Jump Flashcards
- “Were living happily ever after”
Themes: Irony, complacency, oppression.
Devices: Fairy-tale allusion, irony.
Textual Analysis: The phrase subverts the traditional fairy-tale ending, highlighting the grim reality of apartheid South Africa.
Effect: It critiques the complacency of those who ignore systemic oppression.
Device Analysis: Analyze the contrast between the fairy-tale tone and the story’s dark themes to reveal the irony.
- “They loved very much”
Themes: Love, family, societal divisions.
Devices: Simplicity, repetition.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects the family’s genuine affection, but it also underscores their inability to see beyond their privilege.
Effect: It humanizes the characters while critiquing their ignorance.
Device Analysis: Examine how the simplicity of the phrase contrasts with the complexity of the story’s themes.
“Trusted housemaid” “itinerant gardener”
Themes: Class, race, exploitation.
Devices: Euphemism, irony.
Textual Analysis: The labels reflect the family’s reliance on and condescension toward their Black employees.
Effect: It exposes the racial and class hierarchies of apartheid.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the labels mask the exploitation and dehumanization of the workers.
“Dragon’s teeth” “razor teeth”
Themes: Fear, oppression, self-destruction.
Devices: Metaphor, imagery.
Textual Analysis: The metaphors symbolize the self-imposed barriers of fear and prejudice.
Effect: It critiques the destructive consequences of societal divisions.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the imagery evokes danger and entrapment.
“We were in the war, too”
Themes: Shared suffering, empathy, humanity.
Devices: Directness, repetition.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects the narrator’s assertion of shared humanity and suffering.
Effect: It challenges the divisions created by apartheid.
Device Analysis: Examine how the directness of the statement emphasizes its emotional impact.
“We must move like animals”
Themes: Survival, dehumanization, resilience.
Devices: Simile, imagery.
Textual Analysis: The simile reflects the harsh realities of displacement and the primal struggle for survival.
Effect: It underscores the resilience of the displaced.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the comparison to animals highlights both vulnerability and strength.
“It was hard to be like the animals”
Themes: Dehumanization, identity, struggle.
Devices: Simile, introspection.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects the narrator’s awareness of their loss of humanity under oppressive conditions.
Effect: It emphasizes the psychological toll of displacement.
Device Analysis: Examine how the simile contrasts the narrator’s humanity with their animal-like existence.
“There is nothing, no home”
Themes: Loss, displacement, identity.
Devices: Repetition, simplicity.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects the narrator’s profound sense of loss and dislocation.
Effect: It underscores the devastation caused by displacement.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the repetition emphasizes the emptiness and finality of the statement.
“I’ll remember them”
Themes: Memory, identity, resistance.
Devices: Declarative sentence, symbolism.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects the narrator’s determination to preserve their identity and history.
Effect: It highlights the power of memory as a form of resistance.
Device Analysis: Examine how the declarative tone conveys resolve and agency.
“Foreign stranger”
Themes: Otherness, prejudice, fear.
Devices: Oxymoron, irony.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects the family’s fear of the “other” and their inability to see beyond stereotypes.
Effect: It critiques the dehumanization of outsiders.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the oxymoron highlights the family’s irrational fear
“Expression of a caged animal”
Themes: Oppression, dehumanization, fear.
Devices: Simile, imagery.
Textual Analysis: The simile reflects the psychological impact of living under constant surveillance and control.
Effect: It emphasizes the loss of freedom and dignity.
Device Analysis: Examine how the imagery evokes entrapment and vulnerability.
“Our names are hard for you”
Themes: Identity, cultural dominance, prejudice.
Devices: Irony, directness.
Textual Analysis: The phrase critiques the cultural dominance of the colonizers and their dismissal of indigenous identities.
Effect: It underscores the erasure of marginalized voices.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the directness of the statement challenges the reader’s assumptions.
“just call me Rad”
Themes: Identity, simplicity, connection.
Devices: Simplicity, symbolism.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects Rad’s desire for simplicity and connection, transcending racial barriers.
Effect: It humanizes Rad and challenges stereotypes.
Device Analysis: Examine how the simplicity of the phrase conveys authenticity and warmth.
“You will have the baby. We will marry.”
Themes: Love, defiance, societal norms.
Devices: Declarative sentences, symbolism.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects Rad’s commitment to Vera and their defiance of societal norms.
Effect: It highlights the power of love to transcend oppression.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the declarative tone conveys resolve and defiance.
“I’ve chosen you”
Themes: Agency, love, connection.
Devices: Simplicity, directness.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reflects Vera’s agency and her deliberate choice to connect with Rad.
Effect: It underscores the authenticity of their relationship.
Device Analysis: Examine how the simplicity of the statement conveys sincerity and agency.
“Vera had taken them all”
Themes: Love, humanity, transcendence.
Devices: Symbolism, ambiguity.
Textual Analysis: The phrase suggests that Vera’s love and humanity have transcended societal divisions.
Effect: It highlights the transformative power of love.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the ambiguity of “taken” allows for multiple interpretations.
“An accident”
Themes: Systemic violence, injustice, irony.
Devices: Understatement, irony.
Textual Analysis: The phrase downplays the systemic violence of apartheid, exposing its brutality.
Effect: It critiques the normalization of violence.
Device Analysis: Examine how the understatement amplifies the horror of the situation.
“Themes: Prejudice, ignorance, systemic oppression.
Devices: Irony, cynicism.
Textual Analysis: The phrase critiques the white South Africans’ distorted view of their society.
Effect: It exposes the ignorance and prejudice that uphold apartheid.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the irony highlights the gap between perception and reality.
“Black man outside” “white farmer inside”
Themes: Racial hierarchies, power dynamics, irony.
Devices: Juxtaposition, irony.
Textual Analysis: The phrases reflect the racial and class divisions of apartheid, with the Black man excluded and the white farmer privileged.
Effect: It critiques the systemic inequality of apartheid.
Device Analysis: Examine how the juxtaposition emphasizes the contrast between the two figures.
“How could they know that they do not know, anything”
Themes: Ignorance, prejudice, irony.
Devices: Repetition, irony.
Textual Analysis: The phrase critiques the ignorance and prejudice of white South Africans who fail to understand the complexities of their society.
Effect: It exposes the irony of their supposed superiority.
Device Analysis: Analyze how the repetition of “know” underscores the irony.
- “He was his son”
Themes: Family, humanity, irony.
Devices: Simplicity, irony.
Textual Analysis: The phrase reveals the humanity of the Black man and critiques the societal divisions that deny it.
Effect: It underscores the shared humanity of all people.
Device Analysis: Examine how the simplicity of the statement amplifies its emotional impact.
