Eng MH Slides & Questions

7/28/2019 Eng MH Slides & Questions

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Master Harold and the boys

English 178 lecture series April

2013

Hale Tsehlana

Room 576

English Department

[email protected]

808-2041

Master Harold.... and the boys

LECTURE TWO
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Autobiography vs biography

Truth vs Fiction

Lessons in life 2 fathers? Politicalsocialization, Cycle of abuse, Hallysrelationship with his parents

Characterisation -

Introspection as South Africans

Master Harold and the boys English

178 lecture series April 2013


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Cant remember now what precipitated it, but one

Day there was a rare quarrel between Sam & myself.In a truculent silence we closed the caf, Sam set off

Home to New Brighton on foot & I followed a few mins.

later on my bike.

I saw him walking ahead of me &, coming out of a

spasm of acute loneliness, as I rode up behind him I

called his name, he turned mid-stride to look back &,

as I cycled past, I spat in his face. I dont suppose I will

ever deal with the shame that overwhelmed me thesecond after I had done that . (MH xix)




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Autobiography fascinates us through its claim to authenticity.Yet it can be as self-conscious a literary performance as any other.An act of creation that responds to the ideas, expectations, &fantasies of its moment in history.

In this lecture, we will consider some of challenges it raises:

Why do people write their lives and how? How do race and gender shape the stories they tell? How does its reading differ from fiction or history? Can Master Harold and the boys be completely considered 100%

biography?

Or is it is just an inspiration from real life events?




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It is widely believed that Master Harold & the

Boys is an autobiographical account of what

happened in the life of the author. In writing

this play he apologises to Sam & reveals what

he, Fugard, has eventually learned.

Why Write lives? whose truth, research & focus.

Can a life be fitted into a biography?

Eg Mandela several biographies.




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Their life experiences are more interestingthan fiction

in postcolonial society people needed toaffirm a sense of self that was destroyed byracism, alienation etc.

why do we still need to write biographies inthe present?




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Documentation of personal journeys & growthHistory recollection and preservationMirror reflection to learnTeachings for the past and futureRestoration of memoryEncourage and Motivate readers

Correct misconceptionsRecognize and acknowledge the contributionHonor and keep memories aliveTelling our collective stories

Which lives are worth reading about and why?Can young people write biographies? Localexamples? WHY? Can we learn from the life of youngHally? SPUD?




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In the intro lecture we also explored how the

play:

The play is an attempt to share thatexperience with the audience. theexorcism of his private guilt provided the

opportunity for an exorcism of public guilt.(Walder: 1984)

How many biographies do you know that arewritten purely to set the record straight? Eg?Scandals break out and soon after a bio. Hits theshelves? What about celebrity Bios that are always inthe oven? Eg Amy Winehouse?




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We can best understand truthfulness in

autobiography not as a strange hybrid of history andfiction, but in terms of a continual dialogue betweena writers conscience and his imagination(Barbour,1992:28).

Ethics of privacy as traditionally conceived requiresthe drawing of boundaries, but how do we limit thepersonal? How do you deal with embarrassingmoments in our writing? How do we approach issuesin the family, childhood, neighbourhood? Eg whenHallys father messed up? Negative light?

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THE OTHER CHARACTERS?WHOSE STORY IS IT ANYWAY?




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You see the, the truth of my theater, of myself, is that

Youve got to be prepared to stand there, not even withyour jockstrap and takkies on. With nothing on. That iswhat writing is about. (Fugard, Mail & GuardianFeb 21 2010).

I am ashamed of a lot of things Ive done in my life but

none of them relate to my work in theatre. I carry a lot ofregrets. And let us make this note because it isconfessional. As a human being I try to do it differentlynow, I was very selfish in my personal life. Ive wokenup to the fact in time and I am trying very hard to be the

most difficult of all things- a good man. (Fugard, Mail &GuardianFebruary 21 2010)




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The subject of the MH play is development of the

protagonists mind & character, in the passage fromChildhood through various experiences & usuallythrough a spiritual crisis into maturity & therecognition of his or her Identity & the role in theworld. (Abrams 1988:120).

Although it has elements of Bildungsroman it is notcompletely. but it is a journey of growth when weconsider what Halley has learned at the end of the

play. However, at the end of the play we see Hallywalking off from a chance to reconcile with Sam.What do you make of this? Growth? Change?




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Telling stories about myself & my country has

led up to this moment, he says. In our sunnySouth Africa, with its rainbow nation &promise For everyone, its an act of totaldespair that speaks for itself. Its theemotional journey Ive travelled in dealing withmy inherited legacy of South African prejudice,& what you do with that blinkered vision of

reality.




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Race, class

Gender relations Stereotypes (The absenceof female role models or women ofmagnitude

A struggle with two fathers LESSONS?Biological familySurrogate family

Cycle of abuse dad Halley Sam The price of being Master cost 2 friendship




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Hally has two courses of action open to him in hisjourney toward maturitythe loving, reasoned wayof Sam or the indifferent, humiliating way of hisfather & the rest of South African society. Samoffers Hally more than one opportunity to breakaway from institutional forms of racism and embarkon a new course.

What does Sam teach Hally?

What does Hally learn from Sam?




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You have just completed the Nervous Condition

assignment in which you had re title the novel?

The boys and Master Harold What can you say about the title? What does the

title tell us about Halley as a Character?

What about the other characters?

Consider this revised topic. Would it work if

not why not? Where is the power located?




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From the language , description & attitudes of characters, what can we deduce

about Hally, Sam & Willie?

Hallysattitude & choice of words: Lifes a fuck-up & its never going tochange (50). Is he a typical seventeen-year-old white boy (9)? What

explains his attitude to or outlook on life? Are his views consistent?

Sams dialogue is usually powered by the intensity of memory & emotion that

marks his character, the kind of lines that foreshadow whats next in the play.

Willies dialect makes him stand out, & in his limited English, he comes to say

profound things in the text, from his admission to abusing Hilda to his sadness

when Sam and Hally are fighting.

Look at the relationships between 1. Sam & Hally 2. Willie & Hally? 3. Hally

& his parents? 4. Hallys mother & father? 5. Sam & Willie. Explore reactions

of Sam & Willie to the plays climactic incident. Is Sam too good to be true?

How is Sam represented? Is he the matyr?




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1. Prejudices 2. Stereotypes

3. Racial, Religious 4. political intolerance

In Summary the play continues to be a mirror in which weexamine our lives. What do we learn from it at a personal

level? What are we doing as individual young South Africansto get our society dancing in harmony & looking up?There are choices to be made. The university is a fertile ground

to start. There are many hope projects meant to help us unite

& look up. Take a stance. Will you like Hally remain on thewhites only bench or will you come on board to dance your

way into reconciliation.




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This is compulsory:

Monday, 29 April 2013 17hr

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 17hr

Lecture Room 230, arts building

Bring your note book and take notes of keypoints you observe.Master Harold and the boys English



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Write half a page commentary on the video & submit tothe tutor before you leave. Its not an essay just a fewparagraphs to reflect. This will be given to your grouptutor & you will get it back in the Tut. The brief reviewmust have a heading (come up with an interesting title)your name as the author of the review, your tutorial

group number and tutor name: eg

Title: Reflections on Master Harold Play Name: Hilda Van Dyk Tutor : Shirley Bassey Group: 19

To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.Kenneth Burke


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1. What did you think of the play? Did it meet your expectations as a reader

& viewer?

2. Comment on performances of actors. Did you find them convincing. Eghow they related to one another, & the way in which their voices & body

movements synchronised.

3. Comment on any other aspect of the play that you found significant. Eg

what effect does the way each actor speaks such as Willys broken Englishhave on us as the audience?

4. How does the playwrights choice not to dramatize certain events on

stage help determine what the focus of the play is? Eg? One specific thing

thats in the book but not dramatised.

5. Towards the end, the camera focuses for a few seconds on Sams palm.

What do you think is being suggested by that?

These slides will be on webct by Friday so you can print.

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Eng MH Slides & Questions