Pholmes

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Pholmes’s Bookshelves

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Pholmes is Currently Reading

Pholmes is currently reading

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

by Ken Kesey

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Pholmes said: " Ken Keesy, who is the author of One Flew Over the Coockoo's Nest, has developed a sad and helpless character, who finds himself in an abusive Oregon psychiatric hospital for ten years. Chief Bromden, who is a paranoid psychiatric patient, suffers fro Ken Keesy, who is the author of One Flew Over the Coockoo's Nest, has developed a sad and helpless character, who finds himself in an abusive Oregon psychiatric hospital for ten years. Chief Bromden, who is a paranoid psychiatric patient, suffers from hallucintaions and dellusions. Taking place in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, One Flew Over the Coockoo's Nest centers on the revolt against conformity and the criticism at American psychiatric institutions. I have not finished reading this book, but I love Patrick McMurphy's defiance against the cruel way Nurse Ratched runs the ward. If you are interested in defiance, rebellion, and disobediance to a conformed way of life or instruction, then One Flew Over the Coockoo's Nest is a must read.

Level One: Where does Randle McMurphy transfer from? McMurphy comes to the psychiatric ward in Oregon from the Pendleton Work Farm. Which patient dies in a pool from a possible suicide? Charles Cheswick dies in the pool. He was the only patient not to join McMurphy in the rebellion against Nurse Ratched, and it is believed he died from a suicide. Who runs the ward in a very mechanical way? Nurse Ratched is the head of the ward, and controls her patients through strict and sometimes violent measures.
Level Two: Why is it ironic that Chief Bromden never speaks? Chief Bromden ironically is the biggest person in the psychiatric ward, standing at 6 feet 7 inches tall. Near the end of the novel, Chief also has a very intellectual, and strong grasp on the ideas that modern society holds. Why is it ironic that McMurphy is the savior of the patients? McMurphy is the ironic savior of the other patients in the ward because his past actions would present the idea that he is a careless human; however, McMurphy risks his reputation with the nurses(including Nurse Ratched) to save the hide of some of his fellow inmates at the ward. He openly challenges those who treat the helpless patients harshly(the nurses and the leaders of the ward), and serves as somewhat of a cosmopolitan Christ figure.
Level Three: If written today, how would the themes of individuality and rebellion be conceived or interpreted? In the sixties(when One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was written), the rebellion of McMurphy against Nurse Ratched could be interpreted as representing the United State’s opposing communism throughout the world. Today, McMurphy’s rebellion would most likely be interpreted as the U.S.’s rebellion against terrorism throughout all regions of the world. ...more "

Feb 10, 2009 07:44PM · see review

Pholmes is currently reading

Slaughterhouse-Five

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

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Pholmes said: " After completing 5 chapters of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, I have mixed feelings. The book seems to switch from intriguing, to confusing and strange, then back to an interesting novel. I haven't read a book written in Vonnegut's style, with ...more "

Dec 05, 2008 08:50AM · see review

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Into the Wild

by Jon Krakauer (Goodreads Author)

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Pholmes said: " This book is a non-fiction depiction of Chris McCandless. Chris, from what I have read thus far, was a young man who opposed authority, whether it came from his parents, or from the government. McCandless thought of himself as a free spirit, travelin This book is a non-fiction depiction of Chris McCandless. Chris, from what I have read thus far, was a young man who opposed authority, whether it came from his parents, or from the government. McCandless thought of himself as a free spirit, traveling cross country with what little he could carry with him, and this independence from everybody but himself gave himself much pleasure. His adventuresome life, however, lead to his death in the Alaskan wilderness.

Text to Text: This novel reminds me of the book Hatchet. In Hatchet, a young boy named Brian is stranded in the Canadian wilderness, and must survive on meager proportions, such as fruits and berries. Chris and Brian are both novices when they begin their adventures, but learn along the way the methods needed for survival.

Text to Self: While I do not have the disrespect for authority like Chris, I do share some of his independent qualities. I find living dependently and living off of the land very interesting and intriguing. I have always found stories where a person survives simply by utilizing what little he had and what he could eat/use in nature very fascinating. On several occasions while camping, I have been forced to "rough it", similar to McCandless' situation. I can remember one cold winter day a couple of years ago duck hunting with my dad. We had been up for about 8 hours and I hadn't had any breakfast, and we let the thought of bringing food totally slip our minds. So I looked in the gun box in the boat and found a package of peanut butter crackers that had been in the boat for over a year, and I decided my hunger could overcome the old contents in the package. Nevertheless, I ate the crackers, and suprisingly, they were rather tasty!

Text to World: In this novel, McCandless views the society he lives in as corrupt , dishonest, and fraudulent. He believes the government should be resisted, and over-ruled. The corruptness of the government is an idea shared by a very large number of people today, nearly 20 years later. Many believe the war against Iraq was an imperialistic war. Some believe that a small group of international elites control and manipulate governments, industry and media organizations worldwide. Others truly believe The Clinton Body Count. While some, if not all of these conspiracies are totally false, people in our society today and people in Chris McCandless' society(including McCandless) over 15 years ago believe in these conspiracies. ...more "

Oct 05, 2008 03:48PM · see review