Book Review

A Long Walk Home
By Naazneen Ayob
Reviewed By Zakiyyah Kolia

I’ve never been through apartheid but by reading this book, A Long Walk Home, it gave me a view of apartheid through a young boy’s eyes, Joseph Mackenzie, who lived through apartheid. He lived with his family in the township of Soweto during the old South Africa, not of what I know today.

Joseph Mackenzie tells us the story of him growing up with his mother and finding ways of supporting and protecting her. He just wants to tell people how he had to grow up in the rough times of apartheid and how it affected him.

Joseph has told a story of truth about apartheid and speaks of his experiences very clearly. Naazneen has sequenced the story in an excellent way for the reader to understand. It is also a great book in educating youngsters to understand apartheid.

As a ten year old boy living in the townships, life without his father was tough. Joseph seemed to have a low self esteem due to apartheid and this gives him a very serious character for a young man.

Apartheid was over in 1994 but the effects of it still lives on today like racism however this didn’t bring Joseph and many others down. They all overcame it in their own way and got help from those want to hear their stories.

Evaluation-Term 3

Evaluation-Term 3

Term 3 has been a great experience! I looked forward to our English lessons everyday. I really enjoyed the poetry lessons and the reciting of the poems on the microphone. I have developed as a person as well. We had also delivered our plays based on our visit to Sharpeville. I loved doing the plays as I played a ‘sangoma’ and enjoyed the experience…it was exciting. It gave me confidence- the fact that I put myself out there and did what I enjoy!!!

Evaluation of teaching lesson

Evaluation of Teaching lesson

I enjoyed studying the poem “An abandoned bundle”. It made realise what this world is really all about and the reality of life. I now look at this world differently. I thought the manner in which Mr. Sujee taught us the poem was amazing by introducing articles on abandoned babies. The fact that we are now going to teach the poem the grade 9 learners is overwhelming. I never actually thought this is what our English lessons would be like. An inspiration!!

Evaluation of book

Evaluation of book

When I had first heard we were going to write a book for the grade 3 to 6 learners I was speechless and nervous too as I had never experienced doing this kind of work. It was difficult at the beginning to get the idea that should appeal to younger readers. The manner of writing had to be that of a lower level. Writing the book was really enjoyable and amazing. Made me feel like a little child again when I read it thereafter. A great experience!

Arthur Jarvis

Private Life

He is an opponent of racial injustices. He writes many things of the injustice in South Africa. Although we don’t hear much of Arthur as he dies, we learn that he doesn’t live for glory

Public Life

Absalom Khumalo murders Arthur. His motives may seem selfless but he is aware of the situation in South Africa i.e. the injustices and oppressions.

People’s perceptions

He may be viewed as very supportive and caring to his community, i.e. spends his time at the centre of the debates on racism and poverty.

Theophilus Msimangu

Private Life

Msimangu is a kind, warm-hearted man who takes Khumalo through Johannesburg. He understands the injustice in South Africa at the time. He believes that the black oppress the whites because they are afraid of the numbers.

Public Life

He helps Khumalo and guides him through Johannesburg and make sit easy for him. He is caring and helpful.

People’s perceptions

People view him as a good, humble man and he is respected throughout the community.

James Jarvis

Private Life

James Jarvis is very caring and attached to his family. After the death of his son, he learns that Arthur has become a respected man in the community.

Public Life

His son Arthur has been killed. He strives to improve things for the people in his village. E.g. he gives milk to the children. After the death of his wife, he builds a church for the community.

People’s perceptions

James Jarvis may be viewed as a very caring, humble and respected man. He’s efforts have contributed to this by helping the people of his community. E.g. he builds a church etc.

character analysis-cry the beloved country

Character Analysis

Private life

Absalom Khumalo appears to be a thief, which spoils his reputation and the then his girlfriend becomes pregnant which makes him seem so irresponsible and foolish. He becomes disruptive and starts committing crimes e.g. the burglary, murder and his disappearance. He also becomes involved with bad company, which shows his ignorance.

Public life

Absalom Khumalo becomes a thief, which publicly destroys him as he is further sent to a reformatory. He is ten let out on the fact that he will do well but that notion does not prove true. He disappears from his job; he commits a burglary and a murder. This shows that he has become troublesome and irresponsible. He leaves home without thinking about his family and what will become of them.

People's perceptions

People might view Absalom as being uncaring, irresponsible, disruptive and so on. His flawed actions may be the cause of people’s analysis of him in this way. He has chosen to be like the way he is and doesn’t think of the consequences facing him at the time.

Infant Murders

Infant murders

There’s no happiness when they’re born,
Only because not their mothers, but others mourne.

They’re innocent, what have they done wrong?
They’re just born and have never even heard a song.

They were brutally killed by knives; the only sound they heard was slice,
And then dumped…and eaten by mice.

When they, the babies, were attacked, they could not fend.
And after dead, they lie in the slums for weeks on end.

Why kill? Rather put them up for adoption,
And at least show them some affection.

The mothers who do this should be sent to jail,
Where they’ll be fenced and closed by a rail.

Poem

The centre of the world is Saudi;
And the centre of South Africa is Jozi.

From deep and down in the slums;
From different regions they come.

From high in the sky, New York it seems;
With all the lights and all the beams.

Zoom in and get a better look,
And amazingly, you’ll see the truth.

Is it so stunning and striking?
OR…is it just me stereotyping?

Naazneen Ayob

Letter to the editor

Letter to the editor-Crime

http://www.tallus@sundaytimes.co.za/

Sir / Madam

R: E: Listen! Else we fall.

I am writing this letter with reference to the article published in the ‘Sunday Times’ dated 22 July 2007 regarding the son who found his parents brutally murdered in their farmhouse, after being notified by foreman.

I was rather disturbed and appalled to read that the couple’s car (late in their 70`s) had been stolen and their tuck shop in Kwa-Zulu Natal rummaged and torn apart.

The couple were stabbed and beaten to death which brings me to the very, very edge of my concern.

Each day the media saddens us with reports of violence, brutality, senseless attacks on innocent travellers and shoppers, mindless mayhem, family murders and suicides. People don’t like themselves and have thus turned to substance abuse and violence. People don’t like others because they constitute a threat to their way of life, and so they will do all they can by fair means or foul to change their situation. Unemployment, greed and laziness has made robbery, theft, hijacking, abduction and kidnapping the way of life.

September 2 1993 was a great moment in our nation’s history when people everyone stopped, joined hands, sang and prayed for peace. What an encouraging sight it was as we looked out and saw people from all walks of life holding hands as a pledge to work for peace. But that dream is far from reality. Welcome to the real world where children cannot play freely, women cannot walk freely and men cannot earn money freely. They are shot in their business places.

In South Africa, it seems as though night has invaded, has plunged our land into violence and is now nudging her over precipice of anarchy. The veiling blackness has blinded the people to hope and has settled heavily on their hearts. Sunny South Africa seems to have vanished into the coves of a ‘lost order’ along with peace and prosperity. Abnormality has become the norm to us, weapons are our bread especially the AK-47 seems to be a favourite ‘loaf’ and the spilling of blood, our ‘red wine’. The souls of the children reflect despair through their eyes and on the lifelines of their palms lays a prediction of a dismal future, of no tomorrow, only doom and gloom.

Now, an orphan, does this boy, like many others, see hope for tomorrow. He could have been a leader of tomorrow. This can all be changed in preparation for 2010. Children can smile again if the death penalty can be brought back with a passion, a promise of peace again. Murderers must be stopped, killers, rapists must be castrated and then killed. A passionate plea from all women who are victims. Every night, dark frightening night has its dawn. South Africa, there is hope for a violent-free World Cup.

I hope and trust that you will take my recommendation into consideration as well as publish this letter to make the public more aware of the situation in our country.

Yours faithfully,
Concerned
N. Ayob (www.naazneenayob@yahoo.com)

Character analysis

Character analysis- Absalom Khumalo


Private life

Absalom Khumalo appears to be a thief, which spoils his reputation and the then his girlfriend becomes pregnant which makes him seem so irresponsible and foolish. He becomes disruptive and starts committing crimes e.g. the burglary, murder and his disappearance. He also becomes involved with bad company, which shows his ignorance.

Public life

Absalom Khumalo becomes a thief, which publicly destroys him as he is further sent to a reformatory. He is ten let out on the fact that he will do good but that notion does not prove true. He disappears from his job; he commits a burglary and a murder. This shows that he has become troublesome and irresponsible. He leaves home without thinking about his family and what will become of them.

People’s perceptions

People might view absalom as being uncaring, irresponsible, disruptive and so on. His flawed actions may be the cause of people’s analysis of him in this way. He has chosen to be like the way he is and doesn’t think of the consequences facing him at the time.

Evaluation of the audio assignment

Evaluation of the audio assignment


When I had first received the audio assignment, I was afraid and my mind was about to explode. I had no idea what was expected of me because this was extraordinary, something I was not familiar with.

But while doing the assignment I felt the rush of excitement, of making use of new technology, something I never did before. It made me grow as a person and become aware of other people’s personalities and capabilities. It gave me the chance to interact with the outside world and become more involved in the media and the way it works.

There were times when I wasn’t so sure about myself anymore and whether I could accomplish all that I have with all the trouble shooting and the problems, I though it would never end!

But doing the audio assignment was the greatest opportunity i had and it was splendid and really motivating

Evaluation of visit to the townships

Evaluation of my visit to the township


I often reflect back and memories flutter in my mind. That was the day when I visited Sharpeville for the first time along with some of my classmates.

We drove around the township for a while, and visited memorial sites, the graveyards, exhibition centre and schools.
In anguish and even in rage, I asked myself this question: “What help is there for the millions of people in Sharpeville, who face starvation, disease and death as a result of poverty and poor education.” There is no love, comfort or compassion from the more affluent citizens of our country.
Although the media saddens us with reports of prevalence and deaths each day, of the on-going struggle, the reality never struck me until this day. There are many people whose health is being compromised further by their economic and social status. I was faced with my own helplessness while watching all of this for which there was no cure. I was in despair.

Despite our different colours, before we are doctors, lawyers, scholars, dentists, students, teachers, before we are mothers, fathers, children, herdsmen, before we are dark, fair, fat, thin, tall or short, before all that, we are human beings. In each of us there is a flame that must never be allowed to go out. That as long as it burns within us, it can never be destroyed. So let us help light the small place in these people’s hearts. As Khalil Gibran said, “When man can be made to hope, he can be made to win.”

I went to the ocean today. The tide rushes in and covers my footprints, leaving the sand fresh for another adventure. My life is like the sand. People journey through my mind and leave their footprints but then the tide rushes in. But these reflections have left such a strong imprint in my mind that no matter how much time or tide, nothing will erase them.

Evaluation of Term 1 and 2

Evaluation of term 1 & 2- English

Reflections floating free in my memory. Reflections that will always be a part of me. The dawn of my life, like the dawn of that day is only a memory of my mind but so important because it gave the opportunity to grow, to become what I am and what I will be.

That was the first day of our English lesson with Mr. Sujee. I was anxious and frightened to a certain extent because this was something totally new and strange…an environment I was not used to being in. He began by asking if we were ready to start working, to start thinking about what we would like to become one day and when I could no longer answer, I then realised that I was living my life in ignorance.

Adjusting to the new rules, the different manner of teaching and the fast pace of work was tough in the beginning but in the second term I was familiar with it all and it was a pleasure to walk in the English class again. You have bestowed upon us some of the greatest opportunities.

You have inculcated values, morals and meaning into my life. I’m now more aware of the people around me. The elderly, the poor, the needy and the orphan. I am being taught to value people for what they are and not for what they have. I have been taught that where there is hatred, I should show love, where there is despair, I should give hope and where there is sadness, I should show happiness.

Being in the class of Mr. Sujee, it has taught me to consider all facts of life. We all have a role to fulfill in society. The underdog, the bully, the gangster, the drug lord, the landlord and the common labourer all fit into a picture perfect puzzle.

Tossing a coin...

Tossing a coin

Life is a game of choices and chances. As kids we teach ourselves how to make those choices, although we don’t realise it. We play games, pick a card, choose a hand, toss a coin, heads or tails, its all chances, choices. As teenagers and adults, these games lose their childishness, but they stay with us and impact our feelings in the most inconspicuous ways. But sometimes these choices that we make for ourselves or others make for us change our lives in the most profound ways imaginable. That’s where my story begins…

She was always a drifter, never staying in one place too long, leaving just before a relationship went somewhere, or life threw her a curveball. It’s not as though her life lacked anything, she had her parents, brother and friends, yet she kept searching and for who or what, nobody knew. But there was something she always did when she left a place, something eerie and unusual-she attended a funeral. She said it was because whenever she left a town or city, she needed finality and what was more final than death?

The strange thing is that through all this drifting, she managed to put herself through law school and every town she went to, she would take a limited number of cases and she made sure she won every single case.

By the time jenny had reached number six, she developed a kind of reputation that took on the ambiance of a legend. The people whose lives she touched never forgot her. She had a presence which she was astutely aware of, part of the reason why she never settled in a place too long. But there was someone, one person who picked up the trail she kept leaving behind. She didn’t know it, infact she was completely oblivious to it.

He was about the same age as her and accidentally bumped into her at a sidewalk café in city number two. They exchanged merely a glance, no words, no touch, just glance. You could say it was love at first sight, for him anyway, but he sensed she didn’t feel the same way. Thinking they would probably never meet again, he was obviously walking past the local courthouse and that when he saw her go in, that’s when he followed her. Strangely enough, he was somewhat of a drifter to, however his drifting didn’t seem to have a purpose until the day in the café. He sat at the back of the courtroom, never in a million years imagining what he was seeing in front of him. She was not only beautiful, yet completely in touch with herself and her profession. It was this intrigue and curiosity that kept him going back to the courthouse day after day.

Then suddenly she was gone. He was frantic, not knowing where she was or what had happened. He remembered that she always went inside a local flower shop and scrambled to enquire when last the woman was here and the women behind the counter said she had been in the day before to purchase a bouquet of flowers, funeral flowers. He found her, there were only two funeral agencies in the town-how hard could it be? That’s when he started following her, watching her every move, staying far away so she knew he existed, but close enough to stay absolutely captivated.

He began to record the number of cases she tried in each town, and always taking note of the funeral she finally attended and flowers she bought. The traveling eventually landed up in his home town, a place he hadn’t visited for years. All the nostalgia about his home and finally gave him the courage to introduce himself.

They connected almost immediately. She finally found someone she could relate to although, he never disclosed anything about his own life, always avoiding her questions, always getting away with it.

Then the day came. The day she completed and won her last court case and attended her last funeral. He of course had known the day would come and came to expect it.

He was unaware of the fact that this time she had something else in mind. She was always aware of his presence during her stay there, even though they weren’t always together, she always felt as though they ere. The funeral was going to be a little different. She set it up. One casket with her photo and one without. This time she would let someone else decide how her life would be.
He walked into the funeral parlor, not expecting the site before him at all. She turned around and saw him standing there, completely puzzled. She walked over and explained that she knew he was hiding things from her, things she wanted to know. She said that she decided to give him the choice of what happened next. One of the two caskets contained her photo. He had to choose which one. The prize to spend the rest of their lives together, wherever their hearts desired. He couldn’t believe the casket on the right, for absolutely no specific reason he had to choose it. This had all been a game, so why not end it that way?

As happy endings go, he chose the correct casket and they were married a few weeks later. As time went by, she realised he was a man with some very odd ways, but never once asked about them she accepted his mysteries and he accepted hers. That was their story.

The bottom line of this narrative is that no matter where we go, who we are, what we want, things are never as they seem and if we embrace those mysteries, life can take on a whole new meaning.