Master Harold and the Boys
Stage 1 English
Text response
“Master Harold … and the boys”
What messages appear in the world presented in ““Master Harold”…and the boys” and how are these shaped by Fugard’s choices?
The play “Master Harold … and the boys” is a captivating drama written by Athol Fugard. The story is about two black South Africans named Sam and Willie who serve Hallie, a young white boy. It exposes the injustices within society during the 1950’s and the hierarchy of skin colour. Athol Fugard introduces emotions of disgust and compassion to the readers. There are many messages conveyed throughout the play relating to racism, reconciliation, and the complicated boundaries within the human society. Fugard presents these messages through devices such as flashbacks, metaphors, and dialogue of characters.
Athol Fugard explores the central message of racism from the apartheid by using flashbacks. The message conveyed is one that expresses the harsh reality of how black South Africans were treated unfairly, in- tolerated and discriminated against in the 1950’s. Populations were culturally shaped by the apartheid to believe that dark coloured people were not as important as the white race, which were considered supreme. Hally was a victim of this message as he was brainwashed by his parents to believe he was inferior to the black population. After Hally formed a friendship with Sam, he began to noticeably experience racial events. An appropriate example that Fugard presented in the play was when Hally and Sam built a kite together. Sam proposed the idea of building a kite with Hally so that it would give him something to be proud and dignified of, as he had a rough childhood filled with rejection and embarrassment from his father. Flying the kite signifies that harmony may one day be reached between racial cultures as Sam and Hally worked together. Conversely, when Hally decided to sit at the ‘White only’ bench it symbolized the distinct segregation and supremacy of the white
Text response
“Master Harold … and the boys”
What messages appear in the world presented in ““Master Harold”…and the boys” and how are these shaped by Fugard’s choices?
The play “Master Harold … and the boys” is a captivating drama written by Athol Fugard. The story is about two black South Africans named Sam and Willie who serve Hallie, a young white boy. It exposes the injustices within society during the 1950’s and the hierarchy of skin colour. Athol Fugard introduces emotions of disgust and compassion to the readers. There are many messages conveyed throughout the play relating to racism, reconciliation, and the complicated boundaries within the human society. Fugard presents these messages through devices such as flashbacks, metaphors, and dialogue of characters.
Athol Fugard explores the central message of racism from the apartheid by using flashbacks. The message conveyed is one that expresses the harsh reality of how black South Africans were treated unfairly, in- tolerated and discriminated against in the 1950’s. Populations were culturally shaped by the apartheid to believe that dark coloured people were not as important as the white race, which were considered supreme. Hally was a victim of this message as he was brainwashed by his parents to believe he was inferior to the black population. After Hally formed a friendship with Sam, he began to noticeably experience racial events. An appropriate example that Fugard presented in the play was when Hally and Sam built a kite together. Sam proposed the idea of building a kite with Hally so that it would give him something to be proud and dignified of, as he had a rough childhood filled with rejection and embarrassment from his father. Flying the kite signifies that harmony may one day be reached between racial cultures as Sam and Hally worked together. Conversely, when Hally decided to sit at the ‘White only’ bench it symbolized the distinct segregation and supremacy of the white