Although banning books is quite a drastic measure, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest should not be taught in any school’s curriculum because of the effects that the graphic intensity and brutality shown throughout the novel could have on the minds of adolescents. The debate of whether or not to ban certain books has gone on for ages, throughout this period of time, many books have been deemed acceptable and some have received the opposite fate.
The majority of these decisions have swayed toward giving the book the benefit of the doubt, however in the case of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the book should be banned from the schools’ curriculum. Despite being a literary masterpiece depicting t mind of insanity and how life works for the people living in an asylum, the book continuously describes graphic violence and obscenities that are far too intense for children to learn in their classroom settings.
The story incorporates examples of glorifying prostitution, sympathizing murder, bestiality (engaging in sexual intercourse with animals), profanity, human torture, and suicide. If this book was used to teach a class, the students would be far more negatively affected than benefitted with knowledge. Graphic violence is too influential on adolescents’ thoughts and minds to be taught in a classroom environment. All throughout the novel, there are depictions of violence, murder, and suicide.
Sharon Begley of The Boston Globe writes, “‘The brain,’ says Sowell, ‘undergoes dynamic changes much later than we originally thought. Maturity is not simply a matter of slipping software (learning) into existing equipment. Instead, the hardware changes,” (Begley 2). The brains of adolescents are not fully developed and many may not be able to correctly decipher which parts of the book are morally right or wrong. The teenage or adolescent brain cannot always make proper judgement calls, even when the decision seems blatantly obvious for adults. The graphic nature of the book and the passages containing details suicide or murder could influence the students in very negative ways.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has many passages of this fashion, such as when Kesey states, “He cut his throat,’ she said. She waited, hoping he would say something. He wouldn’t look up. ‘He opened the doctor’s desk and found some instruments and cut his throat. The poor miserable, misunderstood boy killed himself,” (Kesey 245). This description of a boy committing suicide in a very out of the ordinary fashion seems like an aspect of entertainment for the adult mind, however a student may read this and believe it to be a reasonable option for himself.
High school aged students are statistically proven to have equivalent levels of stress to adults being held in prison. If a student reads passages like these during an unfortunate time, the follow-up could be catastrophic. Another expert on the adolescent mind states, “Yet, she’s just had sexuality, relationships and acceptable behavior defined for her by some perverted author most folks have never heard of. And the kid was simply trying to get her homework done,” (Hagelin 2). In this article Rebecca Hagelin is trying to communicate that the teenage mind is still developing and reaches its peak in learning ability.
If a student reads that murder, rape, or suicide is acceptable in literature assigned by a respected instructor, they may come to believe that in the real world. In some cases, adults find that the more graphic selections are more suspenseful and entertaining, but the adolescent mind has not always matured enough to see the pieces in the same way. A student who reads this novel could develop thoughts or a mindset that would last his or her entire lifetime.
Along with short term effects, a student may instigate deep rooted problems within himself. Researchers have found that thoughts enerated during the evolution of the prefrontal cortex are the ideals that people believe in the most passionately. For example, teenagers may develop asocial tendencies and a mindset about life that would carry over into adulthood. There are numerous violent encounters throughout the novel, such as when Kesey writes, “|- one time – wanted to take my brother to bed,” killed my cat when I was six. Oh, God forgive me, I stoned her to death and said my neighbor did it,'” (Kesey 39). This type of material should not be taught in school curriculum, it is needless exposure of violence to the children who would read it.
Children learn the most during adolescence and what they learn can statistically affect their thoughts and actions. Researchers have written that, “Participants who read the extremely violent comic books attributed greater hostile intent to the provocateur and proposed more aggressive retaliation than those who read relatively non-violent comic books,” (Stephens 3). The hostility trait is a characteristic of human beings that can be improved upon, but never truly resolved. Hostility in children can be derived directly through the literature and media to which they are exposed.
Adults with more immense feelings of hostility are known to be more abusive to their loved ones, or more violent to people in general. The literature leading to children’s hostility should never be taught in an classroom environment, that would only aid the children in believing that the violence perceived in novels such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is acceptable. Experts have written, “Although observing violence may increase aggression in the short term for adults and children, long-term effects are most likely to occur for children,” (Bushman 7).
In this quotation Dr. Brad Bushman is saying that when exposed to violent media, short term effects are common, but are not as prominent as long term effects. Children exposed to violent literature are at high risk of developing lasting asocial and negative personality traits without anyone noticing until it may already be too late. Some researchers may argue that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest should be taught in schools, because despite the graphic violence, the novel still has much to offer in a classroom.
Those accustomed to this viewpoint could argue that the book would be great to teach point of view, symbolism, or other related aspects of literature. This point is very valid and presents a good case, however, there is a substantial number of books that would be better suited for that same material. The main argument of those who believe the novel should not be banned, is that every piece of literature possesses educational value in one way or another. These people are not incorrect in their presumptions, but the negative effects of the novel far outweigh any benefits the story could have in a classroom setting.
A writer for the Oregonian states that. “Unfortunately. I unwitting assisted in their admission of defeat, their surrender with no terms. I taught the novel in such a negatively narrow way that it validated their resolve to conform. I imparted inevitability and inspired hopelessness,” (Love 3). Not only is this piece of literature far too violent to be taught to children, if presented incorrectly, it could be destructive to readers of all ages. In this quote, Matt Love of the Oregonian writes of the time he entirely destroyed the thoughts of his students through teaching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Even professionals can mess up whilst administering this novel into their curriculum, teaching students would be far more effective if this piece were simply left out all together. Ken Kesey’s novel has sparked plenty of controversy between parents and school systems since being written in 1962. In most scenarios, banning a book from a curriculum is unnecessary and far too drastic to be a suitable fate for literature, however, an exception should be made for Kesey’s piece. The minds of adolescents are still being developed; ergo, they are hypersensitive to new information and they have flawed decision making abilities.
Due to the insurmountable usage of violence and other related subjects, (i. e. rape, bestiality, prostitution and torture) this novel is purely too dangerous to be used to teach a classroom full of children. While all literature contains value, in the trial of this story in particular, the negative effects are much stronger and much more evident than the brighter qualities. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is beautifully written, and it has been labeled as an American classic, but it is evident that the novel has no place in the minds of children.
