"Never before did I realize that mental illness could have the aspect of power, power. Think of it: perhaps the more insane a man is, the more powerful he could become." - Harding More than any of the four books, this one approaches the issue of power head-on. Is the definition of "sanity" a function of power, with the largest group of people deciding how people can and cannot live? Cuckoo's Nest argues that this is often the case, as does this famous short poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by American writer Emily Dickinson, whom we'll study this year. See if you can make a connection between the book and the poem. (Note: I added the quotes around 'Madness' and 'Sense' to make her sarcasm in the first two lines clear. Also, "assent" and "demur" mean "agree" and "disagree.") Much 'Madness' is divinest Sense to a discerning Eye Much 'Sense,' the starkest Madness - ’Tis the Majority In this, as all, prevail - Assent - and you are sane Demur - you’re straightway dangerous - And handled with a Chain -
70 Comments
Abby Westgate
8/13/2013 06:14:22 am
Emily Dickinson's poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense," perfectly portrays each patient's struggle in the mental hospital of Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." In the mental ward of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," each patient must carefully obey the orders of Nurse Ratched. Of course, if her orders are disobeyed by a patient, there is always the threat/consequence of that patient receiving EST, (electric shock treatment), or as the Chief calls it, the “Shock Shop.” (Kesey 14). The disobeying patient could also be seen as dangerous, and moved to the Disturbed ward. "Assent- and you are sane....Demur- you're straightway dangerous- and handled with a chain," are lines in Dickinson's poem. Through these lines, Dickinson is saying that those who "assent" or agree with the rules are "sane," but those who "demur" or disagree with the rules are "straightway dangerous" (immediately considered dangerous), and are punished. Being sent to Disturbed after disagreeing with rules would be the part of Dickinson’s poem where these patients are seen as “straightway dangerous.” The patients of the ward are “handled with a chain” by being sent to EST.
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Liv Winnicki
9/4/2013 01:19:12 pm
Abby,all of your posts are so insightful - the connection you made really helped me make some connections I hadn't already made. The way that Dickinson and kesey both connect is through their pieces of literature that show the rule following people are sane and the rebels are th insane, when maybe rebels are need to make the insane,sane
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Emma Craven
9/8/2013 12:26:47 pm
I agree with Liv, Abby your posts are deep. The points you made comparing the poem and the book really helped open my eyes to some of the main points of the book. That Nurse Ratched could "treat" the patients as much as she wanted until they agreed with what she said, it's a scary thought to think about.
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Sarah Baker
8/27/2013 01:38:55 am
It seems all the books assigned for summer reading have a common variable of power as well as rules and borders; One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey as well as “Much Madness by Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickenson portray this idea further, depicting once again that those who go against authority are considered dangerous-even insane. In fact, the ideas of Freud, a philosopher of the mind, link up the meaning of the two literary works. Freud explains that the ID is the part of the mind that indulges their wants and does not consider nor care what is socially acceptable. On the contrary, the opposite part of the mind called the superego always does what is socially acceptable. Because it seems that “society decides who’s sane and who isn’t” (Kessey 48), it becomes vital to fit in. By going against society-or letting the inner ID take over- an individual would be are considered insane and “straightaway dangerous” (Dickenson). In order to be considered sane as well as be a functioning member of society, one must follow their super ego. They must do what is socially acceptable, not what they necessarily want to do. Ultimately, the two literary works prompted a decision. One option would be to choose the ID, to go against society, to “demur”, and to be considered insane. This is what McMurphy and the others chose when they went against the big Nurse. The other option is to choose the Superego, to be socially acceptable, to go with the majority and “assent”. By doing this the individual would be perfectly sane. But in the end, the decision makes that individual who they are.
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Abby Westgate
8/27/2013 04:27:48 am
Sarah, I love how you connected "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Much Madness is Divinest Sense", and Freud's ideas on the superego, ego, and id. I never thought to connect Dickenson's poem with Freud's philosophies. It was interesting how you interpreted "Demur - you’re straightway dangerous - And handled with a Chain" (you're considered insane) as what happens when one follows his or her id, and the line "Assent - and you are sane" as what happens when one follows his or her superego.
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Zack Sabat
9/3/2013 02:49:48 am
I agree with Abby, Sarah, I find your idea with the superego and the ID very interesting. You connected the ID to being the part of your mind that allows you to behave in a way that is not socially acceptable, and the superego to the part of your mind that that lets you behave in a way that is socially acceptable. I think that this idea is very relevant to todays society because a lot of people act very different in public life than in the privacy of their home.
Joe Ferguson
9/3/2013 03:30:31 am
I agree, as well. When looking at both the novel and the poem in relation to Freud's ideas, I find it especially interesting, because one can then truly see that the despite the ID being the more "natural" or "instinctive" than the superego, choosing the superego is thought of as more normal, simply because it always has been the most common choice.
Alexa DeAnna
8/27/2013 02:36:49 am
This was my favorite book out of the three that I read for this course and it seriously opened my eyes, especially when making a connection to Emily Dickinson's poem, "Much Madness is Divinest Sense". In Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", the patients of Big Nurse's, or Ms. Ratched's, ward were deemed "insane" because they couldn't conform to society, or just couldn't seem to fit into the mold society created. The patients were treated unkindly and were manipulated to believe that they weren't allowed or able to live in the "outside", as they called it, because they were different. A line from Emily Dickinson's poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" says, "Assent, and you are sane. Demur, you're straightway dangerous, and handled with a chain." What Emily is saying is agree with society, or the majority, and you're "sane". Disagree, and you're automatically deemed dangerous and punished. This line perfectly explains what the patients went through. They were different and disagreed with the conforms of society and were considered crazy and forced to live in a mental institution.
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Casey Judge
9/5/2013 12:27:28 am
Alexa, I like the point you brought up saying that if people don't fit the mold to society you could be considered insane. I 100% agree with this because you see this happening in society today. If someone acts different or what may be considered 'weird', people in this society think that person might be insane or have other problems. People in that ward may not have really been insane but they were just not fitting the mold shaped by society.
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Lauren O'Brien
9/6/2013 12:29:52 pm
I completely agree with what Alexa and Casey are saying. Unfortunately, their points are true in the case of which someone goes against the grain of society and marches to the beat of their own drum, they are ridiculed, and in the case of the novel, deemed "insane". Characters like McMurphy, for example, are not insane- they merely act different than what is socially acceptable. Because society can be lazy and fears change and contrast, they simply throw these types of people into a category and refuse to associate with or try and tolerate their attitudes.
Ava Merz
9/7/2013 11:06:44 pm
Casey, you brought up a great points! What is said to be "madness" is actually sanity when it is said by one with a perceptive eye. The majority has all the power. If you don't agree you are called "dangerous". When you disagree you lose your freedom the "chains of society". By simply disagreeing with the majority you are "not fitting the molded shape" as Casey said. But who really is fit and not fit? Society points at those who are different and puts them away. Would those who are different or those who judge really be the insane ones?
Emma Craven
9/8/2013 12:18:59 pm
I totally agree with you, Alexa. I liked how you included how they referred to Outside as some sort of horrific kind of thing because Nurse Ratched used their lack of knowledge to her advantage. I feel like you could put her poem into today's society as well, in some aspect. For example, people trying to fit the mold of society. I don't think you would necessarily be labeled insane in todays society, but you would definitely be looked down upon.
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Jazmin Graham
8/29/2013 01:19:06 am
In Emily Dickinson’s short poem, “Much Madness is Divinest Sense”, she explains that ‘madness’ makes complete sense to the most insightful people, while true sense is utter madness to the majority. Emily Dickinson’s poem exemplifies one of the main themes of Ken Kesey’s novel, “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest”. The theme being, society (the majority) will always use it’s power to destroy anyone who goes against it’s ideals. In “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest”, Ms.Ratched and The Staff created absurd rules for the patients; they must all play their games in the same room at the same time, they must wear a uniform approved by the staff, they must wake up, use the bathroom, and even watch the television at a certain time, and the patients are also closely monitored on who they bring into and out of the ward. McMurphy believed that these rules were degrading of the patient’s human rights, so he made every effort to rebel against Ms.Ratched and her rules. As a result of McMurphy’s “demur” to follow the rules, Ms.Ratched decided to handle McMurphy “with a chain”, in other words send him to the Shock Shop.
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Jack Navitsky
8/29/2013 03:26:59 am
The poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" directly relates to the actions of McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". I would equate sanity with freedom in this context. McMurphy, to avoid being sent to Pendleton work farm, engineers his way to the ward. He "assents" and has free reign of the ward. However he learns that Nurse Ratched has the power to detain him until she decides he is cured. When he learns this he "demurs" to try and reclaim his psychological freedom as the abuse grows. In his most pronounced demonstration of freedom, McMurphy tries to strangle Nurse Ratched. This is where McMurphy achieves true psychological freedom but not sanity in the way society (in this case the psych ward) would validate it. McMurphy dies for keeping up his fight for sanity because he will not "assent" to the power of Nurse Ratched. In the novel, sanity is a function of power. Nurse Ratched has the power and decides who is and who is not sane.
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Gene Rick
3/5/2014 10:07:18 am
While reading this, I couldn't help but wonder if our society functions in this manner as well. Wouldn't that be terrifying, if (in)sanity were to be determined by a person with power who posses a subjective viewpoint?
Zack Sabat
8/30/2013 02:57:28 am
Emily Dickinson's poem, "Much Madness is a Divinest Sense", mirrors the theme of Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In her poem, Dickinson’s message is that sanity is dependent on who is judging you. In Kesey's novel, Nurse Ratched has the power to judge whether a patient is sane or insane.
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Casey Judge
9/5/2013 12:13:59 am
Zack, I like your idea of sanity being dependent on who is judging you. That statement makes much sense in connection to both the poem and the novel. Also, the idea that at the end of the book the theme changes because you see what could potentially be insanity in the nurse heavily relates to what I wrote about the fact that maybe there is insanity in everyone.
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Hannah Christensen
9/5/2013 06:04:15 am
I agree with both Zack and Casey on this one. Of course society determines whether one is sane or not, however it varies depending on who is judging you. In "Much Madness," Emily Dickinson makes it seem like when one is insane, people (and society in general) may see them as being sane, and vice versa. However, in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey gives all of this power to one person, in this case, the nurse. I agree with the fact that being considered "sane" depends on the person or persons judging you.
Lauren O'Brien
9/6/2013 12:59:14 pm
I also agree with Zack and Casey. One's sanity definitely depends on who is deciding whether they are crazy or not; if an insane person is the judge, one would receive a very different opinion on their sanity than if a mentally stable person is examining them. That happens in society all the time- if someone considered "weird" is the evaluator, the person being judged may not seem strange or insane, rather than if a "normal" person is assessing another. I really like Zack's point about the end of the novel, as it does seem by the end Miss Ratched has gone mad.
Ava Merz
9/7/2013 11:14:28 pm
Zack, I also liked how you said "sanity is dependent on who is judging you." In the novel, Harding described how society judged different people by saying "the great, deadly, pointing forefinger of society was pointing at me- and the great voice of millions chanting 'Shame.Shame. Shame.' But, maybe the sane aren't really sane; the "insane" should be pointing at them saying "Shame. Shame. Shame."
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Joe Ferguson
8/30/2013 10:44:53 am
The poem “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson presents an idea that is quite insightful, especially when thought of in relation to the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. Dickinson’s poem focuses on the issue of sanity: what it actually is, and how being sane or insane according to societal ideas affects one’s power. The first two lines point out the fact that when observing what the majority of people consider sane or insane from an Archimedean point, one might find that what is usually perceived as being sane seems to be far more absurd than what is usually perceived as being insane; similarly, perhaps “Much Madness is divinest Sense” (Dickinson) when observed from a completely unbiased position. Therefore, sanity is a completely objective concept; however, because such a large majority of people agree about what is and is not sane, society has adopted this majority’s idea as a fact. This “fact” is the sole reason that places like the ward in Cuckoo’s Nest even exist. The patients of the ward are insane according to characters like Nurse Ratched and their conventional philosophies regarding sanity; for this reason, people like Chief Bromden can be, and are, stripped of their power and sent to somewhere resembling the ward in Cuckoo’s Nest. At the facility, the staff (in particular Nurse Ratched) uses a variety of methods to attempt to force the square pegs of the world into round holes. If patients “assent,” (Dickinson) then they may have a chance at leaving the facility. If they “demur,” (Dickinson) then they will be punished by those considered more sane than them. Overall, sanity is incontrovertibly a function of power, with those considered sane by most people wielding the greatest amount of power; however, simply because sanity is a function of power does not mean it should be.
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Alexa McTernan
8/31/2013 12:37:25 pm
On pages 60-61, Harding explains to McMurphy how the world belongs to the strong, using the rabbit and wolf example to portray the weak (the rabbits) and the superior character(s) in the book. Harding says, "The rabbits accept their role in the ritual and recognize the wolf as the strong." With that being said, Harding is classifying the Big Nurse as the wolf and everyone else that is below her in the mental hospital as the rabbits.
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Haley Watson
9/5/2013 07:28:04 am
Alexa, yes!! Also on page 60, Harding says to McMurphy, " This world... belongs to the strong my friend!The ritual of our existence is based on the strong getting stronger by devouring the weak." The head power of the ward belongs to Nurse Ratched. Using the wolf analogy, Nurse Ratched first ate the black aides, sucking them down into her system of control and using their nutrients as help. Next, the rabbits (the patients) went into her body, however, did not have the same nutritional value as the aides. They cause no damage to the wolf, until a certain red rabbit comes into the ward. By the end of the novel, the patients' say is more evident than Nurse Ratched's. Her existence has nearly dwindled to nothing.McMurphy lowered Nurse Ratched from the leader of the pack to just an underdog.
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Samantha Reynolds
9/1/2013 08:11:24 am
Emily Dickinson's poem "Much Madness by Divinest Sense" explains the concept of what goes on in the psychiatric hospital in Ken Kesey's book "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The patients in the ward must obey what Nurse Ratched say's, if not they are threatened to receive EST (Electric Shock Therapy) or be moved to the disturbed ward.
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Sophie Conti
9/6/2013 04:56:11 am
I agree Sam, by barging into the ward and disrupting and acknowledging the rules previously set by Nurse Ratched and accepted by the patients already living there, McMurphy was looked at as insane and dangerous.However, McMurphy was just trying to spark a little fun and even a laugh out of the patients, who he referred to as rabbits for following Nurse Ratched, or the wolf, without question. Nurse Ratched truly seemed to handle McMurphy with a "chain" by giving him various shock therapy and sending him up to the Disturbed ward in an attempt to derail his rebellion amongst the patients, all the while hiding her fear that he had to power to set his own rules of how the ward should be run.
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Nicole Ortiz
9/1/2013 09:59:25 am
Its interesting that such a short poem and an entire novel have the ability to convey the same idea. Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘Much Madness is Divinest Sense’ and Ken Kesey’s novel ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ both describe how there seems to be neat mold on people. The people who show that they broke that mold of similarity placed there by the majority, are questioned to be sane. People always say that our differences make us who we are, but many people in society try to change themselves or suppress a part of themselves to fit in. Some people like to think that the Majority’s opinion doesn't bother them, but they still act how they are wanted to around others. Its almost like humans are indecisive to whether they want to fit the mold of society or be entirely themselves.
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Jessie Brand
9/2/2013 03:22:13 am
When I first saw One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, I knew instantly it would be a very interesting story line, and it did not fail to amaze me. This book was such an easy read simply because of the topic at hand. The main theme that occurred to me was the destruction of society. I enjoyed the use of the fog machine as a symbol for a sort of blockage on our view of the world. Also, McMurphy was a great symbol of a savior as he seemed to make the fog that altered the vision of society to simply leave.
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Brian Chamberlain
9/6/2013 03:58:20 am
I thought it interesting that you used the word savior to describe McMurphy. I found a lot of religious references in the book. For example, the shock table was described as being in the shape of a cross. When McMurphy was put on it he asked, "Do I get a crown of thorns?" Also when McMurphy took the patients fishing it reminded me of the bible story where Jesus took his disciples fishing. In many ways, the men in the hospital became followers of McMurphy and for some he became their savior.
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Georgie Greenwald
9/8/2013 08:05:20 am
Jessie I agree! I did not think that much about the fog machine until after reading this! Also I like how you said McMurphy was a savior. McMurphy gave the patients the courage to stand up against The Nurse and be in control of their lives.
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Casey Judge
9/2/2013 04:20:03 am
Emily Dickinson's poem, "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" and Ken Kasey's novel, "One Flew Over The Cuckoos's Nest" both portray the sanity that everyone lacks. Dickinson's ending sentence, "You are straightway dangerous, and handled with a chain" introduces a chain of thoughts in my mind. To me it means that maybe everyone is insane, but we are handled with a chain (society). Society teaches us what it means to be normal, and that is being sane. In Ken Kasey's novel I think that same idea is illustrated. For example, McMurphy is in the mental hospital but some believe he is actually sane and that he wanted to be in the hospital to get out of his previous captivity, but it keeps being proven that he is insane anyway. What I think is that maybe he was sane, but maybe everybody, including him, is a little bit insane because events in our life lead us to it.
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Jazmin Graham
9/2/2013 02:25:35 pm
I love your idea on the possibility that everyone could be insane. I also like your thought that society could be the "chain" that handles us harshly. This is all really interesting.
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Michael Rice
9/3/2013 05:52:28 am
Out of the three books I read this one was the most interesting to read in my opinion, the last two parts were riveting and I couldn't put the book down. This book is a prime example of how one leader can spark an entire group of people. Ghandi sparked an entire nation to revolt, Martin Luther King sparked a race to stand up for themselves just like McMurphy led by example and showed the patients that Nurse Ratched did not have to oppress them and that they could be individuals with ideas and lives as well. All the patients needed was someone to show them the way, they needed someone to defy Nurse Ratched's power, show them that they are not mentally ill, and McMurphy was that person. This book truly proved how one man's words/actions can spark a whole group to stand up against oppression.
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Brandon Alvaro
9/6/2013 04:16:42 am
I agree with the comparisons with Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and McMurphy. I believe that Nurse Ratched represented the tyrant, or dictator, who controlled the patients in the hospital, like rulers did to thier people. McMurphy was the one who had to stand up for not just him, but the other patients who were getting treated poorly, and eventually many followed and, as a whole, practically overthrew Nurse Ratched.
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Michael Rice
9/3/2013 06:04:49 am
I also made a connection from the poem to the novel. In Emily Dickinson's poem I think she is saying how people who defy authority and go against the grain are considered dangerous. This idea also seems to be common in all of the summer reading books.
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Anna Bongiorno
9/3/2013 01:29:41 pm
In the poem, when the author states "you're straightway dangerous and handled with a chain" I immediately made the connection to One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and how the mentally disabled are treated as if they are nothing to the rest of society. Just like mcmurphy in cuckoos nest, the author of the poem, Emily Dickinson, says all are the same. This is a common theme in both pieces of literature becausebno matter what society is trying to provoke, no one group of people should have more power over another.
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Pat Monaghan
9/4/2013 05:02:16 am
The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest exhibits that the on goings in the asylum is really quite messed up. This was eminent the whole way through, with the fog during meetings, and the sleeping pills so as not to make the patients aware of what happens at night, and the eerie rule that everything has to be Therapeutic. However, one occurrence really made me think the running of the hospital was twisted and sick. This occurrence was on page 235 when Chief and McMurphy are called to the nurse’s station after their fight with the black boys. They arrive at the nurses station greeted with a cup of three red capsules each. McMurphy quickly figures out they are knock out pills. They later find out they are scheduled for EST. This struck me as odd because the Big Nurse was giving them Shock Therapy to try and teach them a lesson with pain and fear but the hospital offered them knock out pills before. If they were trying to teach them a lesson in fear and pain why would they give them something to sedate them so they couldn’t feel anything. Its almost as if they wanted them to go through shock therapy for their enjoyment not for any lesson the hospital was trying to teach them. How could the asylum teach them a lesson if they were out cold during it? Throughout the whole book the way the workers manipulate the patients is pretty twisted.
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Gabby Recalde
9/4/2013 02:26:28 pm
I one-hundred percent agree with you that the events taking place in the mental hospital are very messed up. Also, I was a bit confused on the fact that the hospital offers to sedate McMurphy and Cheif before their EST. Maybe it's just another mind-game designed to confuse the patients about whether shock therapy is actually therapy or torture.
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Abby Westgate
9/5/2013 02:19:07 am
Good point Pat, but I also think McMurphy and Chief were given the sedation pills before EST to show them that the Big Nurse had complete power over them. She showed them that she was able to give them pills to knock them out any time she wanted---even if it didn't make sense. She wanted them to know that she controlled their own bodies more than themselves. The pills were just another way for Nurse Ratched to lessen the already dwindling amount of power Chief and McMurphy had.
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Brian Chamberlain
9/8/2013 02:26:24 am
Pat, I have been thinking a lot about what you said about the red pills given before EST. I took it to mean that the nurse was letting them know that she controled their minds (with the EST) and their bodies (with the sleeping pills). Her power of them was complete. When Chief Bromden refused the pill he was saying that he would now be in control of his mind. It was one more step on his journey to recovery.
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liv winnicki
9/4/2013 01:11:50 pm
In Emily Dickinson's poem "much madness is divinest sense", in a simple interpretation she shows how people think madness or mentally ill are treated differently and as if they are "dangerous" and nothing to the world. In all the books I read, this theme was common that no one group of people is superior. That in a world of equality, peace could prevail. The superiority of another group only brings corruption.
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Alexandra Gavrilovic
9/8/2013 04:16:51 am
Liv, I like how you pulled inspiration from this book. When reading this novel i felt like one of the messages was that it only takes one person to change the world. McMurphy takes a huge risk by rebelling against Nurse Ratched. He didnt know if the results of this would be good or bad but he went for it. He did it, not for himself, but for the others in the hospital that he knew needed something to believe in. I also felt very inspired my this book.
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Gabby Recalde
9/4/2013 01:58:37 pm
I find that this poem by Emily Dickenson goes hand in hand with the main theme of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. That theme, in my eyes, would be the constant struggle for power between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched. Emily Dickenson’s, “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” perfectly describes this struggle. The first line in Dickenson’s poem, “Much 'Madness' is divinest Sense to a discerning Eye”, means, in relation to the book, that what by the majority, or Nurse Ratched, is considered madness actually turns out to make perfect sense to the perceptive minority, a.k.a., McMurphy. The poem continues, “Much 'Sense,' the starkest Madness- ’Tis the Majority- In this, as all, prevail.” In reading this portion of the poem I am reminded of Nurse Ratched’s authority. The “Big Nurse” is cruel to her patients and if they step out of the line she has drawn for them, she sends them to EST. Although this behavior can be considered mad by many, it makes sense to her. Nurse Ratched’s authority gives her the power of the majority and so, she keeps her position and prevails. The last two lines of the poem read, “Assent- and you are sane-Demur- you're straightway dangerous- and handled with a chain.” I find the representation of these words in relation to the novel easy to grasp. Submit, or “assent”, to the “Big Nurse’s” rules and you will be deemed sane and spared from “therapy”. However, if you do not abide by Ratched’s regulations, or “demur”, you will be sent to EST and ultimately suffer lobotomy. These punishments symbolize being handled with a chain. I tried to imagine life as a mental patient in this same hospital, and I realized something. In that situation, whether you follow the rules or not, you would never be without a chain. Living under the rule of Ratched and fear is no less of a chain than the punishment undergone for letting go of that fear and standing up for what is right. There are only two ways to break that chain: escape like Chief, or die with dignity like McMurphy. Lastly, it is the breaking of those chains that causes the “Big Nurse” to lose the struggle for power. This battle is won by McMurphy but could never be won without Chief Bromden.
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Gabby Recalde
9/4/2013 02:01:09 pm
I just realized I spelled Dickinson wrong. Sorry!
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Shannon Burke
9/5/2013 12:44:41 am
When I first read Dickinson poem, “Much Madness is Divinest Sense”, I immediately connected the line “Demur-you’re straightway dangerous- and handled with a chain” to One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, by Ken Kessey. To me, Dickinson’s line means that if you disagree with the mass majority’s decision, you are instantly labeled different and judged harshly due to your views. This is exactly like One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest because the men who were placed inside the ward are considered insane. But who is the one to determine one’s sanity? What really deems one’s level of saneness? You and I have different definitions of what insanity means. How is one to deem a person’s insanity and ship them off to a mental ward, without zooming out to a more broad perspective and not just focusing on their sole opinion?
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Samantha Havens
9/7/2013 09:49:47 am
Shannon, I completely agree with what you had to say. This post brought so much new insight and questions of life into my head. It is true, there is no definition of sanity because we all think differently of what it truly is.
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Georgie Greenwald
9/8/2013 07:55:19 am
Shannon I really liked this! Your right by saying who determines ones sanity. We are quick to judge the human race without taking the time to learn who they are. Instead of removing them from society and grouping them with the other "insane" people, we should take the time and see if they have anything to offer for the rest of the world.
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Jack Navitsky
9/5/2013 04:58:40 am
The common theme between the novel and the poem is that if one agrees and never questions they can live a "free" life. But at what price is freedom. Knowledge is power. Our society thrives on differences of opinion. That is how rationale decisions are made in a free society. Debate leads to thought. Questions need to be asked when one does not agree.
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Haley Watson
9/5/2013 07:52:33 am
Jack, I agree, yet disagree, with your opinion of the common theme between the novel and novel.I agree with your thoughts on knowledge and debate, however,does the assent majority really have a "free" life? For example, Bromden in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest may not be watched as closely as strong-minded as McMurphy, but is he really free?He is still trapped inside Nurse Ratched's tyrannical maze.In his "free" life, he acts deaf. I beleive if an individual is truly free, one does not choose to ignore the world that surrounds him entirely. In the beginning of the novel, it looks as if Bromden will never find the exit in the maze. Under McMurphy's influence, Bromden begins to stop making the wrong turns and hitting dead ends. At the end, he has finally escaped Nurse Ratched's maze.
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Haley Watson
9/5/2013 07:54:07 am
oopsy!
Brian Chamberlain
9/6/2013 03:28:22 am
In the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, a quote that stuck out to me is when a doctor said, "He Who Marches Out of Step Hears Another Drum" (page 133). It made me think of the way an army marches in sync to a drum beat. If you are off step, you are doing something wrong. In reality, you might just be hearing something different than the others. Being "out of step" doesn't necessarily mean you are insane. You could even extend the idea and see the person as an individual who does not follow the status quo. Emily Dickinson's poem "Much Madness is divinest Sense" ties into the quote. She talks about people who do not conform. They are seen as being insane. I think in reality some of them might just be hearing a different drummer's beat.
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Brandon Alvaro
9/6/2013 04:11:12 am
I agree 100% that, out of all four books, this book encounters the issue of power head on. In Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", all I thought about as I read is are these people really insane, or just mishaps in life that society refuses to accept. In Emily Dickinson's short poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense", the line "In this, as all, prevail - Assent - and you are sane" decribes that if one agrees with the general society, they are sane and normal. Nothing crazy about agreeing with others and thinking as normal poeple would. Or so they say. Then the line "Demur - you’re straightway dangerous - And handled with a Chain -" describes the contrar, that if one disagrees with society, they are considered a "flaw". If one thinks differently from the rest, they are assumed to be a mistake, and is put away becuase they are unfit for society. Of course this is a bit of an exaggeration, but this point is what they poem and the book is trying to get across. What makes a person any different from anybody else, even if they are slightly "off"? Maybe with the more power one has, the less sanity that comes with it. Or maybe the more power one recieves, the more sanity one loses. These are all ideas brought up by Ken Kesey and Emily Dickinson, who think differently of what everybody else might. That only leaves one with a final question. Who really are the insane ones? It might not be the ones in the asylum, but the ones who rule our world.
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Sophie Conti
9/6/2013 04:49:09 am
Emily Dickinson's short poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" adequately portrays the issue of power displayed in Ken Kesey's novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". In the novel, Nurse Ratched has complete power and control over the ward and the patients who live in it; she creates the rules and sees to it that they are enforced with help from the black boys. Nurse Ratched decides who is insane or not, and also who is ready to fit back into the society in which they were deemed insane. Nurse Ratched believes that her decisions are final and right, and that by agreeing with her and following the rules she sets, you are accepted by society. The poem's line "In this, as all, prevail-Assent-and you are sane" perfectly agrees with this; if you are a dutiful patient you will avoid the shock therapy and being sent up to the Disturbed ward and eventually be released back into a society that will accept you now that you are "sane". However, if you go against the rules and pre-existing order of the ward, like the protagonist in the novel, McMurphy, then you will face problems and will be looked at as "insane." This refers to another line in Emily Dickinson's poem-"Demur-you're straightaway dangerous-And handled with a Chain-"; in other words, if you go against the rules that Nurse Ratched and society sets, you are even considered a flaw in society. All in all, the insane or even dangerous are being portrayed as just those who go against the rules society sets, when really they want to create a new, more accepting world.
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Jon Nielsen
9/6/2013 08:26:37 am
In the novel, I find it extremely interesting that while Bromden went about narrating the story, it didn't seem like he had a mental illness at all. Even though he has been instated in a psychiatric ward, the gateway into Bromdens's mind brought to us by Ken Kesey through reading his narration allows us to create a bond with Bromden, seeing him as a regular person. I believe that If we would have read the narration through, for example, Billy Bibbit's point of view (Rest in peace), then we would have thought he was just a guy with nothing wrong with him as well. If we somehow applied this tactic to real world psychiatric patients, we could do many things a lot better.
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Lauren O'Brien
9/6/2013 12:46:07 pm
The novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey reminds me a lot of high school: Big Nurse, or Miss Ratched, symbolizes the most popular girl in school, as she is the antagonist. The aides symbolize the posse which follows around the popular girl- they secretly fear her, so they obey her every word. Randle McMurphy reminds me of a new student in the school who is confident in themselves and does not agree with the ideas of the "Queen Bee" of the school, so naturally there is conflict. However, since McMurphy stands up for his beliefs, others realize he is correct and join his side of the argument. And, as a common theme in literature of good triumphs over evil, McMurphy's army of followers and the rights they are fighting for prevail. Going along with the poem "Much Madness Is Divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson, it is the epitome of the novel's idea about society, as “Assent - and you are sane.
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Gabby Recalde
9/6/2013 10:20:55 pm
Lauren, I love how you've compared the novel to an everyday high school! While these seem to be two completely different things, they turn out to have a lot of similarities. I would like to add on to your comparison by saying that Chief would be one of the popular girl's closest friends. This is because, at the beginning of the book, he stays quiet about all that he witnesses because he is scared of what the popular girl will do to his reputation. A ruined reputation might symbolize EST or lobotomy. As he starts talking to the new kid, McMurphy, he starts to open up his mind. he gains confidence to stand for what is right. McMurphy's lobotomy, his ruined reputation, is from trying to kill Ratched, or stand up to the new girl. Finally, I interpret Chief smothering McMurphy and escaping as standing up for him and leaving the popular girl's group to ultimately be a happier person. Like I said, I really love this idea and it really sparked my interest!
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Gabby Recalde
9/6/2013 10:22:53 pm
...stand up the the popular girl*
Bridget Kelly
9/7/2013 11:15:47 am
You made a really great analogy between the asylum and high school. I definitely see the nurse and her aides as being queen bee figures. The novel really does open the reader's eyes to the idea that society is a system of leaders and followers, where many hold back from speaking their minds just to go with the crowd. In the end, what one different person thinks may not be incorrect, rather just different, and unique from the ordinary.
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Alexandra Gavrilovic
9/7/2013 02:39:37 am
In "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" Emily Dickensen speaks about her feelings on society. She is saying that the people we consider mad are actually the most sane. They are just the ones that are different and speak there minds. McMurphy is the perfect example of this in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey. Although he is put into a hospital for the mentally ill he believes he is the most sane in the building. Like Dickinson McMurphy believed that you shouldn't be told if you are mad or not based on someone else's opinion of what sane is. When Dickinson says"assent-and you are sane-Demur-and you're straightaway dangerous" it reminded me of how the patients were treated in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". If you agreed with what Nurse Ratched said you would have no problems, but i you dared to challenge her you were considered dangerous and punished. Everything that Nurse Ratched said was law because she was in charge. what Dickinson questions in her poem is whether or not the people in our societies that are "in charge" are sane themselves.
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Michelle Andia
9/7/2013 04:26:06 am
The connection i made was really between followers and leaders. All humans are either leaders or followers. Nurse Ratchet took her power and used it to keep her control since her patients could not fight back. They didn't have the confidence or faith that they could make a difference. The way McMurphy lead the patients also shows how power brings out your true colors. Ratchet took advantage for her own sick game, where as McMurphy tried to do his best to save the people who followed him.
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Bridget Kelly
9/7/2013 11:21:37 am
I can for sure see how the author uses the nurse as an example of a leader, who builds power by brainwashing people to believe that their way is the "right" way. When in turn, they are leading an army of people who do not even open their minds to the different possibilities and opportunities. In the world today, when someone with a new idea or belief break away from the swarm of followers, they are immediately viewed as thinking incorrectly, or even insanely. However, as you said with McMurphy, they are only trying to save those caught up in the leader.
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Ava Merz
9/7/2013 07:27:48 am
In the novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" I thought of how fear motivates conformity. Some patients are afraid of their own freedom! They have a desire to be conformed. It's makes them feel safe. This fear of individuality leads to the desire of mental slavery. Some patients say they don't mind the fog machine or the shock treatment. The fog machine helps them escape and "hide." The shock treatment makes people forget memories and worries. Ms. Ratched is scaring the patients, and this is her devious way of conforming or controlling them.
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Jessica Auriemma
9/8/2013 10:30:31 am
Ava, I like how you pointed out that the patients found comfort in their loss of freedom. I agree with you completely. After reading this novel I realized more and more how people would rather be comfortable and accepted than challenge authority and defy the rules. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "fear of individuality leads to the desire of mental slavery". This statement really resinated with me. It sums up one of the main ideas of Cuckoo's Nest and also the way you phrased it is very powerful.
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Ava Merz
9/7/2013 09:05:41 am
A man named Norman O. Brown once said, "The boundary line between self and external world bears no relation to reality; the distinction between ego and world is made by spitting out part of the inside, and swallowing part of the outside." In the ward, the patients used the words "inside" and "outside." "Inside" was the hospital itself, and "outside" was the world outside of the hospital. Ms. Ratched said to the patients "Our intention is to make this as much like your own democratic, free neighborhood as possible." This is ironic, because the Outside isn't a democratic, free neighborhood. Everyone thinks, acts and judges the same. Are these people really normal? Ms. Ratched also said "The goal of Therapuetic Community is a democratic ward, run completely by the patients and their votes working toward making worth-while citizens to turn back Outside onto the street." As we know that is absolutely false. All of this information makes me think to myself, who is more sane, the INSIDE or the OUTSIDE? We know that the people in the ward have mental problems and are judged for that, but what about the people who are judging them and putting them to shame. When the outside world sees someone different they point their finger at them and blame them. It's society's way of dealing with someone "different."
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Grace Giffen
9/7/2013 10:58:55 am
When reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it appeared to me that the book may be an extended metaphor for the importance of individuality and humanity in a society. The people of the Combine are almost dehumanized by the forced sameness established by Nurse Ratched. During World War II, people were attacked with similar methods. These methods brought easier control to Leaders during World War II, and also to Nurse Ratched in the novel. This then connects with a poem written by Emily Dickinson, "Much Madness is Divinest Sense". I find that in her poem Emily Dickinson reveals that mad individuals would create more of a diverse and overall stable society than would be created by people who share sameness. The uniqueness in Chief Bromden throughout the story is proof to the overall importance of individuality.
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Bridget Kelly
9/7/2013 11:11:40 am
The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is set inside an insane asylum, filled with those deemed as "insane." However, people inside the ward are determined "insane" and are given a level of insanity from the Big Nurse, who is portrayed as a villain type character in novel, even though a nurse should be the "good guy." Therefore, many of the nurse's actions towards the insane characters seem harsh and unfair. Sometimes, it seemed as though the nurse was giving out punishment for her own pleasure. This being said, certain scenarios make one question what the true definition of "insane" is. Just because one nurse deems the way someone lives or thinks as being "insane," does it give them a right to put the insane into an asylum? When reading in-between the lines, the story challenges one to look at their everyday actions and thoughts; could what society define as "normal" really be quite "insane?" This hidden meaning behind Kesey's words seems to be meant for people today to take to heart, and reevaluate how they judge others. One will often call clothing others wear "weird," just as the nurse viewed the men as being "insane,” when really they are just different. But if something is normal to one and "weird" to another, wouldn't everyone’s' definitions of sanity be totally different?
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Alexandra Gavrilovic
9/8/2013 03:56:05 am
I agree with what you are saying Bridget, I also felt that in a way Emily Dickinson was also questioning what is insane and what isnt. In addition, who we allow to judge the various levels of insanity. I like how you compared it to how we all often judge peoples clothes. Different people can have completely different opinions on simple things like clothing. So we cant really know for sure how accurate the label of an "insane" person really is.
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Samantha Quinn
9/8/2013 02:05:26 am
The novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest written by Ken Kesey can easily be related to "Much Madness is Divinest Sense", a poem written by Emily Dickinson. The poem is saying how everyone is crazy, some more than others. Patients in Cuckoo's Nest are in the mental hospital because they are deemed as crazy. All the men are at different levels of sanity, Chief being the most sane as he pretended not to speak or hear. On the other hand McMurphy was a handful creating new ways to test the Big Nurse's patience and the others would go along with his mad plans. The staff saw them as the same; classified as insane when in reality their sanity or insanity sets them apart.
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Jessica Auriemma
9/8/2013 10:24:38 am
In many ways Emily Dickinson’s Much Madness is Divinest Sense describes how the characters wound up in the mental hospital in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The people in the hospital have a different perspective from the majority therefore they are “handled with a chain”. Both passages discuss how normalcy is never clearly defined but rather made up based off of the most popular opinions in society. The few who challenge these ideas are seen as outsiders; a minority that poses a threat to society as people know it. To stop the individuals who see things differently, they are shut out from other and hidden away. Emily Dickinson discusses how one must pretend to agree in order to be deemed acceptable. In Kesey’s novel, the patients were unable to camouflage what made them different and where thrown into an asylum. When Emily Dickinson states, “’Tis the majority in this, as all, prevail” I immediately think of Nurse Ratched. She symbolizes how the majority thinks and tries to mold those labeled “insane” to fit her standards. Even if they are resistant, she will keep at it until she succeeds; until she “prevails”. Both works challenge the idea of sanity. These pieces both made me question normalcy and sanity. I can truthfully say that after reading this novel and poem I have gained a new perspective on society and have learned to question more of the things I was so accustomed to before.
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Emma Craven
9/8/2013 12:10:54 pm
The short poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" by American writer Emily Dickinson very much relates to the patients in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesy. I noticed, in the novel, that as soon as McMurphy started rebelling against her and asking questions, Nurse Ratched was quick to label him insane. On the other hand, the three black boys went along with her rules and obeyed her and were not treated or medicated because they were labeled sane.
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Hannahrose Wallis
9/8/2013 01:17:20 pm
In "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" all the patients were said to be insane, without really describing what was so "insane" about them. It seemed as though the only thing wrong with them, was that they were outcasts to society. Ken Kesey did an amazing job showing a dictatorship inside the ward. Nurse Ratched ran everything and even played the patients against each other. This goes to show that she is the sick one, just like all the staff working in the ward. hey used patients as test subjects to try out their latest inventions. If it were up to me, I'd say the staff was more insane then the actual patients.
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