Stories of Growth in World Literature

The Music of The Violin2011/11/29

Ann Huang, Natalie Lu, Andrew Wu, Sherlyn Tee, Sally Chen, Tracy Lin,

Claire Tian

Outline• Introduction• Summary• Family Tension: Parents vs. Sister• School Tension: Teachers & Peers(Boys

vs. Girls) vs. Friend• Social Tension: Gang• Motifs, Themes, Imagery• Discussion Questions• Conclusion

 Introduction: Characters

• Vukani

• his parents

• two visitors (Dr. Zwane and Mrs. Zwane)

• His sister, Toboho

• His friend, Doksiwhose father is a barber; 

• At school—Ms. Yende (red dress)

• Mr. Maseko, the principal

Introduction: Setting

• Njabulo Ndebele

• Johannesburg township of Soweto

• A critical portrait － completely

absorbed Western middle-class

values and attitudes

Summary

• Overhear→ recalling his memory• At school he is forced to “ Bantu

education” , and at home “ Western education”

• Humiliating incident → Pressure → desire to escapeEnding: Vukani doesn’ t want to

play anymore → mother retreats to bedroom in tears

Family 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 superior; 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)

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)

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 Western 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 Maseko

P99 “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 is disappeared.

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

• Impala, a prey

• A woman stand out for him but can’ t

help him in the end

• 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

• Education, social status

• Racial identity

• Oppression and power

Education and social status

• Irony – examples in speech but

also (109; Devorak)

• Vanity

• Hypocrisy

• Jealousy

Racial Identity

• Father: Inspecting schools

• Mother: obsession

• Children: care more for peers

Oppression and Power

• Father as authority figure

• Mother as nurse

• Father vs. Mother

• Parents vs. Children (Vukani, Doksi,

Teboho)

• Carnal: primal urges

Discussion Questions

• What are your ideas about the function of

education? What do you think about the

mother’s motivations of making Vukani learn

the violin?

• Were you forced as a child to learn a musical

instrument as a child? Share your

experience.

• Discuss your parents and how you were

raised. Do you think they ever treat you the

way Vukani’s mother treated him?

Do you have any questions or

comments?

Conclusion

“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.

Thank you very much