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.