2. Read from the beginning (p. 412) to p. 417. These pages detail Geertz’s arrival in the village and his experience of the police raid and the cockfight. Then focus closely on the first two pages, particularly the first paragraph. Why do you think Geertz begins in this way? What do you note about the tone/style of writing?
3. Read pages 418 — 419, particularly note the top of page 419. What do you note about this section? Focus particularly on the style of writing?
4. Read paragraph on 448, beginning “What sets the cockfight apart…” This is the most important paragraph in the whole piece. Think through it carefully, going through each line. What is Geertz’s central argument here?
5. Read the last two pages, pp. 452 — 453. The idea that “culture is a text” is a central idea here. Do you agree? Is culture like a text — in what ways, or in what ways not?
6. Geertz’s central argument is that the cock fight is “deep.” What does that mean? And in what ways is the cockfight deep? The answer to this question is scattered throughout the text, making the text itself a form of “deep play.” How many ways can you list? We will have a competition in class for who can find the most.
7. Does Geertz’s story convince you? Do you believe his account of Balinese lives and motivations? And, if so, why? What is it about the text that persuades or fails?