Buzzfeed Video

I found this video on buzzfeed and it reminded me a lot of what we were talking about in class, specifically the hardships and sacrifices parents make for their children.

Here is another video that I found on buzzfeed that I thought would be relatable to what we are reading and talking about in class.

The Chief meets Mona: ZACHARY AND neil.

Prologue:

Chief Bromden, the recently escaped patient from the ward, has decided to travel to New York in order to go shopping in Times Square for new platforms so that he may aggrandize his physical dimensions.

Scene:

Chief: *Walks around aimlessly in Times Square* I wonder where to find platforms to make me bigger. I must grow bigger. *walks into Forever 1960’s towards Mona the employee*

Mona: Hi, how can I help you, sir? I’m Mona

Chief: I need some big shoes so I can get bigger. I’ve always wanted to be bigger.

Mona: Why do you want to get bigger sir?

Chief: Comin out of the ward, I feel bigger than ever.

Mona: You are pretty big if I may say so myself.

Chief: I always felt like I could never succeed in Nurse Ratched’s matriarchal social structure. Also, since I am Native American, I have always felt oppressed in society.

Mona:  Oh, I see. What specifically made you feel oppressed?

Chief: Nurse Ratched always tried to control us, abuse us, and make us feel unworthy. It was sickening.

Mona: Well you are now in a new accepting society. As long as you can switch into normality you will be able to succeed.

Chief: But it’s so tough. I lived there for years, so how can I just let it go?

Mona: Come on, it’s a fresh start! It’s not so hard to assimilate; I know you can do it.

Chief: I liked my old ways though, but the black boys were always trying to get me and I didn’t like that.

Mona: I never felt like it was hard for me to become American, so I don’t see why you can’t join our live.

Chief: I don’t think you understand. You’re just a young lady. I’m an old man who’s had his old life drilled into his head

Mona: How old could you really be?

Chief: Older than you think.

Mona: I guess it makes sense. Just keep working at it, I know you’ll be able to adjust to real life.

Chief: Thank you for conversing with me. I shall put forth my best efforts in order to accommodate myself  to this atrocity you plebeians call “real life”.

Mona: Thanks to you too, I was never consciously aware of the fact that it is gruesome for some individuals to accustom themselves to our lives. It must be a component of the human psyche.

Mona Meets the Chief- Kayla and Skylar

Scene: Mona is at the bus stop waiting for a bus to go to the mall to meet her friends. The Chief comes and sits down at the bus stop tired and dozes off on the bench, slumping onto Mona’s shoulder.

*mona sitting at bus stop

*the chief walks over and sits next to her

Mona: Hi I’m Mona, what’s your name?

Chief: Chief, Chief Bromden

Mona: Are you a real chief of some sort of Indian tribe?

Chief: No. Well, my father was.

Mona: That’s so cool. I’m part of a long Chinese dynasty myself. *waits for Chief to respond

Chief: *no response, minds own business.

Mona: Yea, I know about a lot of things like karate, cultural cooking, and I can even speak Chinese. Ji-nu. Shee-veh. *she says, figuring this Native American man won’t know that she is really just saying soy sauce rice gruel.

Chief: *nods head uninterestedly

Mona: So, why are you here?

Chief: I don’t wanna talk about it right now, I’m tired

Mona: Ummm okay… *gives weird look

Chief: *starts falling asleep and leans over on her

Mona: *slides quickly to the other side of the bench

Chief: *jerks awake

Mona: You know you can’t do that here? In America?

Chief: Do what?

Mona: Fall asleep, like that. It’s weird.

Chief: Sorry, I apologize. I’m not quite caught up on proper etiquette yet

Mona: Umm why? Were you born yesterday or something? Because you don’t quite look like it?

Chief: I’ve been gone for awhile. I’m still trying to adjust. The combine has changed a lot since I’ve last seen the world.

Mona: Umm..ok. What does that even mean?

Chief: The combine, it's everywhere. It’s everything.  It’s huge organization that aims to adjust the world to their liking, from the inside out. A factory of robots and nuts and bolts to make a product they think suitable to put out into society *Chief starts yelling and getting a little out of control

*Bus comes

Mona gets on the bus and as she is walking onto it she says “calm down you freak” and takes a seat by herself.

Chief meets Mona Subway Regan Goss

Setting- NYC Subway

INTRO- The day was dark and gloomy when the silver bullet passed by. The newspapers were slashed about through the air as it passed by.  The Chief stood there nervously sporting a dark trench coat that hung below his knees. The mere sight of this seven foot monster scared the kids away from him. Mona, a young schoolgirl who was on a class trip, quickly noticed his extreme physical presence as he boarded the subway. He took a seat in the corner and quickly buried his face in his hands. Mona quickly noticed that inside he was not the monster that he appeared to be. She got up and went over to the man and sat besides him.

Dialogue-

Mona -“Hello”

The Chief looked up at her apprehensively; however, Mona continued to try and converse with him.

Mona- “Are you from around here?” .

The Chief continued to stare off, he was trying his hardest not to look at the girl

Mona- “Well I’m not from the city, I live out in the suburbs but I’m here to visit the statue of liberty with my school. It's the first time I have ever been on a field trip and I am so excited to see one of the country's greatest monuments. I absolutely love the history of this country. My favorite topic is Native Americans. You kind of look like one only you are much bigger than the pictures they show us in school”

The Chief lets out a thunderous moan, subtly acknowledging his Native roots to the young asian girl

Mona- “that’s really cool, why are you so big though. Every picture i’ve ever seen shows Natives being smaller than the white people.”

Mona gets up to rejoin her class as the Chief thinks deeply about what she said, suddenly he puts his hand on her shoulder and she turned around

Chief- “Don’t believe everything that they tell you, that's what they want you to do. If you don’t listen to everything they say then they can’t control.”

Mona(obviously confused)- “Okay, goodbye”

Mona rejoins her classmates while the Chief gets up and walks away. At the last moment they turn around and their eyes meet. In this moment, Mona understands what he had meant.

Mona Meets the Chief by Chiara and Noodles

Setting: Family Pancake Shop

Topic: Sherman leaves

* Chief enters the restaurant and sits down*

Mona: Good morning sir. What would you like today? May I recommend our biggest pancake breakfast? You look like you could use it.

Chief: That sounds great! Thanks!

*Mona leaves and then comes back with the food*

Mona: Here you go! Enjoy!

Chief: Wait a second. Do you have a phone I could borrow to contact my friend?

Mona:Umm...I guess. But who are you trying to meet up with?

Chief: Oh, just one of my friends from the old tribe. We are planning a celebration.

Mona: You live in America. You are American. Why don’t you embrace that?

Chief: *confused look* I am American but I’m also Native American.

Mona: You can’t be two things at once.

Chief: Of course you can! I am not even one race. America is all about combining cultures. It is the dream of everyone around the world. Don’t you embrace your culture?

Mona: Well...I am a ninja warrior!Or at least I take Judo.

Chief: See you do! That’s so cool! Show me your moves!

Mona: See the thing is...umm...I sprained my ankle. Yeah. I sprained it at the state championship.

Chief: Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.

Mona: *awkward pause, leans down*...Okay here is the thing. I have a secret. I don’t do Judo.

Chief: I was assuming so.

Mona: You know, I can’t bring myself to do so. My boyfriend broke up with me because I didn’t welcome my culture, but I don’t think anyone needs to be of a certain culture. People are just themselves. And I want to be American.

Chief: *pauses*...I see your point. But you don’t need to reject your heritage in order to fit in. You think I ever fit in? Look at me. I am half Indian, half white, a huge guy and just came from an asylum. I’m not ashamed of who I am.

Mona: I’m not ashamed! I just want to be a popular American girl!

Chief: I’m not saying you are ashamed, but you are conforming to society, and it is eating you up, just like it does with everyone else. The only way to be happy is to embrace every single part of who you are.

Mona: But I’m not an outcast. I still have a chance to fit in. That’s who I am.

Chief: Why would you want to fit in? That’s not interesting at all. Do your friends listen to you and your ideas?

Mona: Yeah they do. Especially when I exaggerate my culture. They love it, actually.

Chief: See, they like the unique part of you that isn’t anything like they are. That’s what they are interested in.

Mona: I guess…

Chief: Just don’t reject the part of you that is trying to come out and just be.

Mona: I’ll think about it...thanks...enjoy your breakfast. *softly smiles*

Chief: Of course! *waves back and begins to eat*

Emma and Caroline: The Chief and Mona Meet

Setting: The Chief has run out of money, and he is in Chinatown begging for spare change on the side of the street when Mona runs into him. He decided to go to Chinatown because he liked all the different foods and people passing through.

Chief: Spare change? Could anybody spare some change?

Mona: *walking by the Chief* Oh, here, I have a couple dollars I can give you.

Chief: *smiles* Thank you so much.

Mona: It’s funny, my parents thought that once they got to America there would be no beggars anymore.

Chief: Well, the Combine has a way of draining people’s independence one way or another. I consider myself lucky to be on the street.

Mona: Wait, what is the Combine? What are you talking about? *starts to subtly slide away*

Chief: The Combine is society, and it is a rough place. When I was around your age, the Combine destroyed my tribe and it’s home, and took me to an awful place. *starts to get really passionate* It’s all just a machine, and you’re one of the working parts! You’re gonna graduate school and get a nice house and a good job and you’re gonna become just another part of the Combine, I can tell.

Mona: *kind of freaked out* I don’t know what you’re saying about the Combine, but I promise I’m not a typical American like you think I am. My parents want me to be just like that, but I’m different.

Chief: *shushes her, casting shifty eyes around the street* Don’t say that out loud! The Combine will hear and replace the parts that make you different!

Mona: Well they can’t take me away! I know kung fu. People like me, anyway. They won’t let your Combine come for me.

Chief: *is still nervous* Okay, but keep your guard up so you can stay an individual.

Mona: Listen, I don’t want to be just another American housewife like you said. I want to do something important, like become a nurse.

Chief: *raises hands placatingly, but flinches at the word nurse* Be careful what you wish for. Nurses can be cruel and corrupt.

Mona: I don’t think you understand what nurses do. They help people.

Chief: Some of them. If you do become a nurse, don’t let them make you into a machine.

*Parents come over* Mona! We need to go buy the rest of our food for our special dinner tomorrow.

Mona: *whispers to the Chief* I would rather have turkey pot pie….

Chief: *waves* Thank you for the money and the conversation. And don’t forget what we talked about!

Mona: Okay, I won’t...

Chief Meets Mona: Apara/Gabrielle

Chief walks over to Mona.

The Chief: Excuse me, do you know where I can find the nearest gas station?

Mona: Wow! You’re like, so tall!

The Chief: Yeah, I get that a lot. I don’t really feel that big though.

Mona: My family is really short… Did your dad hit you to make you taller?

The Chief: No, he didn’t. I used to be much bigger, but I was sick for a while and I got weak.  

Mona: Well, according to my best friend Barbara Guggelstein, adults can’t, like, shrink.

The Chief: It’s, uh, not that simple. It’s not just about shrinking, uh, physically. As you grow up, you change a lot. And, uh, sometimes that change isn’t always positive.

Mona: Ohmigod! Did your girlfriend, like, break up with you?

The Chief: No, it’s not that. Rather, I lost a really important friend. He changed my life and helped me rise above some of my problems.

Mona: *lowers voice* Do you have, like, *taps head* problems?

The Chief: Excuse me?

Mona: Like, are you crazy?

The Chief: Uh, let’s just say that I see the world a little differently than everyone else.

Mona: Ohmigod! So you ARE crazy! You know, I knew this crazy guy once. I used to, like, date him. He had had this notebook with, like, cats on it. And he went totally psycho on me when I tried to break up with him. He freaking flipped me!

The Chief: That’s too bad. Aren’t you like, 12? Don’t you think you’re a little young to date?

Mona: Um, no. I’m 13, OK? EVERYONE at school is dating! You only don’t date if you’re too ugly to get a boyfriend.

The Chief: I’m sure that’s not the case. I think you should focus on more important things. I mean, you go to school, you have a healthy family, right?

Mona: Well duh, doesn’t everyone?

The Chief: You’d be surprised. Many people aren’t as lucky as you to have these luxuries. My family struggled a lot.

Mona: Wait, are you an Indian?

The Chief just looks at her, blinks slowly, and walks away.

Jesus wasn't the only one

Other Christian Martyrs

Martyrs of the 20th century

JFK's Sister was Lobotomized

Check this out. It is about Rosemary Kennedy, the younger sister (by one year) of JFK. She was lobotomized at the age of 23, in 1941, because she had mood swings and erratic behavior. Rosemary's father, Joseph Kennedy, feared that she would create controversy and damage his reputation, leading to the operation. Joseph didn't tell his wife about the procedure until after it happened and the family revealed that she was "mentally retarded" in 1961. This is a very sad story of a man putting his name before his children and it is similar to the Big Nurse and McMurphy. I think she lobotomized McMurphy to make sure she had control and power and Joseph lobotomized his daughter to make sure he retained political power. Both are example of getting power in an unjust way.

Charles Manson: a counterculture maniac

As I said in class last week, I've been really into a podcast called "You Must Remember This" by a woman named Karina Longworth. She does a multi-part series on Charles Manson and his cult, looking at their role in the late 1960s counter culture of California. He and his "family" provide an interesting antithesis to Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters since Manson often used hallucinogens to manipulate the women in his cult and take advantage of them (of course under the pretense of opening their minds). Charles Manson is a fascinating megalomaniac, and I'd suggest listening to all of the episodes, but if you want to listen to just one or two, focus on any of the first three that focus on Manson (episodes 44-47). You can find them for free on iTunes here. Or, you can go to the webpage for her podcast here.

Lobotomies

Click here to view an article about a small history of lobotomies. It takes a look at a specific doctor, Dr. Freeman, who performed over 25,000 lobotomies before he was outlawed to perform anyone. This reminded me of McMurphy's lobotomy at the end, as well as rationalized the patient's fear of what could happen to a person after a lobotomy had been performed. I now understand why the patients would follow the Nurse's every command, because she could schedule them to get one. Lobotomies are said to take a piece of a person's soul away. It is a good thing it is not practiced any longer. This article states that it became popular because people were so desperate to find a cure for severe mental illness, especially schizophrenia. It is a sad history for sure.

Interesting short interview with Kesey about his views concerning LSD

This is an interesting short snippet of an interview with Ken Kesey about his thoughts on LSD and acid. He voices how these drugs allow connections to me made in your mind and produce images that would not have been obtained otherwise. The ability to open these "doors" scare people, although Kesey thinks these news ways of thinking are beneficial. He also talks about how he believes LSD took part in great works of art in the early 1960's. This proves to be true with Kesey's own works and is clearly shown through the strangeness of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. 

The Electrocutioner

This is a link to an episode of Gotham where a mental patient begins to use electroshock therapy to help him escape from Arkham Asylum. After multiple attempts of electroshock therapy where he turns the other patient into a "vegetable", the Electrocutioner is able master the skill making others his minions. The Electrocutioner shows the audience how powerful and dangerous electroshock therapy is in the wrong person's hands. Like nurse Ratched, the Electrocutioner is able to use electricity to gain power over the other patients which ultimately helps him escape.

Alternative Cover Art

Here are some examples of cover art for other editions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I really like these different depictions that emphasize the Chief's part in the story. In the first one, I really like the depiction of the Nurse who looks cruel and machine-like. I also think the idea of her taking out parts of the Chief's brain is very accurate, as she figuratively brainwashed many of the patients on the ward and literally took out part of McMurphy's brain. The second one is much simpler, but shows the Chief (or possibly another patient) going through shock therapy. The figure looks very robot like, though the viewer can tell that it is at least partially human, much like the patients on the ward. Finally, I love the image of the brain with one puzzle piece missing. I think this is a very good visual for the Chief's and other mental patients' brains, as they are not quite all there; however, in some cases it is possible for the piece to be found and returned to its proper place, like for the Chief when he leaves the ward and seems to exhibit general sanity.