or reading books in their free time, but they are using online textbooks and may one day enjoy reading. I believe that literature will never lose its place because people will always want to share their ideas and learn about others idea and literature is the best way to accomplish this.
Kellogg 2
The statement “no book can change a person’s soul or worldview” is to me completely false. I think that there are many books and articles that have made readers contemplate what they believe and think about the other possibilities. As my group discussed in our forum, Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle, a book that entails one of Chicago’s past meat-packing plants. Sinclair tells of the conditions of the factory and the contents that really go into the meat because of the filth within the factory. As people read this book, they realized what they were eating for all this time and made a change to this issue. “If an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed”. I also believe this statement to be horribly wrong. The people that cannot match the expectations of others must be helped by others and worked with to improve upon their own skills. Just as the students with disabilities in our school are getting the close collaboration they need to get better, the patients in the ward of the hospital in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest need the same help. Although they are all in the ward to obtain assistance from the staff, they are not always helped to the best of the others’ abilities, as they should be. They should not be set aside and moved to the Disturbed ward just because they cannot be “fixed”. The patients need to gain some skills and strategies as to how to refine themselves as people.
Poppenga 2
After filling out the Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide, one of the questions in the guide that stood out to me was number 18, “Women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture.” As a woman, I looked at this question as not the kind of domination men have been doing to women since the very beginning of mankind, but the kind that screams for equality, freedom, and most importantly, respect. It is not entirely true that women have been constantly looking for a way to dominate men because we have been suppressed in almost every single decade until now. In today’s world, it is not domination on our minds, but it is the fight and protest for our equal rights and important voices that men have been unfairly born into. On the contrary, would it be the end of the world if America developed a matriarchy?
Graber 7
I mostly agree that discipline is necessary in most settings. Discipline is a way of helping us learn from our mistakes. Discipline creates the kind of person we are and who we are going to become. I think in our society you can tell which students have been disciplined and which haven’t been in their childhood. It shapes who we are and what kind of choices we are going to make. I think that literature is losing its place in our society. Everything is technology and social media derived. Students think it is a punishment to pick up a book and read. They think it is boring and they would rather be on their phone or with friends. I think so much can be learned though from indulging in a good book. You learn more about our society and even about yourself as a person. Novels are so creative and each is so different. It is very beneficial to your education to read books.
Erck 5
I am doing the statement, "Everyone is crazy to some extent." I wholly agree with this statement. I believe that every person in the world has something, someone, or will have something or someone they are crazy about. The sentence itself does not necessarily mean that that human is crazy or insane, but they may simply be crazy about certain things or people. They are people crazy about sports, music, art, jobs, or relationships. Saying someone is crazy, may simply be a declaration of how passionate one is about something; however, there can also be a point of being too passionate about something or someone. This creates an obsession that then may be looked at as insanity. Then again, each person's description of sanity and insanity is different. This makes each perspective far and wide, which makes others come off crazy to me, but to their friends or their culture they are normal. This brings up another point in the perspective of insanity and sanity. Culture. Every culture has many different beliefs, traditions, or rituals. To another culture looking in, it may seem crazy or insane, but to them, it is a part of their everyday life.
A few statements stuck out to me where I agree/disagree on. The first statement says "no book can change a person's soul or worldview." I totally disagree with that statement. I think a book can be very impactful on some people. It can give you the same feeling you get after watching a movie. Sometimes after movies, it impacts me in certain ways and I believe that books can do the same thing. I disagree with the statement that "the 1960s was the worst decade in American history. Sure, during that decade maybe negative events happened, but I do not believe that it was the worst of them all. I think the 1930s may even be worse. The 1930s have the reputation of being called "dirty thirties." So that era may even be the worst of them all. I mostly agree that discipline is absolutely necessary for most settings. I think it is necessary for younger kids at home and in school. But I don't think discipline is necessary for older adults because they know what is right from wrong.
2 Brown
The statement that American Indians have been treated more than fairly is one that I wholly disagree with. I believe that there is unjust treatment of the Native American populations that still exist today. The Western culture that we pushed on the Native Americans was unfair. We gave them almost no time to assimilate to our way of living, and as punishment, we would decimate those who would not assimilate. The immortality of the situation was present during our first interactions with Native Americans, but I still believe that it is prevalent in today's society. Our separation of Native Americans from society with little to no help from the United States. The United States forced them into a lifestyle that they did not want, and expected no problems to arise from it. When problems arose, we did little to fix them, and we still tend to avoid fixing them altogether.
Talcott 2
I totally agreed with the statement "Disciple is absolutely necessary in most settings." I agreed with this because I believe that the right discipline makes people better. Discipline is a great way for young children to learn the difference between right and wrong. Discipline is a way of keeping order. For example, if there were no rules in a classroom, the students could do whatever they wanted without getting reprimanded for their actions. The classroom would be a much harder place for a teacher to teach and students to learn. There would be chaos in the United States if there were no laws in place. Laws and discipline make the world a more peaceful and better world. A statement that I totally disagreed with is “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” Looking back through American history you can find numerous examples where American Indians have been mistreated. One big example is the government forcing American Indians off their land. The Trail of Tears occurred causing a large number of American Indians to die since they were forced off their homeland.
The second question "Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings" got me to thinking a bit. At first, I thought of it at face value and figured that it would make sense to have discipline for almost anything. But then as I thought about it a little deeper, what is discipline? At first, I thought that it would mean the way that you conduct yourself so that you are morally regulated. But when I looked up the definition, I saw that discipline was to the practice of being trained to follow instructions and orders. I guess that would make sense for most things, but it would be a little difficult to always have discipline. If everyone were disciplined, then this world would be a little too monotonous and boring—there wouldn't be much variety. I think there would be a large deficit of creativity if everyone were to be entirely disciplined. I can understand discipline up to a degree, but I think that there are some rules that need to be broken.
One of the questions I found the most interesting was if the best authors are the ones most different from us. Having an author in the complete opposite situation allows us to have a new perspective. Starting with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest having the narrator be a mental patient in an institution allows for us to better understand how they feel. This is very important because we are always told to put ourselves in other’s shoes to help sympathize with them. Having an author that is completely opposite of you and what you have experienced can help you in many ways. But on the opposite side of the that, readers may be able to relate more and take more from a book that has what they have experienced. A further insight and different look on your life experience may change how you feel about a situation and even make it better. Both types of authors are important to help people better understand life.
As I went through the Anticipation Guide some of the statements stuck out to me. In one of them it said discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings. I mostly agreed with this. I think in order to get anything useful done you have to be disciplined. Without discipline, nothing would get done. For example, when we do our group vocab tests or group forums, if people don’t stay on task and work together nothing will be accomplished. Another statement that stuck out to me was that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. I wholly disagree with this, because all throughout history they have not been treated fairly. Just a few examples are us kicking them off their own land and putting them into reservations. Even the Trail of Tears is another great example of American people treating them horribly. They have always been thought of as inferior to Americans, and that just is not right or true at all.
I would like to expound upon the comment listed on the anticipation guide that refers to the treatment and quality of life for Native Americans. Though in the past Natives have been oppressed and crushed, I believe they are now living in a hopeless state which we, the white culture, have created. I understand that those who came before us believed that by providing them with financial stability and reserved land, the shameful way in which we treated the Natives would be forgiven and we would be able to co-exist as two different cultures. However, this has now enabled them to live a life of seclusion and hopelessness. I believe that their intensely rich and unique history and culture has been marred by the present society. I believe that the current reservation system is not adequate, and I do not find it acceptable to stop trying to preserve their culture and history.
The word ‘crazy’ has two definitions. One, meaning “mentally deranged” and two, meaning “extremely enthusiastic”. But, the word crazy has developed a negative connotation over the years because of the society we live in. I definitely think that everyone has some level of craziness in them. Not one person in this world is the same and everyone has different characteristics that make them unique. Everyone has something “crazy” about them. There is always going to be something about someone that another person thinks they are weird or different. If you are passionate about something you could be considered crazy about that idea. To some extent, everyone has something that could be considered crazy because no one person is the same. If we were all the same, it would be just like the Combine in the novel. I think everyone being and acting the same is worse than being called crazy.
All of these questions were very thought-provoking and could be easily debated. On that really stood out to me was question 18. The question states that women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchial culture. This statement is tricky because yes in the past women have been overlooked and not seen as equal to men so nowadays some people feel that women can overdo and just want to one-up all the men. Which I completely disagree with. Of course, there are women in the world that probably do constantly find ways to look stronger and more capable than men but I more feel that the majority of women just want to be equal to men. To be treated the same and to be respected the same when it comes to business and just life and general. Another question that stood out to me was number 25. I was very intrigued from the beginning of the book when Chief Bromeden says that just because it didn't happen doesn't mean it is not that true. I think everyone should consider this in life and in literature when they are considering other people's perspective. When Chief tells the story it is his truth. It is how he interpreted it and how it made him feel.
The question that caught my attention was, "Everyone is "crazy" to some extent." I believe this statement could not be more accurate. Whether or not someone believes they are crazy, a person analyzing them may disagree. Each person has his or her own view and definition of craziness. Some may agree with them, others may not. There are people who are characterized by social standards and societal views as crazy, but they may believe that those who characterize them as such are the crazy ones. The word crazy can mean a lot of different things to people. Crazy can mean: cool, insane, very, disturbed, unstable. I believe that how you are raised will have an impact on your view of what is considered crazy and what isn't. Someone raised in an abusive, broken home may see crazy as situations worse than their own. Whereas someone raised in a loving, healthy home may view that person's situation as crazy. In a nutshell, everyone is crazy in their own way, accepted or not. Craziness is a matter of what your definition of crazy is.
One statement that I wholly disagreed with was, “No book can change a person’s soul or worldview.” I disagree with this statement because some books can influence people’s thoughts and expose them to things they would never experience without books. Not all books are life-changing for everyone, but at least one book can probably change someone’s life. Another statement I disagreed with was, “Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive; no choice should be left to the reader.” I think some of the best books leave a lot of things up to the reader's imagination. Books teach us how to use our imaginations. One of the questions I agreed with was, “Albus Dumbledore is quite right when he tells Harry, who is asking about the realness of his supernatural, metaphysical experience when struck down by Voldemort: ‘Of course it's happening inside your head, Harry; why should that mean that it's not real?’” I agree with this because, even if you see things in a different perspective from others, your perspective is real to you.
The anticipation guide had many true arguments, but a few stuck out to me. A certain one caught my eye, however, because it was utterly false. The statement was that war veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism. This simply does not make sense. One cannot possibly think that veterans are supposed to go back to being normal. They fought for our country; some did not make it and some certainly cheated death. After seeing these gruesome, horrific, and heartbreaking scenes, one cannot think that they can pretend they never experienced these things. War veterans are true heroes and some of them get stuck with PTSD for life which can cause major problems. We must all understand the problems that go on in war veterans’ minds, and respect that some may never assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism.
Kocer 5
One statement that I wholly disagree with on the Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide is “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” Throughout American history, they have been treated the exact opposite of fairly by being pushed off their land and forced to move. A good example of this was in 1838 when Native Americans were removed from their land and forced to make the devastating journey known as the Trail of Tears. One statement I wholly agree with from the Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide is “discipline is absolutely necessary for most settings.” I agree with this because without discipline everything would be much more chaotic. Discipline is making sure that people obey the rules or code of behavior. If people felt that they didn’t have to follow rules and did whatever they wanted, you would have a much more selfish society where people only would look out for themselves. Since there are discipline and consequences to your actions, people are more likely to follow the rules. Rules are usually put into place for people’s own well-being. If there were no laws in society everyone would be at greater risk and danger. When kids are growing up it is especially important to have some discipline. Kids who grow up doing whatever they want without discipline are more likely to find themselves in trouble growing up because they never realized how their actions could affect themselves and others at a young age.
Brummels 1
I believe that question number six: “no book can change a person’s soul or worldview” is a false statement. I think that we can learn a lot from other people’s experiences and stories. Everyone looks at things from a different perspective, our lives shape us on how we see things. If an author does a really good job of explaining something and good with their words, then I can see a book changing someone’s soul or worldview. One statement that I agree with is number seven: “the best narrators are those that are least like the reader”. To make sure that the narrator gets his or her points across, they have to be relatable. The reader is going to be most interested in the book if they have someone that is just like them. Another statement that I agree with is, “everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent”. I feel like everyone has things that build up inside of them and eventually something is just going to pop. We all have a little bit of crazy inside of us.
Van Hulzen 5
The first statement on the anticipation guide that I wholly disagree with is that “American Indians have been treated more than fairly. The world we live in is devoid of true fairness whatsoever. You can not truly prove anything to be fair. People are born differently, with different backgrounds, different ideas, and different goals in life, this makes it humanly impossible to create fairness. Now if I were to look at the treatment of the American Indians through my own opinion, I would say that their treatment by white settlers and the government they created, was insanely evil. There is nothing that could pay the debt that they have, or equalize the situation they are in. American Indians were pushed out of their homelands, only to be later sent to reservations plagued by poverty and violence. They now have certain supports and privileges that the American government has bestowed upon them, but in the end, it does not get them out of their difficult situations or give them back the land that they once had dominion over. The second statement, I do agree with. “Literature is losing its place”. With advancements in technology and forms of entertainment, few people read books willingly. Most people have to be forced to read a book. Books are having less and less influence on the lives of people today. Upcoming generations look for instant gratification and do not have the attention span or devotion that book requires. It is disappointing, but it is the true reality of the decline of literature.
2 Cushing
Looking at the statement “literature is losing its place”. I mostly wholly agree, along with 50% of my class. I believe this a true statement because although the literature is studied in the classroom, the age of television is whipping the era of novels. Today not many teens look for books for enjoyment, they look at electronic screens. I believe that this is a large reason for the declining interest in literature. Adding on to that I mostly agreed with the fact that the best authors do have the most interesting lives. There are authors every now and then that are amazing due to there imagination. But I believe that the purest and most intelligent writing comes from those who have a connection to there writing and can relate it to their lives. If you have to authors writing a book to show how the foster system is flawed in America and one was in the system and one had only observed it. The one who had actually experienced is going to be able to write a more heartfelt and convincing story.
The question that I highly disagreed with was the question that asked: "No book can change a person's soul or worldview." Every person is different and has a different outlook on life. This may be true for a person that agrees with the lesson in the book but if the reader is new to the lesson or simply disagrees with it the author may have points in the book that persuaded the reader's mindset. This will then change the reader’s outlook on life and it may make the reader have a different view on how they do things in life. The lesson that they learned from a book has to deal with if they really thought the lesson was worth taking into their lives, meaning that the lesson was very valuable. I personally have read multiple books that have changed my outlook on life and how I do things.
While going through the anticipation guide, statement 24 really came to my attention. "Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive; no choice should be left to the reader (in fact, authors should essentially order--almost menu-like--and direct the reader's interpretation of the ending by leaving nothing open-ended)." I disagree with this statement because I believe reading can be more fun when an author leaves an unclear ending. It creates mystery and causes the reader to wonder and think of possible scenarios for what could happen next or what actually happened in the end. Leaving an unclear ending sucks the reader in and leaves them wanting to dig into the literary theory to learn more about the novel. I hope Ken Kesey leaves us an unclear ending in our current novel. I am saying this because I think this will make our final Forum Friday very fun and interesting. I would like to see where other people are coming from in their reading and how they perceived the novel when they read it. Kesey has done a great job leaving mystery and questioning events in the book for further discussions.
When looking through the anticipation guide, I found only a few that I had strong opinions about. I disagree with the statement, “No book can change a person’s soul or worldview.” I believe every book has an influence on each individual reader and the influence may be different for each person but it still is there. The only time I believe a book would not be able to change a viewpoint would be if the reader is not actually thinking about the contents of the book or not interpreting it in any way. In relation to the novel we are currently reading, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a viewpoint can be shifted in relation to treatment of the mentally ill, treatment of Native Americans, levels of crazy etc. Another statement on the anticipation guide said, “Everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” I wholly agree with this statement. Everyone may not have a mental illness but that does not mean they are sane. Each person is unique and the definition of crazy is so loosely defined that nobody could ever fit into the definition of sane. In our novel, all the patients are mentally ill, except the doctor is trying to decide whether or not McMurphy is. Now obviously, McMurphy has plenty of characteristics that could suggest he is sane but there are plenty others that suggest he is mentally ill and that is the whole point. Crazy cannot be defined by words and never will be.
While looking through the anticipation guide there were two that really stuck out to me. The first one was one of those and it says, “You can learn a lot from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippy.” I 100% agree with this. The statement never says good or bad learning experience, it simply says learn. I think you can learn from any person that you talk to. Each and every person in society has something to offer whether that be a good lesson or a bad lesson. Another one that really stood out to me was “War veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism.” I think that war veterans do need some help after they get back from war. They were just in a traumatic experience and that has probably turned into the normal for them. When they get back now what they are facing is not normal so they need to learn to grow back to how they were previously. Some may have PTSD now because of the war and because of that they should never be expected to fully assimilate back into our society as is.
I think the phrase “Of course it's happening inside your head; why should that mean that it's not real?" Is extremely powerful. People will see things whether they are true or not but that is what they see and how the world is to them. As an individual who lives with someone with mental issues it's clear to see this. There are times when she imagines huge events or comes up with crazy plans that never existed. She struggles to see the difference between reality and what is going on for her. But that is her reality. That is what she is seeing. It is how the world works for her and its something my family has to adjust to rather rapidly sometimes. For either her safety or someone else’s. It is important that when people experience these things that you are understanding and you do not push them away or tell them they are wrong. You have to be kind and make sure they feel valued. They know they are wrong deep down, they just can not stop what is going on around them.
While I was reading the anticipation guide, a few thesis statements stood-out to me. I do not believe that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. When we look at history, there are many examples of times they were treated horribly and unfairly. They have gone through hard times such as being enslaving and forcing them out of their land. Although technology seems to be taking over everything now that the world is becoming more advanced, I feel it is wrong for technology to outrank religiously holy and important places in our world. I do believe that discipline is necessary in most settings. I feel that if someone is disciplined, they are more respectful than someone who is undisciplined. Everyone is different, but I feel that there will always be that one book that someone will pick up and read and be at least somewhat changed by it, even if the change is not drastic. I can speak from experience that I have been changed from books. They give me a new perspective on life and other people’s lives. It is entertaining and very engaging to pick up a novel and have it change you mentally.
The following statement from the anticipation guide, not only stuck out to me, but angered me: “War veterans deserve respect and financial support, but should be expected to swiftly assimilate back into efficient, churning capitalism”. Not only does it belittle the veterans into helpless beings, but also belittles their trials and tribulations. Although I have never been to war, there are countless of men who have, never returning the same. The heartbreak, emotional and physical trauma, combined with the lack of compassion (from their superiors, allies, and enemies) is something no one should have to go through. This statement disregards everything they endured, and claims they should return as a functioning member of society as if nothing has happened. See, what the military does is no only dehumanizes once healthy individuals, it corrupts them into essentially killing machines they can pawn off. It preys on the subconscious hatreds or desires, and manifests them into something that cannot be controlled anymore. To say that they should assimilate quickly is like telling a child to do calculus without helping them. It requires time, commitment, and effort from not only the veterans, but others also.
Runia 2
There happens to be a statement that I have an issue with in the Anticipation Guide. The statement is, "If an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed" and I believe that this statement is completely and totally false. I have played rugby for three years and have met many people, and some of those people could be labeled as "mentally incapable of playing" due to a disability. However, a few of these types of players that I have met and been on the team with have turned out to be some of our greatest assets. One was able to score multiple times, while another was big and could take hits and keep moving. What I've learned is that you don't have to be the best at what you are doing, you just have to try. There's a joke on our team as well that we tell rookies. The joke goes, "Is your heart beating?" Every time they say yes and we'll tell them, "Good, your playing first-string," because we don't even have enough players to start with. Just because someone can't match the demands of an activity does not mean that they shouldn't get to play.
The statement that stuck out to me the most would have to be “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” Personally, I find this to be entirely not true. Although the intentions from the government in terms of giving them pieces of land and money from the government were good, it has not turned into something our former leaders would be proud of. I think that giving them that land and their own set of laws has created a sort of barrier between them and the rest of the world. I have been to the reservations here in South Dakota and have seen first hand how different things are, compared to how I am used to things being outside the reservation. Kids grow up in a society where there is little hope for a better life, and they soon find themselves in jail or in deep poverty as soon as they are old enough. It is a never-ending cycle that this culture finds themselves in.
Spencer 5
WIth the first Question, it was hard to decide whether it was good enough depending on how you thought of drug-experimenting. I thought it was weird that most people agreed with that statement It also shows that in question 3 we all must agree that Indians have not been treated more fairly as years go on. Instead, they are still untreated fairly, like Mr. Broomdmen in the book. I also found that it was interesting that one could say that technological advancements could outrank religion and I guess that depends on the person if they are religious or not. I also find it interesting that books can change the perspective a person has on the world, especially because of how we are analyzing book in Literature. People, when analyzing books, open their eyes to look at how things have been in the past and how some people think about the world. I mean we all have different views.
Betanzo 5
One statement that I completely agree with is that "everyone is "crazy" to some extent." As a human, I feel that it was my purpose to be born different from any other person that was either born before I was or after. Whatever makes each human different from each other can be seen as "crazy" to some extent. Nobody on this planet can be defined as "normal" in my opinion. Even if someone was completely defined as "normal", they may be seen as "crazy" for someone else who finds it odd or weird that someone could be so "normal" when you compare them to anybody else. What makes us "crazy' depends on the situations we encounter with a multitude of people every day. Sometimes jokes that you tell around people that you aren't close with can be taken as crazy to some extent. The reason is due to the relationship you have with the person you aren't close with. Maybe they aren’t as close with you as others are and find your jokes crazy and weird. Although, if you told your “crazy” joke to someone you are close, that person you’re close with may not find your jokes as crazy because they know you so well that whatever came out of your mouth may be defined as normal to them. I also believe that we all have habits or other characteristics/traits that we can consider crazy as well, but it's okay because it makes us realize that we are different and unique in our own and special way. .
Reading opens new worlds to readers. I think a lot can be learned from authors that are very different from the reader. A new perspective on different situations may be revealed to the reader. This causes people to think about things in a new light and maybe even change their stance or learn something new. I do not know if this makes the “best” narrators, but I think there is a lot to be learned from people different than ourselves. I do not agree with the statement, “the best authors have lived the most interesting lives” Some people, and authors, have vivid enough imaginations that they do not need to have lived an exciting life. They create their own excitement through their writing. In some case, I am sure that experiences can lead to better writing, but I do not think it is a necessity. Different life experiences cause people to see things in different ways, but sometimes these differences can help to make a book more enjoyable.
Johnson 1
I believe that with the american indian statement that they have not been treated fairly. We intruded onto their continent and tried to take it over, we brought over disease that killed almost all of them, we then decided to conquer all their tribes and moved them out of where we wanted to live and finally we ended up removing them completely and put them in reservations because we were not very fond of them. I also have to disagree with the idea that a book can't change a persons view. I think this because after reading lord of the flies it changed my whole idea on how every one of us humans has a secret savage inside of us but none of us truly want to experience that side unless it is completely needed to be brought out. Also i believe the way that the cuckoos nest bird completey changed the view of how the ward is run is astonishing in itself.
I believe books change people's views. A book of fiction may not completely change someone's mind but it may drive them into further investigating it. Books like the Jungle and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest caused people to look closer into businesses lives. The Jungle helped food sanitation rules become stricter along with working conditions of the lower class.One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest helped asylums gain better treatment. They were no longer allowed to give lobotomies and shock therapy to help control patients. Patients were more capable of getting to leave the asylum. Both of these things created better existing habitats for the people forced to be in them rather than how they were before the books were created. I also believe authors should vary the size of each chapter. Personally I think people dread chapters less if they know the next one is shorter than the super long one you are reading at that very second.
Vogel 1
During this survey a few statements stood out to me. One of these statements that stood out was “Endings of narratives must be fully conclusive; no choice should be left to the reader”. I feel that this statement is somewhat wrong. Sure, for some books this is nice to see the plot finished and then the story book is closed, but when books end with an unfinished ending these is something simply wonderful about it. The ending could be happy like riding into the sunset on a white horse with a charming prince or it could also be depressing like a death of your favorite character at the end or a broken narrator. This could also mean that the reader can make the book with the conclusion that they want to read. Open endings are normally intentional and it helps the book, because the ending is never finished making the ending less disappointing, because the reader is the one to make it up. The second question that stood out to me is “No book can change a person's soul or worldview” I believe this yet to be mostly untrue too. Sure their are a few books that may never change my worldview or soul like “A Rose for Emily”. It honestly didn’t change my point of view, I just thought it was creepy. Meanwhile, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has taught me to wait a while to check if your love is alive, before you do something so drastic. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has lately taught me that we are all crazy in someway and society today is more accepting, but it still needs work.
Of the statements given, there were two that stuck out to me in particular that I would like to discuss. First, number five: "Authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or incite the reader." I agree with this statement to a degree. Long chapters do not "jolt or incite" me at all; rather, Kesey's sudden, abrupt short chapters are what I notice. If the author wants to devote an entire chapter to a section of the story that is a paragraph long, it must be important. Second is number six. It states, "no book can change a person's soul or worldview." This statement cannot be farther from wrong, in my opinion. As I said in the forum today, there are so many insignificant books out there that are written purely for an enjoyable plot. We don't study these for a reason. The books we choose to study are written with much more purpose and depth; they are subject to debate and critique from high school students, literature professors, and intellectuals alike. This gives them the incredible potential to turn minds and shape lives.
Darrington 7
After reading the Anticipation Guide I have formed opinions on the questions. The first question regarding Native American treatment, that Native Americans have been treated more than fairly is something I disagree upon wholeheartedly. Throughout American history the natives have been forced to conform, been stripped of their cultures, had their territory literally taken out of their hands and overall been treated awfully. The question is completely opposite of the reality of their treatment. America today has enabled the bad conditions on their reservations by granted federal money which is mainly used in negative ways on reservations. The second question I formed an opinion on was the question regarding discipline. It stated that discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings. I mostly agree with that question. In my opinion there are some situations in which positive reinforcement or other forms of constructive criticism is better than discipline. Discipline in some cases only causes more problems as the idea to rebel and fight against the person disciplining is the motive
Christensen 5
I wholly disagree that none of the books in the world could change a person's soul or worldview. I believe that books can have a huge impact on a person's life. Authors write about things that are important to them and they put their views and their knowledge into their works of literature. Books have impacted society for many years now. In my own life, I have learned a lot from literature over the years. I have learned that all classes and races of people have different views on the world and everything that goes on in history. I believe that a lot of people have been impacted by literature in the same ways I have. Literature helps people know how others view the world. This is very important because I feel like if everyone knows how other people think and what other people believe, then everyone can understand each other and there would be more peace in the world. So, I think that if novels change at least one person's point of view, they can change the whole world.
Ackerman 5
While choosing how I feel about the questions in the Anticipation Guide for Cuckoo’s Nest, some questions really struck me and made me think about things I have never thought about previously. I read through the statements multiple times and each time, I thought of how you could agree and disagree with a majority of them. One statement that I wholeheartedly agreed with is that “‘everyone is “crazy” to some extent’”. I agreed, without a doubt, to this statement because everyone is crazy in their own little ways. A definition of crazy is “extremely enthusiastic”. This solidified my opinion on this topic, because everyone is enthusiastic over something or another, whether it’s something they physically do or something they do vicariously. A statement that I mostly disagreed with was “discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings”. Although, I agree with discipline, I do not think that it is absolutely necessary in most settings. I think this way, because as a society, people are going to fall into the norm and are going to need to learn things for themselves. I think discipline is necessary when a person or child is wrong, not in most settings. I also believe that there is a time and place for discipline, which would not include most settings. I think that as children are disciplined, they also need to figure things out for themselves. You can not discipline a child for everything they do and expect them to grow up and go into society without some kind of behavioral issues due to the fact that they have never been able to do things without getting some form of discipline.
In the survey, I thought the statement that the endings of narratives must be fully conclusive was among the most interesting. Generally, I would disagree with this statement because part of the enjoyment that is derived from a narrative originates from the reader trying to interpret what the book means to them. However, I do not think that the ending of a narrative should be completely inconclusive. If an author wanted to get some sort of general message across, having a completely vague ending could cause the reader to completely miss what the author was trying to say in the narrative. I think an ending should be vague, but not so open-ended that the author's intent is lost within the confusion.
A statement that I agree with is that literature is losing its place. I just feel that there are a lot fewer people taking the time to read whole novels, especially classical literature. I say this because some of it is slightly boring which could not keep the attention of someone with a fast moving life like most people have.
Eichelberg 5
The anticipation guide raises many important questions that may provide insight into how one will interpret the book. One that caught my attention almost immediately is the statement that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. I wholly disagree with this statement due to my knowledge of their mistreatment throughout American history and continues today. Starting with the European claim on already claimed land, Europeans and Americans have continually found ways to restrict their freedom and impose their own culture upon them without providing any real opportunity to assimilate. Many tribes, even today, suffer from a lack of funding and constant infringement on the rights once guaranteed to them through a treaty. Another statement that intrigued me was that everyone is “crazy” to some extent. I wholly agree with this statement because I do not believe that “crazy” or “normal” can either have a single definition. Unlike the 1950’s we have now begun to recognize people’s individuality and accept them for it. I also do not believe that “crazy” is a good term to refer to the mentally ill; simply because they experience a different reality than others does not mean they should be invalidated with such a demeaning term.
I disagree with that idea that American Indians have been treated more than fairly. Ever since white men came to America they have been taking what the Indians had first. The white men have taken their food, their land, and their customs. As these Europeans slowly started to move across America the also started to slowly push the Indians out of their territory. As the years went on these Natives were slowly pushed into a smaller and smaller area without any say to what land they wanted. Americans thought they were doing good by giving these Native Americans their own land that they could do whatever they wanted on it(reservation), but they where actually confining them to an area where they had few laws and no strong system in place. In turn, these Native Americans reservations have become some of the most impoverished places in the US. White men essentially took over the Natives land and forced them to them to become accustomed to their own customs and culture. They the government just there them in their own area so we didn't have to deal with them and told the public that they were doing good by giving them back some of the lands they originally had all had to their own.
TeKrony 7
While reading the anticipation questions, I came across one specific question that I disagreed with wholly. The one that stuck out to me was when it said that Native Americans were treated more than fairly. There are several accounts during history of the bad treatment that they had to go through. Many of them being that they had no choice but to follow what others told them. They were completely taken away from their home and forced to do things how others thought they should be done. Another question that I disagreed with was when it said that novel titles are best when clear. I believe that an unclear title gives you room to ponder and create an image of what you think is going to happen. By making these assumptions, you are putting thought and effort into what the book really could be saying. While reading, your interpretations may change and cause you to rethink about the title that you previously thought would best explain the book.
"Women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture". At first, I disagreed with this statement because throughout history women were always subordinate to men. They were not allowed to go to school, hold public offices, get a job, or even leave the house in some cases. Women's rights movements throughout the course of history have corrected these wrongs and helped women become equal to men. The American people passed a whole Amendment giving women the right to vote. Schools were built solely for women and girls to attend. In modern times, however, women have begun to think that they do not have the same rights as men. They protest for equality and choice but do not fully understand their protest. They do not realize that they do have the same rights and privileges as men, and they do not have the right to choose whether to kill their baby or not. In my mind, the modern feminist movement is completely useless and a waste of everyone's time.
Olivier 1
While reading the anticipation guide, I ran into multiple questions that I agreed with wholly, like the question that asked for my opinion about if a book is capable of changing someone's life. I wholly agree with this statement because there are parts of every book that cause the reader to think about their life or different perspectives. I wholly disagree with the statement about how American Indians have always been treated very fairly. American Indians were forced out of their home, they were never treated even close to fairly. Lastly, I did not agree with the statement that said all book titles that are very descriptive and dont leave much up to imagination are better than vague titles. This state ment is entirely false, I like titles that are vague way better than descriptive titles about what happens in the book. I feel that descriptive titles should only be used in children's books.
7 Ziegeldorf
One question that was nearly split in half was the statement that “women constantly look for ways to dominate men in our historically patriarchal culture.” I strongly disagree with this statement and am surprised that so many think this way. The equality between women and men has been a long fought battle. Sometimes, modern society thinks that female empowerment equates to female domination. Whenever a woman does something to challenge a man, men often take it as females asserting their dominance. This is entirely false. A female wishing to challenge a man is merely a female wishing to attain equality between the two. The word feminist often comes across as a negative word. People often take this word as a threat to men. The word feminist only means the equality between men and women. It is sad that some figure feminist as an offensive term. Overall, women are trying to find a place in the world in which they are equal to men.
Burchill 5
One of my favorite questions was "The best narrators are those that are least like the reader." Over half of the respondents said that they mostly disagreed with this statement, and over a third said that they mostly agreed, easily not a unanimous decision by the classes. However, I answered that I wholly agreed, which is why I enjoy "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". I'm sick of getting everything that I want in a narrator. I don't like heroes. They're boring. When you get everything you want in the narrator, you never think anything of his decisions and the differences between you and him/her. In Lord of the Flies, I'm glad that Ralph had struggles and made bad decisions because I was then able to dislike him. McMurphy in OFOtCN is a whole other story. This man drops F-bombs, gambles, is rebellious, is obsessed with women and wine, affiliates himself with prostitutes, steals, and commits other crude activities. Yet this man is the hero of the book, the good guy, the protagonist. As a Christian with opposition to basically everything I just said he does, the book is incredible because for some reason, I still like McMurphy, and yet I hate the guy. I love the fact that the protagonist is nowhere near perfect and no where near my morals. I get to read the book both from the perspective that this is awful stuff that they're doing and also from a laughing standpoint if that. The book is way more challenging because I myself have to decide what to enjoy, what to trust, what to like about McMurphy and everyone else.
Law 2
I don’t agree at all with number six saying that no book can change a person’s worldview. From the books that we read in class, books we get from the library, books that were found as artifacts, or even probably the biggest one being the Bible have all changed our point of view on many different topics. By reading about other people’s opinions opens up our eyes to different thoughts that we may have never considered or thought about before. Reading from fact-based books, on the other hand, have the power to further our knowledge and allow us to gain more opinions on the new things we learn. They each can have a great impact on how we think and see things in this world. The Bible is the top sold book on this planet and that’s because it has the power to change people, inform them, while building a relationship with God and learning about his story. Books overall have the power to do much more than change our world of view, they may even hold the power to start an action.
When we think of science versus spirituality, one major question arises: should technological advancements outrank spiritually or religiously holy and important places? Our country is built upon the principle of freedom of religion. Based off this belief, the answer should be an obvious no. Every single individual has been extended the rights have the freedom to believe whatever religion they want and have the promise for that to be respected. Western medicine is not the only type of medicine in existence. Homeopathic or eastern medicines have a completely different outlook on the human body, but many people write it off as a pseudoscience when, in fact, some procedures have been proven to be almost more effective. Medically, we all have the same right to refuse treatment. Therefore, there is no issue as to whether or not technological advancements may outrank spirituality because we all have the choice to accept what treatment they may want.
Harvison 5
Many of these questions can spark a debate in terms of what the correct answer is. One of these questions that could draw in many responses is "Discipline is absolutely necessary for most settings". For this question, I put down mostly agree, as I believe that without discipline unruly behavior starts to come out. This was very evident in the book "Lord of the Flies" as in just a couple months span disciplined English boys turned into murderous savages. Another question, "Authors should experiment with chapter length to jolt or excite the reader", for this I said that I completely agree. In the current book we are reading now, Ken Kesey had a couple chapters that were just containing about one paragraph each. However, even though these chapters contained very few words in comparison to other chapters, the meaning still was worth dozens of pages, as it can emphasize a small portion of the book into much bigger meanings.
While examining the anticipation guide, there are few statements I strongly agree/disagree with. The first statement that stuck out to me was “Discipline is absolutely necessary in most settings.” I completely agree with this statement. If there was no discipline or structure, people would start doing whatever they want without understanding how their actions are impacting themselves and others. I believe that kids that grow up with parents that allow them to do whatever they want without any repercussions get into lots of trouble throughout their years. I also think they have a rude awakening when they are older and realize there are rules and you can not just do whatever you want whenever you want. I don’t agree with number six saying that no book can change a person’s worldview. From the books that we read in class, books we get from the library, books that were found as artifacts or even books we read for fun change our view point. It might take a lot of reading for someone that is stubborn to change their view point, but if a person that was even semi open to new ideas were to read certain books, then they have a chance to change their view points.
The “Cuckoo’s Nest Anticipation Guide” really made me think deeply about the principles conveyed throughout the novel. I completely disagree with the statement, “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” I think that they have not been treated fairly from the very birth of America. They have been oppressed and looked down upon, just as Bromden and his family have been treated in the novel. I wholly agree with the statement, “Everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” Everyone’s personalities are different and subjective to change, so I believe there is no “sane” person on this planet. We are all crazy in different ways and to different extents. As we become a more evolved society, I believe that literature is definitely losing its place. With more and more screen time working its way into the children’s schedule, literature is slowly becoming less and less prominent as children grow old. Literature is taking foot, however, in schools and established places of learning.
Olthoff 5
While examining the anticipation guide, there are few statements I strongly agree/disagree with. I completely disagree with the statement, “American Indians have been treated more than fairly.” They have not been treated fairly from the very instant that English settlers first colonized America. I don’t agree at all with number six saying that no book can change a person’s worldview. The Bible, for instance, has impacted millions of people's lives around the world. I wholly agree with the statement, “Everyone is ‘crazy’ to some extent.” Everyone behaves differently and their behaviors are subject to change at any time. I wholly agree with the statement "literature is losing its place". With video games and TV being prioritized by younger children, books are becoming less and less prominent as children grow up. I think schools do a good job of introducing kids to literature, however.
The anticipation guide contained some statements that I definitely do not agree with such as the statement that reads "American Indians have been treated more than fairly." I believe that American Indians have been treated very badly since the Europeans landed in America. Since they landed American Indians have slaughtered thousands of their people and pushed them off of their lands onto small reservations that have become some of the poorest counties in the country. I believe these facts support my position in saying that American Indians have not been treated fairly at all since Europes Arrival in America. There are other statements in which I wholly agree with such as "everyone is "crazy" to some extent." I believe that all of us show tendencies that would be considered somewhat "crazy". While researching some of the worlds most brilliant minds it is not difficult to see strange activity within their lives. Maybe if we gave people who some consider being crazy more of a chance we would learn that they are not much crazier than ourselves.
Grode 2
The anticipation question that stuck out to me was number 24. The question says that authors should leave nothing up to the imagination. I wholly agree with this because the author is the only one who can make the story. If something is left to the imagination, then is it really the author’s work anymore? I do not think it is. When an author clearly ties up all loose ends, then I feel like the book is complete. However, when the loose ends are not tied up, I feel like the meaning of the book could be misconstrued. People like to interpret books on how they feel about it, and maybe not how the author wanted it to be interpreted. While there is nothing exactly wrong with this, I just prefer when authors end the book completely so that I really know what the author was trying to say.
Peyton 5
The question that stuck out to me the most was question 24 which said that the authors should not leave anything up to the readers. I disagree with this because it leaves stuff up for imagination. This makes it more enjoyable to read when readers can put their own opinions to it. I think specific details should be made by the author and not left to the reader. I think the specific details should be specified by the author so then the reader gets the main point of the book and does not get it confused. After that, they can think of what the deeper meaning is for themselves and some readers may see a different message than others which is not a bad thing. Again, it makes the book more enjoyable to the readers because they can interpret the book however they want to. That is why I think that the other can leave things up to the reader.
Campbell 7
Throughout American history American Indians have never been treated fairly from the Trail of Tears, enslaving them, using up all their resources, kicking them off their lands, giving them unfair treaties and eventually putting them all on reservations. It was never a good thing to do, but in return, we as the US have never repaid them for what the US has done to them. I believe that an unclear title gives you room to ponder and create an image of what you think is going to happen. It makes the book more enjoyable with what the author has to offer; allows yourself to grow opinions and your overall base thought of some situations. The author paints the scenarios within the story in order to portray a message intended to capture the reader’s attention. The importance of novels allows us to gain knowledge from the author, enhance our point of views, and even expand our mental capacity. Also crazy has many different meanings. Crazy can mean: cool, insane, emotionally, physically unstable, or honestly someone else's opinions of what crazy could be. I believe that how you are raised will have an impact on your view of what is considered crazy and what isn't.
One of the questions that I wholly agree with is “everyone is crazy to some extent”. Nobody in the world is the same. Everyone is unique in their own way and has their own quirks or things that are considered weird. People who are crazy are considered to be not normal, but what is normal? If everyone is different how are some people normal and some people not? There is no perfect checklist that you have to align to to be considered normal. If there was than only one person in the entire world would be considered normal because no person is the same. That person would probably be the one that made the list too. Since everyone is a little weird and different from one another everyone has their own little crazy in them. One of the questions that I disagreed with was “Novel titles are best when clear”. I disagree because I personally think it is a fun puzzle and adventure through a book to find out what the title is really getting at.
Kolbeck 1
There were a few questions that stuck out because they had a clear answer. One of them was about how authors should experiment with making the chapter sizes to jolt or excite the writer. I wholeheartedly agreed with this statement due to a number of reasons. My experience with reading a variety of novels is the most important. I remember significantly enjoying novels more due to their non-linear style of storytelling. I never considered the reading to be sluggish or overly simple. Changing chapters to make them different lengths makes each of the chapters have a unique feel about them, leading to a more memorable book. Another that stuck out with me was the question; imagery does not rival other prominent literary devices. The question is blatantly disrespecting how powerful imagery is in the minds of young readers. Many readers do not get their start by reading advanced scientific journals, but by reading smaller novels that are made to entertain. It is imagery that is used to pull in young children and keep them involved in reading. The last question that I completely disagreed with was that literature was losing its place. Literature has had many prominent places in society, information, and entertainment. While it is true that different forms of entertainment have rivaled literature, nothing has come close to challenging literature and its ability to inform. Newspapers and academic journals are just some of the ways that literature spreads information throughout the world.
Eifert 2
Some of these questions require more thought, while others are easy to answer. The first question, you can learn a lot from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippy, is referring to the author I assume, and in this case yes you can learn from a farming, wrestling, drug-experimenting hippy. This question really got me thinking about how much I judge those who do drugs, and I think that those who do drugs are unintelligent people who make poor decisions. Honestly though some of them can seem to be very intelligent, like smart enough to write a award winning book that is now taught in high schools around the country. Pretty impressive what drugs can do to one person compared to another. Drugs I think can open some people's eyes while others just lose sight to the real world all together.
Another question that I had already thought of before reading the Anticipation Guide was why does Ken Kesey have different chapter lengths? Some chapters are 25 pages long, while others are only 1 paragraph long. I have been trying to tie in what type of symbol, or hint he is putting out for us to catch on to with the shorten, or long lasting chapters. I think it has something to do with the clock and how chief believes that some days the nurse will speed up time, while others she will slow down. I think the long chapters are when chief thinks the nurse has slowed down the clock, and the short chapters are when she speeds time back up.
DeCurtins 5
One of the questions left me in a torn position. The stance was that "Male writers simply cannot represent female characters in a rightly powerful manner." To this, I believe I stated that I mostly disagree. I believe that many men have a deep insight into the life of a woman that they would be able to display women's emotions with decent accuracy. A woman can explain to a man in many ways the way she may feel and he can repeat it in his own words. However, I don't believe that a man can truly ever feel the way the woman feels without ever being in her place. The same goes with everyone though. As a woman, I can say that I understand how men feel or act, but do I really? I myself am not feeling or going through the same things a man is, therefore I can not truly relate. I do believe that male writers can represent female characters in a powerful manner, but not rightly.
Another question that I had a strong opinion on was that "everyone is crazy to some extent." I fully agree with this comment as there are multiple degrees or views of being "crazy". What one person may seem as acceptable, another may view as preposterous. For example, there are many different religions in the world, many of which contain what may be perceived as mythical creatures, gods, or acts. Religions display the seemingly impossible, though people passionately believe in their religion. In Christianity, there is an acceptable belief of an unseen omnipotent god, yet the schizophrenic is frowned upon for speaking to his imaginary friend. I'm not against religions by any means, but it is something that has really made me think. Aside from the more in-depth opinions/ beliefs, people view other random acts as "crazy". I find the idea of ketchup on my popcorn apauling and dare I say "crazy", but I know some people eat their popcorn that way. Each and every one of us has our own unique qualities and quirks that are crazy to others. I also believe we are all crazy in the ways we do things on a daily basis such as driving cars. Daily, we go 80 miles per hour in a box of metal in snowy conditions as if we are asking for death. In order to live our lives and be ourselves, we must have a little bit of craziness in us.
Swift 7
The question that stood out the most to me was number 6, " No book can change a person's soul or worldview." Of all the questions in the anticipation guide, this one had the most obvious answer. The purpose of a novel with such serious topics is to challenge the way you think and bring light to an issue in the world. If the books are not changing how you feel about major controversies and ways of life then what is the purpose of writing them. Granted I am sure there are many novels that do not spark change in people, but many do. Novels like "Lord of the Flies" or "How to Kill a Mockingbird" would not have been written just for fun, they were written to get people to change their souls and how they view people or situations. This question actually made me a little frustrated that people could agree with it.
I believe that discipline is an absolutely necessary tool to use when you’re raising a child. Without discipline, kids would learn that it is okay to act or treat others in whatever way they want to. The world would be a horrible place to grow up in because others would be horrible to each other. I also disagree that American Indians have not been treated more than fairly. Even though they have been compensated for their losses. Taking their culture and way of life away is something that money can’t compensate for. Culture is something that is essential to each region and it is something we live by and base our decisions off of. When you take away a culture of a community and force them to live on a reservation because you simply want to claim the land, that is something that can never be repaid with money or supplies.
Throughout the anticipation guide, one statement really stuck out to me. "Titles are best when clear" is something that I completely disagree with. Reason being, I think that difficult titles that are non-clear make readers think outside the book and use context clues to infer why a book has the title it does. Without confusing titles that stir up a conversation, there would be no reason to be literally theorists. The meaning of the book would be obvious and have no need to be discussed. No one really knows the meaning of the book, "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" even though you can infer based on occurrences throughout the book. It could have been Chief, who escaped from the asylum and thought he was flying, but it could be Mac as well. The way he sailed through making everyone's life better in the asylum. He was the only one not "crazy" making him the one who flew over the cuckoo's nest. But without a difficult title to understand, there would be no discussion and deep thinking.
One question from the anticipation guide that caught my attention was question number 14: “If an individual cannot match the high demands of a rigorous situation, that individual must be removed”. Reading this question made me infuriated just trying to imagine this actually happening. It is true that everyone can’t be good at everything and that some things are just too hard for one person to do on their own; however, this does not mean that they should be removed from the situation. When someone is struggling, you should try to help them solve the problem they are faced with. However, this does not mean to solve the problem for them; you must teach them how they can solve the problem and what they can do in the future to prevent this from happening and how they can solve it. Solving without work just shows that you know the answer but showing your works shows that you understand the subject and can use that skill in the real world.
Laabs 5
I strongly agree with the statement where discipline is required in every setting. Now, this is assuming that the person posing the statement was implying that discipline is required in every functioning setting. Of course, you can go without discipline but that doesn't mean that things will flow smoothly. Without discipline, there is no order and absolutely anything can happen. Without discipline, we would give in to our every whim and desire as if it was completely fine to carry out. The world can only function properly with the correct kind of discipline. This does not mean that you must be extremely strict and not allow some people to do certain things like expressing themselves; it does not have to go that far. People can still have an enormous amount of self-expressing and creative genius with discipline still intact. People without discipline; especially self-discipline, will not help society move forward as a whole.
Throughout the Anticipation guide survey, question number thirteen greatly stuck out to me as it states, "Everyone is 'crazy' to some extent." I wholly agree with this statement because my perspective on the world is definitely different from those around me. Though it is natural of me to favor those or form friendly relationships with those who have similar ideas as me, I still believe calling someone crazy is simply a synonym for the word different. Often was is crazy is what is unusual or out of place in the eyes of the beholder. Maybe such an oddity is presumed unworthy of inclusion or maybe rather something to be admired. Another statement that stood out to me was, "Literature is losing its place." In my opinion, literature is not losing its place and never possibly could. Whether people realize it or not, literature is everywhere. After watching a good movie, viewers are often pleasantly surprised when they come to the news that the movie was in fact based off a book and of course that also is usually the reason why the movie was good in the first place. The stories that are told through whatever medium of art are still stories and literature is only stories in written form. As long as reading and writing stay a form of communication within our language it will not and cannot be lost.
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