essay

Paper # 3 – Research-Based Analysis

Page Count: 2,000-2,500 words

Assignment: For this paper, you will be analyzing One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest utilizing

outside research. As this is the final main essay for this course, you have more leeway with what

you discuss and how you discuss it. Feel free to email me with paper ideas, I am happy to

workshop any problems you might run into. Note that the strongest literary-based essays engage

closely with the text. Research is supplementary and can push your own ideas further, but the

basis of this essay is still your interpretation of a text.

Papers need to reference at least four outside sources besides the book you are discussing. There

are many articles and even books devoted to these works, but you do not need to use research

material directly related to your book. The material can be about similar thematic, social or

cultural topics. For instance, if you were discussing the thematic issue of authority, you might

refer to Foucault. I can help get you started with research. At least three of your research

sources should be from outside the reading assigned in this class.

There are several possible ways of approaching this essay:

Potential Topics

Character Analysis: Choose a character in the novel and follow the development he or she

undergoes over the course of the narrative. Why are they important? How does the character

change, what events or interactions affect this change? You can also discuss more than one

character. You could examine their relationships, their similarities and differences, and/or

compare/contrast their development as characters. Note that these are not simply characters but

representations of their biopolitical and cultural stations in life.

Symbols: Find an image or symbol that is used repeatedly in the novel. Examine both its

intrinsic external significance (in other words, what it means outside of the novel) and the

particular way it is deployed in the novel. Make sure you don’t just cite numerous instances of its

use in the novel, also make sure you discuss the significance and impact of it on the message and

focus of the novel.

Genre: Consider One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest according to genre. What kind of genre is it?

What are the staples of that genre? What interventions does Kesey make with his novel and why

do they matter?

Theme: Examine One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest according to a recurring theme. This should

be a specific, abstract idea that has a bearing on the novel. Note that a theme should be succinct

enough to be explained in a single word or short phrase. What is the significance of your theme

in the novel? How does Kesey’s use of this theme carry through to the contemporary moment?

Please feel free to email me with potential theme ideas, I can help you workshop. Be wary, as

this option has the potential to become vague—stay as focused as possible with your

examination.