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The novel traces the adventures of Peekay, an English-speaking South African boy, from age five to age seventeen, from the year 1939 to 1951. His mum suffered from a nervous breakdown which resulted in him being sent to his nanny and grandpa on farm since the age of 5. Being sent to a boarding school had extreme consequences as he was tortured by his peers. When he returned home a man named f Inkosi-Inkosikazi solved his bedwetting dilemma aswell as opening his mind up introducing him to a special place of dreaming.He returnedto school the following year with his situation cleared. Peekays only friend is grandpa chook having the independent spirit of the “power of one”.Peekay being highly intelligent but having a state of mind that he must keep the fact of being intelligent and bright discreet. Peekay completes the judges work even though peekays contribution the judges hate for him was still at large the is evident as the judge made peekay eat human feces and kills grandpa chook with a catapult. On the train peekay meets Hoppie Groenewald boxing champion hoppie shows him his gloves and invites him to watch him to box. His dream now is to become a welterweight champion. Peekay's mother welcomes him-she has returned from the mental institution, and has become a born-again Christian. The prison has a boxing squad where Peekay begins lessons under the special instruction of a Cape colored man, Geel Piet. Peekay quickly develops into an outstanding boxer, leading the team-the Barberton Blues-to victory. Peekay has great compassion for the black prisoners, and works out a black market scheme with Geel Piet and Doc for tobacco and letters. In such a way, Peekay becomes a legend among black South Africans - they believe he is a chief, the "Onoshobishobi Ingelosi" or "Tadpole Angel." One of the white prison wardens suspects that some illegal activity is underway, and one night Peekay discovers Geel Piet has been murdered in the boxing gym by the violent warder Borman. Peekay has a grown passion for music as he passes the royal college of music exam and also wins the Eastern Transvaal under-twelve boxing title. With the help of his mentors, Peekay wins a scholarship to the prestigious Prince of Wales school in Johannesburg. Book two of the novel describes peekays experiences of the prince of wales school. Peekay quickly partners up with Morrie Levy. They take the school by storm by the talents of peekay posseses involving boxing Soon the two boys have a lucrative gambling business set up, as well as all kinds of other "scams" which bring in enough money for Peekay to begin boxing lessons with South Africa's top coach, Solly Goldman. Peekay becomes a stranger to failure, excelling at boxing, rugby, and academics. However, he must face Doc's death towards the end of his school career as well as the disappointment of not winning a Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford University. In book three peekay was saved in a terrifying mine scene he was saved by a close friend a Russian man Rasputin peekay then recovers and fights jaapie and has the ultimate result of knocking him out.
Setting-south Africa 1933
Setting-south Africa 1933
Techniques
One technique being symbolism. The full moon symbolises death which portrays a self-conscious narrator reffering to the full moon in both incidents of grandpa chook and gaeel piets deaths. The Power of One to symbolize death perhaps suggests the confluence of birth and death-it is thus a symbol of optimism and hope in spite of the horrors it sometimes witnesses.
2) Another technique is when the narrator references to fairy tales for e.g. Peekay compares rose garden behind his Barberton house as something out of Alice in Wonderland. The effect that this technique has is aiding the larger theme of logic and magic with fairy tales of course fitting into the latter category.
3- The use of motifs The loneliness birds are Peekay's most childlike motif-their name describes what they are. They flank the story by making their first emergence in Peekay's life during his fifth year, when he is suffering from the maltreatment of the Judge and his storm troopers, and their exodus at the very end of the book, after Peekay has avenged himself adjacent to the Judge. They surface at various moments throughout the novel-for instance, at the end of Chapter Eight, when Peekay says that he has grown up, the loneliness birds stop laying stone eggs inside of him. When something keeps occurring it creates a pattern and strengthens the knowledge of the reader as it allows them to release what’s occurring.
Theme/w quotes
Racial discrimination-
Racial discrimination is discriminatory or abusive behaviour towards members of another race. In the power of one peekay is bullied for being enlish at an afrikaan boarding school due to the English people being the dominate race in south Africa they convince peekay that he is a way of evil.This shows racial discrimination as peekay is getting bullied for his race. “Racism does not diminish with brains, it's a disease, a sickness”. This quote refers to the very value of racisim it emphasises the racisim is more the what it seems it becomes a state of mind it’s a plague which is inescapable. “what is a german? to say a man is a german, what is that? does it tell you if he is a good man? or a bad man? no, my friend, it tells you nothing about a man to say he is german. a man must think what he is inside. what he is on the outside, how can this matter?” due to a mans race he must not be judge even though his nationiality is known for crime that is recalled as sterotype it does not define a man every man differs to judge someone you must know them not their nation but who they truly are this can put in comparison with today as middle eastern people are reffered to “terrorist” asian originated people “smart” those comments or status given to people is not correct and is racist a dark disease.
The concepts of challenging authority is conveyed within the book through the acts of of various characters the main one being peekay in one scenario he challenges the judges authority doing the judges work but keeps asking for more the reason being is to avoid punishment. Peekay and his mother dident have the strongest relationship when his mother recovered in the mental institution she becomes religious and she tries to rain the holiness upon peekay but peekay refused “the lord is a shithead” this is the ultimate act of challenging authority as he showed two of the most important figures in society no respect. Peekay dated a girl who had no permission to she had wishes from her guardian to be with another man but they refused the orders went along with their relationship even though they had no acceptance they fought authority once again against a powerful figure in everyones parents regarding when this book was set parents orders were always taken upon so it shows a real act of challenging authority.