The Rabbi's Cat By Joann Sfar
In Sfar's unexpectedly witty and fast read, The Rabbi's Cat, the author uses an animal protagonist to narrate a story that explores and comments on Judaism, which represents tradition, he further comments on Christianity as well, also seen as modernity. The commentary does not stop there however, I believe that through the cat's interactions with humans there is an undeniable role reversal present throughout the storyline, for instance, animals take on humanly characteristics while the human beings act in an animalistic fashion. In addition, Sfar seems to not only define differences between religions but he also allows the reader to witness the similarities shared by both traditional religious beliefs and the contemporary practices of newer religions.
This graphic novel was overly exciting to read, but not just because of the surprising sexual humor or the wit of kitty, but because as a Catholic I was consumed by the secularity and religious questioning of the cat. Shocking I know. I felt a bond with the nonreligious feline and I was able to analyze him the easiest of the characters due to similar views regarding the need for answers. The Rabbi's cat is undoubtedly a curious cat. He, out of all the characters in the book, contains the most depth, therefore he is a dynamic character while also being insightful, stubborn, pragmatic, sarcastic, unethical (depending on the person), manipulative and "westernized" in his ways of thinking. It is ironic that a Jew, even a Rabbi, known for devout loyalty to the Lord, would own such an untraditional pet who questions the Torah, the Rabbi's Rabbi and Judaism altogether.
Overall, I found one of tthe intriguing piece of this novel involved the relation between humans and animals. Although kitty is an animal he acquires the ability to speak, therefore he is given a human right, making him more humanly. But his speech is not the only, nor the most significant, reason for why kitty is humanlike. The cat is very intelligent, he challenges the Rabbi's Rabbi about knowledge concerning God's existence or lack of existence, he can even read and dictate French better than his human master. He is a liar, which is only an ability that humans can partake in. The cat also mimicks humanistic ways, such as saying goodbye to his new found companion the dog while his master repeats the same transaction of departure to his cousin Rebibo on page 134.
In addition, Sfar not only details animals as human but he also plays with the idea that humans, men in particular, are animals in a satirical manner. On page 37, the cat observes the Rabbinical student as the scholar speaks in front of an audience. The cat ponders that "scholarship allows them to speak at the table to get women's attention, to crush their rivals, to interrupt their father." Kitty calls the men "Such animals." as he licks himself clean. Kitty even exclaims that humans, especially men, are promiscuous and that his mistress should be careful of man's infidelity, but in the same chapter kitty publicly has relations with another cat on the roof tops. Humans perceive animals to be gross and dirty, but in kitty's eyes, his master's decision to wipe his nose on his coat sleeve was a "disgusting" display of desperateness. Needless to say I was entertained by the cat's sense of humor and worldly affairs, but I kept in mind that the cat is an unreliable narrarator and his accounts of the story are for comic relief as well as hidden meaning.
After reading Joann Sfar's novel, I can say that I related to the text, however, my relation is detached from the lierary context. I am an artist, not a self-proclaimed Picasso, but I appreciated the effort and detail of the images used for the book. I believe that the book contained more strength as a graphic art form rather than just a literary piece; I am a visual learner and I was able to pull information from not only the literal quotations but from the drawings themselves. Personally I connected with the storyline of questioning religion on a ltieral level, but I also found relatability in the realistic human reactions. Regardless of the subject of debate, whether religion, lies, dogs vs. cats or tradition vs. modernity, there seemed to be an authenticity concerning the psychological motivations of each character. I was impressed with Sfar's inclusion of realism in his characters; I knew why Zlabya was self-conscious in her own Algerian skin while marrying a Parisian, I knew why Rebibo settled for humiliating jobs in order to have monetary security, I knew why the Rabbi's Rabbi was stubborn to suggest religious flaws of Judaism and I knew why the Rabbi defended his religion but ate the nonkosher meats.
Speaking of which, I believe that the last final pages of the book portray the Rabbi as a sinner, eating the buffet of unblessed meats and "witnessing a guy breaking the Shabbat" due to work (pg. 119), because that is who he truly is. I am not fooled by the Rabbi's religious face, he is a person, a natural sinner, a man who is seemingly devout, but even he knows that he must not be consumed by his faith or else he would lose his identity. In the end of the novel, after breaking more than one sacred commandments, he speaks with Jule's father, the epitome of westernized European secularity, and he does not condemn this man. Instead, he casually talks, even admitting that "he [a Rabbi] is not intelligent enough to respond to his concerns" (pg. 138), therefore admitting his faults and assuming his humanity back. Throughout the book the Rabbi has a self-realization, on the last page he now understands that there is happiness without full committment to the Torah and he has learned that there can be a balance between tradition and modernity as he prays with the Algerian Jews.
I would recommend this book to anyone in the mood for a good laugh, and to anyone who is interested in taking the time to read the words and the pictures, because Joann Sfar is more than a man of one meaning.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Dangarembga's "Nervous Conditions"
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga (Ch. 1-7)
In the first seven chapters of Dangarembga's novel, "Nervous Conditions", the layout of characters as well as the layout of character situations and lifestyles are given to the reader as direct as a non-fiction story, however there is underlying meaning to the specific characterization and of character motives, which in the end makes for a well-written story of depth.
Tambu is a black African. This is a factual statement about the young maturing girl, but Tambu does not face the struggles of having dark skin, rather she faces the struggles of poverty, cultural restrictions and growing up outside her homestead.
Tambu, Babamukuru, Maiguru and Nyasha are described in much detail in the middle to later chapters in the book. With such defintion in characterization, Dangarembga is able to display a believeable family with disfunction, faults and reality on the page before her audience. Dangarembga is literally telling a story through the eyes of an African girl, perhaps a representation of herself and her experiences, but she is also critiquing society's differing view on education of boys and girls, the struggle to maintain tradition without losing family connections and values as well as the inevitable conflict of turning "white" after possessing a degree, wealth and a modern lifestyle.
As Tambu notices her brother Nhamo changing she realizes that he is changing in ways that ostracize him from his original family. In a way, he has become a superior being, education has transformed him into the hope of his family at the cost of assimilating him into the version of a success seen by white men. Nyasha is also seen as a new person when she visits the homestead after living in England for five years. She is unable to recall her once native tongue of Shona and she no longer partakes in ceremonial greetings, her and Chido have grown up in a different society with different customs which also outcast them as strangers in Tambu's eyes. Due to the abandonment of heritage and of family, Nhamo dies and Chido is not spoken of again, these two men have crossed a one directional path, there is no reversing for them, they are deemed lost forever.
Tambu, however, is faced with the challenges of chosing an education or losing her roots once she is brought to the mission school. There she discovers that life is not associated with dirt and that cleanliness is a must, she learns English which inherently changes her into a seemingly developed lady to her educators.
Now to the main concern of the novel, how are Maiguru and Ma'shingayi trapped? How did Lucia and Tambu escape and how did Nyasha rebel?
Maiguru, the mother of the colonized, Angliced children of Chido and Nyasha, is described throughout the first seven chapters as being a mother bird, always "chirpping" and tending to her family's needs. She is an educated woman with a Master's degree, however not many people, if any take the time to recognize or ask Maiguru about her achievement, she is and still remains in her husband, Babamukuru's shadow. She is indeed trapped in the first seven chapters by her desire to raise her children and perform her housewifery well but her devotion to husband and children proves to be detrimental in her self realization, she is always tired and spends most of her time in the kitchen eating left over gravy after the meat is sufficiently eaten by the men. Maiguru is a slave to her choice of lifestlye, she has chosen her family instead of pursuing a meaningful job like Babamukuru, in the end her entrapment is her choice and sacrifice.
Ma'shingayi experiences this same entrappment, she is of the lower half of the hierarchy of the Siguake family, therefore she has become a product of her poverty-stricken environment. Her exposure to poverty has been lifelong and marrying Jerimiah sealed her fate. She remains a wife to a poor man and a mother to a dead but gifted oldest boy as well as three daughters. Her sole mission in life is to bear a son, which will bring redemption and pride to the family since boys have the opportunity of an education. Always being the lower half of the family is the unescapable trap that Ma'shingayi is caught and she is forever entangled in her destiny which was determined after her marriage to Jerimiah and the death of her hopeful son.
Lucia is a bold and fiery woman, which immediately sets her apart from her sister and Maiguru. She is unmarried and has yet to give birth to her baby in chapters one through seven. She is the quintessential powerful woman, opposite of every other woman her age in the book. Lucia lives her life according to herself and she relies on her strength and not the ability of men to provide for her. Lucia has escaped the life of eternal motherhood and inferiority in Shona culture, she even has the audacity to interupt Babamukuru in mid meeting to state her opinion, instead of being a martyr she is a matriarch, this is the factor that seperates her from the entrapped women.
Tambu, the narrator, has escaped this "entrappment" even though she is pursuing an education. She notes the differences in homestead life and that of the mission, she knows that she is unable to live on the homestead full time after her experience at the mission school, but she does not refuse to visit her family for Christmas like Nhamo, Chido and even Nyasha do. She tries to balance her old self with the new self by attending to old customs and doing her duties as a child on the homestead after her return. Tambu escapes due to her awareness of her surroundings and her perception of life. She does not, however, deny the changes she undergoes; she enjoys her new clothes, her classmates, the dances (finally) and the running water but she makes an effort not to scorn at the disgusting toilets and the dung floors of her old home.
Nyasha is without a doubt a rebel. She disobeys Babamukuru and admits to being accustomed to English lifestyle and habits such as dressing in short dresses and attending dances and talking to many boys. She is a strong character, like Lucia, because she has the fire to defend her position to her father as well as walk away unaffected by her father's brutally outrageous attack. She reads what she wants and gleans as much information as she can from her adult books in order to take her education in her own hands. Her downfall may be her stubborn attitude but because of this she is relatable, therefore the success of her rebellion depends on the reader's interpretation.
After reading chapters one to seven, I am baffled by how similar the Siguake family is to mine. I am shocked to think that this is an African family in the sixties and seventies. Most of the characters are relatable, especially Babamukuru, Maiguru and Nyasha. My family has gone through up and downs like any other family has, however, Dangarmebga's detailing of these particular character's traits and interactions is precisely spot on to my father, mother and twin sister. Babamukuru, the loved and coveted member of the family is the patriarch, respected by all that see his accomplishments and authority outside of the house. But Babamukuru has two faces, once his mask is unveiled the true power of control is seen. He rules his family by fear and is used to submission while my mother, Maiguru, does her best to mediate her family without choosing sides to offend the others. She defends her babies, her maternal instict, but in the end she goes to my father. The perfect loyal companion. Nyasha, the studious girl with an expressive and blunt personality is my sister up and down. I have immensely been impressed with Tsitsi Dangarembga's writing and this novel is one of the best story-telling and revealing books I have read.
In the first seven chapters of Dangarembga's novel, "Nervous Conditions", the layout of characters as well as the layout of character situations and lifestyles are given to the reader as direct as a non-fiction story, however there is underlying meaning to the specific characterization and of character motives, which in the end makes for a well-written story of depth.
Tambu is a black African. This is a factual statement about the young maturing girl, but Tambu does not face the struggles of having dark skin, rather she faces the struggles of poverty, cultural restrictions and growing up outside her homestead.
Tambu, Babamukuru, Maiguru and Nyasha are described in much detail in the middle to later chapters in the book. With such defintion in characterization, Dangarembga is able to display a believeable family with disfunction, faults and reality on the page before her audience. Dangarembga is literally telling a story through the eyes of an African girl, perhaps a representation of herself and her experiences, but she is also critiquing society's differing view on education of boys and girls, the struggle to maintain tradition without losing family connections and values as well as the inevitable conflict of turning "white" after possessing a degree, wealth and a modern lifestyle.
As Tambu notices her brother Nhamo changing she realizes that he is changing in ways that ostracize him from his original family. In a way, he has become a superior being, education has transformed him into the hope of his family at the cost of assimilating him into the version of a success seen by white men. Nyasha is also seen as a new person when she visits the homestead after living in England for five years. She is unable to recall her once native tongue of Shona and she no longer partakes in ceremonial greetings, her and Chido have grown up in a different society with different customs which also outcast them as strangers in Tambu's eyes. Due to the abandonment of heritage and of family, Nhamo dies and Chido is not spoken of again, these two men have crossed a one directional path, there is no reversing for them, they are deemed lost forever.
Tambu, however, is faced with the challenges of chosing an education or losing her roots once she is brought to the mission school. There she discovers that life is not associated with dirt and that cleanliness is a must, she learns English which inherently changes her into a seemingly developed lady to her educators.
Now to the main concern of the novel, how are Maiguru and Ma'shingayi trapped? How did Lucia and Tambu escape and how did Nyasha rebel?
Maiguru, the mother of the colonized, Angliced children of Chido and Nyasha, is described throughout the first seven chapters as being a mother bird, always "chirpping" and tending to her family's needs. She is an educated woman with a Master's degree, however not many people, if any take the time to recognize or ask Maiguru about her achievement, she is and still remains in her husband, Babamukuru's shadow. She is indeed trapped in the first seven chapters by her desire to raise her children and perform her housewifery well but her devotion to husband and children proves to be detrimental in her self realization, she is always tired and spends most of her time in the kitchen eating left over gravy after the meat is sufficiently eaten by the men. Maiguru is a slave to her choice of lifestlye, she has chosen her family instead of pursuing a meaningful job like Babamukuru, in the end her entrapment is her choice and sacrifice.
Ma'shingayi experiences this same entrappment, she is of the lower half of the hierarchy of the Siguake family, therefore she has become a product of her poverty-stricken environment. Her exposure to poverty has been lifelong and marrying Jerimiah sealed her fate. She remains a wife to a poor man and a mother to a dead but gifted oldest boy as well as three daughters. Her sole mission in life is to bear a son, which will bring redemption and pride to the family since boys have the opportunity of an education. Always being the lower half of the family is the unescapable trap that Ma'shingayi is caught and she is forever entangled in her destiny which was determined after her marriage to Jerimiah and the death of her hopeful son.
Lucia is a bold and fiery woman, which immediately sets her apart from her sister and Maiguru. She is unmarried and has yet to give birth to her baby in chapters one through seven. She is the quintessential powerful woman, opposite of every other woman her age in the book. Lucia lives her life according to herself and she relies on her strength and not the ability of men to provide for her. Lucia has escaped the life of eternal motherhood and inferiority in Shona culture, she even has the audacity to interupt Babamukuru in mid meeting to state her opinion, instead of being a martyr she is a matriarch, this is the factor that seperates her from the entrapped women.
Tambu, the narrator, has escaped this "entrappment" even though she is pursuing an education. She notes the differences in homestead life and that of the mission, she knows that she is unable to live on the homestead full time after her experience at the mission school, but she does not refuse to visit her family for Christmas like Nhamo, Chido and even Nyasha do. She tries to balance her old self with the new self by attending to old customs and doing her duties as a child on the homestead after her return. Tambu escapes due to her awareness of her surroundings and her perception of life. She does not, however, deny the changes she undergoes; she enjoys her new clothes, her classmates, the dances (finally) and the running water but she makes an effort not to scorn at the disgusting toilets and the dung floors of her old home.
Nyasha is without a doubt a rebel. She disobeys Babamukuru and admits to being accustomed to English lifestyle and habits such as dressing in short dresses and attending dances and talking to many boys. She is a strong character, like Lucia, because she has the fire to defend her position to her father as well as walk away unaffected by her father's brutally outrageous attack. She reads what she wants and gleans as much information as she can from her adult books in order to take her education in her own hands. Her downfall may be her stubborn attitude but because of this she is relatable, therefore the success of her rebellion depends on the reader's interpretation.
After reading chapters one to seven, I am baffled by how similar the Siguake family is to mine. I am shocked to think that this is an African family in the sixties and seventies. Most of the characters are relatable, especially Babamukuru, Maiguru and Nyasha. My family has gone through up and downs like any other family has, however, Dangarmebga's detailing of these particular character's traits and interactions is precisely spot on to my father, mother and twin sister. Babamukuru, the loved and coveted member of the family is the patriarch, respected by all that see his accomplishments and authority outside of the house. But Babamukuru has two faces, once his mask is unveiled the true power of control is seen. He rules his family by fear and is used to submission while my mother, Maiguru, does her best to mediate her family without choosing sides to offend the others. She defends her babies, her maternal instict, but in the end she goes to my father. The perfect loyal companion. Nyasha, the studious girl with an expressive and blunt personality is my sister up and down. I have immensely been impressed with Tsitsi Dangarembga's writing and this novel is one of the best story-telling and revealing books I have read.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Ngugi's "Decolonising of the Mind", "Wedding at the Cross" & "Minutes of Glory"
Three works by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o
In Ngugi's story "Decolonising of the Mind", the discussion of language possessing a "dual character [acting as] a means of communication and a carrier of culture" cannot be more of the truth. That is in my view of the truth. While the main lesson in Ngugi's "Wedding at the Cross" is the loss of identity of Africans after colonization takes place, both literally and metaphorically in the mind. In Ngugi's third story, "Minutes of Glory", he focuses on gender-bias especially in women to portray his message that women's power lies in sexuality, which in the end is self-destructive.
My view of language, identity loss and negotiation of power for women differ from Ngugi's view and interpretations of such topics. Ngugi's narrative in "Decolonising of the Mind" detailing his childhood learning and speaking his native tongue, Gikuyu, in the fields and in the home acted as education for the young pre-school children like him is a beautiful process and memory. However, Ngugi mentions that once he was old enough to attend the colonised schools, "this harmony was broken", the natural balance and spreading of Gikuyu was no longer the taught language. I believe that Ngugi has a point here, there is a difference between teaching African students English and enforcing the English language as the most important. I believe in the endless power of education and the fact that traveling to help other countries is a philantropic task, but I do not agree with assimilation and changing tradition, and in Ngugi's opinion, language is more than just a form of communication but a door into the lives and culture of African people.
In Ngugi's "Wedding at the Cross", I was almost instantly able to predict the character change which was built up in the story and eventually took place in mid story. Ngugi wants the reader to witness the negativity surrounding the change of Wariuki to the white-respected Dodge W. Livingstone Jr., Ngugi parallels the change in character with the change of name as if he is saying that with a colonised white name comes bad luck and misfortune. Although Dodge W. Livingstone Jr. is a successful timber merchant, he has become the man that had humiliated him when he was a unique, poor milk clerk. He ironically becomes the man he hates, he becomes Douglas Jones, a converted Christian but in the end he ends up without a wife or a family. Ngugi's way of showing that the loss of identity due to colonisation is a creative method in allowing the audience to experience the identity crisis without being told out front.
"Minutes of Glory", a sad and pitiful story of self-destruction and self-hate by Ngugi illuminates Ngugi's view that women are inherently unable to act in an effective and successful way without being punished. This punishment is caused by women's undeniable sex appeal, which in Wanjiru's case, is sparked by her inability to accept and love herself for her, which is no surprise since she is a prostitute. I disagree with Ngugi's labeling of women as having less power and destructive power, I think that Ngugi's view of women as being the weaker and inferior gender as well as sexual temptresses is a close-minded opinion. I do agree, however, that women especially are self conscious in their appearance and lack confidence in themselves, so this view of Ngugi's still pertains to today and is reflected in many women world-wide.
After reading all three stories, I have respect for Ngugi's writing, he is an entertainer and a creative writer of powerful stories of sadness and pity. I enjoyed his stories "Wedding at the Cross" and "Minutes of Glory" mainly because there was not a Disney-inspired happily ever after ending of either of these stories. I especially enjoyed the page-turning "Wedding at the Cross" because I felt like Ngugi's point was well stated and his character of Wariuki was detailed to the point that the reader was able to realistically follow his transformation into a God-fearing successful suit wearer while his mind and soul lacked life and a hearty identity.
In Ngugi's story "Decolonising of the Mind", the discussion of language possessing a "dual character [acting as] a means of communication and a carrier of culture" cannot be more of the truth. That is in my view of the truth. While the main lesson in Ngugi's "Wedding at the Cross" is the loss of identity of Africans after colonization takes place, both literally and metaphorically in the mind. In Ngugi's third story, "Minutes of Glory", he focuses on gender-bias especially in women to portray his message that women's power lies in sexuality, which in the end is self-destructive.
My view of language, identity loss and negotiation of power for women differ from Ngugi's view and interpretations of such topics. Ngugi's narrative in "Decolonising of the Mind" detailing his childhood learning and speaking his native tongue, Gikuyu, in the fields and in the home acted as education for the young pre-school children like him is a beautiful process and memory. However, Ngugi mentions that once he was old enough to attend the colonised schools, "this harmony was broken", the natural balance and spreading of Gikuyu was no longer the taught language. I believe that Ngugi has a point here, there is a difference between teaching African students English and enforcing the English language as the most important. I believe in the endless power of education and the fact that traveling to help other countries is a philantropic task, but I do not agree with assimilation and changing tradition, and in Ngugi's opinion, language is more than just a form of communication but a door into the lives and culture of African people.
In Ngugi's "Wedding at the Cross", I was almost instantly able to predict the character change which was built up in the story and eventually took place in mid story. Ngugi wants the reader to witness the negativity surrounding the change of Wariuki to the white-respected Dodge W. Livingstone Jr., Ngugi parallels the change in character with the change of name as if he is saying that with a colonised white name comes bad luck and misfortune. Although Dodge W. Livingstone Jr. is a successful timber merchant, he has become the man that had humiliated him when he was a unique, poor milk clerk. He ironically becomes the man he hates, he becomes Douglas Jones, a converted Christian but in the end he ends up without a wife or a family. Ngugi's way of showing that the loss of identity due to colonisation is a creative method in allowing the audience to experience the identity crisis without being told out front.
"Minutes of Glory", a sad and pitiful story of self-destruction and self-hate by Ngugi illuminates Ngugi's view that women are inherently unable to act in an effective and successful way without being punished. This punishment is caused by women's undeniable sex appeal, which in Wanjiru's case, is sparked by her inability to accept and love herself for her, which is no surprise since she is a prostitute. I disagree with Ngugi's labeling of women as having less power and destructive power, I think that Ngugi's view of women as being the weaker and inferior gender as well as sexual temptresses is a close-minded opinion. I do agree, however, that women especially are self conscious in their appearance and lack confidence in themselves, so this view of Ngugi's still pertains to today and is reflected in many women world-wide.
After reading all three stories, I have respect for Ngugi's writing, he is an entertainer and a creative writer of powerful stories of sadness and pity. I enjoyed his stories "Wedding at the Cross" and "Minutes of Glory" mainly because there was not a Disney-inspired happily ever after ending of either of these stories. I especially enjoyed the page-turning "Wedding at the Cross" because I felt like Ngugi's point was well stated and his character of Wariuki was detailed to the point that the reader was able to realistically follow his transformation into a God-fearing successful suit wearer while his mind and soul lacked life and a hearty identity.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Gordimer's "Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants", "Amnesty" & "Six Feet of the Country"
Three works by Nadine Gordimer.
Nadine Gordimer, a notoriously powerful South African author, expresses her first-hand witnessings of apartheid through her subtle but meaningful literature by imboding the narrators of her stories. Gordimer, in three of her stories, "Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants", "Amnesty" & "Six Feet of the Country" assumes the narrator's character, she becomes the narrator, convincing the reader that the story-teller is a real person with a particular view of their surroundings, which results in a lesson or opinion concerning apartheid.
In "Good Climate" Gordimer's unreliable narrator is a 49 year old white woman who is anything but humble. She is a character that we as readers pity for her loneliness and colonized mind. Gordimer does not give this woman a name, but rather she gives the only black African in the story a name. His name is Jack Mpanza Makiwane and he is the contradiction to stereotypes of Africans, he is intelligent, literate and he contains more depth than the white woman. At the end of the story, Gordimer's lesson regarding apartheid is that such segregated upbringing can change good people's minds to believe that such colonial thinking is the right, ethical and only option.
Gordimer imbodies another of her unreliable narrators in "Amnesty" but this time she speaks through a young woman struggling to balance a life on an African farm alone raising her child while her not-yet-husband deals with more worldly matters of the Movement. Gordimer, unlike many authors who agree with the ANC, decides to tell this story through the eyes of someone who is not a seeminlgy direct fighter for the end of apartheid. The story ends with the mother "waiting for him to come back home" this however is a sad realization because the no-named narrator accepts that she is going to be without her love but at the same time she is willing to sacrafice because the broader picture is the future of her children and of the next generation in general. Gordimer is suggesting here that the end of apartheid is only possible when everyone works together, even if their fight is in different ways.
In my opinion, Gordimer's "Six Feet.." is the most intriguing and entertaining story of the three and this story is meant to elaborate to the audience that apartheid is a lose-lose policy because neither the black men and women nor the white men and women hold the power, but rather the institution itself is the sole wiedler of power. Gordimer's (yet-another) unrealiable narrator is a white man who is burdened with having to live in the country with a wife that is martyr-like in actions and beliefs. Through this man, we the readers realize that he has little power over any institution of the era. After being powerless in his vain efforts to get the dead body of a black worker's brother back, the reader is left with a underlying disappointment and pity for the black African family who is now unable to bury their relative properly. Nadine Gordimer's point is subtle and not given to the reader in words, but rather in all three of the previously mentioned works, the view and lesson of the story must be implied and pieced together.
Nadine Gordimer's ability to evoke emotion through the rhetorical appeal of pathos is undeniably impressive but this ability combined with her underlying meanings and passion is what makes her stories very interesting to read. Gordimer's view of apartheid and the characteristics of the segregation she grew up in has opened my eyes to more than just one standard, directional view. I now know that apartheid does not just negatively affect the owned or the dark skinned Africans but that whites were negatively affected too. Their minds were warped to believe that racism was an accepted way of life and that in the end many people suffered from such persuasion invading their minds.
I believe that Gordimer's views of segregation are what make such organizations such as the ANC and the Congress of South African Writers possible as well as a success. In a way she is a peaceful protestor. She believes in an awakening and a change that will end apartheid but the answer is not through violence like African writer Jomo Kenyatta. I believe her writings are successfully balanced with passion, intensity, honesty and just enough subtly to get people's minds thinking for themselves.
However, apartheid is still an ongoing institution. I have witnessed such segregatory practices right here in the United States. Our states may claim to be united but not all of the nation's citizens can unite with different races. This is an issue that I personally care about and I want the future to consist of more open minds and welcoming hearts and with encouragement to write there is a chance that writers with views shared by Gordimer will be able to penetrate the barrier between light and dark.
Nadine Gordimer, a notoriously powerful South African author, expresses her first-hand witnessings of apartheid through her subtle but meaningful literature by imboding the narrators of her stories. Gordimer, in three of her stories, "Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants", "Amnesty" & "Six Feet of the Country" assumes the narrator's character, she becomes the narrator, convincing the reader that the story-teller is a real person with a particular view of their surroundings, which results in a lesson or opinion concerning apartheid.
In "Good Climate" Gordimer's unreliable narrator is a 49 year old white woman who is anything but humble. She is a character that we as readers pity for her loneliness and colonized mind. Gordimer does not give this woman a name, but rather she gives the only black African in the story a name. His name is Jack Mpanza Makiwane and he is the contradiction to stereotypes of Africans, he is intelligent, literate and he contains more depth than the white woman. At the end of the story, Gordimer's lesson regarding apartheid is that such segregated upbringing can change good people's minds to believe that such colonial thinking is the right, ethical and only option.
Gordimer imbodies another of her unreliable narrators in "Amnesty" but this time she speaks through a young woman struggling to balance a life on an African farm alone raising her child while her not-yet-husband deals with more worldly matters of the Movement. Gordimer, unlike many authors who agree with the ANC, decides to tell this story through the eyes of someone who is not a seeminlgy direct fighter for the end of apartheid. The story ends with the mother "waiting for him to come back home" this however is a sad realization because the no-named narrator accepts that she is going to be without her love but at the same time she is willing to sacrafice because the broader picture is the future of her children and of the next generation in general. Gordimer is suggesting here that the end of apartheid is only possible when everyone works together, even if their fight is in different ways.
In my opinion, Gordimer's "Six Feet.." is the most intriguing and entertaining story of the three and this story is meant to elaborate to the audience that apartheid is a lose-lose policy because neither the black men and women nor the white men and women hold the power, but rather the institution itself is the sole wiedler of power. Gordimer's (yet-another) unrealiable narrator is a white man who is burdened with having to live in the country with a wife that is martyr-like in actions and beliefs. Through this man, we the readers realize that he has little power over any institution of the era. After being powerless in his vain efforts to get the dead body of a black worker's brother back, the reader is left with a underlying disappointment and pity for the black African family who is now unable to bury their relative properly. Nadine Gordimer's point is subtle and not given to the reader in words, but rather in all three of the previously mentioned works, the view and lesson of the story must be implied and pieced together.
Nadine Gordimer's ability to evoke emotion through the rhetorical appeal of pathos is undeniably impressive but this ability combined with her underlying meanings and passion is what makes her stories very interesting to read. Gordimer's view of apartheid and the characteristics of the segregation she grew up in has opened my eyes to more than just one standard, directional view. I now know that apartheid does not just negatively affect the owned or the dark skinned Africans but that whites were negatively affected too. Their minds were warped to believe that racism was an accepted way of life and that in the end many people suffered from such persuasion invading their minds.
I believe that Gordimer's views of segregation are what make such organizations such as the ANC and the Congress of South African Writers possible as well as a success. In a way she is a peaceful protestor. She believes in an awakening and a change that will end apartheid but the answer is not through violence like African writer Jomo Kenyatta. I believe her writings are successfully balanced with passion, intensity, honesty and just enough subtly to get people's minds thinking for themselves.
However, apartheid is still an ongoing institution. I have witnessed such segregatory practices right here in the United States. Our states may claim to be united but not all of the nation's citizens can unite with different races. This is an issue that I personally care about and I want the future to consist of more open minds and welcoming hearts and with encouragement to write there is a chance that writers with views shared by Gordimer will be able to penetrate the barrier between light and dark.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Achebe's "An image of Africa", "Girls at war" & "The Madman"
Three works By Chinua Achebe
In Achebe's three stories, "An image of Africa", "Girls at war" and "The madman", Achebe uses the tool of irony in a successful manner of expressing his views and opinions concerning African issues and events regarding society, politics and culture. I am a fan of ironic stories, always have been, ever since I learned that dramatic irony in plays such as Shakespeare was used to expose corruptions. As a middle schooler I knew the use of ironic satire was pure gold as long as the attempt was effective. In Achebe's case, he was very successful in gaining my interest and keeping it. He not only captures the reader's attention, but he captures their mind and challenges the reader to think about the tale in which he intertwines a lesson to be learned.
Achebe's view of African treatment, portrayal and politics are mentioned in his stories/ reader responses such as Conrad's "An image of Africa". Although "An image of Africa" was a dry, vocabulary-heavy response, Achebe's personal opinions were voiced concerning his disagreement and dislike of Conrad's representation of African people as "savage" and possessing a "bestiality" unlike the civil Europeans. Achebe does not use an allegory or a parable here but he does not have to. I have already been won over by his knowledge on the subject and his vast uses of textual support. I also agree with Achebe's world view as described in his stories "Girls at war" and "the madman". In these stories he reveals the ironies in life, not just in African lifestyles, but in worldly lives. He suggests that ironically good things happen for bad reasons and bad things happen for good reasons in everyday life, in a way he is saying that sometimes people get screwed over. An example of this mentality is present in "Girls at war" when Gladys suffers death after going back to save a helpless soldier, while Nwankwo is rewarded with life after abandoning the others. In "The madman" the clinically-crazy and naked man experieces the best outcome at the end of the tale, while the ideal African male in society is humiliated and deemed insane at the end of the story. After reading these stories in particular my agreement of Achebe's world views was strengthened.
Although I agree with Achebe, his audience was seemingly more of the African race, therefore I was unable to directly link the stories to my family or community. However I do believe that Achebe addresses matters that I personally care about such as the solution in battling the stereotypes of Africans or other immigrants is to educate! I believe that education is a great way to solve almost any problem, because education and knowledge of current events are the tools that allow individuals to gain insight and better themselves as a citizen of any country. Despite my previous agreement, I do not believe that it is fair to say that dialects are solely a way "to downgrade" a person's language. Most people fail to see dialects as a tradition, as a reflection of a certain area in the world. For example, an Ohioan can make fun of a Kentuckian's dialect but some Kentuckians have grown up emersed in such "erroneous" forms of English making them speak differently not wrongly. Just because a person says "aint" does not mean that in their region of the country they are outcasted, but rather if they spoke proper English they would be looked at as a non-local. Perhaps my view of dialects is unconventional but I would not associate all varying forms of dialects with ignorance or uneducated people.
Overall, I enjoyed Achebe's works as a whole. My favorite of the three short stories was "Girls at war" due to the dramatic and detailed scenes and the not-so-happy ending therefore I enjoyed this story as entertainment and as a literary art form due to the irony-fillled message and lesson. "The madman" was a great work of art because I had to really question in depth what the symbols of the story meant and how Achebe was trying to inform his audience that craziness is not always clinical and being judgemental is not an effective way to read a person. "An image of Africa" was different than the two previously mentioned works because this piece was Achebe's response to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Due to the lack of vivid story telling and characters I was not as interested in this work, but I would say that Achebe is skilled in arguing a certain point with support to back up his findings and beliefs. After reading a selection of Achebe's writings I would recommend to myself and others who enjoy exploring new ways of thinking and analyzing to read more of Achebe's works.
In Achebe's three stories, "An image of Africa", "Girls at war" and "The madman", Achebe uses the tool of irony in a successful manner of expressing his views and opinions concerning African issues and events regarding society, politics and culture. I am a fan of ironic stories, always have been, ever since I learned that dramatic irony in plays such as Shakespeare was used to expose corruptions. As a middle schooler I knew the use of ironic satire was pure gold as long as the attempt was effective. In Achebe's case, he was very successful in gaining my interest and keeping it. He not only captures the reader's attention, but he captures their mind and challenges the reader to think about the tale in which he intertwines a lesson to be learned.
Achebe's view of African treatment, portrayal and politics are mentioned in his stories/ reader responses such as Conrad's "An image of Africa". Although "An image of Africa" was a dry, vocabulary-heavy response, Achebe's personal opinions were voiced concerning his disagreement and dislike of Conrad's representation of African people as "savage" and possessing a "bestiality" unlike the civil Europeans. Achebe does not use an allegory or a parable here but he does not have to. I have already been won over by his knowledge on the subject and his vast uses of textual support. I also agree with Achebe's world view as described in his stories "Girls at war" and "the madman". In these stories he reveals the ironies in life, not just in African lifestyles, but in worldly lives. He suggests that ironically good things happen for bad reasons and bad things happen for good reasons in everyday life, in a way he is saying that sometimes people get screwed over. An example of this mentality is present in "Girls at war" when Gladys suffers death after going back to save a helpless soldier, while Nwankwo is rewarded with life after abandoning the others. In "The madman" the clinically-crazy and naked man experieces the best outcome at the end of the tale, while the ideal African male in society is humiliated and deemed insane at the end of the story. After reading these stories in particular my agreement of Achebe's world views was strengthened.
Although I agree with Achebe, his audience was seemingly more of the African race, therefore I was unable to directly link the stories to my family or community. However I do believe that Achebe addresses matters that I personally care about such as the solution in battling the stereotypes of Africans or other immigrants is to educate! I believe that education is a great way to solve almost any problem, because education and knowledge of current events are the tools that allow individuals to gain insight and better themselves as a citizen of any country. Despite my previous agreement, I do not believe that it is fair to say that dialects are solely a way "to downgrade" a person's language. Most people fail to see dialects as a tradition, as a reflection of a certain area in the world. For example, an Ohioan can make fun of a Kentuckian's dialect but some Kentuckians have grown up emersed in such "erroneous" forms of English making them speak differently not wrongly. Just because a person says "aint" does not mean that in their region of the country they are outcasted, but rather if they spoke proper English they would be looked at as a non-local. Perhaps my view of dialects is unconventional but I would not associate all varying forms of dialects with ignorance or uneducated people.
Overall, I enjoyed Achebe's works as a whole. My favorite of the three short stories was "Girls at war" due to the dramatic and detailed scenes and the not-so-happy ending therefore I enjoyed this story as entertainment and as a literary art form due to the irony-fillled message and lesson. "The madman" was a great work of art because I had to really question in depth what the symbols of the story meant and how Achebe was trying to inform his audience that craziness is not always clinical and being judgemental is not an effective way to read a person. "An image of Africa" was different than the two previously mentioned works because this piece was Achebe's response to Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Due to the lack of vivid story telling and characters I was not as interested in this work, but I would say that Achebe is skilled in arguing a certain point with support to back up his findings and beliefs. After reading a selection of Achebe's writings I would recommend to myself and others who enjoy exploring new ways of thinking and analyzing to read more of Achebe's works.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Mnthali's "Stranglehold of English Lit."
“The Stranglehold of English Lit.” By Felix Mnthali
In the poem “The Stranglehold of English Lit.”, Mnthali exposes the corruptive nature of American Literature as well as the suppression of native tradition and voice of Africans. Mnthali’s view, like Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, revolves around the idea that English as the main educational language spread world-wide hinders or rather “strangleholds” the breath of African culture from expressing what is their reality. As a white American female I seemingly have no connection to the poetic words of Mnthali but surprisingly I am able to relate. Mnthali’s literature inundates me with sympathy for the African people not having the freedom to write their stories in their native tongue but that English has overstepped the boundaries. I am a believer in freedom of speech and expression and one of my main goals in the near future is to travel to Africa in order to educate the African children through the Peace Corps and to spread the opportunities and importance of education, however, my goal is not to convert any one person or group to become a robotic version of an English writer or citizen.
I personally believe that being human is defined by having a unique identity which stems from culture, tradition, background and lifestyle of antiquity. I believe that all humans should have the right to equally express themselves and to form individual opinions within their own minds and to not be enslaved to preconceived notions of right and wrong stated by others. I agree with Mnthali when he states that English literature has gone too far and has begun to “maul the flower of [African’s] youth” meaning that instead of helping, the English literature of the time was encroaching on the African people therefore changing the definition of human. I however hope that Mnthali does not assume that all English speakers and writers are of this same breed that “mock[s] the victims of the branding irons and sugar-plantations” because if it were not for American writers and education I would have never known the harsh history of black Africans. Writers like Mark Twain, an American white skinned man, wrote novels such as a “Huckleberry Finn” in order to show the struggle and the reality of the times of black men and women through characters like Jim.
This poem was a window into the passionate heart of a black man who saw the truth and who knew the threat that English Literature had on African culture. Because the author was so hurt and so moved by his belief I was able to enjoy reading and interpreting Mnthali’s work. Overall, I was very touched by Mnthali’s poem because his words were honest and he did not guild his meaning in sugar or gold. His words seemed to spill like blood from his open wounds and for that reason, among others, I was very glad I read this poem and I will hopefully read more from Felix Mnthali in the future.
Kelsey Betz
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