Nadine Gordimer’s literary work is rich with themes of apartheid, brilliant insight, concise ideas, and shifting points of views that make her work so unique. Her writing is stitched together in the most unusual way, unlike any other author. In a simple one hundred pages of My Son’s Story, you can find an explosion of politics, strong opinion, and pushed limits, buried underneath a seemingly ordinary story. It takes much more than a skim over the page to fully comprehend her depth. Without any pre-knowledge of her themes, diving into a work of hers can be overwhelming. The readers must dig into the novel and fully immerse themselves. When you are able to explore all of the layers hidden in her stories, you are able to fully understand Nadine’s work.
Nadine, a strong campaigner against apartheid, incorporates complex themes and insight of racism, particularly prevalent in South Africa during the time of her most famous works. The depth that makes her novel so intriguing stems from this theme of racism. A notable quote from My Son’s Story is the line of “Whites don’t know what they are seeing when they look at us” (Gordimer 261). Here, Nadine writes from the perspective of Will, a black male. She does this to emphasize the way his society views those of his color versus the way society views the whites. Another strategy the author uses is explained in an online article, saying “Gordimer reveals situations when reality suddenly takes another course and we are caught in our roles and expectation, in the traps of skin color, class, family, and the body itself” (Watsberg 1). Perhaps the most admirable skill of Nadine is her ability to touch on the subject so delicately. She is not shoving her beliefs down the readers throat, not persua...
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...ld be helpful to have insight on South African Apartheid. Without any, the book is of course comprehensible, but with knowledge comes an advantage to the reader. A critic offers an explanation of her purpose for writing this way, saying “In order to process such complicated thought processes, it takes immense concentration.” (Coles 1).
The complexity of the authors style and diction matches the complexity of the story. Her style may seem complex for those who do not work to interpret, but for those who do, the outcome is a truly rewarding experience. Any reader could tell that Nadine writes from an extremely personal perspective and incorporates her beliefs without any sugar coating. She shows a certain rawness in her literature that is difficult to come across anywhere else. Nadine simply writes what she knows- which makes her novels so genuine and unique.
This book addresses the issue of race all throughout the story, which is while it is probably the most discussed aspects of it. The books presentation is very complex in many ways. There is no clear-cut stance on race but the book uses racist language. The racist language durin...
The juxtapositions of text and image, the places where text shifts from short prose passages to more traditional poetic line breaks, and the works of art draw readers to their own understanding of the unconscious prejudice in everyday life. Thus, Rankine has the capability to push her readers with the use of the second person, where the reader is really the speaker. This method helps establish a greater unity of people, where she chooses to showcase her work as a collective story for many. In this way, she guides the reader with the second person toward a deeper understanding of the reality of a ‘post-race world’, allowing the reader to experience the story as if it’s their own. The final section, focuses on the themes of race, the body, language and various incidents in the life of the narrator. In the end, Rankine admits that she, “…[doesn’t] know how to end what doesn 't have an ending” (159). It is what her audience chooses to do with the newfound self that they find, where their standing on the reality of differences
She leaves behind her family in order to pursue what she believes is the greater good. She leaves behind a family of nine, living in extreme poverty, to live with her biological father—who runs out on her at a young age to satisfy his need to feel big and important, simply based on anxieties about the hardships around him. Moody comes from a highly difficult and stressful situation, but she stands as the only hope for her starving family and leaves them behind for a life of scholarship and opportunity. This memoir leaves the reader with a sense of guilt for Moody’s decisions, and one may even argue that these decisions happened in vain, as the movement never made a massive impact on race relations. Unfortunately for Moody, she would continue to witness atrocious hate crimes up until the year of her
Within the course of two decades these three novels deal with racism, diversity of people and similar economic status. The writers raise awareness of the oppression of the African American communities and the long lasting struggles that these folks had to endure to survive.
“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates was a powerful essay formatted in a letter to his son about living in the world as a person with colored skin. The most powerful messaged I personally encountered in Coats’ letter to his son, is his expressed fear on behalf of his child for the way in which America and the world treats people of color. Coates’ essay was nearly a letter of warning with political and social references weaved throughout referring to the state of race relations in America, and why it is so closely related to the safety and health of his son. Throughout the essay, Coates used the ominous theme of inequality and brutality, both historical and contemporary, to convey his unrest with the way his son must lead his life.
Massey, Douglas A. and Nancy A. Denton. American Apartheid. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993.
A biography about Nelson Mandela, which helped me compare and contrast Nelson Mandela and Paton’s Ideal leader to change South Africa.
...f South African language and culture, acknowledgement of the racial oppression in South Africa, past and present, that it was wrong and positive action is required to make it right, and finally that all South Africans are legitimate and enjoy full moral equality (“About – DA”). In order for all this to be possible, the state must ensure it does not compromise the freedom of the individual (“About – DA”).
Although the film is slow, it takes on surprising power from the dignity of its performances and the moral strength of its ideas. The book is the same way except you are being fed more of the characters emotion through words than through pictures. Not every moment of the film is as potent as the book (which is noted for passages of passion and impassioned eloquence), but as I said before overcomes its own limitations to become a glorious tribute to the workings of a faith that does not blind but opens up the human spirit (Douglas 25). Alan Paton's novel of apartheid in 1940s South Africa receives a sanitized and overly sentimental treatment in this film, a little trivializing to the book's relentless power.
The young man’s predicaments all revolve around his need to satisfy those that will judge him and he becomes trapped between the apartheid rule and humanity’s desire for equality and respect towards others. This is purely a personal issue that can be resolved solely by him, but should take into the consideration of those involved. We see glimpses of this coming through the young man, but being raised in an era of apartheid it overpowers his common understanding of respect.
In July’s People, Nadine Gordimer gives a very detailed and knowledgeable explanation of the political turmoil within South Africa. By expressing the emotions of a family involved in the deteriorating situation and the misunderstandings between blacks and whites, she adds a very personal and emotional touch, which allows the reader to understand the true horror and terror these people experienced. Gordimer writes of how the Smales family reacts, survives, and adjusts to this life altering experience. She makes obvious throughout the book that prejudice plays a major role in uncovering the reactions of Bamford and Maureen Smales.
Coster, P., & Woolf, A. (Eds.).(2011). World book: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement, (pp. 56-57). Arcturus Publishers: Chicago.
Worse, barriers to communication, “obstacles that interrupt the flow of conveying and receiving messages,” had arisen due to the division between the whites and blacks (P.380). Because of this, the future of South Africa was not only misunderstood by South Africans, but by the international community as well. In order to promote his vision, Mandela understood that he would need to actively communicate, “the…transmitting [of] information, thoughts, and processes through various channels,” to make his intentions known, and to create motivation, “drive to complete a task,” throughout the country (P.
"Swize Bansi is Dead" tells the difficult reality of Africa under apartheid (1950s), analysing the complex issue of identity in that time. The rules of Apartheid meant that people were legally classified into a racial group, mainly Black and White, and separated from each others.
In July’s People, Nadine Gordimer gives a very detailed and knowledgeable explanation of the political turmoil within South Africa. By expressing the emotions of a family involved in the deteriorating situation and the misunderstandings between blacks and whites, she adds a very personal and emotional touch, which allows the reader to understand the true horror and terror these people experienced. Gordimer writes of how the Smales family reacts, survives, and adjusts to this life altering experience. She makes obvious throughout the book that prejudice plays a major role in uncovering the reactions of Bamford and Maureen Smales.