No Witchcraft for Sale

Elisa Samlut

Mrs. Vogt

English12

25 April 2012

No Witchcraft for Sale

The family owns a black servant and a cook named Gideon. Teddy is called "Little-Yellow-Head". Basically Teddy does everything he wants while the black servant and the cook and there family have to work for their money and things in life. Well by this time Teddy has become really good friends with the cook, but one day Teddy says something racist to the cook. The cook is still respectful but they're not as close as they used to be. Well one day Teddy is riding his scooter and a venomous snake spits in his eyes. The white family calls the doctor and he can't show up so Teddy's mom's crying because she thinks he's going to go blind. But Gideon remembers a antidote that he's tribe used and he goes and gets the items he needs to make it which is some types of flowers. Well he like practically chews up the antidote and spits it in Teddy's eyes than like pounds Teddy's eye's with his fist. While this is going on Teddy's mom is flipping out but after about an hour the swelling goes down and Teddy can see again.

Gideon the cook picked up the soft gold tufts from the ground, and held them reverently in his hand. Then he smiled at the little boy and said: Little Yellow Head. That became the native name for the child. Gideon and Teddy were great friends from the first. When Gideon had finished his work, he would lift Teddy on his shoulders to the shade of a big tree, and play with him there, forming curious little toys from twigs and leaves and grass, or shaping animals from wetted soil. When Teddy learned to walk it was often Gideon who crouched before him, clucking encouragement, finally catching him when he fell, tossing him up in the air till they both became breathless with laughter. Mrs. Farquar was fond of the old cook because of his love for her child.

The theme of the story is a young man who asks for something he doesn't deserve because he is too lazy to do the work to get it for him. The moral of the story is do your own homework and for gods' sake do the reading assignments so you can have a good education ,get a real job, and pay taxes so social security will be there for me when i retire.

The derogatory vocabulary in this story is very raciest for example: He was afraid to come near it, but Teddy showed off in front of him. Piccanin, shouted Teddy, get out of my way! And he raced in circles around the black child until he was frightened, and fled back to the bush. Why did you frighten him? asked Gideon, gravely reproachful. Teddy said defiantly: Hes only a black boy, and laughed.

The theme in 'No Witchcraft for Sale' is all over the story: every character in the entire story was bound to a certain culture. Teddy, Mr. and Mrs. Farquar, their neighbors, and the scientist or the 'Big Baas all follow what can only be defined as white culture ignorant and indifferent to other cultures, only interested when knowledge of others can somehow benefit them. In this specific case, the sacred knowledge of the African witch doctors would allow 'humanity to benefit for a cost, of course. The other, clashing culture is, of course, the African culture, including Gideon and the other black natives, children, and servants. Gideon, understandably, doesn't appreciate his families and his peoples' secrets being divulged and sold to the entire world, even though the scientist says it's for a good reason. The two peoples (and cultures) clash almost violently and the friendship between Gideon and the Farquars is hurt, but in time the Farquars learn to accept and even politely joke about, if not entirely understand, Gideon's secretive and stubborn behavior.Other than the characters, the importance of respecting cultures or peoples beliefs, or simply just how things are is expressed by Gideon earlier on in the story when he points out that Teddy will grow up to be a baas, and a native African will grow up to be a servant, then sadly concludes that It is Gods will. An example of allusion is when Teddy frightened Gideons son, justifying it as funny and acceptable because Hes only a black boy. Teddy later tries to mend his friendship with Gideon by giving him an orange, and Gideon once again remarks how their lives are on very different paths, which is then repeated again at the ending of the story.