ShmoopTube
Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.
Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos
Family Videos 53 videos
It may be the best of times for Chuck Darnay, but it's pretty much constantly the worst of times for Sydney. Poor guy.
Meet Charles Darnay, the nobleman who spends more time on trial and in prison than attending balls and drinking expensive wine. Don't feel too bad...
Should you ever find yourself on a raft, floating down the Mississippi River, you're going to want something to do. Reading Mark Twain's classic, T...
Kaffir Boy 5291 Views
Share It!
Description:
Kaffir Boy is the story of a young South African tennis player living under the restrictions of apartheid. He ends up going the self-preservation route instead of rebelling against the system. Do you think this was a good decision? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
Transcript
- 00:00
Kaffir Boy, a la Shmoop: Advantage Mathabane. Mark Mathabane was a guy in a tough spot.
- 00:11
A young black man living under the oppression of apartheid. . .
- 00:14
. . .he thought that playing tennis would be his ticket out.
- 00:18
Not a bad idea. . .
- 00:19
. . .considering how often sports have changed lives. . .
Full Transcript
- 00:22
. . .but there were a few roadblocks along the way.
- 00:26
Instead of banding with other black athletes. . .
- 00:28
. . .and boycotting events to protest the inclusion of blacks just in the interest of
- 00:33
making white owners seem progressive. . .
- 00:34
. . .he decided to play on. . .
- 00:37
. . .which only got him kicked out of the black tennis association for life.
- 00:41
So, if there’s strength in numbers. . .
- 00:43
. . .and it’s easier to follow the crowd. . .
- 00:45
. . .why did Mark decide to keep playing? Maybe he thought he could lead the way. . .
- 00:50
. . .kind of like a South African Jackie Robinson.
- 00:53
He might have thought his connections. . .
- 00:54
. . .and talent. . .
- 00:55
. . .would be enough to move the cause along for everyone.
- 00:59
If he could prove how good he was, then maybe it would pave the way for others to follow
- 01:03
in his footsteps… But maybe selflessness had nothing to do with
- 01:07
it. Maybe Mark knew this was his shot. . .
- 01:10
. . .and knew he had to look out for his own best interests. . .
- 01:14
. . .whatever the cost. You can’t blame the guy for wanting to get
- 01:17
out of a horrible situation. . .
- 01:19
. . .even if it meant leaving others in the dust.
- 01:22
And getting that scholarship in the U.S. had to be a powerful motivator.
- 01:26
But let’s remember that things were pretty tense in South Africa.
- 01:30
Maybe Mark just didn’t want to get caught up in a “black against white” fight.
- 01:36
Could be he thought that holding a grudge would only slow him down. . .
- 01:39
. . .or worse yet, keep him from ever getting out of South Africa. . .
- 01:43
. . .and he just wanted to forget about politics and play tennis.
- 01:46
So what’s your call? Did Mark strike out on his own to be a leader.
- 01:49
. .
- 01:49
. . .to look out for himself. . .
- 01:51
. . .or to break away from all that political turmoil?
- 01:54
Shmoop amongst yourselves.
Related Videos
This video defines utopias and dystopias, and investigates how a utopia might become a dystopia. Can a seemingly perfect world actually be a dystop...
They say that honesty is the best policy, but Jack lies about his identity and still gets the girl. Does that mean we should all lie to get what we...
Ever wish you could remember everything that you ever studied? How about everything that everyone has ever studied? Yeah, pretty sure our brains ju...
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is an American classic. Hope you're not expecting any exciting shower scenes though. It's not that kind of book.
Do not go gentle into that good night. In fact, if it's past your curfew, don't go at all into that good night. You just stay in your good bed and...