Theme Of Dehumanization

Within this passage, an initial theme that reveals itself is the negative consequences of racial power hierarchies between the Black characters of the play and the White figures they frequently reference. Suggestion of this thematic trend is made apparent through the recurring image of dehumanization of the Black speakers compared to their White counterparts. Dehumanization is “the process of depriving a person or group of human qualities” and the illustration of this occurs when the character of Mbongeni discusses how he, as a Black man, is the White people’s “dogs” (OED). This use of the term dog denotes dehumanization as it serves to dissociate the Mbongeni as being human. Specifically, it suggests that like a dog, Mbongeni and other who