Your library mother to mother Expert solutions Study Free 7-… Upgrade: Ask Quizlet anything mother to mother 10 studiers recently Flashcards 4.8 (6 reviews) Learn Test Match Get a hint - child of Mandisa's husband Dwadwa - only girl in the family - mother is wary of her nonchalance (coolness) - accuses her of not caring enough about Mxolisi characterization - Siziwe - badly affected by the police raid at their home - careful not to give too much information about the whereabouts of her brother 5 / 38 Created by Share HannahDd03 Students also viewed "South African Woman Still Second-… Sindiwe Magona: Mother to Mother -… 42 terms Lisamhc 27 terms Preview Niklas-25 Terms in this set (38) When was the book Original 1998 published? Who is the author? Sindiwe Magona - was born in Gungululu in 1943 characterization - - first-person narrator and protagonist Mandisa of the story - admits that her son might have killed Amy Biehl - torn between feeling sorry for the murdered student and her family and compassion for her own son Mxolisi - during her childhood, Mandisa experienced racism and forced removals under Apartheid - asks Amy's mother for forgiveness - blames Amy Biehl for putting herself at such a risk out of ignorance - tries to explain why her so might have committed such a crime - eventually claims that both teenagers were victims of their own limited perceptions - Mxolisi only became guilty because off the white invaders - cares for her children - but she has always held a grudge against Mxolisi because he has made her life so miserable and complicated - Mandisa might be blaming herself for what happened characterization - - Mandisa's first born son Mxolisi - multi-faceted character - deeply wounded due to his early childhood experiences (feels guilty for telling the police about his to friends who boycotted classes; they got shot and died; he was 4) - this traumatic experience makes him stop talking for 2 years has experienced many losses in his young life (father; mothers boyfriend Lungile; his 2 friends; his mom was annoyed at him when she couldn't get education after his birth) - misses his father who left the family when he was still a toddler - sensitive and helpful (from his mothers view) (saved a girl from being raped; willing to leave school to provide for the family's income) - kills Amy but denied that he actually murdered her characterization - - child of Mandisa's husband Dwadwa Siziwe - only girl in the family - mother is wary of her nonchalance (coolness) - accuses her of not caring enough about Mxolisi - badly affected by the police raid at their home - careful not to give too much information about the whereabouts of her brother characterization - - Mandisa's second son Lunga - from a short relationship with Lungile (later freedom fighter) - represents the soft side of the family - badly beaten during the police raid - otherwise not engaged in any political activities or in the black youth raids characterization - - Siziwe's father Dwadwa - Mandisa's current partner - good provider for his family - strongly dislikes Mxolisi - repeatedly warns Mandisa's about his unruly behavior and his greed characterization - Amy - white Fulbright student Biehl - comes from NY to study Xhosa culture and language and to help people prepare for the first free election in the post-Apartheid SA - happy and optimistic - mixture of ignorance and generosity leads her to drive her friends from uni to the township of Guguletu - becomes the victim of a mob of aggressive black youths characterization - - Mandisa's first boyfriend China - Mxolisi's father - a disappointment because he is not willing to accept his role as a father and denies having any responsibility for the child - first his family is hostile towards Mandisa but then agrees with the marriage - China has to work rather than getting education - takes his frustration out on Mandisa - disappears and leaves his young wife to his parents theme - racism - Apartheid system since the beginning of the 20th century until 1994 - the social effects of the political struggle against Apartheid influence everybody's behavior - hatred and ignorance lead to the destruction of individuals - Mandisa's grandfather tells her stories about SA's past with the Dutch settlers (take away the land of the Natives) - the Natives kill their animals and burn their crops, as advised by their seer, in the hope that it will drive the Whites away; but they only become more dependent) - repeating experiences of powerlessness for the Natives - forced removal of Mandisa's whole community from Blouvlei to Guguletu in 1960 - not enough housing and school facilities - family lose their source of income - non-Whites are therefore treated as second-class citizens during Apartheid - these frustrations lead to political radicalization ("one settler, one bullet"; "power is ours"; "Boers, they are dogs!") theme - violence - Mandisa claims that Mxolisi became a victim to the political climate he was born into - individuell guilt is explained in terms of collective retaliation and deferred responsibilities - first Mandisa sympathizes with the radical action of the younger generation - but she realizes that this violence will not only destroy cars but also people - this will lead to escalation and make the country ungovernable - "necklacing" becomes more dangerous than guns - police do nothing to prevent this - the youth claims they are at war fighting the Apartheid system (p.78) - Sindiwe portrays how closely Apartheid and violence are connected in SA's history and how difficult it is to find reconciliation between the races theme - atonement - Amy's fate is described by Mandisa as (Sühne, Buße, "imperfect atonement of her race" Wiedergutmachung) (p.201) - attempts to explain her son's actions - tries to find reasons why the black youth were so violent towards the unarmed and unprepared Amy - communication is the source of her hope - it is the basis for reconciliation - hint for the TRC under Desmond Tutu, established two years before the novel was published (although it is not explicitly mentioned) the real case of Amy - Amy was beaten and stabbed to Biehl death by young men in a township on 25, August 1993 out of political motivation - on 28, July 1998 Amy's murderers receive amnesty from the TRC (before they were in jail) - Amy's parents were present during the case How did Amy Biehl's - supported the release of her parents react (in real murderers life)? - started the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust - work with youth in townships - hope to deter future violence of this nature - want to empower young disadvantaged youth through education and cultural activities to move in the opposite direction of drugs an crime - two of her murderers are also part of the foundation short characterization - high demands on Mxolisi (education) of Mandisa - distance to Mxolisi at the beginning of his life - flat character - loving, caring, worrying mother - three children - disappointed by men - matures during pregnancy and Mxolisi's early childhood - shows empathy - rational, realistic - traumatized by her past - ambitious - independant - calm - emancipated - black, poor - housemaid - (pseudo)religious short characterization - politically active of Mxolisi - traumatized by his past (wetting his bed, father, raid) - balancing out conflict - independant - good student, intelligent - experienced rejection by mother and father - just, fair (in youth) chapter 1 - Mandisa adresses Amy Biehl's mother directly - isn't surprised by her son's actions - doesn't understand why the girl would go to such a dangerous township in the first place (naiv from her good will) - feels sorry for Amy's mother - begs for foregiveness and understanding - her son has better life in prison now than before chapter 2 - Amy Biels morning routine on 25, August 1993 (Mowbray) - her last day in SA (bittersweet feelings) - Amy is optimistic and excited to meet her friends - wants to drive her black friends home to Guguletu first person narration: - Mandisa is worried about neglecting her children when working as a housemaid (lack of food) - the big contrast between the two sides of society becomes clear - Mxolisi is in the wrong friend group, spends his time walking around the township - Mandisa is annoyed by the youth's ignorance towards social problems chapter 3 - Mandisa speaks of her past - her family was forced to leave their old town - then live in a tiny dirty shack in the overcrowded Guguletu (bad education, no community, unhappy) - hears about a incident near her home on her way home - worries about her kids, especially Mxolisi - senses trouble chapter 4 - Mandisa asks Siziwe where her brothers are - Mandisa is worried and angry - her neighbor tells her that a young white woman has been stabbed by a group of children just down the street chapter 5 Mandisa remembers her childhood: - happy memories of her family's home in Blouvlei - rumor that the government has decided to move the entire town to Nyanga - people think it's only a joke - but planes announce the final decision - the town starts protests and appeals to government - police destroy their shacks - families leave to Guguletu present 10:05 PM: - Mxolisi don't come home - Mandisa is now really worried - talks to Dwadwa about it (he disapproves of Mxolisi) - Mandisa defends him but sees his point flashback: - remembers an incident similar to Amy's - times when there was always war on the streets and there was a war to fight the government chapter 6 - 26, August 1993 at 4 AM - the police breaks in looking for Mxolisi - destroy and search the house - don't believe what they are told - beat up family members chapter 7 Mandisa's past (14 yrs.) 1972 - her mother is concerned that she might become pregnant - forbids her to have a boyfriend or a sexual relationship (inspects her to check) - Mandisa has a non-sexual relationship with China - her brother gets Nona pregnant and her mother blames her - her mother wants to send Mandisa to her hometown Gungululu for her safety 3 months later - has been living at her grandmothers for this time - wants to move in with her aunt - misses China terribly - when she tells them that she has a boyfriend her aunt tells her she is pregnant - Mandisa wonders how it happened - mother is disappointed, angry and ashamed - Mandisa is scared chapter 8 flashback 1972/73 - Mandisa returns home and is rejected by the community - kept prisoner, rejected by her father and not allowed to contact China - China changed and is unhappy about her pregnancy - her baby Hlumelo/ Mxolisi (named by China's family) is born on January first - she has hated him during the pregnancy because of her misery - China's family wants them to get married - Mandisa don't want to, but is forced by her clan - they live together - Mandisa can't go to school anymore and has to take care of the household - China blames Mandisa (should have had an abortion); they argue a lot - he disappears one day - Mxolisi stops speaking when he accidentally tells the hiding place of his two friends to the police - has Lunga with Lungile - Mxolisi wants to know about his father - offers to leave school to provide for the family - gets involved in politics (no violent actions) - saves a girl from rape (hero) - Mandisa therefore fails to understand her son now chapter 9 26, August 1993 6AM - neighbors are interested in the situation - Siziwe is in shock - starts crying and tells that Mxolisi was home before - Mandisa decides to stay home from work - Dwadwa makes his disapprovement of Mxolisi clear - Mandisa doesn't like that he always sees himself in a superior position chapter 10 flashback - Mandisa's grandfather tells her about the white settlers who unrightfully took everything away from the Natives - took land away from them - Natives killed their cattle and burned their farms in the hope that it will drive the settlers away - it only made them more dependent - hunger and starvation and death - feeling of strong anger towards them 26, August 1PM - Reverend Mananga visits them (from church) - leaves Mandisa a secret note with directions where to go - they lead her to Mxolisi - he admits that he was a part of the group who killed Amy Biehl, denies that he actually killed her - he cries - Mandisa is shocked and knows that he will be arrested chapter 11 - tries to explain the political background of the riots to Amy's mother - feels sorry for the victim's mother and herself - wants to warn parents whose children are also involved n such political activity - Mandisa is angry and ashamed of her son - wonders why he was convicted and not the others of the group - neighbors come to support her a few days later - hopes that violence will stop when real communication starts - believes that Mxolisi belongs to a lost generation (police don't try to find out what actually happened, but are happy that they have somebody to blame) chapter 12 25, August 1993 - explains what exactly happened on that day - blames herself and the community - her son is only an agent, executing the long-simmering dark desires of their race - pp. 209/210 What events in the - Mandisa's forced removal from book can be related to Blouvlei in 1968 (Group Areas Act 1950) historic or recent - Mandisa is reminded of the killing of developments in SA? Steve Biko (p. 84) - doesn't trust the police, police are rather a threat than a guarantee for safety for Guguletu (chapter 6 & 12: Mxolisi is a victim of the police) - Lungilde trained as a freedom fighter - when Mandisa is pregnant she is held prisoner in her own home, shame (AIDS/ HIV) - her grandfather tells Mandisa about the suppressed Xhosa, their resistance only made them more dependent (1857), chapter 10 What was a similar 1960: protest of Belgian nurses against encounter to Amy Apartheid Biehl's case that Mandisa remembers? What generation does "lost generation" Mandisa believe manipulated by political agents and a Mxolisi belongs to? victim of the police How is racism shown in the social effects of and the political the novel? struggle against Apartheid influence everybody's behavior; hatred and ignorance lead to the destruction of individuals the hatred the native population feels for the whites from experiences of powerlessness seems to repeat itself over and over again (treated as second-class citizens) What is meant with the Preview they had to get accustomed to a
