Dear all,
For Thursday, please read from p.24 to p.37.
Write a journal entry on why these divisions in the structure yet still part of Part 1 of the novel. Reflect on the reasons of this structure and the effects on the reader, you.
Please post your entry on the website AND aim to respond to one post at least in a constructive way. For example, your response could be, "I love what you said about...."; or, "How did you get that feeling of....?"; or, "I didn't see that but now it's making me think. How about....?"
Thank you.
Mrs Gougeon
PS: It is difficult to give you guidelines as to how long your entries should be but bear in mind that some will be shorter or longer than others. Since this process (publishing on the website) implies it is done publicly, do not feel intimidated nor pushed. It is up to you to get as much, or as little, out of these journal entries. This is not a comparative exercise, it's a platform to read, think and share opinions.
For Thursday, please read from p.24 to p.37.
Write a journal entry on why these divisions in the structure yet still part of Part 1 of the novel. Reflect on the reasons of this structure and the effects on the reader, you.
Please post your entry on the website AND aim to respond to one post at least in a constructive way. For example, your response could be, "I love what you said about...."; or, "How did you get that feeling of....?"; or, "I didn't see that but now it's making me think. How about....?"
Thank you.
Mrs Gougeon
PS: It is difficult to give you guidelines as to how long your entries should be but bear in mind that some will be shorter or longer than others. Since this process (publishing on the website) implies it is done publicly, do not feel intimidated nor pushed. It is up to you to get as much, or as little, out of these journal entries. This is not a comparative exercise, it's a platform to read, think and share opinions.
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ReplyDelete(Page 37) “And, like I explain, the Big Nurse gets real put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smooth.”
ReplyDeleteThe phrase I picked tells us about the character of Nurse Ratched as well as gives us an indication of the setting and atmosphere in the institution. I selected this quote as although it is one quote it not only allows us to create a perfect image of Nurse Ratched and her character but also gives us insight as to how she runs the hospital. The focus of this quote is both character development as well as development of the atmosphere. These focuses are developed through the use of descriptions and narrative voice. Nurse Ratched comes off as a very put together person who is very strict and robotic we receive these impressions through the description of her from Chief Bromden. By describing her as someone “that gets put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smoothly” does not literally mean what it says, the message given off from this description informs us that she likes to have everything under her control and does not like anyone or anything getting in the way of her schedule. From this quote we understand that she runs the institution with rigid rules and does not tolerate any nuisances. The description “outfit from running smoothly” showcases this and informs us that she does not withstand any hiccups in the running of the institution. As the book is written in 1st person and from the point of view of Chief Bromden, we envision Nurse Ratched from the point of view of a patient and therefore we can see that she is perceived to be a very intimidating and a hair-raising character towards other people. As we understand the ways in which she runs the hospital the atmosphere develops and is seen as a very mechanical, controlling and trapped atmosphere, this is created through the use of the characterisation of Nurse Ratched.
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DeleteHey Alessia, I think this journal entry should have been about the structure of the book and not like the usual ones we have done before...
Deleteyes i know, i already spoke to her about it
DeleteFirstly, this book is divided into four parts. Within each part there are divisions, which are not referred to as chapters, but nonetheless are differentiated by short breaks. I believe the reason behind the use of this structure is to allow readers to experience both ‘the expected’, and ‘the unexpected’, which engages the readers. Having a few parts in a book is commonly done by many authors, and it’s used to summarise and categorise plots. This makes the progressions of the plots (Situation – Conflict – Solution – Conclusion?) throughout the book obvious for the readers – the expected. Being broken down into parts also allows readers to have a specific focus per part, and continuity/flow of reading throughout a part. On the other hand, the divisions within each part act as breaks of the continuity for the readers. Although still adhering to the main focus of the part, these divisions allows the readers to not only process and reflect all the knowledge gained from the previous division, but also motivate readers to continue on reading to learn what is to happen next – the unexpected. To conclude, I believe this structure encourages readers to look forward to following plots and have short breaks which also make reference to specific areas of the book easier for readers.
ReplyDeleteThe reason why these divisions are still of part I is because the writer is trying to establish the day to day schedule of the ward and mannerisms of the nurse. The purpose of this structure I believe is to set the context and to give the story a more developed backdrop. As a result, the reader begins to understand the underlying reasons behind the Chief's character and to give what may seem as bizarre behaviour a justification.
ReplyDeleteI love it!
DeleteI think the reason why these divisions are still in Part 1 is because this part still establishes the mental hospital setting. It also still introduces the patients and the staff and it begins to develop the main theme and the conflict of the novel itself.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason there are divisions in the act, may represent the atmosphere or schedule of the institution, how it is on going and there are no breaks. Everything about the institution, as described by Chief, is seen to be machine like. Machines are known to be on going, without change and to do the things they are programmed to do. Which is how the Big Nurse is described to be like, any change from her regulations will make her twitch and would have to be sorted out. The days in the institution are a cycle and it is the same thing over and over as described in the second chapter by the narrator.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting interpretation. The idea of the book continuously moving like the automation of machinery makes sense considering this is a recurring image Bromden sees. Naturally it may be possible that his entire mind works like this.
DeleteThe separations in the text are quite common so far in Part 1. I believe that they signify the changing of topic and therefore an alteration in the narrator’s train of though. As the narrator, Chief Bromden is most likely schizophrenic but definitely mentally ill the reader understands the sudden jumps to new, unrelated topics. For example, in one of the divisions, before the narrator was going on about McMurphy and his entrance and after the gap the scene changes from in the day room to the Nurse’s station where the Big Nurse and a smaller nurse are discussing McMurphy and then, after another gap, Bromden goes on to discuss to the workings of the Big Nurse. There are smaller and larger separations throughout and I believe the larger separations convey a change of scene as if in a play or movie, as if the narrator was retelling it so the reader can specifically picture and process everything just as he is. The effect this has on the reader is that of entertainment as it will never be dull because as soon as the narrator thinks of something else or gets bored, the topic or setting or characters change. Therefore, I believe these separations in the text are vital for character understanding of the main and minor characters as well as and especially the understanding of Chief Bromden, the narrator and his inner workings and mental condition.
ReplyDeleteThroughout part 1 having the text being sectioned is seen quite a lot and in my point of view I think it is more reasonable. They sort of act like chapters but they basically just follow on from the last section. It gives a break for the reader and gives them time to process what has happened as their is quite a lot of content within each one. It's sort of strange to not have any chapters and in my thought it's to represent how the mental asylum isn't all that perfect and neither are the people in it. Aswell it could be to get the reader more interested, as with some readers they keep looking for the next chapter number where in One flew over the cuckoos nest I found myself carrying on and not constantly looking at the next page. I agree with Jeffrey on how they could represent the movement of the machines. Machines are mostly always running by a main person and that person could be Chief Bromden's brain.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the structure of the text reflects the mental state of Chief Bromden and because it is not in chapters we get a better understanding of the setting and the people around it. However another reason could be that it puts the reader in the same state of mind or mood as Chief Bromden, and by doing this the writer has given us a better understanding of the text and the complex characters in the story.
ReplyDeleteThe reason of the divisions is Kesey's way of defining the characters and how Chief views the society. It's an interesting introductory way for the readers to get to know the characters and by having these divisions, it makes it easier for the readers to identify the characters. Additionally, it's another way to demonstrate the setting of the book.
ReplyDeleteIn One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest the book uses divisions of paragraphs instead of separate chapters. The reason for this may be to create a surreal and strange atmosphere that reflects the perspective which is seen from the eyes of the mentally ill. For example when Bromden is captured so that a "machine" can be put on him, he wakes up a couple minutes later with no recollection in the next "chapter" (division). Normally, there would be a chapter separating these two different events. However the lack of chapters means the two are blended together in a mess. Mentally ill people tend to see the world as such as their minds do not function like ours. Therefore the way they perceive events may like the way these chapters are separated; they aren't. The author did this so that the reader may find it easier to see through the eyes of the protagonist Chief Bromden, thus increasing their empathy with him.
ReplyDeleteThe divisions in the structure of the book in part 1 of the novel represents the ongoing routine at the mental hospital and how everything is restricted to the fixed time. Also, it portrays how there are so many different activities in a day at the hospital. This may be because the big nurse is in control and “…gets real put out if anything keeps her outfit from running smooth.” This gives the readers a dreary feeling which helps us understand what it feels like to be staying at the mental hospital.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the different division provides the different perspectives of Chief Bromden, due to the mental instability of the narrator. This allows the author to make the reader adventure through the mind of a mentally challenged patient changing our mind process and mood to suit the ones of the book, where we won’t fully realize the difference between lucidity and hallucinations and not knowing how to truly feel about the different situations in the book. This gives us a better understanding of the characters and text so we can read the book for its true message.
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