Blog 1After reading the first seven chapters of the book ‘The Power of One’, written by Bryce Courtenay I was able to give reflections on this story and was able to give my view on this story so far. It is pretty clear from the first seven chapters of this book that Pisskop, or Peekay isn’t treated very well, he is a foreigner in the school and he is treated like one, this is done even by the teachers and the women who takes care of the children. It is clear that this is mainly because Peekay is English or a Roonek, rather than an Afrikaner, his ancestors had been fought the Boers and had been cruel to them. You are able to see and feel sorry for this boy, none of us can really imagine what it would be like to be taken from our Nanny, or mother, depending who looks after you, and brought to a school with expectations of having fun and enjoying yourself, yet you come to a place where there are no children your age, you are from the wrong class of people and you get pissed on and are physically abused in different ways. These things would all take a very large effect on this boys mental state. You are also find that Peekay learns how to survive in the environment he is in and is able to live with the conditions he is put in, he is very good at taking a situation and making things work for him, or work the best way for him, think of when he is going to do Judges math, he uses this extra work to get out of marching. My view’s on this narrative so far are that this boy has been abused, yet you are able to see that further along in the book Peekay will become a boxer, he will liveup his dreams and be able to fight against all the cruel things that were done to him. You can see that he will overcome the hardships he faces as this is what the story is about, Peekay is the good guy and the good guys always will win and overcome the bad in the end of the book, and I believe that this is what will happen to Peekay as well. I also view this book as being unchristian and not really having any regard for the Christian readers, there is swearing and blasphemy throughout this book. There are many places where the Judge Swears and blasphemes the name of the Lord, showing this book to be unchristian.
Blog 2
The context of the novelist, Mr Courtney is very important in relation to the book ‘The Power of One’. We must understand that Courtney wrote this book with pieces of it coming from his own early life, things such as the fact that Peekay was sent to a boarding school and being bullied, these also happened to him around the same age. Also Doc in the book is take from a person in Courtney’s life, a drunk music teacher called Doc, these are pieces that Courtney can relate to, and this is why it would also have been easy for him to write this story and describe some the scenes so accurately, as he had experience lots of these things himself. The popularity and appeal of Courtney and the books he has written in the past or even after ‘The Power of One’also has lots to do with this book, Courtney had being telling stories for much of his life he was very good at it. This makes his stories really good and this is one of the reasons why he became so popular. The fact that Courtney is really popular also help see why this book is so popular, because of his good name people will automatically think that all his books are good and that they are worth reading, this is one reason why ‘The Power of One’ sold so well, Courtney had a name and created a good book, making people buy this book with expectations, then, when that this book having a good quality they told their friends and neighbours, who in turn also read the book. It is also really clear that ‘The Power of One’is for older people and an older audience, it is for adults, and maybe older teenagers such as us. This is because this book explains the boys views on his private parts as well as it has lots of swearing in it and words that you would never find in a child’s story book or a book with an audience of a younger ages. It is also clear that the audience isn’t really for Christians as there is lots of blasphemy in it, and Courtney would know that Christians don’t like blasphemy, so it is clear that ‘The Power of One’ wasn’t written with the Christians in mind.
Blog 3
When reading the book ‘The Power of One’, we see that lots of the problems that Peekay faces is due to the Anglo-Boer war, a fight between the British, the Roonek’s or rednecks and the Afrikaners, or the Boers, the descendents of the Dutch, French, German and so on. This war had two parts; the part I will talk about is the second Anglo Boer war. This war on the 11th of October 1899 and it ended on the thirteenth of May 1902. It is called the Anglo Boer war by most South Africans and was fought between the British and the Dutch speaking settlers. There were three real phases in this war, and the first started in when the war was declared, the war was declared when the Boers attacked the British. It is known that the Boers easily gathered men, yet lots of them didn’t really want to fight, as they knew they would be fighting fellow Christians. In this first phase the British took quite a hammering and they suffered lots of casualties and had lots of defeats. This was against an enemy armed with hunting rifles, horses, with numbers between 30,000 and 40,000. The second phase started in 1900, when the British attacked the Boers, they had a force of about 180,000 men. In this phase the British pushed the Boers back and they had gained lots of control as the Boers couldn’t win against their superior numbers and the equipment they had. The third phase started in September 1900 with the Boers resorting to guerrilla war fair, this worked well and these operations caused lots of problems for the British. However the British hand now got more numbers, about 250,000 men. The British then started to make it hard for the Boer’s to have contact with the villagers that helped them, and they made it very hard for the Boers to survive by keeping them away from the towns. The war ended when the Boerssurrenderbecausethey could no longer stand against the British. During this time the British created concentration camps, here they kept the Boers women and children and the prisoners of war. These camps were very cruel and inhuman, and it is believed that 25,000 women and children died in these camps. This was because of the poor food and the bad water they got; this caused lot of diseases killed many. This war was the basis for the racism and the torture that Peekay experienced in this book, as he was the ‘British’ and they were the Boers.
Blog 4
There was lots of racial ideology between the 1930’s and the 1950’s, lots of this was still from the Anglo-Boer wars that had raged on in previous wars. In South Africa there were three groups, the Roonek’s or the British, the Boers, the other white people from different counties, there was also the black Africans, or the Kaffirs, there derogative name. With respect to the black African’s these people were treated like animals and treated as dirt by both the Boers and the British, these two groups both hated the Black’s and treated them will ill respect. This was based on the idea that the ‘whites’ were higher up in the human race and had more importance than the blacks, therefore they were better and had more authority then the blacks did. This was the same with the blacks, they hated the Boers and the British, both of these groups, the British and the Boers, treated them badly and had taken their country away from them and killed many there warriors as well as women and children. One other reason for the whites hatred for the blacks is was because they were scared of them, there were far more blacks in the country then the Boers and the British put together. There were lots of tensions both ways and there were often fights, as well also there were places where blacks couldn’t go, just like there were places where the blacks wouldn’t want the whites to go. However there was also lots of hatred and racisms going between the British and the Boers, these groups hated each other with a passion, and as a result they were also very racist and cruel to each other, this is the reason why Peekay gets so much trouble and torture when he is a school. During this time there was lots of racism between these three groups, each believed they were better than the other and that they deserved to ‘own” the country and kick the others out. This is still a real problem today, the blacks and the whites still never get on and there are constant fights, yet today the blacks have more power and if you call one a Kaffir you could get killed.
Blog 5
Throughout the book ‘The Power of One’we read about a few different symbols, and each of these symbols has a different meaning and a different significance. These symbols are used in different situations to show different things and also tell us the feelings at certain times. One of the first symbols that we hear about is the swastika, this was a symbol of the Nazis, and anyone who had this supported the Germans and what they stood for. Lots ofthe Boers liked the Nazis and they believed that they would free them from the British; this is the reason why Judge got a tattoo of a swastika on his arm. It was a symbol that he was a Nazi, or at least he supported the Germans and everything that they stood for. This symbol is very strong and it tells us lots about the person who is bearing this symbol.
Another symbol that we find in the book is where there is reference to the lonely bird. We hear about this bird every time someone that is close to Peekay dies. It is clear that this bird then represents loneliness, (hence the name). Therefore this symbol is a symbol of loneliness and sadness due to the end of a life of someone very close to Peekay. We also can see that Peekay over comes this loneliness bird, it is laying eggs of sadness in him and he has to overcome it, and does this later on in life.
One other symbol that we read about is the crystal cave. This is the place where Doc dies, yet this is a place of happiness. This is the place where in Doc’s mind it was a place for a happy and beautiful death, where he could die in peace in a nice place, away from everyone else. This was a symbol of both death as well as a symbol of beauty and a place where a person can be at peace with themselves and with others.
Another symbol that we read about is the three water falls. This symbol is used in situations where Peekay has done something and has made and accomplishment, he has passed through the three waterfalls. He has reached his goal in this part of life.
The full moon is another symbol that is really well known both in our lives and in the book. It is a symbol of death and this is very evident in the book, both Granpa Chook and Geel Piet’s have their deaths on days where there was a full moon that night. There is also the discussion between Doc and Peekay about Doc’s death in the crystal cave;this takes place on a day with a full moon. Another place where we read about a full moon on the night that Peekay defeats Judge, this is a symbol of the death to the bullying and the vengeance that Peekay wanted to have over the Judge.
Throughout‘The Power of One’there are also literary references, especially to ‘Alice in wonderland’. There is the comparison between Grandpa’s rose gardens as like a scene from ‘Alice in Wonderland’. There is also the fact that the maids in Peekay’s house are called Dee and Dum, the only names they are given. We also read on page 173 that when Peekay was running to his away he was running through the Alice in Wonderland tunnels and under the mulberry trees to the freedom of the hills. This is a reference to him running away into the bush and finding a safe place to cry on a rock and realise all the tears he had hold up.
Blog 6
Throughout the book “The Power of One” we hear the story from view of a narrator, this in really life is of course Bryce Courtney, however in the book it is clear that he is making the narrator Peekay. Everything in “The Power of One” is taken from his view and is in interpreted in his way, we see the every event from Peekays perspective and therefore we see all this ideas and views on different situations from and through his eyes and brain.
Throughout the book “The Power of One” there are lots of different tones used to get the readers happy sad exited etc... These are being set and shown to us; I would say that the most dominate tone that we read about is that the book had very serious and sad in places, all you haveto do is look at the death of Doc, Geel Piet or even Rasputin, these are places of great seriousness and sadness. Here there is death and sadness, where tare people close to Peekay who are dying and this isn’t a fact that should be taken seriously and this is where there is definitely a serious and sad tone.
There is also places where the tone is humours and in a jocular fashion. Such examples is when Peekay is with Hymie, here there is often lots of laughter and joking going on, they cheat people, earn lots of money and makes jokes with each other, they have fun together and have a good time, providing entertainment for the audience who are reading the book. There is also humour found when we read about the bys getting the better of the police when we they first encounter them. First there is seriousness and worry, but then this is replaced with laughter and humour when they get the better of these people.
Another tone that we read about in the book is and exiting tone, this is often when we are hearing about the fights that are going on in the boxing ring, often between Peekay and his opponents. Yet the first time that we hear about an exciting tone is when Hoppie is fighting Smit. You are willing Hoppie to win and are excited, you want to see the outcome of the mach and see who will win. This is the same for all of Peekay’s fights, they may look serious yet they are also very exciting, you want Peekay to win, you want to hear how he won, you want to know what punches and techniques he used to fool and beat his opponents. This is very much the same in Peekay’s last fight with the judge, he defies all odds, and is facing someone who is so much better than him, and this makes it so exiting and is urging you to read more.
Blog 7
Peekay throughout this book is shown to have a very interesting character, he has a different character from a normal person, this is probably due to the way he was brought up and the sought of people he hanged around with. First of wall Peekays speech is very interesting, he has a gift for words and uses his speech and what he says to his full advantage and to his own good. A good example of this is when he is with Judge, he uses his words to get out of marching and get out of being picked on. He uses what he says in the right way and takes his time to think about what he is saying so that it will work to his benefit. He does however sometimes forget this one example is when he makes an accusation, or it could be taken as that when he asks Hymie how he ‘fixed’ the betting. His actions are also very interesting, he often does as he is told and will not have any outbursts but will accept what is given and happens to him. This is how he acts when he is tortured by the Judge, he just accepts the situation and just agrees with everything they say and does everything they want him to do. He does however sometimes forget to do this and he does have outbursts, one is when the Judge kill’s grandpa, he unleashes himself and looses all self control and lets his emotions show. He also does this to his mother when she tells him that his Nanny has gone. You also get the idea that the appearance of Peekay is that he is a timid and a small boy. He is picked on and he suffers from others, because he is not only British, but he is a small boy, he is aneasy person to pick on. You also get the idea that he is small from the way he boxes, he has to learn how to use the little weight he has to have maximum affect. He also has to learn good foot work so that he can escape bigger children’s harder punches. Peekay is also shown to be a boy with a good academic abilities and does well in school, even though he is much younger than other students in his year he could do there level of math and language with ease. This is another reason that makes him picked on by others in his year, and older, he is better than them, and it makes them very jealous and despise him. This is also the reason why he has to apply his camouflage and acted a lot dumber that he actually is.
Peekay is also shown to be very fair and have a belief that all people are equal, he thinks and shows this by helping the blacks in their education. He believes that they have the same rights as the whites. He also shows himself to have bad language and no Christian morals, he doesn’t care about God or the bible, as he swears and blasphemes, as well a she makes fun of Christians.
This character is constricted by means of generic and language conventions. Generic conventions are used in the way that the book “The Power of One”is a cross between a biography and a narrative. This means that the characters will be very really and often have good descriptions and realism in them. This is the same with Peekay, there are very good words used to describe him as these feelings have often been felt by the author himself. This style of text has the generic conventions that make us able to see clearly what Peekay would have been like, as well as relate to him or compare people to him.
Language conventions are used in “The Power of One”to show us Peekays views on certain things. The fact that he never calls the blacks Kaffirs shows us that he isn’t racist and believes everyone equal. These is also the fact that he blasphemes, this language conventions shows that he has little or no respect for the bible and for God. This is also shown in the language he uses, this shows that he is cause and has no concern for decency and Christian morals.
Blog 8
Throughout the book The Power of One there are different representations of different groups of people and age groups. For example the adults are represented in a certain ways. I would say that the adults were represented in two different groups. One group of adults are cruel and mean. They have no real regard for others and think only of themselves. These adults show a lot of cruelty towards Peekay and treat him like dirt. These people are Afrikaners or Boers and Peekay is British, people who come under this category are sergeant Borman, Peekay’s caretaker at his first boarding school and the Judge when he is older; however this isn’t always the case, just think of lieutenant Smit. In a way Peekay’s mother is also shown to be mean and cruel to Peekay. She never really teaches Peekay about Christianity; she sends him to a boarding school where he is treated badly; she sends his Nanny away, and she is in some ways the antagonist, this is done by the way the talk to Peekay and the way they acted towards him. Adults are also represented in The Power of One as helpful. There are a lot of these Doc, is one for starters; then there is lieutenant Smit; Geel Piet; Hoppie, Big Hettie, Dum and Dee; the lists goes on. All of these people are representation of adults who helped Peekay, They showed him his way in life whether it be in boxing, music or in the everyday facts of life. These people were nice and kind to Peekay.
The children in this book are also represented differently. One is made up of children with cruel intentions and mean actions. Such as the Judge, Snot Nose and the jury. There are many more of these children who were cruel and had a racist streak in them. They were all cruel and mean to Peekay, even though he didn’t do anything mean to them. There are also children represented as being nice and kind as well as helpful. Examples of these are Hymie, Gideon, Johnson All these children were kind and nice, and they put away racial differences and became friends with Peekay as well as helped him when they could.
In Peekay we can see many different values and beliefs. Peekay shows an unchristian attitude. It is clear that he doesn’t believe, or at least respect God like he should. He also shows the attitude of self reliance and determination. He doesn’t want to borrow money from anyone, he want to work and get all the money his own way and for himself. Peekay uses his of determination not only in making money but also progressing in boxing. He has this dream of being a boxer and he does everything to work towards and achieve this goal.
