Do we attend a Psych-Ward on Daily Basis?!

The Psych ward in the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is very clearly run by through a hierarchical system lead by Big Nurse. She quite obviously has ultimate power in the ward, seeing that she has the biggest wager in decisions, if not making them herself. Unlike her, the rest of the people in the psych ward including the faculty have little say in things. No one except her have choices to make. Because of this Monarchy that Big Nurse formed over the years she can easily control what goes on within her ward without having any misbehavior from the patients. She does this by using forms of punishments such as a lobotomy that the patients would do anything to avoid. All in all, it is very clearly portrayed who is in power, and who has none whatsoever.

            It is actually quit similar within our school and probably every other school. Our form of Big Nurse would be Mr. Welch, holding all the power and being able to make decisions for any department for the school. Mr. Welch’s job is to use his power to keep everything in school calm and controlled. He does this by being able to portray his message to the people under him, such as the vice-principles of each grade, or department heads who will then pass the message/order onto the students. If students misbehave there are consequences. Obviously nothing as painful and un-ethical as a lobotomy, but something more like a suspension or a Saturday-school. Most Institutions work like this, it is virtually the only way to keep the order within the elders, or the more controlled people. It is exactly like the psych ward, but with no life-changing consequences.

            Many people believe that schools are not as similar to a psych ward, but if you think about it they are exactly the same. We can’t choose which classes we want which periods. We can’t choose when to go to lunch, and we cant leave the school during school hours. The patients cant choose which cell and which room-mate they want to have, they cant choose when they want to eat, and they cant choose if they want to be a Chronic or an Acute. We have one person in power, Mr. Welch and they have Big Nurse. People enforce the choices of the ultimate power, our teachers and the black boys. There is nothing different between a psych ward and a school, just the people who control it.