1. Apartheid is a former social system in South Africa that institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination against non-European groups. Enforced by the government, apartheid limited contact between whites and non-whites and separated the two groups in social, political, and economic aspects. Although apartheid is not explicitly mentioned in the play, its aspects and beliefs are seen embodied by Hally, specifically when Hally takes on the role of “Master Harold.” After the final phone call from his parents, Hally becomes furious and bad mouths his dad, which then Sam attempts to tell him not too. Even more furious, Hally says, “My mother is right. She’s always warning me about allowing you to get too familiar” (Fugard 53). Hally admits …show more content…
The title of the play is interesting as “‘Master Harold’” is in quotation marks and there is an ellipses separating “‘Master Harold’” from “and the boys.” When Sam and Hally are having their big argument after the final phone call, Hally tells Sam, “why don’t you also start calling me Master Harold, like Willie” (54). Then, Hally goes on to say that his father would be glad to hear Hally gave a lesson to Sam about respect. Hally is not a “Master” in many ways. He is younger than Sam, he is not rich, he does not employ Sam, he does not have a high status; however, Hally is white. Therefore, the apartheid system allows Hally to command Sam to do as he wishes. The quotation marks indicate that the name is more of a nickname — a mocking nickname — and is not grounded with actual reasoning. Hally takes the anger and shame that is caused by his father and directs it towards Sam and Willie, the only people Hally has power over. More explicitly, the ellipses separate “‘Master Harold’” from “the boys” which serve to show the separation that takes place between people when one abuses their power. After Hally demands Sam to call him “Master Harold,” Sam states, “If you make me say it once, I’ll never call you anything else again” (54). Sam and Hally used to have a very friendly bond; however, Hally’s own troubles causes him to lash out at Sam, who really has done nothing wrong, and Hally has taken advantage of Sam because Hally feels empowered against Sam. Sam has spent many years …show more content…
The ballroom dancing metaphor extends the play’s message beyond the characters and South Africa to society as a whole and portrays what a peaceful world looks like and what is necessary to achieve said world. When Hally asks if there are any penalties in the dancing competitions, Sam states, “There’s no collisions out there, Hally … To be one of those finalists on that dance floor is like … like being in a dream about a world in which accidents don’t happen” (45). Fugard specifically uses ballroom dancing, and not any other type of dancing, because ballroom dancing requires two people. To dance successfully in ballroom, partners must cooperate with each other. Similarly, Fugard argues that to create this perfect world without “collisions,” there must be cooperation with each other. Ballroom dancing also requires the participants to look up, and in this play looking up is representative for hope and self-respect. Therefore, in addition to cooperation, people must maintain hopeful and have self-respect in order to better society. Self-respect also allows for respect towards others as seen through Sam. Sam is composed and knows his worth, which allows him to respect someone like Hally who has racist tendencies because Sam is already grounded with himself. The ballroom dancing is also described as a dream which indicates that while it may be ideal, it is hard to accomplish. Yet, in order to start anything, one must have a goal and vision in mind. Then, when Hally compliments
“My tenth birthday came and went away, like all the other nine, uncelebrated. Having never had a normal childhood, I didn’t miss birthdays; to me they were simply like other days: to be survived” (Mathabane 162). Johannes’s portrayal of his tenth birthday was not unlike that of other children - the system of apartheid obligated black South African children to not live their lives fully, but merely survive them. Apartheid, beginning in South Africa in 1948 with the takeover of the National Party, strictly forced non-white citizens into separate residences and public facilities with their own race. Johannes’s grandmother described the system as “black and white people [living] apart - very
The poem begins with a young woman (the dancer), she craves attention and has big dreams of ultimately becoming famous. She is young, full of life, talented and gorgeous. However, the attention she craves is only fulfilled through performing on stage. This limits her, in all aspects of her life, because this uncontrollable desire could lead to her ultimately destruction. As a result, Barnes wrote, “Life had taken her and given her. One place to sing.” (Barnes). The dancer is trapped in this life not only by the opportunities life had given her but also for her own selfish desires. Yet, the thing she desires more than fame is love. Although her life is busy, with performing and partying she is in search for love. Barnes explained the dancers quest for love, “looked between the lights and wine. For one fine face…. found life only passion wide” was an unsuccessful one instead she only found lust. In other words, although she is looking for love she is looking for it in the wrong places, because she is trying looking in between the “lights” she letting her desire for fame interfere with her definition of love. She should look for someone who yearns to care for her spiritually, mentally and physically. Yet, what she aspires is for someone to love her that has status and wealth. To obtain what she wants she is
Contrast between Sam and Hally's Father in Athol Fugard's "Master Harold" . . . and the Boys
Willie is a very dynamic character in Master Harold… and the Boys. Along with being dynamic, he also pertains a psychological barrier. “‘You the cream in my coffee. You the salt in my stew, You will always be my necessity. I’d be lost without you…’” (Fugard, Page 9). Willie feels that he needs Harold to survive. His psychological barrier makes him think that he cannot be his own person and that he needs someone else to live. Willie also allows Sam and Harold to take advantage of him. “Willie: ‘You and Sam cheated.’ Hally: ‘There were occasions when we deliberately let you win a game so that you would stop sulking and…’” (Fugard, Pages 27-28). Willie allows Harold to take control of him since Willie’s psychological barrier does not allow him to rebel and go against what Harold was saying. This psychological barrier allows Harold to toy and play around with Willie since Willie cannot do anything about it since he feels that he needs Harold even though he does not.
On Monday morning, KayDe was at her school's career center when she noticed the weekly newsletter for the staff. "Freak dancing is ... obscene!" she read in Mr. Bennett's column. All dances were going to be called off, he had written, unless students came up with a plan to stop the freak dancing. "I couldn't believe that he was serious," KayDe says. "That's just how we dance—like my parents used to do the twist!" She and Kelley had been elected to plan the Sadie Hawkins dance in February, and if Mr.
... His parents engaged him in conversations that promoted reasoning and negotiation and they showed interest in his daily life. Harold’s mother joked around with the children, simply asking them questions about television, but never engaged them in conversations that drew them out. She wasn’t aware of Harold’s education habits and was oblivious to him dropping grades because of his missing assignments. Instead of telling one of the children to seek help for a bullying problem, she told them to simply beat up the child that was bothering them until they stopped.
By informing the audience of the danger each person could be in, all eyes and ears are locked on what Harrison has to say next. As he turns towards the ballerinas, he reaches out his hand to express that he is “gonna need a volunteer” (7). Just before he turns away, the ballerina in the back row begins to rise. She marches towards Harrison and slowly starts to unclip all of her handicaps. By doing so, it shows the audience the capable power everyone could have.
Master Harold is very similar to his father. Although Harold probably doesn't want to become like his father, or think like him, he will grow up to be just like his father. When Harold gets involved into arguments, only then does his fathers instincts kick in. Although Harolds father is never in the play, we can learn a lot about him just by Harold and a single phone call. Harold inherited his fathers need for power and control, his racism, hatred, and negative attitude.
The half-girl, half-dog is chased, threatened, provoked, humiliated, tied up, and whipped in the majority of the performance. This urges me to question the type of audience Shadowland is directed at – through the glamorization of violence and other ideals that are sexualized, in a narrative that explores identity and growing up! While the execution of this project is plausible, the content, at times, is debatable whether to be deemed a clever or juvenile. Shadowland is a refreshing theatrical dance in comparison to the other dances I was exposed to in this class. I find it interesting that with skillful tricks of the body, scenery, a corresponding soundtrack, and manipulation of light, a narrative can be shown through shadows. Shadow-theater is a fascinating concept reintroduced in the twenty-first century that has been traced back to ancient Egypt, India, Indonesia, and China that was most likely attached to the high-class and holy allegory.
Sam knows Ike is the chosen one and is immersing
This is communicated with a bound and stiff walk appearing to be initiated distally from the head which isolates sagittally. When in fact the lower body initiates the sequential locomotion of the body along the sagittal axis and plane smoothly, dragging the rear leg behind with equal length strides. Arms and wrists remain angled in close proximity to the body giving the impression of wings. The dancer who, like the rooster, asserts his dominance and presence over others, by standing centre stage with his body facing downstage, other performers who seem uninterested in the principal dancer, are in postures of stillness and are positioned upstage.
However, in this ballet concert, the choreographer had designed the scenes to be more like a comedy. The movement of the sisters are more amusing than cruel. For example, when they pulled each other for being eager to dance with the prince, or when they tried to hurt and bully the Cinderella, these movements are not that cruel but amusing. Even the stepmother was drunk and danced comically in the prom scene. Moreover, the movements of all the girls who wanted their feet to fit in to the ballet shoe which Cinderella had dropped in the prom are also very funny. These kinds of design successfully made the audience laugh out loud and without hurting the hearts of the little girls who went to see the performance with their
Mr. Collins’ awkward movements of dance steps at the Netherfield ball foreshadows his elimination from the list of prospective marriage candidates of Elizabeth Bennet. Austen’s world of the ballrooms doesn’t allow for any quagmire in dancing. Neither Elizabeth nor Austen seem to bear up with those who are not capable of showing their decorum on the dance floor. Mr. Collins’ dance with Elizabeth ends in fiasco. “The first two dances, however, brought a return of distress; they were dances of mortification.
Apartheid consisted of a set of unequal laws that favored the whites (“History of South Africa in the apartheid era”). The Race Classification Act, which divided everyone into four race groups, whites, blacks, coloreds, and Indians were the first of many major laws (Evans, 8). Hundreds of thousands of black South Africans were forced to leave their homes and move into special reservations called “homelands” or Bantustans that were set up for them (Evans, 8). There were twenty-three million blacks and they were divided into nine tribal groups, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, North and South Sotho, Venda, Tsonga, Swansi, and South Ndebele, and each group were moved into a separate homeland (Evans, 8). Another major law was the Groups Area Act, which secluded the twenty-three million blacks to 14 percent of land, leaving 86 percent of the land for the 4.8 million (Evans, 9). Under apartheid laws a minority ...
Segregation of the whites and non-whites in South Africa was referred to as apartheid, during this time of apartheid non-whites where treated as lower level humans. Athol Fugard was against apartheid and that’s why most of his plays where a form of protest plays against the apartheid regime, Athol worked with black people in his plays for this Athol Fugard had his passport taken away multiple times. Apartheid sparked significant internal resistance and violence, and a long arms and trade embargo against South Africa.