ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’s NEST - FINAL
ESSAY
After reading the novel One Flew Over The
Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, write a 4-6 paragraph
essay. Please choose one of the following essay
questions and write a thesis/claim and three main
reasons to support your claim:
 Should Harding, Billy Bibbit and Sefelt be
patients at the hospital? Why/why not? Explain
whether society has shamed them into
psychiatric treatment because of their inability
to conform to so-called “normal” behavior.
Or…
 Is an individual’s right to make decisions, even
if he is a mental patient, more important than
the need to conform to authority (i.e. the
Nurse’s rules)? Find three specific examples
where McMurphy teaches/does not teach the
patients this concept…
This essay is worth 50 points.
Please, no contractions (ex. Can't, Won't). Each of
the paragraphs should contain at least 5 complete
sentences. Remember, a well developed essay has an
introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
a) Your introduction should begin with a general
summary about One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,
then contain your thesis statement (i.e. your claim) and
three main reasons to support your thesis.
b) The body of your essay is made up of at least three
(3) paragraphs. In each paragraph, discuss one of your
reasons and provide a quote or other specific
details from the novel that proves your reasoning.
Remember to follow this pattern:
1) In a topic sentence, state your reason why you
believe the way you do….
2) Provide a specific example/quote that connects to
your reasoning.
3) Explain how your example/quote supports your claim.
c) The concluding paragraph should answer the
question: “So what? Why is what I just wrote
important?” Your answer to that question is your
conclusion.
*Your essay must be double-spaced and in MLA format.
Evaluation:
Content (incl. specific examples from text/explanations)
/30
Essay Requirements (MLA format, correct structure)
/10
Mechanics (correct spelling and grammar)
/10
TOTAL
/50 points