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Essay about "Mother to Mother" by Sindiwe Magona Analysis

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Mother to Mother The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the book "Mother to Mother" by Sindiwe Magona. Specifically, it will critically analyze the book. The book "Mother to Mother" is a touching and elegant story of race relations and misunderstanding in South Africa. The author bases her book on a true incident, but looks at it from the eyes of a mother who loves her son but recognizes his inadequacies. It is a devastating look at apartheid, violence, and anger in a society long split between black and white. Well-written with emotion and pathos, it is a book that discovers the difficulties of reconciliation and continuing with life after the death of a loved one. This emotional book looks at …show more content…

Clearly, she should have known the dangers of what she was doing, rather than looking at her situation only idealistically. Mandisa, the mother in the story, does not make excuses for her son, she knows his act was reprehensible, but she does understand his young life has been filled with despair, betrayal, and difficulty. She notes, "Understand the people among whom he has lived all his life. Nothing my son does surprises me any more. Not after that first unbelievable shock, his implanting himself inside me; unreasonably and totally destroying the me I was. The me I would have become" (Magona). Mandisa gave birth to her son when she was only fifteen, and it changed her life, just as it would change the young white girl's life eventually. In an interview about the book, author Magona elaborates: It is a well-known fact that children of children are at high risk of not finishing school. Mandisa is a perfect example of the success of apartheid--she is the perfect product of that system--her talent is stillborn; so is that of her children. Society will never benefit from the gifts they brought to the world. I firmly believe no child is born without potential. Thus, by neglecting the young, we deny ourselves great blessings and

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