PRESENTATION OUTLINE
"The white man certainly does not know me. He certainly does not know the conditions under which I was born and had to live for eighteen years."
Why is race important to the story of Mark Mathabane?
"We finally came to Clyde's playroom. The room was roughly the size of our house, and was elaborately decorated with posters, pennants of various white soccer and cricket teams, rock stars, and photographs of Clyde in various stages of development. But what arrested my attention were the stacks of comic books on the floor, and the shelves and shelves of books. Never had I seen that many books in my life; even our school, with a student population of over two thousand, did not have half as many books. I was dazed."
In what way is Mathabane’s story a commentary on race? What is Mathabane trying to tell us about the theme through his story?
Pll
"What's a pass, Mama?" I knew vaguely what a pass was, but not its reality.
"It's an important book that we black people must have in order always, and carry with us at all times."…There was something about it which made me fearful, helpless. But I could not figure out what about it made me feel that way. It seemed a mere book. Yet it was, I was to later find out, the black man's passport to existence. (Chapter 6 page 36)
3. How does race influence/is influenced by the characters of the autobiography?
By
Joshua Manio
Isabel Rangel
Patrick Gallagher
