The Old Chief Mshlanga By Doris Lessing - 1706 Words

Although some nations believed in the eventual possibility of Africans assimilating into their culture and society, such as France and their idea of Africans becoming â€Å"Black Frenchmen†, colonial Africa was largely a hotbed for discriminatory attitudes and actions against black Africans. The racist practices of European colonists and imperial European countries became part of everyday life for both Europeans in Africa and the native Africans themselves, so much so that these prejudicial positions were relayed through both African and European literature. In the short stories Crackling Day by Peter Abrahams and The Old Chief Mshlanga by Doris Lessing, the young characters are taught racism and prejudice through social interaction which†¦show more content†¦Further, in Crackling Day, another example of the narrator, who is a child, being taught the principles of racism and prejudice is from when the white man and his boys arrive at the home of the narrator and his u ncle and aunt, and the white man enters unannounced and forces Uncle Sam to beat the narrator for beating his son in a fair and provoked fight. After being commanded by the white man referred to as Baas, the narrator relays that â€Å"Uncle Sam went into the other room and returned with a thick leather thong†¦ Bitterly, Uncle Sam said ‘You must never lift your hand to a white person†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He lifted the strap and brought it down on my back.† (6). In Crackling Day, the narrator does not expect to be disciplined for what he sees as defending himself against a bully. He does not understand the repercussions of his actions and thereby seeing his uncle conform to the Baas’ wishes after barging into their home is a foreign concept, but a byproduct of systematic discrimination nonetheless from which the narrator learns the extent of racism in Africa. Examples such as the aforementioned do not just exist in Crackling Day though, but do so in the short story The Old Chief Mshlanga by Doris Lessing too. The narrator, a white girl living on her family’s farm, learns racism and discrimination from atop the social hierarchyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Rosa Parks, An African American Activist For Racial Equality1342 Words   |  6 Pagesthe unfair oppression of the Africans as well. The children of the stories â€Å"Crackling Dawn†, by Peter Abrahams, and â€Å"The Chief of Mshlanga†, by Doris Lessing, are taught racism early on their lives, which impacts their views of black people. The white boys of â€Å"Crackling Day† learn the accepted practice of treating blacks as inferiors. The protagonist of â€Å"The Old Chief Mshlanga† learns racism from her elders and through the practice of tormenting the Africans in her society. The transfer of culturalRead MoreAnalysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer s Canterbury Tales Essay1670 Words   |  7 Pagescorporation. This is what Chaucer is pointing to within the Pardone r’s tale. The Church was completely taking advantage of the general public’s trust in their faith, all to make a profit. A betrayal of trust can also be seen within Doris Lessing’s The Old Chief Mshlanga. In this short story, the natives of Africa trusted their land to be shared with the colonists from an invading country. The tribe that resided near the settler’s homestead never had any issues with the settler’s owning the land, despiteRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus The King Is The Concept Of Predestination2036 Words   |  9 Pagescan be seen by Hernan Cortes who conquered the Aztec Empire, â€Å"The immediate consequence of the fall of Tenochtitlan was the dismantling of the Aztec Empire, which had stretched from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific,† (1902). Some explorers blended their Old-World culture with the New World instead of conquering them, â€Å"In Aztec territory Spaniards, especially members of the clergy, learned Nahuatl, while native people became proficient in Spanish,† (1904). With this new language learn many authors would