Personal Reading Study
Personal Reading Study – “Cry Freedom” by John Briley
Q: Choose a novel in which a relationship between two different
characters is developed.
Show how the developing relationship between Steve Biko and Donald
Woods explores the theme of racism and how the novel portrays the
effects of racism in South African society.
In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to the themes
explored, characterisation and Key incidents.
“And towards that day, when the isolation that creates hostility
becomes the closeness that permits friendship, let us join in the song
of South Africa…”
As the above quotation suggests ‘Cry Freedom’ by John Briley, is a
fascinating study of the real life relationship between Donald Woods
and Steve Biko. The author employs a variety of literary techniques
to demonstrate how two very different men with disparate lifestyles
become close, and how their relationship develops under complex
circumstances. In my essay I will show how the relationship between
Steve Biko and Donald Woods develops and I will also explore the
portrayal of the theme of racism and the effects it has on the society
in which it exists. Briley portrays this through his
characterisation, the themes explored and the key incidents throughout
the novel.
John Briley has successfully engaged my interest in the developing
relationship between the two protagonists. Before their first
meeting I believe that Donald Woods was not very sure of what he
thought of blacks in South Africa and how much freedom they should be
allowed to have. It seems to me that Donald Woods, as a white liberal
and an editor contradicted himself many times. An example of this is,
“He did not believe blacks should be given the full right to vote.”
But a few sentences later there is a quotation saying,
“When he caught the Government violating those basic ethical premises,
he struck at them with a pen so sharp and so precise that his paper
was quoted from one end of South Africa to the other.”
I believe that in these quotations Woods contradicts himself as he
believes blacks should not be given the full right to vote yet when he
caught the Government violating those ‘basic’ ethical premises he
would argue with them. It seems to me that Woods is not too sure what
he believes is acceptable for blacks, and how far they should be
allowed to go in the justice system.
Furthermore, before their first meeting Woods did not approve of
Biko’s black consciousness principles. He believed that Biko’s
principles were all about black prejudice and that he did not want
everything to be fair in South Africa but instead to be the way the
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
After studying in this course over several topics throughout United States History from Ancient America to 1877 the destruction of the Mexica Empire interested me the most. After Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic ocean, falling short of his desired destination landed on the island of Espanola, (present day Dominican Republic and Haiti). Thus this begins several voyages from Spain to the America’s in order to seek gold, glory and honor for themselves and their county. Before the start of the history of the United States, it started off as a conquest of lands and peoples.. CONTINUE HERE2
Starting in the 1870’s - 1880’s the United States experienced a depression that cut the prices of agricultural related good and led to the eviction of many farmers. Since farmers were at the bottom of the totem pole socioeconomically they were faced with high railroad fees and unsurmountable debt due to the fact that they had to take out loans to be pay for their crop harvesting and planting. This was partially due to the sharecropping system which would ignite a system of perpetual debt for poor farmers. Ultimately, the farmers would rise up and unite to what would be known as a populist movement; in retribution to what they claimed was the source of their problems. These events and time period heavily influenced Lyman Frank Baum in regards to the production and underlying political message in the Wizard of Oz. Author Henry Littlefield of “The Wizard of Oz: Parable of Populism” makes a compelling argument that indeed The Wizard of Oz was a political work, this can be linked to the many different life experiences of Baum that are mentioned throughout the article. Littlefield introduces the reader to whom Baum was during the first two pages, it becomes apparent that Baum views start to change as the Populist movement grows in strength and becomes accustomed to South Dakota frontier, once he moved there. It is stated in the article “The stark reality of the dry, open plains the acceptance of man’s Darwinian subservience to his environment served to crush Romantic idealism.”(Culmsee) Baum romantic view of benign nature had disappeared. The way Baum described where he lived and nature would serve as an allegory for the where Dorothy lived in The Wizard of Oz. “When Dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing ...
"What shall I say of the steadiness and exactitude of his hand? You might swear that rule, square, or compasses had been employed to draw lines which he, in face, drew with the brush, or very often with pencil or pen… this ...
From a baby to a grade schooler, I had an extremely short attention span; therefore, the only time I enjoyed having books read to me was before bedtime. Because I was energetic, my mother was forced to lock the door while she was reading so I would not scurry out of the room. Despite my concentration issues, I enjoyed reading books with my mother. One of my favorite books was The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh because I was intrigued by the characters, especially Eeyore. When I moved on from my obsession with Winnie the Pooh, I transitioned into an obsession with frogs. My mother started reading Froggy books to me, such as Froggy Learns to Swim and Froggy Goes to School. Along with Froggy books, I took pleasure in reading Curious George and The Rainbow Fish because I was an inquisitive child who was entertained by the iridescent colors of the rainbow fish.
When talking about the role of women in society for centuries they have been discriminated. In various countries women have been displayed as a object of sex, a nurturing roll, and in other cases a defenseless victim. Women are more often discriminated than glorified and in the stories "Death Constant Beyond Love", "Of Clay we are Created", and "In Camera" the roles that the women play are connected by the topic of discrimination and all share the same theme of having a emotional disconnection with men.
Throughout this year, I have read many different works of early English literature. From reading these works and following the rules of Vladimir Nabokov, I have grown tremendously as a reader since the beginning of this year. From reading Alice in Wonderland to now, I have grown to appreciate literature much more. I have developed a better sense of the English language through the use of a dictionary and the difficult sentence structure of works such as the Canterbury Tales, Beowulf, Le Morte D’Arthur, and the Fairie Queene. Because of the difficult sentence structures, the different word usages, and the deeper meanings wrapped in each of these works, I have learned to reread to better my understanding of the text and to see if I missed anything the first or second time through. I have also learned to not only read a novel or poem just for its story but to look deeper into it while considering its context and purpose. By following Nabokov’s simple rules, I have become a better reader and re-reader.
"A Study of Reading Habits," is Philip Larkin’s poetic warning that escapism and ignoring reality only makes real life less fulfilling. Larkin develops this idea via a narrator who prefers to escape from life rather than deal with it, as well as through changing use of language and subtle irony. Larkin’s most direct expression of his warning comes through the narrator’s experience with escapism through books. The narrator reveals his changing attitudes toward books in three stanzas, representing three stages in his life: childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. As a child, reading as an escape enabled the narrator to feel better about "most things short of school" (line 2). As an adolescent, books continued to be a form of escape for him, this time for his unfulfilled sexual desires. However, as an adult "now," the narrator embodies Larkin's warning. He is bitter and resentful that life is less glamorous than books, now only able to relate to the secondary, less important characters. The method he once used to escape now makes reality painfully obvious.
The year is 2006,watching TV, you flip through the various news stations to learn about the recent news in Iraq, the majority of the news simply says that ‘x’ amount of soldiers or marines were killed in such and such attack. You don’t like what you are hearing so you go online to read an independent embedded (embedded refers to news reporters who are attached to military units) reporters story. Online you read that two new schools were built, and the Iraqis, supported by US forces, led an attack to capture an insurgent leader. The big media corporations such as FOX, NBC, CNN, and many others distort the facts that are on the ground. The small, mostly independent, reporters generally try to get a first-hand account of the situation on the ground. They are their alongside the soldiers, sailors, and marines. In some cases these reporters may need to drop their camera or pen and defend themselves. These examples bring many questions that I want to know. The biggest of these questions is how do these different types of reporting, the “main stream media”, and the small independent embedded reporters affect the views that the American people have back home? The reason I chose this topic is that after reading The Good Soldiers and Moment of Truth in Iraq, I was intrigued in the considerable difference between what was wrote in books and what CNN reported on the nightly news. I did not find a ‘good’ answer I could find to answer my question, however I did draw three conclusions. The conclusions are as follows: the ‘big media’ misconstrues the information from the battlefield to fit their own agendas; the media fails to obtain a personal more in depth view and instead report after the smoke has cleared instead of what happened during t...
If one were to look at my varied reading habits, they would be struck by the diversity and over all unusualness of my mind’s library. I hardly remember the plot of the first book I read, but it was called Lonesome Dove. It wasn’t the actual first book I read, but I don’t really count the McGregor Readers from kindergarten. I read it in first grade because of my Grandmother’s fascination in the T.V. mini-series that was playing during the time. I wanted to be able to talk to her about it so I went to the public library that weekend and picked up a copy. Well, I actually didn’t pick it up, it was too heavy. It took me over two and a half months to read, but with the help of a dictionary and my grandma, I finally read it from cover to cover. I can’t really say that I understood it, because I don’t recall what it was about. But I do remember that it was quite an ordeal. Since then I have read many books. I enjoy fiction the best, especially those that are based on society, but have a small twist that leads to an interesting story. Some of the stories that I remember best from that early time in my life are Tales from Wayside Elementary School, Hatchet, The Godfather, and The Giver. I think that Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is the only book that I’ve read more than once. I liked the situation that Brian was put into, lost in the wilderness, with nothing more to fend for himself with than his mind and a trusty hatchet. The adversity he faces and his undying drive are what fascinated me most. Since that time my reading habits have grown into a different style. I have usually only read what was assigned to me during the school year because that was all I had time to do, but I have always strived to put forth extra effort. For example: last year for English 3 AP we had to read an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. Although that we only had to read a small bit, I checked the entire book from the college library and read it all. Although the way that Franklin rambled on and on about his “Franklin Planner” was somewhat boring, the way he describe his life was pure poetry.
My relationship with books and reading has not been the greatest adventure for me thus far. I will not say that all my experience has been terrible but for the most part not that great. I know for me it started when I was little and unfortunately it has carried to my adulthood.
Reading was never something I fussed about growing up. As a child, I loved genres of realistic fiction. I was hooked on The New Adventures of Mary Kate and Ashley, Goosebumps, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes, Judy Moody, and especially, Zoobooks and Highlights magazines. My mother was always ready to help build my reading and writing skills. She took me to the library constantly to feed my passion for books and knowledge. I loved exploring the shelfs, organizing the books, and filling up my library cart. I tried keeping a diary in elementary school to keep track of my outings with my parents and grandparents to museums, zoos, movies, and libraries. This flash of writing enthusiasm was spun from books I read in the 4th and 5th grade that were
I personally feel the interactive model would be the best choice for myself. In the top-down model, which I would use frequently, is the concept about reading for meaning. Comprehension is important; I feel if a student needs to skip a word or two that they don’t know it would be allowed, as long as they can grasp the meaning of the text. I also love that reading and writing are primarily the mode for instruction. This is useful, and helpful when teaching kids. It allows for repetition and practice of reading and writing. However, in some cases especially students who are below average in their reading skills some strategies need to be provided and mastered before comprehension can occur. Students need to have prior background knowledge about phonics, and word usage. The whole idea is to build both top-down model strategies, and bottom-up skills and word identification at the same time. The foundation has to be set before students can build and grow as readers. They must be immersed in reading and surrounded by it as well. As a teacher I plan on using phonemic awareness, and word identification skills while also practicing reading, and writing comprehension. Students are constantly building scaffold’s to reach the desired reading level. For example in my classroom if I were teaching a lesson on bears I would use a language arts experience with them. For instance I would read a book about different species of bears. Then I would tell the students to tell me what happened in the book, and discuss the book aloud (comprehension part). Students will then tell me their sentences and I will write it word for word on the board. Once we have completed our sentences I would go through and read each sentence slowly and break down words ...
There have not been many obstacles that have gotten in my way for me to be a successful reader. I am able to confidently read "Hope in the Unseen" because it keeps my interest. I like the story. I feel for Cedric. I imagine and picture the story in my mind. When a large amount of reading is assigned, sometimes my brain gets exhausted and I have to take a break. Literally my brain gets tired. The reason why I have trouble getting all of my assignments in for "Writing and Being" is because the book does not hold my interest. I find it boring at times. I really like "Higher Learning" because the stories are like short stories, and they are adventurous in a weird way.