Brynn Gorney

Mrs. Storer
November 26, 2019
English 3 Honors

Socratic Circle Reflection

On Friday, November 22nd, 2019, our class held a second Socratic Circle discussion.
During that class period, classmates openly shared their ideas about the undiscussed details and
deeper meaning of themes in the texts Hills like White Elephants and Winter Dreams. In three
groups, we alternated between the two stories, starting with Hills like White Elephants. In every
group, the class seemed to be undecided on whether or not Jig had changed her mind about the
decision to abort her baby. Everyone seemed to be thrown off by the fact that said decision
remained unclear in the text, making it difficult to know what she really wanted. Individuals
shared that she didn’t actually want to come to a conclusion in the first place and might even
have only been drinking to distract herself. Others claimed that she always wanted to abort the
baby because of how she refers to it as a ‘white elephant’ from the very beginning. The majority
of the class agreed that the man was manipulative and did not change his mind, backing this up
with the way that he pushed his ideals onto Jig throughout the conversation with her. The final
decision of Jig and the American was also left undecided because the class was split over it. Our
class also dipped their toes into Winter Dreams, debating the extents of Dexter and Judy’s love
for each other. The majority agreed that Dexter’s love was a lot more “real” than Judy’s because
he did appreciate more than her status when he thought about being with her. One person also
argued that he stuck with her through all of the times where she cheated on him, which proves a
lot about his feelings and loyalty. While coming up with these conclusions, everyone contributed
very freely, in opposition to the last circle. I do believe that everyone spoke up and in fairly equal
portions of time. What also made the circle better was the calm and inclusive behaviors of the
facilitators. They were careful not to move on too quickly and allowed everyone to speak until
they were satisfied. Some of them even challenged the group with questions that were not on the
rubric, which helped to evolve to conversations, in a sense. For example, in my group, our
facilitator (Louis) asked for our opinions on the symbolism of the train station setting in the story
of Hills like White Elephants. Several people, including myself, had to really think and offer their
point of view on the spot, which made the conversation seem less “cookie-cutter”.
On the note of my contributions, I was definitely more care-free during this conversation.
I answered a question that was not on the study guide about the symbolism behind the setting of
Hills like white Elephants. I did my best to explain that the trains represent opposing ideas and
the station represents the climax of Jig and the American’s argument. In the beginning, when
they haven’t addressed the elephant in the room, the trains are still far away, but they are on their
way there. By the end of the story, the train is almost at the station and he argument has become
very heated. To me, the last trains racing towards the station are symbolic of their argument
becoming irrational, unsolvable, and overly-heated. I also mentioned something about the man,
but I can no longer remember exactly what that was. Overall, looking at my performance on both
circles, I would have to say that this one was a big improvement. Knowing what the circle would
be like, I was able to prepare myself to talk on the spot instead of planning out what I was going
to say. Even though my points weren’t as crisp as they could have been, I allowed myself to
interject more times than last and focus more on what my group members were saying. Overall,
it improved my experience in the circle in several ways. With that in mind, I will try to
remember not to think too much and to talk more as I go into next semester’s Socratic Circles.
In the story Winter Dreams, Dexter Green displays a more real love for Judy Jones than
she does for him because of the affection that his inner thoughts reveal and the loyalty that he
displays throughout their story. Throughout the two’s interactions, he often thinks to himself
about how beautiful she is, how much he enjoys watching her do simple things, or the spark that
he knows is there between them. He also notes at one point how being around her makes him
feel radiant and glamorous which he doesn’t feel with anyone else. Despite all of these feelings
that he feels before she fades out of his life, he is still aware of and loyal to his feelings for her
after she cheats on him several times with other men. He still finds that same spark drawing him
towards her, despite other complications.
Fake love and loyalty are highly relevant topics today, as a great divide has been
highlighted between the two concepts. Physical appearance, possessions, and money are all
idolized by society as important parts of finding of life partner. This is partly responsible for
some of the faulty relationships that have fallen apart in recent times. Even marriages are failing
because of where society tells us to put our value. If people were to read Winter Dreams, perhaps
they would see the consequences of falling in love for the wrong reasons and think more deeply
about what is really important to find in a spouse.

Checklist
Before turning in a reflection, use the following checklist to ensure you have included all the
necessary requirements to receive full credit:

One-to-two pages, single-spaced, 12-point font, typed

MLA Header: Your name, the teacher’s name, the course title and block, and the due date
of this reflection
Centered Title: Socratic Circle Reflection on [the subject of this particular Socratic circle]
One paragraph reflection on the performance of your group
One paragraph reflecting on your individual performance
A thesis statement for an “imaginary” essay on this text
One paragraph explaining the main points of that “imaginary” essay
One paragraph explaining the connections you made between the text and your own life