Language of One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest
The Language and Structure of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’
Some ideas of how to address the following criteria * Well-developed discussion and sound analysis of the structures, features and conventions used by the author to construct meaning * Considered selection and use of significant textual evidence and highly appropriate use of relevant metalanguage to support analysis
Things to think about
Structure
* 1st person narration – allows the reader to see and explore the ward/institution from the Chief’s point of view. Chief’s language and descriptions are ambiguous; this creates confusion in the reader and emphasises the confusion, paranoia, fear and uncertainty experienced by the characters in the hospital. Chief’s schizophrenic state of mind and medicated condition is demonstrated through the repeated motif in his narrative of the fog. Chief tells the reader ‘...the fog clears to where I can see...’ * Trusting the narrator – Kesey makes it difficult to trust the narrative provided by Chief; he informs the reader that, ‘...it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen’. How can the reader put faith in a text that implies the narrator may have got it wrong? It is difficult to suspend belief and trust someone who is reflecting on their time in a psychiatric hospital. * The novel is divided into four large parts. Each part is divided into further smaller pieces. This represents the fractured mind-set of the characters in the ward. The reader receives glimpses of what occurs on the ward. Robbing the novel of chapters ensures that each part doesn’t have a clear identity; it also represents the lives of the patients – moments that bleed into each other without clear definition/boundaries. Their life feels splintered. * The line, ‘They’re out there. Black boys in white suits...’ is repeated in the text. It is the opening line of the novel and occurs again towards the end. Does this suggest hopelessness? Is there any escape? Is the Chief going
Some ideas of how to address the following criteria * Well-developed discussion and sound analysis of the structures, features and conventions used by the author to construct meaning * Considered selection and use of significant textual evidence and highly appropriate use of relevant metalanguage to support analysis
Things to think about
Structure
* 1st person narration – allows the reader to see and explore the ward/institution from the Chief’s point of view. Chief’s language and descriptions are ambiguous; this creates confusion in the reader and emphasises the confusion, paranoia, fear and uncertainty experienced by the characters in the hospital. Chief’s schizophrenic state of mind and medicated condition is demonstrated through the repeated motif in his narrative of the fog. Chief tells the reader ‘...the fog clears to where I can see...’ * Trusting the narrator – Kesey makes it difficult to trust the narrative provided by Chief; he informs the reader that, ‘...it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen’. How can the reader put faith in a text that implies the narrator may have got it wrong? It is difficult to suspend belief and trust someone who is reflecting on their time in a psychiatric hospital. * The novel is divided into four large parts. Each part is divided into further smaller pieces. This represents the fractured mind-set of the characters in the ward. The reader receives glimpses of what occurs on the ward. Robbing the novel of chapters ensures that each part doesn’t have a clear identity; it also represents the lives of the patients – moments that bleed into each other without clear definition/boundaries. Their life feels splintered. * The line, ‘They’re out there. Black boys in white suits...’ is repeated in the text. It is the opening line of the novel and occurs again towards the end. Does this suggest hopelessness? Is there any escape? Is the Chief going