Book Report Kaffir Boy By Mark Mathabane Essay

For this assignment, we were required to read Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. This book goes in depth about an African boy’s coming of age. It goes over a lot of what Mark has gone through and how he overcomes the cruel behavior of the apartheid system. He also describes the racism and stereotypes the black children dealt with. From this book out of the three parts, I decided to go over part two of the book, â€Å"Passport to Knowledge.† I picked this section because a few of the aspect in here interested me more such as the allure and harsh realities of gangs, classroom regulations, and parents disagreeing over the worth of formal education. By embracing education, he is able to rise out of despair and destitution and make something of himself. Summation In the begin of chapter twenty one, we learn Mark hated school because he was not too thrilled when his mom started dropping hints about starting school. In the environment where Mark grew up, education was not valued as much as survival, such as learning how to fight and steal. From a gang of boys, he believed school was a waste of time and wanted to be a part of their exciting life of surviving on their own by leaving their own homes to live in the junkyard. He was somehow attracted to their way of living such as searching for food and stealing things to gain money. He believed, their lifestyle was exciting, adventurous, and full of surprises. As soon as his grandma tells him they re getting ready for school, he triesShow MoreRelatedWhy Family Is Important For Success1282 Words   |  6 Pagesfostering success in people is in Mark Mathabane’s autobiography, Kaffir Boy. Johannes (now named Mark) was one of few black children lucky enough to be able to go to school in Apar theid South Africa, where this book takes place. When his mother told him he was going to go to school he replied, â€Å"I vowed never to go because it was a waste of time.† (Mathabane 123) After his first year in school he ends up at the top of his class. He eventually liked school and earned top marks every year. After several yearsRead MoreAnalysis Of Kaffir Boy : The True Story Of A Black Youth Essay1534 Words   |  7 Pageselite and lowered the social status of many black South Africans in the community. Various people also wrote about how the Europeans influenced inequality in South Africa through personal narratives. In, Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa, Mark Mathabane illustrated Europe’s significant role during the apartheid regime from 1960 to 1978, and how it impacted his childhood negatively. Firstly, as a child born and raised in the ghetto of Alexandra, SouthRead More Biography of Oprah Winfrey Essay1130 Words   |  5 Pagesactress, was born on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi .She was born to unwed, teenage parents. Her mother Vernita Lee was eighteen and a housemaid. Her father Vernon Winfrey was twenty and in the armed forces. Winfrey was named Orpah from the Book of Ruth in the Bible, but her name was later changed to Oprah because it was easier to pronounce. As a youth, Winfrey moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother. Her mothers lack of supervision enabled several male relatives and friends to sexuallyRead MoreThe Breaking Apart of South African Families2263 Words   |  9 Pagescreated. Passes existed for several decades before the Urban Areas Act of 1923 created the articulate policy for the pass system which would later be intensified under apartheid. The goal of these policies, as described in Mamphele Remphele’s in her book about the hostel system, was to bring the Africans into the urban areas to care for the needs of the white population, and then have them leave as soon as they were no longer needed or desired. Michael Savage wrote in his article for the journal African