Kaffir Boy
Following are the reading and writing assignments for Kaffir Boy. Everyone
must complete three out of the following by May 31st. You may complete
the other two (2) for extra credit. You are to have a (no more than) one-page
written response to the question ready to present in class. Your responses
should be in paragraph/ essay from and show good comprehension of the
material. In other words, DO THE READING!!! They will be collected and
graded daily.
Assignment # 1 – May 19, 2010
 Preface (ix-xii) and Chapters 1-4 (pp. 3-30)
Explain Mathabane’s statement (pg. 28), “So, barely six years old, I was
called upon to deal with constant terror.” What is your personal response to
what was happening to Johannes and his family?
Assignment # 2 – May 23, 2010
 Chapters 5-7 (30-53)
Describe the effects the arrest and long-term imprisonment of the father have
Johannes, his mother, brother and sister, and the father himself.
Assignment # 3 – May 25, 2010
 Chapters 20-23 (108-150)
What are the positions of Johannes, his mother, and his father towards
education? Why does Johannes decide to stay in school
Assignment # 4 - May 27, 2010
 Chapters 27-28 (162-170), chs. 30-31 (182-197), ch. 42 (259-268)
How do white people stay in power over the blacks in Alexandria and South
Africa? What means of control are in place in this society at the time of the
book? Are there any similar means of oppression in the U.S.? Explain.
Assignment # 5 – May 31, 2010
 Chapter 38 (228-241), chs. 52-54 (323-350)
What role did Arthur Ashe play in Mathabane’s life? How did Johannes
manage to eventually leave South Africa? What was there about him that
made him able to rise above the many obstacles apartheid created so that he
could obtain his dream?