Flynn versus Bromden

As I tune in with my bros for the New England Patriots versus Green Bay Packers game on NBC's Football Night in America, I am about as aware of this blog due date as the Patriots are of the onside kick by the Packers to begin the game. Thankfully, I sit with two of the best and brightest that our town has to offer, Sam Schiferl and Thomas Donley, who begin the obligatory "blog banter," during the halftime festivities. Immediately, I spring from my relaxed state on the couch to a full-on AP English intensity mode that would rival Tom Brady's pre-game state of mind. Furthermore, I start to see parallels between Matt Flynn, the Packers' quarterback, and our beloved Chief Bromden. Flynn, a virtual no-name before Pro-Bowl quarterback Aaron Rodgers was injured, flew under the radar for most of his career until tonight where he jumped into the national spotlight and threw for two touchdowns in the first half. Similarly, Bromden waited in the shadows and pretended to be deaf and dumb until McMurphy entered the ward. Like Flynn, Bromden made a significant impact when he entered the fight against the black boys and escaped from the ward after McMurphy's lobotomy. However, another similarity does not bode well for the two lovable heros: Flynn ended up falling short to the dominant Patriots, and Bromden potentially could fall short in society as well. He enters a cold world when he escapes from the ward, leaving behind the protected circumstances that were so familiar to him and as Flynn found out tonight, not all stories have a Disney ending.

The Beast

Immediately upon entering the classroom, a dark presence was felt by all of the students in the unusually small AP English 12 eighth period class. Unlike the normal anxiety that many of us have grown used to, this was different, an entirely new Beast. A Beast that, with his mere attendance, controlled the attention of the room and the teacher. A Beast that, with his unique vocalization and careful choice of vocabulary, poked fun at the other domineering figure in the room. A Beast that, with a simple gaze and no words, made every student fear his ability to strike down an unintelligent discussion and leave the participants looking like fools. A Beast that, with his diligent note-taking, forced me to wonder what he could possibly learn from mere mortals like ourselves. Why would the Beast not give his opinion on Bromden or the Nurse? What were the Beast’s motives behind his random appearance into our class, our ward? (Only because this is an english blog will I relate the beast to McMurphy through these inquiries; however, let it be known that McMurphy pales in comparison to the Beast) I think we all know who I speak of–– he who must not be named, he who commands respect, and he who could be back tomorrow which brings me to my concluding point: I beg not to have this blog revealed in the “Banter” if the Beast graces us with his presence again, to avoid his incredible wrath. 

Does AdSense Make Sense?

As I searched the blogger design section today to find interesting gadgets to place on my wall, I came across an intriguing little function called AdSense. After further research, I concluded AdSense is system, created by Google, which allows bloggers and other website developers to post advertisements on their sites and watch their wallets grow. So this blog is actually more of a question to Ms. Serensky than anything: will points be taken off the blog if we conduct a business venture while extending our AP English knowledge? I know what many of you may be saying, how much money could you possibly make off this? To answer, after a short investigation on the web I found that anywhere from two cents to fifteen dollars can be made per click. Ok, so let’s just take the worst possible scenario and say we make two cents per click. This would figure out to be around 10 dollars for Thomas Donley who has a blog that’s been viewed about 500 times. Which strays me a little off topic when I say how is this possible? My blog has not yet reached the 200 hit mark and Kreger’s fascinating yet controversial posts hover near 325 hits. My only conclusion is that Thomas, himself, has viewed his blog over 200 times alone (which I hope creates a Dear Journal moment in the near future). However, if we retrace back to my money-making ploy, I would just like to say at this point in high school any money is welcome, especially money that comes from an, already obligatory, blog post. So I pose the question once more, would this be an action that is frowned upon in the esteemed ranks of AP English?

Where Does The Intimidation Come From?

In most every other class, a quiet observer will witness a fair number of high schoolers with either their heads flat on their desks, or with the common back-pack pillow used to a full effect. The dormant creatures normally have drool emerging from their wide open mouths and a shiny, red sleep-mark on their foreheads when class ends. After a long night of homework (especially Data Sheet Eves) I am as guilty as the next guy for taking a little snooze in class. However, in AP English even the known sleepers refrain from any such actions due to the simple presence of the one and only Ms. Serensky. Which brings me to my next point: Where does the intimidation that she controls so eloquently, come from? Ask anyone who has ever met or even seen Ms. Serensky to describe her and I guarantee one characteristic would be “intimidating”. Although, for as long as I can remember (granted that time period may not impress many) she has never become visibly angry with a student for behavior problems, something I am unable to say about any other teacher in the school. Once again I pose the question, where does the intimidation come from? I do not fear her physical presence, like many would say about Mr. Perrine or even Ms. Beach. I do not fear a constant barrage of insults, which resembles the teaching style of Mr. Sweeney. However, there is not a teacher in the school who I fear more than Ms. Serensky. I am only able to draw this conclusion: she is the teacher students strive to impress the most as well as disappoint the least, and these two goals contain the fear of not succeeding. I believe this fear along with her intangibles that remain indescribable create the intimidating aura that hovers around her at all times. 

Chief Bromden's Worldliness

As I read the first section of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey, the intelligence of the first-person narrator, Chief Bromden, thoroughly intrigued me. I found multiple examples of situations where I thought it was unnecessary for him to live in an insane asylum. Primarily, his usage of abstract similes to compare events that occurred in the hospital with allusions to real life sparked my skepticism. Immediately, the Chief describes the “eyes glittering out of the black faces” and compares them to “the hard glitter of radio tubes out of the back of an old radio” (3). The mechanical diction “radio tubes” indirectly characterizes Bromden as knowledgeable of electronics and prone to observe distinct details like “the hard glitter.” Does he have skills as a mechanic? Could he be preforming a service in the real world by fixing broken radios? Furthermore, he determines that the nurse swells up and becomes “as big as a tractor” which gives light to the fact he worked on a farm at some point in his life (5). Could he enter the work force on a farm, where extreme mental acuteness is not needed, instead of rotting away on tax dollars in a hospital room? Finally, Bromden intelligently compares McMurphy to “a car salesman or a stock auctioneer” which brings forth the fact that Bromden experienced the slyness in both professions and understands the tactics both an auctioneer and salesman use (13). I am convinced if society allowed Chief Bromden to test his skills in the real world, a successful businessman would emerge solely due to his knowledge of many different situations and people. 

Kesey's Timeline

Whooaa... why are the walls breathing... why do I see purple triangles surrounding my head... why is there an intensification of colors and brightness on the computer screen... why is there an after image-like trail of my finger when I move it in front of my eyes? This is craaaazy! Obviously, I am not under the influence of LSD and this description comes straight from an account on Yahoo Answers (there are some poor souls in the world today); however, author Ken Kesey experimented with the drug more than enough times for all of us in AP English 12. Although, none of us, hopefully, will never experiment with illegal drugs in such a manner as Kesey, I found that our lives in AP English 12 and into our college years to yield many similarities to Kesey’s time on earth. Allow me to explain. 

When we walked into that classroom, secluded from all others, in the farthest corner and on the very top floor of the school, we embarked on a journey that will contrast the rest of our lives immensely. Similarly, Kesey’s life takes a shift that rival the plutonic plates. The man faked an elaborate suicide, and fled to Mexico, only to be arrested by authorities for possession of marijuana eight months later after his reentrance into the US. But after his release from prison, Kesey magically transformed into a new man, quietly raising a family on his farm in Oregon. An anti-climactic ending to say the least. However, it parallels many students’ end to their English careers. The emotional roller coaster with Ms. Serensky at the helm is as exciting to knowledgeable onlookers as Kesey’s drug fiasco. The ride is unforgettable but some move on like Kesey pursue careers in other fields such as mathematics and science. I am assuredly not bashing the importance of English in our everyday lives, I merely state that nothing in the future, of non-english majors, will rival the intense analyzation of the English language that occurs daily in AP English. 

As much as I would like to consider a time when data sheets do not exist, Kesey’s life timeline serves as a reminder that we are still in the drug usage stage (the AP English workload drug) and have not moved into the quiet life on the Oregon farm just yet.