Kaffir
Boy
Book Review
Instructions
1.
Read
and understand Mark Mathabane’s Kaffir
Boy.
2.
Before
you review Kaffir Boy you must read
and understand my article “Apartheid South Africa” which is Chapter 10 in the Africana
World in Perspective textbook.
Begin
by describing the setting, the historical context, and the main themes
covered by the book. (Make sure you introduce apartheid and explain what it meant, also explain why the book
is titled Kaffir Boy and explain what the term “Kaffir” meant in the
context of apartheid South Africa).
Identify
and address the distinctive traits of the main character.
In
what ways was the author and the black people of South Africa in general
impacted by apartheid laws (explain with specific examples from the book
and my article. Provide at least three instances/examples from both
sources. At least two from the book and one from the article).
In
what ways does living under apartheid rule in South Africa compare with
the historical experiences of black people in the United States? Why did
the world allow apartheid regime to survive for so long?
What
have you learnt (if anything) from reading Kaffir Boy? Does the book teach any life lesson? If it does
what is the lesson.
Conclude
by stating your opinion about the book.
NOTE: The review should be written in a narrative essay form. The essay
should be 3-4 pages long. The paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, and
paginated. There should be at least, two (2) direct quotes from the novel,
integrated in the body of the essay. Your quotes should come from different
parts of the book. The book is divided into three main parts: Part 1-“The Road
to Alexandra” (pg. 1-120), Part 2 – “Passport to Knowledge” (pg.121-212), and
Part 3-“Passport to Freedom” (pg. 213-350). Make sure you derive your quotes
from at least 2 of the 3 parts of the book. In addition you should have at
least one quote from the article. Quotes however should be short (not more than
three lines long) and should be cited accordingly. This is an example of how to
quote and cite:
His decision reinvented his history, assured his progress, and as his
mother predicted when he was a little boy: “Someday you will find yourself in a
far away place, among strangers, who will take you in, clothe you and provide
you with all the things you want” (52).
An example when quoting from my article is as follows “………..”
(Kithinji, 40).
• In addition you
should take note of the following:
Ø
Have a title page indicating your full name
and the showing the book you are reviewing (indicate the author and full title
of the book).
Ø
You should not repeat title and your name in
the subsequent pages.
Ø
You should not have extra space between
paragraphs. The entire paper should be in Times New Roman font 12 double-spaced.
Ø
Direct quotes should not exceed three lines
long (have short quotes).
Ø
When you indicate someone’s name the first
time provide his full name, subsequently indicate his last name only (not first
name).
Ø
You should always italicize book titles e.g. Kaffir Boy. Do not have titles in quotation marks (no “Kaffir Boy”)
Ø
Avoid Contractions.
Ø
No Passive voice
Ø
No Wordiness (verbosity)
Ø
No Informal speech
Ø
You should post in Word document (not PDF or
Google Doc)
Ø
You must submit your paper to SafeAssign and it must have a matching of
less than 10%.
NB: In South Africa being coloured (British spelling, not “colored” which
is American spelling) meant you are mixed race. Unlike in the US, mixed race
people in South Africa were categorized as a separate race not black.
