TFA+Reflections+JaneR

After each literature circle discussion, please complete the following reflection in complete sentences on your page. (Clearly label each discussion reflection.) **What were the two most interesting ideas or insights that were discussed in your group meeting today?** Describe the ideas and insights in as much detail as you can, noting the ideas and connections various members came up with as well as any follow-up questions that were asked. (This reflection needs to be a paragraph in length.)

page and evaluate your performance in your literature circle. Have you been a strong discussion participant? Why or why not?
 * Note**: After discussion #4, please add an evaluation of your discussion performance. Review the Literature Circle Discussion Skills

=Reflection 1 - Discussion 1= The first thing that our group talked about was the difference between sayings and proverbs. We came up with the conclusion that they are synonyms but a debate still stayed in the air. Half of us disagreed and half of us agreed. The second aspect was pygmalion. If the many wives were a good thing in society or was it a neutral thing or was it a negative thing. We all had different opinions. We came up with the conclusion that it's the difference of point of view. When we look at them today we think its negative. However in those days it was considered very highly that a man had many wives.

=Reflection 2 - Discussion 2= Our group had a lot of fruitful debates. I think the most biggest one was about dowries and if paying for a wife is a neutral, good, or bad thing.In India woman give a dowry to the husband's family. Which seems to be the exact opposite. In korea the women also gives some stuff to the husband's family as well. Another debate was about the mask of Okonkwoo, his change during these chapters are not massive. However we can see that Okonkwoo struggles to keep his mask on. All 4 of us, agreed with this aspect of the book. We found that when Ikemfuna is killed by himself. He struggles to become a man again. As he struggles, he finds a breaking point and that breaking point is when he kills the man and is exiled from the society.

=Reflection 3 - Discussion 3= Our group seemed a little sleepy today. However our biggest debate was the one on if revenge is ultimately good or bad. To explain in context, should the Igbo society people accept the Europeans in colonizing them or should they resist and take revenge on them. Basically it's either Okonkwoo's way or Nwoye's way. We used the example of how Ethiopia did not allow themselves to be colonized. The majority of our group voted that without change we could not survive because Darwanism states that it's the survival of the fittest. I argued that without Ethiopia being colonized we are able to get the good cocoa beans that they make. So, there is a good side and bad side to colonization. WE could not come up with a good justification for either argument.

=Reflection 4 - Discussion 4= Today, it was more about the change in Okonkwoo throughout the book. The most important question that was brought up was 'Why did Okonkwoo kill himself?' Well, as we first entered the discussion we found that Okonkwoo missed his past when he was the big and mighty one. As for the question why did he kill himself. I guess in someways it was the guilt of killing the messenger but in the long run he probably felt that he wanted to preserve the fact that he was mighty and one day strong. He didn't want to live in a life that were full of puny and weak people.

For all 4 discussions it total, all four of us were always prepared and actively participated but sometimes it seemed that we ran out of time. We had a hard time staying on a timely manner. There were some points in which we really wanted to debate further about our ethics on the topic. If I had to do the discussion again I think we might have to put a very tight time constraint on each point?