, ENG2611
ASSIGNMENT 3
South Africa is a country with many kinds of people. We have people from
different races, cultures, and language groups. These differences are what we
call diversity. But sometimes, these differences can also cause
misunderstanding, pain, and conflict, especially because of our history of
apartheid. Apartheid separated people by race and made life very hard for
Black South Africans. Many stories have been written to show how people lived
during those times. One of those stories is Mother to Mother by Sindiwe
Magona.
In this essay, I will write about the book Mother to Mother. I chose this book
because it talks about an important theme ‘cultural identity’. I will also explain
how the writer uses language, structure, and emotions to show this theme. I
will show how this theme helped me understand diversity in South Africa
better.
The story in Mother to Mother is based on a real event. In 1993, a young white
American woman named Amy Biehl was killed in Gugulethu, a township in
Cape Town. Amy was in South Africa to help with voter education during the
last days of apartheid. The book is written as a long letter from a Black South
African mother to Amy’s mother. The son of this woman was involved in Amy’s
killing. Through this letter, the mother tells her life story, her son’s story, and
the reasons why things happened the way they did. The book helps us
understand how apartheid and poverty shaped people’s lives and actions.
One of the most important themes in this story is cultural identity. Cultural
identity means the way we see ourselves because of our language, culture,
history, and background. In the book, the mother explains how her son grew up
in a poor township. There, he learned how to survive in a place full of violence,
anger, and fear. The mother says that her son was not born hating white
people, but he learned that hate from what he saw every day. The police raided
their homes, beat people, and treated them badly. There was no trust, no
safety, and no hope. This kind of environment shaped the boy’s identity.
ASSIGNMENT 3
South Africa is a country with many kinds of people. We have people from
different races, cultures, and language groups. These differences are what we
call diversity. But sometimes, these differences can also cause
misunderstanding, pain, and conflict, especially because of our history of
apartheid. Apartheid separated people by race and made life very hard for
Black South Africans. Many stories have been written to show how people lived
during those times. One of those stories is Mother to Mother by Sindiwe
Magona.
In this essay, I will write about the book Mother to Mother. I chose this book
because it talks about an important theme ‘cultural identity’. I will also explain
how the writer uses language, structure, and emotions to show this theme. I
will show how this theme helped me understand diversity in South Africa
better.
The story in Mother to Mother is based on a real event. In 1993, a young white
American woman named Amy Biehl was killed in Gugulethu, a township in
Cape Town. Amy was in South Africa to help with voter education during the
last days of apartheid. The book is written as a long letter from a Black South
African mother to Amy’s mother. The son of this woman was involved in Amy’s
killing. Through this letter, the mother tells her life story, her son’s story, and
the reasons why things happened the way they did. The book helps us
understand how apartheid and poverty shaped people’s lives and actions.
One of the most important themes in this story is cultural identity. Cultural
identity means the way we see ourselves because of our language, culture,
history, and background. In the book, the mother explains how her son grew up
in a poor township. There, he learned how to survive in a place full of violence,
anger, and fear. The mother says that her son was not born hating white
people, but he learned that hate from what he saw every day. The police raided
their homes, beat people, and treated them badly. There was no trust, no
safety, and no hope. This kind of environment shaped the boy’s identity.
