The Kite Runner Socratic Seminar #2 Reflection

The Kite Runner Socratic Seminar #2 Reflection

     There were many things said which influenced my way of thinking during this socratic seminar. One thing that really influenced my way of thinking was when we were discussing if it was cowardly to flee your country during a time of war. I thought it was interesting to hear why some people thought it was cowardly and why others did not. By the end of the seminar, my opinion, that it was not cowardly to flee your country during a time of war, was strengthened by what other people were saying in the circle. One thing that I thought more in-depth about was the role of women in The Kite Runner. I had not really thought about the fact that most women in the story were absent or dead and only Soraya was a prevalent female character.

     I agreed with many of the statements made by my peers. The statement that I most agreed with was that it was not cowardly of Baba to flee Afghanistan with Amir. I do not think it was cowardly of them to flee the country because they were just trying to protect themselves and not be killed. I do not think it is unreasonable for someone to try and avoid being killed. I least agreed with the statement that it is cowardly to flee your country during war because I do not think it is always cowardly to flee your country. If I had the opportunity to say one more thing during the socratic seminar, I would have said that I think it can be cowardly to flee your country, so you can avoid being drafted. However, I don't think it is cowardly if your country is being invaded and devastated by war and all you want to do is protect your children. I would have said this to distinguish that I think that there can be a level of cowardice when it comes to fleeing your country during a time of war.

     One thing that I thought worked well for this seminar was the fact that no one talked over each other. I was a little nervous to be put in the dominator's group at first because I thought that the discussion would be chaotic and everyone would try to talk over one another. However, I think we did a good job at maintaining our composure and respect for one another as a group. Overall, I was proud that we had a fluid conversation without anyone interrupting each other.

     One thing that could use improvement for next time is to perhaps not take a half time. I usually like half times because they help us learn what we can do to improve our conversation. However, I thought that our conversation was flowing very well and the half time sort of threw me off personally because after the half time I found it harder to get involved in the conversation again. Overall, I thought our discussion was nice and fluid and I was proud at how well the dominators did as a group.

The Kite Runner Socratic Seminar #1 Reflection

The Kite Runner Socratic Seminar #1 Reflection

     Our first discussion of the The Kite Runner influenced my way of thinking on a variety of topics. One of the main topics we discussed, that influenced my way of thinking, was what makes a good father. It was interesting to see who thought Baba was a good or bad father and why. One thing that made me think into more depth was when someone asked if Amir should feel guilty about not preventing Hassan's rape. At first I thought of course he should feel guilty, but someone brought up the point that he was a child and was probably completely shocked and did not know what to do. I still think Amir should have felt some level of guilt for not preventing Hassan's rape because he could have prevented it, if he let Assef have the kite.

     There were many statements that my peers made, which I agreed with. The statement that I agreed with most, which was made by one of my peers, was that they would not want to have Baba as a father. I agreed with this statement because Baba does not seem like a good father, since he does not accept who Amir is, and only wants him to follow in his footsteps. The statement I most disagreed with, was when someone said that they would like Baba as a father because they like the idea of tough love. I think tough love is something that works for some kids, but personally I do not like the idea of tough love, since I tend to be more sensitive than others. If I had the opportunity to say anything that I did not get to say, I probably would have defended the idea that Amir should feel guilty about not defending Hassan's rape because all he had to do was give Assef the kite in order to stop it. I would have said this because some people were saying that he should not feel so guilty, since he was only a child but I think that at the time he was just being selfish and cared more about his kite and pleasing Baba, than his friend's safety.

     I think that we all did a good job of participating in this seminar. I'm pleased with the way that everyone in our group got the chance to speak. I'm also pleased that everyone in our circle encouraged people to speak. I also think we did a good job at staying on topic and not drifting away to irrelevant topics. Lastly, I think that the questions that were asked were good, because they sparked in-depth discussions and there were no awkward pauses.

     One thing that could use improvement is to have the non-dominators speak more. Even though everyone in a circle spoke, the non-dominators only spoke about once or twice. Speaking once or twice is not enough to get your full points. Also, the non-dominators should not just speak to get their points. They should try to get into the discussion more and speak because they want their voices and opinions heard. Other than that, I thought this socratic seminar was successful.