TRC Reflection Sheet

TRC Debrief (if absent)
1. What was the Truth and Reconciliation Committee? Why did some people praise this? Why were some people opposed to this? What did they hope to achieve?







2.. Many relatives of victims wanted to hear how their loved ones died. Why might this be? What does this achieve?




3. Is it better to discuss hurts out in the open, or should people just “let sleeping dogs lie”?



4. “ We make the mistakes of conflating all justice into the Retributive justice, when there is a thing called restorative justice. And this is the option we have chosen. But there is justice. The perpetrators don’t get off scot free. They have to confess publicly, in the full glare of television lights, that they did those ghastly things.” (Desmond Tutu). DO you agree with him? Is the public confession of acts enough to establish justice in South Africa?

4-23/ 4-26 2010 TRC

Lesson:
We discussed the Truth and Reconciliation process and discussed whether or not this was, in fact, justice.
If you were absent please read these two websites and then fill out the sheet on the assignments age labeled "Truth and Reconciliation"

Read these two websites first:
http://www.peaceworkmagazine.org/pwork/0599/0515.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/truth_and_reconciliation/203134.stm


HMWK:
TRC Worksheet (see assignments page)
Final SOuth Africa Project due 5-4 Sheldon/ 5-5 South

This I Believe: Personal Essay

Name:________________________
'This I Believe' Essay-Writing Instructions

We invite you to share your own beliefs by writing your own statement of personal belief. You may choose to relate it to one of the themes we have explored in our South Africa unit. Some topics you may wish to consider include:

* What is courage?
* What is justice?
* Fear as a prison/ obstacle to change and reconciliation
* The need for violence (or not)
* The power of teenagers in transforming society
* _______________________________________

We understand how challenging this is -- it requires such intimacy that no one else can do it for you. To guide you through this process, we offer these suggestions:

Tell a story: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gut-wrenching -- it can even be funny -- but it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs about this issue in your own life.

Be brief: Your statement should be between 350 and 500 words. That's about three minutes when read aloud at your natural pace.

Name your belief: If you can't name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on a core belief, because three minutes is a very short time.

Be positive: Please avoid preaching or editorializing. Tell us what you do believe, not what you don't believe. Avoid speaking in the editorial "we." Make your essay about you; speak in the first person.

Be personal: Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak.

Due: 4-23 South/ 4-26 Sheldon

"The Moment Before the Gun Went Off" Questions

Global Literature Name:___________________________________

1. Who is the main character? What do we know about the main character? What kind of person is he? He is a politically involved man. What are his beliefs?





How does the narrator’s choice of words and expressions reveal prejudice? Give examples of the narrator’s prejudice.



2. The story has a surprise ending. Until the final paragraph, one type of relationship is implied between Van der Vyver and the young man killed.
(a) What was that relationship?

(b) What relationship is revealed in the last paragraph?

3. One of the story’s themes is a constant worrying about how “others” will construe the shooting death of a young male. Identify two specific allusions to these “others”. What does the narrator imply will be the other’s inaccurate interpretations of the shooting death?


4. The surprise ending strengthens the strong sense of irony present throughout the story. Explain why.


5. Find an earlier passage which foreshadows the relationship revealed in the last paragraph.
6. Based on the clues in the story, why is it impossible for Van der Vyver to clear himself of the murder charge by revealing the true nature of the relationship with the dead man.

7. The gun that went off was Van der Vyver;s father’s. Given that Apartheid began in the 1940’s, what could the symbolic significance of the gun be?



8. Why does Van der Vyver have a high, barbed fence around his house and garden? Why are guns “domestic object- now-adays” in the cities?


9. What does Van der Vyver fear? How are his fears ironic and self-deluding?

South Africa Final Project

Global Literature
Unit: South Africa
Final Project

In lieu of a test or final essay we would like to give you a chance to show us through a medium of your choice what you have learned about South Africa. Think about central issues and questions that have been raised in this unit. Take one or several issues from our unit and explore them in a final project. To help you narrow down some topics or issues to explore, we’ve included a list of suggested topics below. Additionally, we gathered several quotations that relate to South Africa which may function as a source of inspiration. We expect you to ponder the complexity of the issues alluded to and then express your ideas in one of the following modes.

Writing
Write a play, original short story, a collection of poems , a song (lyrics and music), or a formal essay.
Note: Although length is not the most important aspect of your work remember that the more you write the more opportunity you have to show us what you have learned.
Art
Create a painting, drawing, sculpture, photo essay, quilt, etc
Performance
Write/ create a play, puppet show, interpretive dance, song, speech, video, power point presentation, animation, etc. Note: You will only be able to perform for about 5 minutes. Keep your work short or show a selection and turn the rest in on paper, tape/CD, or computer disk.

Your work must show depth of thought and considerable effort. This assignment is worth 75 points so show off your talents. This is no time for half hearted sketches on lined paper, ripped out of your notebook….

Other requirements:
Typed or calligraphy (where appropriate)
All art work or performances should include a short explanation of your work (typed, one page)
Include at least three specific references to issues/ works we studied in class
Title your work with a quotation or central question/ topic
You may work in pairs on this assignment but we will expect double the effort & double the thought

Due Date: Alpha (Sheldon) May 4th ` Omega (South) May 5th

Examples of topics

• What is courage?
• What is justice?
• Fear as a prison/ obstacle to change and reconciliation
• The need for violence (or not)
• The power of teenagers in transforming society

Quotations

• “Power in defense of freedom is greater than power on behalf of tyranny and oppression” Malcolm X
• “Hate has no medicine.” Ga Proverb
• “We aim to remember, to forgive and to go on, with full recognition of how fragile the threads of community are.” Desmond Tutu
• “Force is the only language the imperialists can hear, and no country became free without some sort of violence.” Nelson Mandela
• “To get justice, we must strive to undo the top dog/ underdog reversals that make human errors endure. There is no point exacting vengeance now, knowing that it will be the cause for future vengeance by the offspring of those we punish. Vengeance only leads to revenge” Desmond Tutu
• “Non-violence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence.” M.L. King
• “But somehow tenderness survives.” Dennis Brutus

One Upon a Time Questions

Global Literature Name:___________________

Once Upon a Time- by Nadine Gordimer

Symbol: a concrete object that is used to represent an idea (a person, a place, a thing, or an event). Examples are: the dove = peace, the hourglass = time passing, etc

The following objects appear in the story. Write down as many symbolic meanings for each object that you can think of in relation to Apartheid and/or South Africa:

1. The growing wall and razor bladed coils:



2. The boy:



3. The roses and the perfect lawn



4. The red smudge marks on the whitewash wall



5. The narrator’s house being built above a South African mine



Irony: is using a word or phrase to mean the exact opposite of its literal or normal meaning. There are three kinds of irony:
• Dramatic irony, in which the reader or the audience sees a character’s mistakes, but the character does not.
• Verbal irony, in which the writer says one thing and means another: “The best substitute for experience is being thirteen:; and
• Irony of situation, in which there is a great difference between the purpose of a particular action and the result.

6. Explain the irony you see in the story “Once Upon a Time”

Only A-Two Voice Poem

Only A …Two voice poem

A two-voice poem is a poem written in two columns, where two different perspectives are explored as in a dialogue. The purpose of a two-voice poem is to show the different perspectives as well as similarities of two sides. These poems are meant to be read out loud, in pairs, where the voices alternate/ take turns, and sometimes speak in unison.

Your poem should explore the inner world of the girls and the older woman in “Only A”. Include lines from the story as well as your own words to accomplish this. Challenge yourself to look beneath the surface of this story. Allude to larger issues at play in South African history, or the human experience, and don’t be afraid to use figurative language (symbols, metaphors, similes, personification).

You can see an example of this at:
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1709882

1950s protest poetry (in-class activity)

Name:


1950’s Protest Poetry


“Literature in Africa cannot but be political.”
Femi Ojo-Ade, literacy critic

Introduction: In the 1950’s black and coloured literature is South Africa grew enormously as the anti-apartheid movement developed breadth and strength. The following poems, written between 1949-1960, reflect a range of responses to the apartheid government and to the effects of apartheid on everyday life. As you examine your assignment selection, consider the questions below. Be prepared to share the conclusions of your group with your classmates.

1. What was happening politically and economically in South Africa at the time the poem was written?






2. What does the poem describe? What events or scenes does it portray?






3. What is the mood of the poem? Is it resigned, angry, hopeful, etc? Remember that poems are meant to be read aloud. You may wish to read your poem aloud with your group.






4. How does the poem envision the future? What does your poem suggest will happen to race relations in South Africa?

South Africa Protest Poetry Assignment

Global Literature: South Africa Name:_______________________
Protest Music
For next class you may choose one of the three options regarding protest music.

A.) Write your own protest song. Create your own original music or borrow a melody from a popular song. Please either record this (bringing in a CD of your music) or be prepared to perform the song in class (risk takers will receive extra credit!)

B.) Analyze a popular protest song using the same questions you used to analyze your poem for South Africa.
1. What was happening politically and economically at the time this song was written.
2. What does the poem describe? What events or scenes does it portray?
3. What is the mood of the poem? Is it resigned, angry, hopeful, etc?
4. How does the poem envision the future?

C.) Write your own protest poem. Be prepared to read it aloud in class dramatically or present the poem in an artistic way for your classmates to see.

Apartheid Reading #1 Study Guide

Advanced Study Guide---Part 1

1. What effect did the arrival of Europeans in South Africa have on the Africans who lived there?







2. Did the British see their role in South Africa differently from Afrikaners? Explain.







3. Why would successive generations of historians have differing views on the causes and effects of the Mfecane? What role does race play in the writing of history?







4. Explain how the Mineral Revolution laid the groundwork for racial segregation in South Africa.







5. Explain the roots of Afrikaner identity.

South Africa Vocab Day 3 and 4

Name:__________________
South African Vocabulary
Day Three
New Words: stope thwart implore malevolent itinerant

Gumboots
Forced to work for hours deep underground carving stopes and tunnels in South Africa’s gold mines, miners were often faced with great dangers. To add insult to injury, the life of a miner was further affected by the ill treatment from malevolent mining officials. Miners were not allowed to visit families more than once or twice a year regardless of imploring letters from wives and children (the result of bringing in itinerant labor from the homelands), were poorly paid, and suffered serious health consequences from life in the dark and dusty tunnels.
In order to alleviate the stress of this kind of life, South African miners developed a dance of stomping and thigh slapping not unlike German lederhosen dances. These dances quickly became a form of communication (like a morse code) and entertainment for the miners. Officials often attempted to thwart Gumboots performances, but were not able to stop this expressive dance from becoming an international phenomenon. Today, Gumboots performances have made it to the stages of Broadway and London’s West End.

Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:

1. The young man _____________ the police officer not to arrest him after he failed to produce his identity pass.
2. Mine workers in South Africa led an ________________ lifestyle, making it difficult to sustain relationships with their families.
3. The ________________ and passages under my house have caused it to tilt at a precarious angle.
4. The __________________ slaughter of an entire Zulu community by the river is remembered by the Blood River Monument in South Africa.
5. The police ________________ the school children’s uprising in Soweto by killing hundreds of kids, yet they were not able to quell the wave of ensuing protests.

Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.

6. stope___ a. having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm
to others; malicious.
7. itinerant___ b. an excavation in the form of steps made
by the mining of ore from steeply inclined
or vertical veins.
8. implore___ c. to beg, plead.
9. malevolent ___ d. to hinder, defeat
10. thwart___ e. traveling from place to place, especially
to perform work or a duty.
Today’s Idiom
Out of the frying pan into the fire - to go from a difficult situation to a worse one.

Name:____________________
South African Vocabulary
Day 4
New Words: veld(t) belittle din arrhythmia inter
Frightened by the Sound
The rumbling shook the rock causing the everyday din of the mines to come to an abrupt halt. Not a sound was to be heard. Joseph listened through the sounds of dripping water and thought he heard an arrhythmia in his chest. There had been a number of these tremors as of late and the baas had always tried to belittle the sounds and ordered everyone to keep working. Joseph noticed the baas was avoiding coming down to this level of the mine more and more over the last few days.
A crackle could be heard further down and suddenly all light disappeared. Joseph felt sweat drip down his nostrils. This was it. He would never see his children play. He would never see animals leaping along the veld again. He would be interred in this mine forever, a fossil. He heard the drip of water and saw only blackness surrounding.
Suddenly, the engines started up again; the lights switched back on. False alarm. He was lucky this time. Hopefully his luck would hold out until he was able to go back to his family.

Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:

1. In the diamond mines, it was impossible to hear over the ____________ of the machines and the workers.

2. Although South Africa experienced great turmoil, the ___________ was still filled with some of the most exotic animals I had ever seen.

3. Although Ralph can’t play, he doesn’t hesitate to ___________ the efforts of our soccer team.

4. The crumbling of the diamond mine left two workers ____________ under the ground.

5. After the riots, the nervous student experienced a(n) ______________ as she walked down the alley late at night.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.

6. veldt ___ a. any of the open grazing areas of southern Africa

7. belittle ___ b. an irregularity in the force or rhythm of the heartbeat

8. din ___ c. a jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds

9. arrhythmia ___ d. to make seem less important

10. inter ___ e. to place in a grave or tomb; bury

Today’s Idiom
a red herring-- something that diverts attention form the main issue (a red herring drawn across a fox’s path destroys the scent)
We felt that the introduction of his war record was a red herring to keep us from inquiring into his past work in the scandalous company.

APartheid Reading #2 Questions

Name:

Study Guide-Part II

1. How did blacks, coloureds, and Asians protest the increased restrictions placed on them in the early years of South Africa Union? Give two examples.

a.



b.




2. What influence did Gandhi have in South Africa?






3. Fill in the following chart.

Act Year Implemented Purpose of act

Prohibition of
Mixed Marriages
Act

Population
Registration
Ac

Group
Areas Act

Suppression
of
Communism
Act

4. What was the purpose of the Defiance Campaign?




5. Why did the various anti-apartheid groups join together as the congress Alliance?






6. How did the government respond to the Freedom Charter?






7. What did the Alexandra bus boycott show both apartheid supporters and protestors?






8. Why were PAC leaders unhappy with the ANC? Give three reasons.

a.




b.




c.






9. Why did the protest at Sharpeville become violent? Was someone at fault? Explain.