Passage Analysis

Context:
The Nurse talks to the patients after one of the meetings. She is angered by their behavior 3 weeks back, as they tried to rebel and stayed in front of the TV to watch the World Series.

Theme:
○ Control and oppression - the nurse is always in control in this passage, she explains to the 'boys' that they have gone against the laws and that they must be punished. The nurse never loses control as she speaks to them.
○ Sacrifice and selfishness - the patients have tried to rebel

Characters:
○ Nurse Ratched - she is the main character in this passage because she is the only one speaking. She makes a speech to discuss their punishment, and because of the way she speaks, we KNOW she is in control.

Motifs:
○ The nurse herself is a motif, because she represents the American Society and oppression.

Symbols:

Synecdoche: the nurse represents the US society, oppressive and limiting.

Language:
Controlling - 'boys' - familiar and naming to condescend
Familiar and mother-like/forced caring tone
§ fake kindness
§ vocabulary: "hopefully you will understand"; fairly simple language.
§ Loaded language "therapeutic, discipline"
She speaks on behalf of the hospital and what they all represent. Connected to the U.S. as a whole society.

Structure:
This passage is very strong because the structure emphasizes the nurse's control over the ward. She makes a speech and raises her hands to stop any kind of opposition. In this passage, there are descriptions of the room and how the patients are reacting to what she is saying, and the speech that she is making.

Imagery:

Rhetoric:
The passage is mainly focused on the nurse's speech to the patients and we notice that her tone is condescending. She uses terms such as 'boys', and blames their inability to fit in the world on their parents. The mood is rather tense, because she is clearly putting pressure on her patients.