Reference Info:
Coming of Age in Samoa
Margaret Mead
1928 Harper Perennial
Chapter 2: A Day in Samoa
Summary:
This chapter summarizes the day in the life of a Samoan Village. Mead describes the average day from dawn until past midnight where it all repeats again the next morning. She describes how the village starts stirring at dawn while villagers head out to the sea to freshen up and begin their daily tasks. The younger children are drowsy and hungry while the mothers make breakfast. Later in the afternoon, when the sun is beating down on them, they retreat to their homes and rest. The more daring children go for a swim under the shade. Once the sun begins to slowly sets, life comes back to the village as the people continue with their chores. As night falls, the mood becomes lighter as families gather in their homes to eat dinner and the children and elderly are tucked away. The village slowly settles to a few whispers as the night grows.
Discussion:
This chapter gave an interesting description of living in a Samoan village. I could imagine all the work that is done everyday and the rest they must take in the sun. The life seems simple but happy. I would not mind spending a day or two in the village to see what it is truly like.
Appendix II
Summary:
The information provided by this appendix explains how the study of the Samoan girl went about. Mead starts off by explaining the need to dive into a culture to learn truthfully about their way of life opposed to some over gerneralization and describes where she did her reasearch. She explains her limitation of control groups and group of girls available to study as well as the type of qualitive data that could not be quantitative. She then explains that the data is all based on personal experiences by the person and is subject to change or faults. The methodology of cross sectional study opposed to linear study is introduced because of the dispersed groups of classification for the girls. Examples are female children, those about to reach puberty, and those a few years past puberty. Mead also explains the fashion in which data was gathered. She did not, by a means of a translator, get the data, but in the native Samoan language from reliable sources whose stories were checked. Another methodology was to only get details on cultural information directly related to the girls she was studying opposed to the overall culture with specific detail. Other factual information was gathered but is not enough to represent the Samoan life with quantitative data.
Discussion:
The described methodology seems to give way for a giant margin of error. It is understandable that it is nearly impossible to get completely accurate information but generalized assumptions should not be given to replace facts. I do not know a better method to study a culture but the way Mead did it does not give it much reliability.
Appendix V
Summary:
This reading details the girls of the experiment and how they were seperated into different groups by category. Information of the girls was also taken including nuclear family size as well as an evaluation by a series of questions and a test of intellect. Mead goes into further detail about the girls represented visually in the text.
Discussion:
It was interesting to see some of the data of the girls in the test. There were many disparities between the girls, but it is reasonable given the group separations.
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