Committee’s proposal, you must identify, defend and explain at least three reasons/rationales for your position.

Please help me make a letter in which you SUPPORT or REJECT the Alberta Education Committee’s proposal recommending that One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest be removed as a study choice from the English 30 curriculum.

The letter must be persuasive and presented respectfully; your points must be grounded on “insight.”  

Whether you support or reject the Committee’s proposal, you must identify, defend and explain at least three reasons/rationales for your position.  The committee is claiming the text is not good for teenage audiences, so  draw upon your own experience as teenagers in defending your position.  What better “authority” is there, than YOU??  (You may, if you’re given the opportunity, research what movie critics have written.) 

Remember:  the committee is firmly opposed to the text, thus, your task will be challenging: to open minds that are “nearly” firmly closed.  How best will you open the doors, or firmly seal them shut?  What techniques of persuasion will you use?  What DETAILS from the play will you call to attention, as you defend your stand?  What parts of the REVIEWERS articles will you use (I expect to see at least two quotations!)  You need to be exceptionally clever with this task: your BEST writing and thinking to date!!!  Write respectfully, keeping your audience in mind.

Persuasive Writing in Context:  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

A committee of Alberta Education people, hired to revise the English 30-2 Curriculum, have decided that the movie, novel and play, One Flew 

Over the Cuckoo’s Nest  is quite limited in offering relevant, insightful themes/ideas to teenage students, especially those who are nearing graduation, preparing to head into the “real” world. In fact, these educators believe the text’s main flaws are that the “messages” – people must always fight conformity, good people ultimately prevail against evil – are simplistic and trite in some cases, and ill-advised and unrealistic in others. They also express concerns about the violence, obscene language, sexism, racism, and questionable humour: overall they feel the text is harsh and, in all likelihood, rather distorted. To quote a critic “Ultimately, lots of disturbing and depressing material, including underlying themes of mental illness..”  Armed with their evidence and opinions, the committee has proposed that this film, play and novel not be recommended as a text study choice for Grade 12 English classes. 

They realize this proposal will likely be controversial, so they have planned to encourage people to submit letters in which interested parties (you) can air concerns.  You will be one of the people writing a letter, which will be read at a Committee meeting.