Husnike

ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

RACIAL PREJUDICE AND LONELINESS IN BESSIE HAED’S MARU

A proposal submitted to the Department of English Language and Literature as a requirement to the course Senior Essay I

BY HUSSEN KEDIRO HUSSEN

SUPERVISOR V.K. VELU

DATE 20 JANUARY, 2009

ARBA MINCH

CAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Despite the ignorance of most so called “literati” to the domain of African literature, it in fact is one of the main currents of world literature, stretching continuously and directly back to ancient history. The beginning of African literature goes back to ancient civilization of Egypt, where writing flourished and Papyrus, from which we originate our word paper invented. In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa had a vibrant and varied oral culture. The earliest written Sub-Saharan literature (1920) influenced by Islamic literature is The History of the Sudan, written by Abd-al Rahman al-Sadi in Arabic style. (Literary Background, African Literature) With the period of colonization, African oral literature came under serious outside threat. European, justifying themselves with the Christian ethics, tried to destroy the “pagan” and “primitive” culture of the Africans to make them more pliable slaves. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Oluandh Equiano (1789) was the first slave narrative to be published. The Story of an African Farm (1883) by Oliver Schreiner is considered as the first African classic

analysis

of

racial

and

sexual

issues.

Franz

Fanon,

Algerian

psychiatrist, became famous in 1967 through the powerful analysis of racism from African view point in Black Skin, White Masks. Camara Laye explored the deep psychological ramification of being African in his master piece, The Dark Child (1953). Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is the most widely read

and

typical

example

of

native

African

literary

work.

(Literary

Background, African Literature) According to Thomas Thale, Southern Africa, particularly the single nation South Africa, had a rich history of literary output. Until recently Realism dominated the production of fiction in South Africa. Perhaps authors felt an overriding concern to capture the countries turbulent history and the experiences of its people. 2

Fiction has been written in all of South Africa’s eleven languages with a large body of work in Afrikaans, in particular, but this overview focuses primarily on English fiction, though it also touches on major poetic developments. The first fiction works to emerge from South Africans were produced by immigrants who often alienated from the South African landscape as the same time as they were fascinated by its often harsh beauty. These colonial writers were unsettled and intrigued by what they perceived to be exotic elements of indigenous cultures. (Thomas Thale, The Beginning of Flowering of Literature) The 1940’s saw the beginning of a flowering of literature by black South Africans as a generation of Mission-Educated Africans came of age. Among the writers of this period, Peter Abrahams, Herman Charles Bosman and Alan Paton were the prominent. (Thomas Thale, South African Literature, the Forties and Fifties) Another significant era in South African literature was ‘The Drum Decade’ in which the Freedom Charter and the central document of the Anti-Racist Movement

were

written.

There

were

satirical

stories

ridiculing

the

discriminatory and repressive policies of the state while others provided harrowing details of the effect of Apartheids legislation on people’s lives. The popular Drum Magazine was the common forum of the writers of this period. Es’kia Mphahlele, South African writer later described the style of the Drum writers as “racy, agitated, impressionistic, it quivered with a nervous energy, a caustic wit.’’ The Drum writers were exiled to different countries because of their discontent with the Apartheid policy (Thomas Thale, The Drum Decade). The New York Times, in its edition of July 24, 2002, had written: … For decades, black writers were persecuted and oppressed by the white regime. Literary magazines and publication houses refused to print their work. Writers were forced into exile and their writings were banned. Many felt invisible, neglected and forgotten, but they did not stop writing. (Rachel L. Swarns)

Many of exiled South African writers displayed the severe situations of their 3

country’s racial policy. Among these writers Bessie Head is recognized as one of the most important literary figures. Much of Head’s fictions are based on her experiences as

a refugee and her observations of village life in

Botswana. Among the works of Head, the researcher found Maru interesting and touching. The novel primarily concerned with two themes: that of love and prejudice set in the village of Dilepe. Regarding this novel Head said:

‘With all my South African experience, I longed to write an enduring novel on the hideousness of racial prejudice. But I also wanted the novel to be so beautiful and magical that I, as the writer, would long to read and re-read it.' The novel that resulted was Maru. (Head) As Bessie portrayed in the novel, Masarwa people among the Botswana community, are not regarded as humans. They are made to be outcasts and servants of their masters. In this piece of investigation the researcher is motivated to study and produce an analysis of the thematic aspect of the fiction. The researcher believes that an interpretation of such a novel can create a broader perspective in understanding the effect of prejudice and loneliness of the individuals. 1.9 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Bessie Amelia Head was born on July 6, 1937, in Pietermaritzburg, Natal, at Fort Napier Mental Hospital. Because of racist attitudes in South Africa, Head’s Scottish mother Bessie Amelia Emery was judged insane and committed to an asylum when she became pregnant by black man. She insisted that her daughter should be named after her. She died in the hospital leaving her daughter Head who was six then. Bessie was then brought up in a foster family of Catholic couples, where she was educated and shaped her later life by spending much of her time reading. Bessie’s real life began in 1956 when she began teaching at Clair 4

wood Colored School. She left the teaching post in 1958 and became the only woman freelance reporter for Golden City Post newspaper in Cape Town. In 1959 she moved to Johannesburg to work for the weekend magazine Home Post. Following the Sharpeville Massacre in 1960, she was arrested for her PAC activities. She returned to Cape again and began to write for Golden City Post, but became very depressed and she was invisible for months. She reemerged and started her own homemade newspaper The Citizen. She began to be very angry and alienated from her marriage and her country. Apartheid grew crueler every day. She experimented with poetry and fiction.. She wrote her short novel, The Cardinals, at that time. After she had spent almost 6 years in the turmoil of South Africa’s biggest cities, she felt defeated and dreamed of leaving South Africa. In March 1964, she was exiled to Serowe (Botswana) with her son. There she wrote the novels that brought her international acclaim, When Rain Clouds Gather (1966) Maru (1971) and A Question of Power (1973). In the first year of her life in Serowe she become enthusiastic about village life and wrote a number of stories about it. In 1977 she assembled her short stories and published as The Collector of Treasures. She was granted Botswana citizenship in 1979. She wrote one more book in her lifetime- The Bewitched Crossroad in 1984. After her traumatic life, Bessie died on April 17, 1986 in Serowe. The Order of Ikamanga, South Africa’s highest award was bestowed on Bessie Head in 2001 (Tom Holzinger). Head drew upon her own experience to explore the themes of racial and sexual discrimination and poverty. While her writings often tell of brutality, they also express faith in the power of love and the belief that justice ultimately triumphs. However, Head had difficulty achieving recognition for her works because of prejudice and discrimination towards her gender and 5

racial heritage (Glencoe, American Literature, p. 487). 1.2

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

As a critical researcher and reader, the realistic reflection of racial discrimination in Head’s Maru created a sense of sympathy and motivation in the researcher’s mind. The novel, in spite of its popularity for the African literary scene, has not completely been researched and introduced to the students of literature and to the Arba Minch University community. The researcher believes that his analysis would pave a way for society in general and the student of literature in particular to develop a clear insight of the issue of racial prejudice that results in disregard of society and loneliness of individuals. Therefore; the researcher would analyze and address the racial aspect of the novel’s theme with help of the following fundamental inquiries. ♥ How does Head reflect on the issue of racial prejudice in Maru? ♥ How does the San people in Southern Africa are treated in Botswana as portrayed in Maru? ♥ How did the writer drew the characters to represent the prejudiced Botswana village community? 1.3OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY Depending on the above questions, the researcher would like to scrutinize the book with the objectives: ♥

To have complete understanding of the impact of prejudice in the novel Maru.

♥ To let the people concerned realize the result of the prejudiced and lonely life of weak and innocent. ♥ To offer a sense of hope and moral strength to the innocent and oppressed 1.4

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study in general has the following lists of significances: 6

♥ It

provides

additional

knowledge

about

racial

prejudice

and

its

psychological and social adverse outcome implied in the novel, Maru. ♥ It directs the society towards a sympathetic and balanced view of the nature of human dignity and values. ♥ It also serves as a reference for further investigation conducted on this issue. 1.5

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The researcher believes that the study would have been more reliable and authentic to reveal the actual state of racial prejudice in the book had there been enough time, reference materials, and adequate budget. 1.6

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study largely focuses on the racial prejudice and sense of loneliness prevailed in a characters in the novel Maru. Moreover; it looks at a glance, qualities of some characters in the novel and gives a brief description of the San culture which has not been given coverage in the novel. 1.7

METHODOLOGY AND ORGANIZATION

The researcher will apply document analysis method in this study. The primary source of the researcher for the analysis and arguments is the novel itself. Excerpts and quotes are taken from the novel to be analyzed, discussed and evidenced. The paper has four chapters: The first chapter is an introduction of the general nature of the study which comprises: background of the study, statement of the problem, objective, scope, limitation, methodology, and description of the story: chapter two provides a discussion about related concepts about prejudice, forms of prejudice such as racial and cultural prejudice, racism and psychological foundation of racial prejudice. The chapter highlights available related literature regarding the subject. Chapter three deals with the analysis of the book in line with the common beliefs about prejudice and ethical foundation of interpretation as revealed in the novel. The fourth and the final chapter is the conclusion of 7

the paper. 1.8 SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY Margaret Cadmore, an orphaned Masarwa girl, goes to Dilepe (Botswana) to teach only to discover that in this remote village her own people are kept as outcasts. Her presence divides the community who does not see Masarwa people as humans and condemns her to the lonely life of outcast The story begins at the end of the novel where readers are introduced to the main characters, Maru and Margaret, his new wife. There after the story moves back in time examining all the past events those have led up to this point. Finally starting at the “real beginning”, readers are first exposed to the harsh prejudice s of the Botswana tribe against the Masarwa people. A dead Masarwa woman and her live child are found, yet no Botswana person wishes to bury her, and an English Missionaries are called upon to perform the task. Margaret Cadmore arrives and she utterly feels disgusted by the discriminative attitude of the Botswana nurses who have been forced to help prepare the body for burial. Moved by the true plight of Masarwa people, Margaret Cadmore decides to adopt the baby and names the baby after herself. She gives the child the gift of education and upbringing to defy the prejudiced minds that surround her. Margaret Cadmore returns to England leaving the newly graduated Margaret behind encouraging her to help her community. Margaret nervously travels to Dilepe to teach in Leseding School. There she meets and befriended another teacher-the beautiful and confident Dikeldi, who is surprised by Margaret candidness when she tells that she, is Masarwa woman. Having no where to stay , Dikeldi arranges for Moleka, a tribal superior, the man whom she in fact loves, to provide Margaret with accommodation. Moleka shares her feelings despite her origins. 8

The school administration however, is racist towards Margaret. Dikeldi protects Margaret from the plot arranged to throw her out. Later Dikeldi`s highly admired brother, Maru returns from business trip and learns from his spy that his great friend and rival, Moleka, has fallen for the love of Masarwa woman-Margaret .Maru plots to make Margaret for himself. Margaret would have a profound impact on his vision for the world of freedom and equality. Maru proceeds to marry her by pretending against the idea of the equal treatment of Masarwa woman. Maru cleverly fools Moleka into portraying himself to Margaret as one of the same weak, prejudiced followers of the Batswana mindset. Moleka turns to Dikeldi. Margaret begins to share Maru`s dreams. Dikeldi becomes pregnant for Moleka`s child. Maru succeeds marries Margaret and rejects his chieftainship. He defiantly leaves the village to start a new life with Margaret. This leaves the Bastwana feeling bitterly defeated and the Masarwa triumphant as they now believe that the power of freedom lies closely before them in the new world that Maru and Margaret have laying the foundation for (Kathryn Clare). 1.10 BUDGET S.NOITEMS Paper 1

Stationery

QUANTITY AMOUNT 1 dozen 52 Birr

Notebook1

10 Birr

Pen

75 Birr 36 Birr

1 dozen 2

2

RW-CD

3

Writing and printing the

120 Birr

thesis Total

293 Birr

9

1.11 TIME LINE S.NO TASKS

DURATION

LAST DATE

1

Chapter-1 proposal Chapter-2 Review of related

1 Month

January 15, 2009

2

literature

2 Months

March 15, 2009

3

The final thesis ( chapter 4 and 25)Months & 6 DaysJune 21, 2009

REFERENCES BOOK SOURCES 1.

Glencoe,

American

Literature,

2002,

The

McGraw-Hill

Companies,

California 2.Head. Bessie, Maru, 1971, Heinemann, London WEB SO. URCES 1. Swarns Rachel L, New York Times, Beyond Black and White,South Africa’s Black Writers Explore a Fee Society’s

Tension, June 24, 2002(Dec.31,

2008, 11:02PM) <www.exiledwriters.co.ak /project sa html> 2. Thale Thomas ,South African Literature, (Dec, 12, 2008) http://www.southafrica.info/about/arts/literature.htm 3. Holzinger Tom, Brief Sketch of the Life of Bessie Head, 21 July, 2006: (12 Dec, 2008,

11:

11:02) www.bessiehead.org/biography, brief-biography.html 4 Clare Kathryn, Maru: book review, 16 Feb, 2006 (18 Dec, 2008, 11:15) <www.africanbookscollective.com> 5. Literary Background, African Literature, (Dec 12, 2008, 10:23 PM) <www.africanlit.com>

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