Post #9

What reflections and connections can you make with this novel?

When I began reading Peace Child, I felt as if I couldn’t really connect with it. The whole story was way out there to me. I mean, how often in my life have and will I ever meet a head hunter or cannibal - most likely never. So I took this book on looking at it as if it were fiction. To me, it was just another interesting story I could say I had read. All I did was make remarks such as “WOW” or “ummm ok, they are weird and just wrong”. However, during our last English class, one question made me think and change my whole perspective on the story. I remember the question was something like, “are we any different than the Sawi?” Then I realized how self centered my thoughts until that point had been. I perceived myself as being a civilized individual and far greater in every way than the Sawi people. I was wrong. I am just as treacherous and barbaric, just in a different manner. I don’t use my hands to kill, but my mouth – which God sees as the same since no sin is worse than another. What makes us revolt their customs of treachery is the pride they take in it and their lack of secrecy concerning it. In a way I think they are better than us because of that. Hiding what we know is wrong seems worse than the Sawi being subconsciously unaware of their actions.