“The Music of The Violin”

Kate Liu 2017 + Ann Huang, Natalie Lu, Andrew Wu, Sherlyn Tee, Sally Chen, Tracy Lin, Claire Tian

2011/11/29

Outline• Introduction• Summary• Discussion Questions• Gender, Class and Nation• Family Tension: Parents vs. Sister• School Tension: Teachers & Peers(Boys vs. Girls) vs.

Friend• Social Tension: Gang• Motifs, Themes, Imagery• Conclusion

Kate’s

The rest is the Group’s. revised by

Kate

Introduction: Characters Family & Friends

• Vukani, a school inspector’s son

• his parents (mother a nurse)• Toboho, sister• two visitors (Dr. Zwane and

Mrs. Zwane)• His friend, Doksi, whose

father is a barber

School & the Gang of Boys

• Ms. Yende (red dress),

• Mr. Maseko,

• the principal

Introduction: Setting

• Author: Njabulo Ndebele• Setting: Johannesburg

township of Soweto• A critical portrait － of a

family completely absorbed Western middle-class values and attitudes

Summary 1. V. overhears parents talking w/ visitors, thinking and

remembering2. He thinks of Doksi3. He remembers being ridiculed at school and on the

street;– One year ago, his violin disappeared– On the present day, he is humiliated again.

4. The mother opens the door, and asks him to play-- V hesitates, w/ swimming visions in his mind-- Toboho breaks some dishes in the kitchen, scolded byher mother-- V finally says no. -- The story ends w/ the motherweeping.

5. Ending: Vukani doesn’t want to play anymore → mother retreats to bedroom in tears

Discussion Questions1. G5 How is gender and class hierarchy revealed in this short story?2. G4 How is education (at school and at home) presented? What do

you think about the mother’s motivations of making Vukani learn the violin? The two teachers’ roles? The father as inspector?

3. G2 What roles do Vukani’s friend (Doksi) and sister (Toboho)play? How about the images of fire and animals?

4. G1 How about race? Is it important that the story is set in Soweto?5. G3 How is the bully of this gang similar to what Cheche

experiences in chap 1 of War Games? 6. G6 Were you forced as a child to learn a musical instrument as a

child? Did you rebel like Vukani? (Share your experience, if youwish.) How is your experience different from his?

Class Structure

Father & Dr. Zwane (male)and mother & Mrs. Zwane (female)

Westernized: ProfessionalsHousewives/Nurse

the mother’s scolding Toboho, and her view of “relatives” -- 110

Principal,YendiMaseko

Vukani

Toboho

DoksiTopsana

father a barber

Gang & Bukha

Gender and Nation• Gender Inequality at Home – The men are condescending to the women and

their “Housewives’ League.” (97; 98)– “Peace, women of Africa”; their laughter; – Vukani’s father– African nationalism & his

criticism of black laziness. (96-97)

– The wives’ interest in Western culture – Toboho, doing dishes while Vukani studies

• Gender Relations at School– Doksi threatens the girls– Topsana flirts with Vukani

Education vs. Race/Class • Oppressive/Conformist Education:

– School: Vukani’s homework (104)– School: Ms. Yende 100 red dress = violin;– Home: the mother (100 how lucky he was)

turns her son into Mozart; Mrs. Zwane her daughter into ballerina

– School: the principal – stone the dog (101)

• Resistant –– Maseko –the teacher at a bush school; dog:

chained dog, hungry dog; wandering dog; p. 101

Vukani in between the Gangs and the “Educated”

• Conflict I: the other kids’ responses to the

violin and his status:

– (one year ago) his violin stolen p. 101 –

“inspector’s son”

– (the present) “music man” pp. 104 – Bhuka,

his 6th finger and copper bangles

Vukani in between the gangs and the “educated”

• Conflict 2: reasons – pressure from home

1) V. wanted to escape 97;

2) His anxiety and latent need for rebellion

– fire (book turned into flame 99 & Doksi p. 100);

– dream p. 108 (and need to be free)

3) wish to talk to Toboho

– Toboho’s rebellion (her support)

Conclusion – a central theme

• Home vs. Street – street – represented by conformism, sexism

and ignorance – home – need of care (mother or sister);

another kind of conformism (white assimilationism)

• The Children of Soweto –– may be violent, jealous, sexist and ignorant – may in turn learn to find strength from a

traditional belief in nature, or a balance between tradition and Western culture.

From the GroupFamily Pressure

• Mainly from Vukani’s parents

• Voilin→ parents’ anticipation and showing off

• Vukani’s point of view:

---He looked at the violin with dread; as something that

could bring both pain and pleasure all at once. (p.100)

---Today he had been humiliated again in public, …..It was

all because of this violin. (p.104)

Parents

• Father: Inspector of schools

• Mother: Nursing sister

→ Sense of superiority; better environment for

better future

---His mother never tried of telling him how lucky he was…..(p.100)

※Compare to the white boy→ couldn’t get rid of the boundary of different races

---You should never yield to ignorance. (p.106)

Parents’ Arrogance & Showing off

• Self identity or self hatred?

---”Relatives”, the mother came out, “can be a real nuisance.”

Once you have opened the door, they come trooping in

like ants. (p.110)

---Showing off their son and the violin (p.107-108)

---They are not people: they are animals. Absolutely raw.

They have to respect for that is better than they. (p.111)

Family Support

• At that moment, there was a dull explosion

seemingly coming from the kitchen…..(p.109)

Parents Sister (Teboho)

Siblings Relationship

• Both of them suffer the pressure from their parents.

---He wondered where Teboho, his sister, was…..Their

mother tended to make too many demands on them.

(p.97)

---Vukani thought of his sister. He wanted to go to her.

They were very lonely. Their parents disapproved of

many of their friends. (p.110)

School Tension : Teachers & Peers (I)• The Education of SchoolP95 & P107: Homework Questions-------Western Influence• The Representatives-------Most of of Teachers• P100: Miss Yende------Repression & Repulsiveness• The Red Dress—Velvety& Flowery Fragrance, but Dreadful

Repulsiveness• The Image of Red Color: Beautiful but Repulsive• The Rebellious Power-----Teacher MasekoP99 “Children, I would rather be a hungry dog that runs freely in

the streets, than a fat, chained dog burdened with itself and the weight of the chain.”

• The Seed of Rebellion against Authority• Repressed by School Authority

School Tension : Teachers & Peers (II)

• Source of pressure at school: Peers

-Children at school and the whole class as a pressure

group

。Vukani with violin as the target of kid’s mocking

“Here’s a fellow with a strange guitar!” (p.101)

。No one helps him when he finds out his violin is

gone (p.102)

School Tension : Teachers & Peers (III)

• Source of pressure at school: Peers

-Different genders group in the class

Incident: Vukani’s violin disappears.

1. Boys: physical strength

。“I’m sure it was taken by one of those big boys whom everybody fears. Big bodies without minds! They ought to be working in town. Just at school to avoid paying tax.” (p.102)

2. Girls: take advantages sexually

。Topsana and the girls (p.103)

School Tension : Teachers & Peers (IV)

• Source of Support: Friend─Doksi• Doksi as Vukani’s supporter when he faces with

pressure at school (p.102)-Solid, true friendship-Actual supporting actions

• Doksi as another seed of rebellion against Authority

-knowing what’s justly right (p.102)-rebellious nature (p.110)-a weekly ritual of hair burning. (p.100)

Street Boys

• Usual harassment – p104

• That Friday…

• Try to play clam when he was being followed

• Image of Impala, a prey

• A woman stand out for him but can’t help him in

the end (//the woman in “The Prophetess”)

• Gang continue humiliated Vukani

• Humiliate his sister

Pressure points

• Gang

• No use when complained to his mother

• Blame the fault on violin

Motifs, Imagery, and Symbols• Imagery of fire

• Imagery of animals

– Impala

– Dogs

• Symbolic Significance of The Violin

• Binary Opposition

Imagery of Fire• Power and emotion

• Energy, destructive, “burning passion”

• Nature (primal) vs. invented (civilized)

• Harnessed to work for men

• Vukani’s imagination of pages catching flame (99)

• Doksi’s hair burning ritual (100)

The Lion and the Impala

• Dynamic between predator and prey

• “Eat or be eaten”

• Run?

Imagery of Dogs• Dogs: nature vs. civilization

• Teacher Maseko (101; 1st complete para.)

– Contrast: free dog, chained dog, wandering dog

• Vukani’s experience of a primal urge (105)

– stray dog

– He understands

• Woman’ intervention

– “Dogs of the street!”

Symbolic Significance of the Violin• Ironic contrast: The devil’s instrument

– Western music

– Countless shades of tone

– Concert master, Violin I & II

• EducationStatus

• Beauty in the arts

• For Vukani, fear and oppression

• Symbol of “difference” (M: status; V: isolation)

Themes

• Racial identies

• Education, social status

• Oppression and power

Racial Identity

• Father: Inspecting schools

• Mother: obsession

• Children: care more about their peers;

feeling constrained

Education and social status

• Irony in the mother’s words

–How about Devorak? (109;)

–Vanity, Hypocrisy

– self-hatred P. 111 They are jealous…they are

animals

Oppression and Power

• Father as authority figure

• Mother as nurse

• Father vs. Mother

• Parents vs. Children (Vukani, Doksi, Teboho)

• Ways of rebellion

Conclusion

The Group’s: “The Music of the Violin” is a story about racial identity and social issues, but at the heart of the story is a little boy, Vukani, who is ironically imprisoned and oppressed by a fear and hatred of fear and oppression.

Kate’s: “The Music of the Violin,” a story about black racial identity in the context of Apartheid, depicts how a child, Vukani, is ironically imprisoned and oppressed by different kinds of fear and hatred of black people’s fear and inferiority.