Blog # 3 (Because the third one in a series always sucks)

Well lets get this show on the road. So I was reading the Part 3 of One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and I was a little concerned, for lack of a better word, near the end. I first noticed it when the men are on their way to the coast for the fishing expedition, then later once they got onto the boat, and finally on their return trip. What I'm talking about is the use of alcohol the patients of a mental institution who are also on powerful medication.

Whenever I read the back of a medicine bottle, or the back of an energy drink for that matter, I'm presented with a warning to "Not consume with alcohol". So if this is the case, how could a professional in medicine, The Doctor who accompanied them on this trip, allow for this to happen? It's ridiculous to think that someone could simply say, "Oh ya, its ok that this mental patient, who suffers from epilepsy and takes medication to curb the seizures, should be allowed to drink on a boat in the middle of the ocean". It just doesn't make any sense to me how something like this could go unchecked.

I'm not a medical professional, but even back when this was written in the 60's, there must have been some sort of evidence showing these drugs could be dangerous if consumed with alcohol. For The Doctor to allow this to happen, especially with the possible psychopath McMurphy, who ended up in jail for fighting at bars, is mind-boggling. Then he lets them get so drunk McMurphy ends up falling off the dock twice. The best part is after these incidents, The Doctor allows him to drive. I know that the drinking and driving laws were nothing like what they are today, but even back then would it make sense to allow a mental patient that drunk to drive?

Either way, they caught some nice fish and nobody fell off the boat, and hey, McMurphy even got laid, so I guess it was a good day overall lol. I don't know where this doctor got his degree, but I bet it was from the same school Dr. Nick from The Simpsons got his. I can no longer think of The Doctor as a weak man who can't stand up to Nurse Ratched, but as an idiot too stupid to be able to have his own ideas so he just lets Big Nurse tell him what to do like he's a lemming. Anyways, that’s my blog for this week so I hope you like it. So good morning, and if I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight. 

Blog #2 (Wrath of the Blog)

Hello, is it me you’re looking for... (Great song)
Anyways, today I want to talk about electroshock therapy, so get ready to listen. Electroconvulsive therapy was introduced by two Italian neurophychiatrists in 1938 to treat Severe Depression, but also Mania and Catatonia. It is only to be used in extreme cases when all other treatments, such as medication and psychotherapy, have proven to be ineffective. In the novel One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo Nest, electroconvulsive therapy has been used on multiple patients, most of whom became part of the "Chronicles" clique after. McMurphy, along with most Acutes, view this treatment as a potential punishment for disobeying Miss Ratched. Currently, electro convulsion therapy is legal in Canada, with the consent of the patient having the treatment.

After McMurphy found out that Miss Ratched have to authority to decide who will and will not receive electro convulsion therapy, he, the leader of this potential rebellion towards Big Nurse, calms his efforts to overthrow her due to this frightful way of punishment. After Chief Bromden has this treatment, he begins to fall victim to what he describes as "the fog", seeing the door to the Shock Shop whenever he becomes lost in the fog. For months he is haunted by images of the steel door, with rivets that resemble eyes, possible because the therapy destroyed part of his long-term memory.

I personally disagree with the idea of electro convulsion therapy, simply because of the results it produces. The body runs a small amount of electrical energy already, so to overload extremely sensitive area (the brain) in my opinion is insane. Defibrillators use electricity to restart the body by sending a current through the heart, so to send a current through a living person's brain would be torturous, no matter what their condition may be. In the novel Mr. Taber was given electro convulsion therapy because he asked what medication he was taking. Big Nurse then sends him to electro convulsion therapy, where after he is considered docile and is a success in the eyes of the hospital, but at what cost to the patient.

In conclusion, if you've made it this far in my blog, good for you. Give yourself a pat on the back and high-five whoever is beside you. If we as a society continue to use the barbaric approach of electro convulsion therapy, with our without consent, we may only make or situations worse. What do you think? Should electro convulsion therapy continue to be legal? Do you believe it is an effective way to deal with issues of depression and catatonia?

The way it began...

So I read the assigned section of One Who Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and enjoyed it. At this point in the novel, a lot of symbolism is used to explain character traits and elements of setting, such as entire ward being run like a giant machine, with wires in the walls. Many different forms of entertainment use symbolism to express their point, while still giving the viewer the ability to connect it to their own personal life. The best use of symbolism, in my opinion, so far in this novel is description of Miss Ratched.

Miss Ratched (Big Nurse) enters the ward in the first chapter and is described as having doll-like features, but as she rounds a corner turns into a larger than life, Incredible Hulk sort of monster that is very insulting to the orderlies. This symbolizes the deception of mankind, and how one can look harmless at first, but can snap into something completely different in the blink of an eye. The obvious comparison is, as stated previously, is the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk changes from Bruce Banner, a regular sized man, to a mass of muscle and fury when made angry. While these two share this similarity, Big Nurse growing symbolically and Hulk growing physically, they differ very much in how they communicate with others. The Hulk in regular form tries to be calm and collective at all times, as to not cause pain to others around him, but Miss Ratched tries to control everyone around her using this internal monster. The novel demonstrates, as many before it have also, that power can corrupt if not properly used, and Miss Ratched is very corrupted.

I personally can connect to this theme because when one is presented with power, they must use caution when dealing with people. This can be seen all over the world, specifically in politics and government. When a leader feels he has a great deal of power that is not shared with anyone else, similar to how Miss Ratched cannot be fired and runs all aspects of the ward, they being to impose their own rules and procedures onto their population. In the case of OWFOTCN, the patients have to sit on opposite sides of the room, and are required to take their medication without explanation.

Anyways, this is the part where I get tired of talking about the novel, but need more words for my word count. So I guess I'll ask some prolific questions like, Do you think the ward is a microcosm of society, with Big Nurse running a dictatorship over the patients?  Is McMurphy truly insane, or is he the perfect example of Ken Kesey's theory that "Everyone is crazy in their in their own way"?