Geertz Summary

     The villagers of Bali saw all outsiders as intruders and would ignore all visitors as if they were invisible. Anthropologist Clifford Geertz was one of these “invisible men” until he expressed his solidarity with the Balinese by fleeing from the village police during the break up of an illegal cockfight. It is this fellowship with the villagers that allowed Geertz to gain insight into the true significance of the Balinese cockfight and its representation of their culture.

     In Bali, the villagers illegally participate in cockfighting. The men watch and gamble on the fight, while women and children play penny games around the fight. Balinese cockfighting is a fair matchup of two cocks that are trained to furiously attack each other until one of the cocks victoriously kills the other. The cock’s legs are fitted with deadly, sword-like spurs to stab and wound any opponent chicken.  The two cock owners agree on an official center bet, while the surrounding audience engages in peripheral side bets. The center bet is a serious arrangement between the owners that is witnessed by the umpire and decided in a quiet huddle before the match. The amount gambled in the center bet is usually large compared to the daily wages in the Balinese village, but the owners receive contributions from allies, kin, and close friends. In contrast, the side bets involve publically shouting out bets based on the odds of the fight. Both the center and side bets are paid immediately at the end of each fight.

     Most people would see the cockfights as just two chickens hacking away at each other while men gamble their wages away; however, Clifford Geertz sees the cockfight through a Balinese point of view, linking it to cultural and social aspects of their society. Geertz reveals that during a cockfight, money is not the only thing on the line for the Balinese. A cock owner’s honor, dignity, and most importantly status is symbolically at stake. While one’s status is not truly changed, a win or loss will result in a momentary confirmation or insult of their status. Each cock is an animalistic representation of the owner, while the cockfight is a metaphorical representation of brutal caste hierarchy that is internalized by the friendly and equal Balinese society.

Quote from Geertz

    "Or that in seeking earthly analogues for heaven and hell the Balinese compare the former to the mood of a man whose cock has just won, the latter to that of a man whose cock has just lost."

     Pg. 62

    I found this quote to be very interesting because it shows how cock fighting can even be symbolic of religious matters such as heaven and hell. This quote represents how truly important cock fighting is to the Balinese. Not only can each type of person be related to a type of cock in a different fight situation, but I find it amazing that the feelings associated with heaven and hell with can be compared to cock fighting as well. Things such as heaven and hell are hard to understand sometimes; however, I think the Balinese have summed them up very well in this quote in a way that all Balinese will understand.

OWS Summary

    No one questions Occupy Wall Street's motives and demands. Although there movement has lost some energy in recent months, OWS has made a name for itself and brought attention to their beliefs. The article argues that OWS is not a group of crazy left-wing activists, but it is a representation of the disadvantaged 99% in the class war against the wealthy 1%. They are trying to express their beliefs that private interest is not best for the public. The article states that the wealthy have the real power in Wall Street, while the rest of us only have an illusion of power. OWS wants to change this and make the public a true part of the stock market. This article shows that OWS's claim is necessary for the well-being of America, and it tries to gain sympathy for the movement.

With And Against The Grain

   Reading "with the grain"

Reading with the grain means that the reader listens and supports an author's ideas and points and tries to see from the author's point of view. By reading with the grain, one can adopt the author's view and continue to add to or develop that argument.

I believe I read "with the grain" when I was analyzing the lyrics to POWER by Kanye West. I read the lyrics in an attempt to understand his meaning behind the words. I had to listen to the words through Kanye's point of view. Reading his lyrics "with the grain" really helped to analyze his video. It made it simpler to find similarities in the ideas behind the video and the song.


   Reading "against the grain"

Reading "against the grain" means that the reader challenges the author's ideas and point of view. One who reads "against the grain" will have a different belief than the author and will look for counter arguments or points not fully supported by the evidence.

When I was writing a proposal argument on coastal erosion, my argument was that artificial reefs were a more cost efficient and effective method of coastal erosion mitigation than other methods. One of the books I got for research was about saving America’s beaches; however, the book stated that beach nourishment was the best method to stop coastal erosion. I read this book "against the grain" because I challenged the ideas of the author. I did not agree with his points and I looked for flaws in his evidence. I realized that the author only briefly mentioned that beach nourishment was costly, even though it is a serious point to be considered when choosing the best method to stop coastal erosion. Also, I identified that the author failed to mention that beach nourishment only temporarily solved coastal erosion and was not a permanent fix. Reading the book on beach nourishment "against the grain" made it possible for me to strengthen my argument by rebutting the author's argument.

Strong Reading

   Strong reading is the ability to not just look at the text and understand it, but to apply it to one's own goals and experiences. A strong reader will string together parts of the story that he can relate to, and he will think critically about the evidence offered in the reading. A strong reader can take evidence from within the story or from an outside source and interpret, agree with, or oppose the main ideas and arguments being presented.
   I believe strong reading means looking at the text and being able to challenge or believe in the meaning behind the words. It is the ability to recognize similarities or disagreements between the authors words and one's own life and beliefs.