Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight Essay Questions

Why does Geertz begin his essay with an anecdote about a raided cockfight?

While Geertz's article is primarily academic, he begins by describing both his arrival in Bali and a subsequent cockfight he and his wife attended that was raided by police. This anecdote helps establish Geertz's subject of study - the illegal practice of cockfighting – while also introducing the major theme of appearances versus reality to the article. Geertz learns from his decision to flee the fight along with the locals that being accepted in Balinese society derives from collective complicity in the illicit behavior of cockfighting. He then realizes that the apathy with which the Balinese had treated him and his wife was intentional, as they were waiting for Geertz to prove that he was a true part of the village community.

Why does Geertz dwell so long on descriptions of the cocks and the matches before analyzing their meaning?

"Deep Play" is an example of thick description, or a way of conveying and understanding human behavior through as detailed a description as possible. Thus, Geertz provides a number of elaborate descriptions of the cocks, how their are cared for, and the fights themselves. These descriptions help the reader grasp the seriousness with which the Balinese take cockfighting, while also suggesting that the Western perception of cockfighting as simple blood sport is likely misguided and reductive.

What, according to Geertz, is so revelatory about cockfight wagering?

Geertz argues that the real center of his interpretive work on the subject of cockfighting revolves around the complex process of wagering. It is here, in the betting process, that Geertz argues one sees the truest reflection of Balinese society at large. Wagers are made both for money and for status, with men betting on cocks largely to express allegiance to a particular person or group of people. That wagers are not made exclusively for financial gain is, Geertz argues, a defining staple of Balinese culture, in which status and social hierarchy are indispensable to one's cultural consciousness.

What does Geertz mean when he compares cockfighting to a text?

Toward the end of the essay, Geertz asserts that Balinese cockfighting functions as a text in much the same way as something like Shakespeare's King Lear does. That is, cockfighting is where one turns to both understand one's society and oneself. Like literature for Westerners, Geertz argues that cockfighting is both a reflection of the Balinese culture and contributor in creating that culture to begin with. While many have made this argument about different literary texts, Geertz is often considered the first to make it about a particular cultural practice.

Does Geertz think cockfighting should be illegal?

As an anthropologist, it is not in Geertz's interest to declare his position on whether cockfighting should remain illegal in Bali. As such, he remains relatively objective throughout the article. However, Geertz draws a number of comparisons between cockfighting and Western forms of entertainment like sports. He also compares cockfighting to something with as much significance as English literature in the Western world. These comparisons defend, if not the legality of cockfighting in Bali, then the utility of it for Balinese culture and social progress. Ultimately, the article communicates that cockfighting is not a simple, straightforward, brutal source of entertainment but instead an organized and culturally significant practice in which the locals place immense value.