Master Harold and the Boys
“Master Harold and the boys” Passage Essay
In this passage from “Master Harold and the boys” by Athol Fugard, Hally is recalling a memory of his childhood about Him being in Sam’s room. Through dialogue, we are able to comprehend the racist views of that time period, and a special and unique relationship that would have been impossible at the time - a black man and a white boy, is examined through the use of descriptive language. Finally, with symbolism, religion is indirectly portrayed through the kite, and the process of its construction , which essentially reveals that man must break down boundaries to progress as a society .
Firstly, the use of dialogue is employed to display racist views of the time. Hally says : "What the hell does a black man know about flying a kite?". It shows that the white people who had the power thought of blacks as unintelligent people, that they are unable to even know how to do something as simple as flying a kite. The status of the blacks are clearly cemented in this quote; that they are looked down upon because they do not know anything, meaning that the learning opportunities for blacks are limited. Not only were the racist views affecting education opportunities, tangible objects were also limited. Hally recalls the kite that was made out of "Tomato- box wood and brown paper!.... now that was only asking for a miracle to happen. ". This description shows us the materials available to the blacks. We see it is literally all rubbish that no one wants or need. However, it in a sense shows that blacks have high creativity and adaptive skills, as they can make things out of discarded material. Through this passage we are also able to see that people believe in hope as they are continuing to do what they can to make life easier. In the end, the author emphasizes the faults that society were imposing, in a attempt to draw attention and that fact hat some people would be able to see the wrong, and create change.
In this passage from “Master Harold and the boys” by Athol Fugard, Hally is recalling a memory of his childhood about Him being in Sam’s room. Through dialogue, we are able to comprehend the racist views of that time period, and a special and unique relationship that would have been impossible at the time - a black man and a white boy, is examined through the use of descriptive language. Finally, with symbolism, religion is indirectly portrayed through the kite, and the process of its construction , which essentially reveals that man must break down boundaries to progress as a society .
Firstly, the use of dialogue is employed to display racist views of the time. Hally says : "What the hell does a black man know about flying a kite?". It shows that the white people who had the power thought of blacks as unintelligent people, that they are unable to even know how to do something as simple as flying a kite. The status of the blacks are clearly cemented in this quote; that they are looked down upon because they do not know anything, meaning that the learning opportunities for blacks are limited. Not only were the racist views affecting education opportunities, tangible objects were also limited. Hally recalls the kite that was made out of "Tomato- box wood and brown paper!.... now that was only asking for a miracle to happen. ". This description shows us the materials available to the blacks. We see it is literally all rubbish that no one wants or need. However, it in a sense shows that blacks have high creativity and adaptive skills, as they can make things out of discarded material. Through this passage we are also able to see that people believe in hope as they are continuing to do what they can to make life easier. In the end, the author emphasizes the faults that society were imposing, in a attempt to draw attention and that fact hat some people would be able to see the wrong, and create change.