Outline For One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

In 1962, Ken Kesey shook Americans across the nation with his book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The novel expresses such things as nonconformity, rebellion, freedom of the mind and the hardships of having a mental illness. It also challenges many levels of reality and social norms, such as glorifying corrupt juveniles, criminal activity, and depicting images of violence.
• Opening sentence – in 1962, Ken Kesey shook Americans across the nation with his book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Under scrutiny since publication and has been unjustly put on the ban list.
• Thesis – novel challenges many levels of reality and social norms, such as glorifying corrupt juveniles, criminal activity, and depicting images of violence. Novel expresses

nonconformity, rebellion, freedom of mind, and hardships of having mental illnesses (shorten) talk about it in historical context
• Theme – novel illustrates controversial topics in society as triumphant and was therefore banned
Middle
• topic sentence – parents were afraid about glorified criminal activity (murder, prostitution, obscenity); images of violence depicted as “awesome”
• argument – parents wanted alternative books that will teach "good morals and values with heroes." Experts and other parents agree that children are easily influenced by what they are exposed to, but they say that is what makes proper education about controversial issues all the more important.

"It's not part of the values and morals you want them to hold, but they need to be prepared. residents feared that the easily influenced minds of teens reading the novel would be corrupted by the violence they read. However, it is because the minds of teens are easily influenced that this story should be taught. With the proper education of controversial materials, students can better understand the lessons taught in books for future reference in their own

lives.
• evidence - Based on information garnered during one of the group's weekly therapy sessions, the reader discovers that after several years at a prison work farm, McMurphy has decided to feign mental illness in order to escape further rigors. The same attributes that originally landed him in jail—a history of street brawls, arrests for drunkenness, and repeated offenses for gambling—now make him a hero among the other patients .He realizes that by succumbing to Nurse Ratched, he is denying hope to the others who need it. So in a conscious display against her authority, he smashes his hand through the glass window of the Nurse's Station, ostensibly to retrieve his cigarettes. According to Banned Book Awareness, in 1974, residents of a small town in Ohio sued to have this book removed from the public school curriculum. Throughout the novel, there are displays of sexual desires and actions based on these desires. The town’s residents deemed the book pornographic. Although sex is present in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, it is neither the main focus, nor is it overly emphasized. Rather than actually describing sexual moments, Kesey refers to these activities strictly through innuendos.
• Source – Literature resource center, LA Times, NEHS
Middle
• topic sentence – adults concerned about youth rebellion
• argument – novel teaches youth to think for themselves and stand up for beliefs. Change begins with you.
• evidence - When the two agitators reemerge from the Disturbed Ward following their treatments, they are met with a hero's welcome. In honor of their return, a clandestine party is planned. Controversial issues such as civil rights came to the forefront, inspiring more and more young Americans to question those in power. Expressing themselves through discussion, art, and nonviolent action, they formed a subgroup in American society that historians would term the counterculture.
• Source – Literature Resource Center
Middle
• topic sentence - conformity; adults worried youth would not fall in line
• argument – novel exposes mcmurphy as symbol against conformity. You should be able to do things in free spirit. It teaches how very easy it is to smother somebody. The focus of this book is not on criminal, sexual, or other inappropriate activities; the focus is on finding one's self, following true role models, and choosing to live despite harsh conditions. The novel constantly refers to authorities that control individuals through subtle and coercive methods.
• evidence - McMurphy does not discriminate; in his mind, he is a free spirit unwilling to adapt to the rules and orders set forth by others.

A perfect example of McMurphy's propensity to question authority occurs when he decides to brush his teeth one morning before the designated time. During the latter half of the 1950s, many of the nation's younger generation began to challenge symbols of conformity. In their eyes, the ward policies that confined McMurphy seemed remarkably similar to the ubiquitous presence of the American legal system, while the authoritarian Nurse Ratched personified the power and control exhibited by large agencies, both in government and in

business.
• source – Literature Resource Center, banned books awareness
Middle
• topic sentence – expresses cruelties faced by mental patients in institutions
• argument – use of drugs, electroshock therapy, and psychosurgery were commonly used to treat the ill. the book gave her insight into mental institutions.
• Evidence - Synthesized in France in 1950, chlorpromazine was originally produced during work with antihistamines and was subsequently used in anesthesia. Two years later, however, doctors discovered that the same drug could be used as a tranquilizer to assuage worry or control hallucinations and delusions. In 1937 two Italian psychiatrists thought to apply an electrical charge directly to the brain, a procedure that would later be known as electroshock therapy. ECT continues to be regarded by some as one of the more barbaric forms of legal medical procedures in the modern age. A third mode of treatment, and by far the most controversial, is the destruction of certain cells or fibers in the brain through surgical measures. At the onset, this technique was labeled a “lobotomy” because it required the removal of the frontal lobe of the brain. The first lobotomy on record was performed in the United States in 1936 by Dr. Walter Freeman. While in the shower, the orderlies take particular delight in harassing George, a delusional patient constantly worried about his cleanliness.
• Source – Literature Resource Center, LA Times
Conclusion
• repeat thesis – OFOTCN dares to defy pretty images set up to cover harsh truths. Novel voices wicked youth, criminal activity, harsh treatment of the mentally ill and much more.
• response to thesis question – OFOTCN shouldn’t be banned, society’s youth has the right and freedom to learn reality.
• importance of research – OFOTCN conveys many important messages such as breaking away from physical limitations, making hard choices, and forming friendships in difficult places. Reveals what’s going on behind the curtains.

Use MLA format for citation
4 – 6 pages
5-7 sources (4 peer reviewed books or journals)
• Have response to research question
• Support answer with strong arguments and arguments with strong evidence
• Make essay clear for reader
• Appropriately cite sources – work cited page - yes
• Integrate sources
• Demonstrate effective “close reading”
• Have cohesive structure that demonstrates relationships between key ideas
• Have clear topic sentences that relate to paragraph