Notes

1. I expected the discussions to be closed around a certain group while everyone else observed. I figured that Mrs. Nagel to be sitting around just taking notes on who actually contributed to the conversation and how the ideas bounced around.

2. I very much enjoyed the "Polygamy Now!" discussion as there were so many ideas and theories that bounced around that either confirmed certain aspects of the story or refuted them. The part when someone put up the idea that Elizabeth Joseph's values were not truly feminist and that she conveniently left out certain details that should have been included helped me discover how manipulative some people can be and how not everything some people say in their articles is truthful. Another interesting discussion was that of "My Grandma the Poisoner". Who knew such a sweet and gentle old lady could be a little twisted if not kind of insane for poisoning her loved ones. The sheer number of thoughts on the story were amazing and I really couldn't determine if the grandmother in the story was sickeningly evil, or misguidedly sweet. I think the most valuable part of this discussion was the topic of the grandson. Just like the grandmother, so many people had different ideas on what the grandson's motives were and why he did what he did. In not turning in his grandma for her crimes he decided to sit back and believe that it was all the goodness of her heart showing me that love and pity triumph over someones wrongdoings. Lastly, I valued the moments in "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" when it became more apparent that the themes in the story all correlate to some aspect of the American lifestyle. The more secrets the class uncovered from the story, the clearer it became that the habits of our lifestyle can seem strange and ridiculous when we view it more as the life of primitive people rather than ourselves.