Mid-Quarter Reflection

 I honestly love civil discourse and discussion, so anything discussion/ debate relating is so engaging. Particularly with Home Fire, because I really enjoyed that text. I think life gets so boring if everyone agrees on everything. Conflicting viewpoints further society, and without it we would just be a bowl of non-moving water. I think I should’ve made a club where we just talk about different topics in a casual manner. So to answer the question at hand, the Home Fire discussions/ debates furthered my understanding the most, and kept me engaged. In high school, we did similar activities but we had to stop if we got too heated so as to not hurt anyone's feelings. It is also fascinating to hear other people’s understanding of a passage when yours was completely different. Neither is wrong or right, but there are so many perspectives for any work of literature, that discussing them is almost crucial to understanding it at all. In terms of enjoyment, I really love that we get to go outside and be in person. Though Zoom is sometimes necessary, and completely manageable, being outside with no masks really fosters communication and camaraderie. I do have some questions about next quarter. Will it be at the same time in the same place? Will it be the same people? I have really gotten to enjoy each and every person in this class, so I hope it continues into the future. All in all, I really enjoy this class and I am having a lot of fun. 


Comments

  1. Avery PiersonOctober 24, 2021 at 11:24 PM

    I also really enjoy the class debates, especially when they get a little intense. I love your "bowl of non moving water" comparison- that is such a perfect way to describe it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Abby MatsonOctober 25, 2021 at 12:13 AM

    I agree-- I love the outdoor classes! It feels like a bunch of friends getting together to talk instead of showing up to sit in a class.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michelle BOctober 25, 2021 at 2:04 PM

    As for next quarter: same people, same time/day, but they will probably move our classroom location. But going outside will still be an option as long as the weather holds up :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bianca DuarteOctober 27, 2021 at 4:53 PM

    I also find the discussions to be very interesting and I love listening to arguments or points made by both sides in debates. I find the outdoor discussions to be refreshing because sitting in a circle outdoors gives off a completely different vibe than wearing a mask in class indoors.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gender in Pachinko

  In the novel, there are characters that seem to have defined gender roles, and there are some that blur the lines. For example, Kyunghee seems to portray a typical woman. She is extremely loyal to her husband, and respects him almost to a fault. She is also described as beautiful. Without the introduction of Sunja, she may have never had the courage to ask for anything. For example, she had the lovely idea of constructing a kimchi business. She is able to partially achieve this dream, but she would not have been able to do it without the encouragement from Sunja. She seems to be smart, but just enough to be a good wife. In a parallel sense, Yoseb is very ‘manly’. He has a strange addiction to tradition, and we see him slip into anger when he senses he is losing control. These are traits typically associated with a man. Then there are characters like Sunja. She is never described as pretty, in fact she is described as quite the opposite. She explores her sexuality with Hansu, but ...
Read more

Equiano Project

  The Equiano group’s project was extremely enlightening. I knew slave ships were bad, but not that bad. A 45% mortality rate is absolutely horrendous. I literally cannot imagine living in captivity so close to other people. It really makes you appreciate everything you have/ all the space you have to move around. It also seems counter-intuitive. When so many of the people you need to sell die, aren’t you losing money? It would make more sense to create habitable environments. In light of this, it seems like those who forced slaves to be in the ships were simply evil. It is also saddening, but not surprising to learn of the commonality of suicide. When faced when actual torture, it is not suprising that many people chose death. Even when healthy, the outlook of servitude was probably horrifying. What I found most interesting were the revolts. I had not thought about the idea that slaves could revolt, and it is encouraging that the enslaved people did not give up. Apparently around ...
Read more

Smasher's Character vs Blackwood's Character

  I do not think it is possible to talk about Smasher without talking about Blackwood. They are inverses of each other, and as such the story would not be complete without the two sides of the spectrum. Smasher represents the side of Will that wants the aboriginals gone. He has no mercy for them as humans, and he takes pleasure in their pain. Blackwood is the opposite. He sees the aboriginals as equals, supporting them and even learning their own language. Blackwood represents the side of Will that wants to live peacefully with them. What is shown in Will’s thoughts seems to represent the mind of the average colonizer. Neither here, nor there. However, Greenville uses the two opposing characters of Blackwood and Smasher to portray the extreme ends of the ideology. We can also see how Smasher’s perspective is more or less supported by the British government. When they send the letter with directions on how to handle the aboriginals, it states that peaceful coexistence must first be ...
Read more