Blog Two - Mrs Ratched

Hello again :3

  This week's blog about dear old Mrs. Ratched (insert loud thunderclap here).  Mrs. Ratched is the head nurse of the ward, and her personality matches her name. Throughout Part One Chief refers to Mrs. Ratched as a part of the Combine, which all have mechanical assets to them. This relates to Mrs. Ratched's name because her name is a combination of 'Ratchet' and 'Wretched'. However, by the end of Part One, Big Nurse (as she is commonly referred to) shows her human side as she looses her temper on the patients who disobey her and watch a blank televison rather than their chores. Mrs. Ratched is one of the largest characters in Part Two, as she regains her power and authority by threats of the Shock Shop, as well as cunning plans against McMurphy. During the staff meeting (first chapter of Part Two) Mrs. Ratched remains silent, listening to the other worker's ideas about what to do about some of the patients. It is only until the end that she speaks, which later becomes the final word. This shows her power over others mainly because no one questions her judgement, mostly out of fear. By the end of Part Two, Mrs. Ratched has gained control and is no longer "Mrs. Nice Lady" (Let's face it: she was never 'nice', just a wolf in sheep's clothing).

  The character of Mrs. Ratched, however, can be found in almost any overseeing figure in our lives. For anyone in high school, this person could possibly be a principal.  They look after us, keep us on schedule, and distribute punishments as needed. The major difference between a principle and Mrs. Ratched is that a principal doesn't use as severe forms of punishment as the Shock Shop (Or maybe yours did, like Matilda's, if so you may want to inform the police...) Another person who could be an example of a Mrs.Ratched in a teenager's life could be their parents. Like Mrs. Ratched, your parents look out for us, and 'take care of you'. Again, the major difference in this scenario is that our parents are actually trying to take care of us, and not just feeding us full of medication, hoping it works.

   Society is an entirely different story. Currently in office we have a handful of Mrs. Ratcheds running the country. We just like to call it Parliament. In Parliament, more specially the House of Commons, these workers discuss matters about the country, and try and come up with a civilized way of coming to a conclusion. This workers will be referred to as Big Nurses. However, like Mrs. Ratched, their civilized way of agreeing is letting one person decide overall. Lets refer to this person as Bigger Nurse. So, in reality, Big Nurses all state their claim to why things should be how they believe is right, but the overall decision is that of Bigger Nurse's, who rules overall. Meanwhile, us, the victims of both the Big Nurses and Bigger Nurse's decisions, have to live with whatever they decide. This overall makes us the patients of our government. Overwhelming isn't it?

Personally, when I think of people like Big Nurse controlling our government, I relate it back to Bane controlling Gotham in The Dark Knight Rises. Keeping that in mind, I have one thing to say:

Blog One: Mental Health

Hello :3

     Mental Health has always been a large issue not only in reality, but in the world of literature as well. By saying this, I don't mean that children's literature has an underlining message portrayed with a cute little bunny 'playing' in the middle of the woods, but stories of men and women criticized by society for an illness they can't control. Mental Health is the largest reoccuring theme in the book One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, beginning with the main character Chief Bromden hearing air raids while he sweeps. The theme of Mental Health relates to the text as a whole as every character in the novel has a mental illnes they are being 'treated' for. Prime examples of these characters are McMurphy with his "Pyschopathic Tendencies", Billy Bibbit with his stuttering problem, and the main character, Chief Bromden, being deaf and dumb (mentally underdeveloped). Some may say that these patients are completely sane, however they are unique in some way deeming them unfit to survive in a normal society. That being said, they are then removed from society and placed in a mental institution, which could possibly do more harm than good.

   I connect with the theme of Mental Health in a variety of ways. Throughout my family, there are distinct members who fit the description of a "Mentally Unfit Citizen" in the 1960's. My grandfather, who suffered from dimentia, continiously forgot who my family, including myself, were. In the time period of this book, my grandfather who have been sent to a mental institution on the belief that he would not be able to function in society. In modern day, people are only sent to an insitution if they have a serious illness that needs to be monitored 24/7. Therefore, my grandfather would not be sent there because he could be monitiored less often as say someone with major depression and suicidal qualities. However, for the other side of the spectrum (the people with major disorders), are sent to these insitutions for days on end. Nowadays these places are commonly referred to as a Psyche Ward of a hospital, which brings me to my second personal example. My cousin, since birth, has had traits that are frowned upon in today's society; he lies, cheats, steals, and enjoys the highs of tobacco and cigarettes. This has been a growing issue upon our family, but has  always been played off as a joke. (FOR THE RECORD: my family does not make fun of mentally unstable people, my cousin just happens to be the person who is dumb enough to continue playing with the bear after he has been bit 3 times.) He would be sent to a mental institution in both the 1960's and modern society because he is classified as 'mentally unstable' by the government. That being said, how does the government deem soneone mentally unstable? Do they have a pin-up chart or something?

  That last point brings me to how Mental Health connects with society. The sad truth is in our society, everyone is a little mentally unstable. Whether it be OCD, Depression, or Multiple Personality Disorder, everyone is a little crazy. Perhaps if we were living in the 1960's, we'd all be in a mental instition, which would end up just hooking us on drugs and making us all crazy.
Or you could be philosphical about this and say:-