Socratic Seminar Reflection

Upon first hearing of our class's impending Socratic Seminar adventure, I had several reservations. I had doubts about the ebb and flow of the discussions, believing there would be periods of furious discussion and then stretches of silence. Reservations of my ability to make substantial preparations for the discussion also popped into my head. However upon the conclusion of my first discussion, I found that my ability to spring board off other students' ideas into my own was better than I first imagined. This kept the flow of the conversation moving along at a acceptable.

Brave New World has many deep, thought-provoking themes throughout. The Socratic Seminar prodded my brain into more analytically deep thinking about the themes and characters than I ever thought possible from the surface of the text. The discussion did not bless my mind with any new knowledge but gave my thinking a different direction. For example, in our discussion of the significance of Henry Ford as God, I was introduced to a more literal way of viewing the situation. I saw Henry Ford as the representation of scientific triumph just as God is our representation of cultural triumph. However, Andrea, viewed the situation more literally. Just as God created our world with his hands, Henry Ford manufactured the new society in Brave New World. Andrea redirected my thinking in an entirely way that had never crossed my mind before.

The discussions at the end gave me the most enjoyment and satisfaction. They seemed to be less structured and allowed the conversations to take a variety of twists and turns. This was best expressed when Sean, Natasha, Sadie, and I discussed the effect of mass production on individuality. Natasha challenged my ideas, giving me a way to enforce my own understanding of my ideas with the examples that came to mind as the discussion continued.

I found the Socratic Seminar to be a really fun and stimulating activity. However, I found the placement of the discussion group in the center of the room awkward. A feeling of judgments being passed filled the room. I do not see a better way to do this activity, however, and realize that this an individual problem that needs to be solved by the individual.