Reference Information
Title: Coming of Age in Samoa
Author: Margaret Mead
Editors: Williams Morrow and Company (1928)
Chapter 13: Our Educational Problems in the Light of Samoan Contrasts
Summary
In this chapter, Mead compares and contrasts Samoan and American children. There are two very different social environments between the two cultures. American children have many more choices and opportunities depending on who they are with. She notes that Samoan children know much more about life including matters of sex and death.
Mead also discusses the specialization of feeling that occurs with Americans. Samoans display feelings but not nearly at the magnitude that American children do. No Samoan child is spoiled.
She also discusses education. American children attend school but do work that they feel is unrelated to their parents' work. Because of this, the activities they do seem useless. Conversely, Samoan children from a very young age are a part of their parents' daily activities. They grow up learning how they will benefit society.
Discussion
I thought this was the best chapter i've read so far. To be honest, I agree with all of what Mead says. I've been pretty disillusioned with my college life thus far. I feel like there are so many useless classes that I've had to take such as poli sci, history, kinesiology, etc. I understand they want us to have some "general knowledge" but that's what high school is for. Other countries have it right in pushing children towards more technical schools and such. College degrees are imperative nowadays and I don't think we're getting any smarter. Just more in debt. :/
In this chapter, Mead compares and contrasts Samoan and American children. There are two very different social environments between the two cultures. American children have many more choices and opportunities depending on who they are with. She notes that Samoan children know much more about life including matters of sex and death.
Mead also discusses the specialization of feeling that occurs with Americans. Samoans display feelings but not nearly at the magnitude that American children do. No Samoan child is spoiled.
She also discusses education. American children attend school but do work that they feel is unrelated to their parents' work. Because of this, the activities they do seem useless. Conversely, Samoan children from a very young age are a part of their parents' daily activities. They grow up learning how they will benefit society.
Discussion
I thought this was the best chapter i've read so far. To be honest, I agree with all of what Mead says. I've been pretty disillusioned with my college life thus far. I feel like there are so many useless classes that I've had to take such as poli sci, history, kinesiology, etc. I understand they want us to have some "general knowledge" but that's what high school is for. Other countries have it right in pushing children towards more technical schools and such. College degrees are imperative nowadays and I don't think we're getting any smarter. Just more in debt. :/
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