What is the role of tribalism in society?
When I first learned that our next project was on tribalism, I was concerned about its content. I never thought about tribalism in our society before the start of the unit. I found that it didn’t take me long to understand the importance of the topic of tribalism. The first point we discussed in class was the definition of a tribe:
A social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader
The definition seemed too broad and complex so we worked to simplify it. Through my research, I came to the understanding that a tribe is:
A group of people that are connected by a form of communication with a understandable power structure
With the definition above, I could wrap my head around what a tribe is. Part 2 of our driving question is where the most compelling connections can be made.
- What is tribalism’s role in society?
- What makes tribalism a part of human nature?
- Do we need tribalism to survive?
- Is it possible to live without the influence of tribalism?
During the project, I started to formulate answers to these questions as it got me closer and closer to answering the driving question.
The Presentation
The final goal of the project was to deliver a presentation explaining tribalism’s role in society through the lens of a tribe and a book we read called Lord of the Flies. I worked in a group with Emily and Alivia to create a comprehensive presentation around the project. There were limited constraints that helped us create a more creative presentation.
As with any project I have various regrets and reflective moments. Group work is always challenging, and it was uniquely when my group had 3 type-A personalities. Working with others is the foundation of our society and it is a skill that I continue to develop. When working in groups it is essential that recognize power structure and utilize the skills of your members.
Although I believe our group accomplished the goal of understanding a clear power structure, we left a lot to be desired in terms of maximizing the usage of our skills. My strength is in synthesis (writing), but during the scriptwriting process, I didn’t make enough of a case that I should be leading the process. In the future, I must push to make sure my group is best utilizing not only my strengths but my colleague’s strengths.
If you were to watch the presentation you might notice that were spurts where I went off-script. These were the best moments because I was able to speak from my heart. Finding this passion is always so essential to a successful and meaningful piece of work.
These sections of the presentation show how I have developed my skills in reading and personal text response. The rants required personal connection and reflection to make them as in-depth as the were. The book sparked ideas in my mind that took down a path of deep thought that would eventually lead me to insightful moments like the one seen in my presentation.
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is one of the most influential bodies of work to ever be printed.
William Goulding used clever metaphors and symbolizing to speak to any reader. Lord of the Flies is especially engaging because the entire book is about Goulding’s opinion of human nature. Each character symbolizes different facets of society, and it seems as if all the words are placed with such care.
We had 2 main assignments connected to the book.
- Quote Analysis Quizzes
- Journal Entry’s
These 2 assignments exemplified some key learning outcomes. Both tasks required an understanding of the book that is deeper than comprehension alone. I would need to dig deeper to understand the deeper meaning. It challenged my skills in literary identification and analysis and personal text response.
In my final journal entry on how the book would change if the characters were different showed my understanding the most. I had to first analyze the book which showed my literary analysis. The next step was to identify key phrases in the book that could add to my connection which ties into both my personal response and literary identification. I felt strongest about my personal responses because I felt the most passion when writing passages that outlined that response. I weaved those two competencies in my journal entries showing how I understand the book’s nuances and my understanding of how it relates to me.
I found it very interesting to read and think about why Goulding wrote the way he did. My appreciation for his style ties into the curricular competency of understanding language construction and intent. Thinking about his intent and construction lead me to a deeper understanding of not only the words in the book but also the author’s intent. This deeper thought is a major reason behind my success in my quote response quiz. The deeper connection to the author allowed me to understand the themes Goulding was trying to communicate. Some examples of these themes were innocence and evil, power and authority, and human nature. These themes were interwoven in the book and were a big part of my quote analysis.
The final piece of learning I’d like to outline is my growth in the writing process. I pride myself on my ability to write and during this unit I was looking forward to developing my skills in the writing process. I hadn’t written a reflective piece on a book and it presented some unique challenges for me to overcome. The writing style is formal but also personal which is hard to balance in a single piece of writing. In my journal entries and writing prompts I gradually developed my skills in balancing the unique style. By the end of the unit, I was impressed with my precision in my writing. I kept it uncomplicated and that lead to the most powerful work. I still have ample parts of writing ability to develop but I am impressed with my ability to branch out and try a different style.
What is the role of tribalism in society?
Over the past month, I have been inundated with more words and literature than ever before which provided a unique challenge. With this influx of perspectives, I have been able to get a better feel for answering our driving question. Humans have many defining traits and they are a result of a number of different factors. Tribalism gives people unique opportunities to find those defining traits within themselves. Tribalism provides people with purpose, identity, and more defining traits. These attributes are critical to society because it gives them the ability to contribute. These contributions may be positive, negative, or meaningless but it is the act of contribution that makes tribalism a key part of society. Tribalism is the mechanism that brings society forward.
