Microblogs for "Coming of Age in Samoa"

Reference Information:
                 Title: Coming of Age in Samoa
                 Author:  Margaret Mead
                 Publisher: William Morrow and Company, 1928

Chapter 1: Introduction

Summary: 
 During the time this book was writtin people noticed the change in adolescents in America. The author says that changes in the science of pyschology and maladjustments have changed the youth. There wasn't any data from anybody to show what was causing this plight. Anthropologists questioned if the problems were due to being adolescent or being an adolescent in America. Because our society is to complex with many variables it would be hard to conduct a study with our adolescents. Mead travels to Samoa and studies the youth of their civilization because it is primitive and completely different than America. She uses this study to help figure out if the problems are with our culture. 

Discussion:
This was a very interesting way to look at this problem. I like how the scientific approach was discussed where keeping all variables constant except for one in an experiment provides good data but that couldn't be done for this case because there were so many variables that could not be kept track of. Going to a primitive civilization to basically compare the children as an anthropologist was a good idea because no explanation was found through psychology or biology.

Chapter 2: A Day in Samoa


Summary:
This chapter just describes the basic everyday life of a village of Samoans. It generally describes how the people prepare for their day and what kind of esential activities they do.


Discussion:
Everything is very primitives that the people do in this chapter. 

Appendix II: Methodology of this Study


Summary:
How the study was done was described in this chapter. The study was done with three groups of girls from different villages on the coast of the island of Tau. However, ceromonial data was gathered from all seven of the villages on the island. The main study group was sixty eight girls between the ages of nine and twenty. More information is given about the methods used, such as interviews conducted in Samoan.


Discussion:
This is important because it has all of the basic information about the control groups and some of the methods used to study the Samoans.

Appendix V: Materials upon Which the Analysis Is Based


Summary:
This chapter has the data used in the study. A record sheet is kept for each girl in the study, a sample sheet for the study is given with the information that is recorded for each girl. More examples are given as tables, such as sexual information and family structure. Simple intelligent tests were given because along with a checklist for girls to note their experience.


Discussion:
This will be a good chapter to reference because it actually shows the some of the data sheets that were used in the study.

Chapter 3: The Education of the Samoan Child

Summary:
In this chapter the different stages of a Samoan child are talked about. It describes from the time of the babies birth, how it is the young girls responsibily to take care of new babies, and their responsibilities that follow as they age. It talks a little about the boys but mainly about the girls. 


Discussion:
I think it was interesting how the author described the time the little girls have to watch over babies was possibly the worst time of their life. I think its kind of funny how the elders rely so heavily on very young girls to take care of the babies. As the girls grow up it seems pretty logical, as they get older they get more responsibility and more freedom.

Chapter 4: The Samoan Household


Summary:
This chapter talked mainly about the structure of a Samoan household. It talked about how ranks influence the household and how they change. It gave real examples of households and how ranks influenced certain things.

Discussion:
This is an important chapter because it explains the structure and how Samoans view the household. I thought the most interesting part was dealing with the taupo title. I thought the example of the beggar was interesting too because of how the guy hung around all day and did everything for the family and only at the last second before bed he expressed his desire.