One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest is a fantastically fun text to teach. It’s rowdy, hilarious, a touch dangerous. It’s about conformity and imprisonment, themes that will be of special interest to any student. A section that is especially worthy of discussion is the revelation that all of the inmates save McMurphy are in the asylum voluntarily. Why are they there? A rich and puzzling question to answer. At that point I always like to say, “it’s a lovely day outside today. Why did you decide to come here, to this airless, windowless basement room to have me talk at you for two hours? Why are you here, now?”
because we’re expected to be because they made us because we’re bored on the off chance you’ll say something interesting on the off chance you’ll embarrass yourself because a friend is here because we lack imagination we have nowhere else to be because it’s better than a job because it’s better than nothing because we’re scared because we’re curious because we paid for it it’s not so bad who says we’re really here? because we don’t want them to hurt us because we don’t want to hurt them we want a future they tell us we have no future unless we’re here we’re used to it we hope you’ll teach us something tell us something that’ll make us ready for out there because you’re kind of funny because this a break from our other classes because it’s required (at least we think so) (that’s what they tell us anyway) because it fits into our schedule because this is where everyone else is we don’t want to be left outon the off chance something weird happens it gives us something to do we’re used to it it’s not so bad we want hey, why are you here, anyway? tell us this is going somewhere
Elena Mauli Shapiro 