The seminar influenced my thinking about Amir and how he changed as a person. Several comments were made about how his relationship with Baba changed when they got to the US. One thing that was said which made me think of something that I hadn't before was that his and Soraya's inability to have a child was a punishment to him. I can see why that would be the case. He had betrayed Hassan as a child, and the failure to have a child was payback.
In general, I agreed with the statement that Amir and Baba switched roles when they got to the US. In Afghanistan, Baba was taking care of Amir and Amir was doing whatever his father wanted him to do. When they arrived in the US, Amir was the one taking care of Baba, especially when Baba got sick. I didn't disagree with a statement that was made. If I could go back, I would ask one of my level 3 questions because the discussion did not go very far.
Once we got going, it turned out to be a good seminar. People were sharing their ideas more and were more willing to jump into the conversation. We all did a very good job of listening to each other. There were a lot of questions asked when we did get going, so that was good.
It took us a long time to have a good conversation. We needed a halftime less then 10 minutes in because there were too many awkward silences. We had to be pushed to talk, myself included. We also didn't ask any Level 3 questions, so the conversation was not very deep. It stayed around the same topic and it mostly revolved around the book. Outside ideas were not brought in.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Kite Runner Socratic Seminar Reflection #1
The seminar influenced my thinking because it made me consider the consequences of Amir's actions in greater detail. It made me wonder if it was worth it to give up the respect of someone he had a good relationship with in order to win the respect of someone else. Someone asked whether you would rather have Ali or Baba as a father, which was a deep question. They both have their pros and cons.Ali is more nurturing, while Baba emphasizes tough love.
I agree with the fact that Amir acts selfish and doesn't do anything to change it. He mentioned it himself several times in the book. He doesn't use rationale when faced with tough decisions, he goes by his gut feeling, which isn't always the best idea. There wasn't a single remark that I disagreed with a lot.
One thing that worked well for the seminar is that the questions were more focused around the book. That is a positive because previous seminars were more focused on Level 3 questions, and the actual plot was not discussed as much. Everyone in the circle was able to get a greater understanding of the book as a result of this.
One thing that needs improvement is that there were some long pauses in the conversation. Oftentimes, someone would be waiting for someone else to respond or ask a question. Eventually someone would jump in, but people need to do a better job of jumping in with a question or something to ensure a better flow.
I agree with the fact that Amir acts selfish and doesn't do anything to change it. He mentioned it himself several times in the book. He doesn't use rationale when faced with tough decisions, he goes by his gut feeling, which isn't always the best idea. There wasn't a single remark that I disagreed with a lot.
One thing that worked well for the seminar is that the questions were more focused around the book. That is a positive because previous seminars were more focused on Level 3 questions, and the actual plot was not discussed as much. Everyone in the circle was able to get a greater understanding of the book as a result of this.
One thing that needs improvement is that there were some long pauses in the conversation. Oftentimes, someone would be waiting for someone else to respond or ask a question. Eventually someone would jump in, but people need to do a better job of jumping in with a question or something to ensure a better flow.
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