Auerello Matthaeus Pillay Reddam House Waterfall 12 – Mrs de Carvalho
RHW JUNE 2023 – THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
Your response must be in the form of a well-structured literary essay.
Your ability to select detail from the novel, in order to develop a succinct
argument, which is clearly focused and perceptive, will be assessed.
Your essay should be approximately 600 words in length.
Close and relevant reference to the text in the question is essential.
Do not provide a word count at the end of your essay.
Your essay will be assessed according to the IEB rubric
QUESTION 4:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power
to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
Viktor Frankl
TOPIC:
Critically evaluate to what extent the characters in the novel portray the theme
of personal agency and the power of choice in the novel Theory of Flight by
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. Your response must refer to Genie and two other
characters.
In the novel, The Theory of Flight, by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, characters portray the
theme of personal agency and power of choice, through utilising their space to grow
and transcend. This is apparent in Golide Gumede’s innovative materialisation of his
Theory of Flight, despite doubt; and Genie’s transcendental nature, despite abuse
and sickness. Conversely, Vida’s self-damaging decision-making, due to loss,
showcases the lack of growth some individuals experience when allowing adversity
to overcome their identity. Through analysing each character’s life-changing
experiences and their subsequent choices, Ndlovu presents the notion that despite
hardship being inevitable, it is an individual’s choice to live with that suffering or
positively reclaim their narrative.
1
RHW JUNE 2023 – THE THEORY OF FLIGHT
Your response must be in the form of a well-structured literary essay.
Your ability to select detail from the novel, in order to develop a succinct
argument, which is clearly focused and perceptive, will be assessed.
Your essay should be approximately 600 words in length.
Close and relevant reference to the text in the question is essential.
Do not provide a word count at the end of your essay.
Your essay will be assessed according to the IEB rubric
QUESTION 4:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power
to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
Viktor Frankl
TOPIC:
Critically evaluate to what extent the characters in the novel portray the theme
of personal agency and the power of choice in the novel Theory of Flight by
Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu. Your response must refer to Genie and two other
characters.
In the novel, The Theory of Flight, by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, characters portray the
theme of personal agency and power of choice, through utilising their space to grow
and transcend. This is apparent in Golide Gumede’s innovative materialisation of his
Theory of Flight, despite doubt; and Genie’s transcendental nature, despite abuse
and sickness. Conversely, Vida’s self-damaging decision-making, due to loss,
showcases the lack of growth some individuals experience when allowing adversity
to overcome their identity. Through analysing each character’s life-changing
experiences and their subsequent choices, Ndlovu presents the notion that despite
hardship being inevitable, it is an individual’s choice to live with that suffering or
positively reclaim their narrative.
1
