Quotes From 'No Witchcraft For Sale'

Disscussion Director
• Have you given up something so precious to you for others benefit from?
• Have you ever felt being betrayed?
• Have you ever felt inferior?

Cool Quote Finder
• “Ah, missus, these are both children, and one will grow up to be a baas, and one will be a servant”
• “Teddy was about six years old when he was given a scooter, and discovered the intoxications of speed. ”
• “He’s only a black boy,”

Vocabulary Enricher
• Kraal – a traditional African village of huts, typically enclosed by fences.
• Piccanin – a small child
• Baas – boss
Multiple Perspective Taker

Summarizer
• The Farquars are a white family living in southern Rhodesia whose only child, Teddy, is a special favorite of their African cook, Gideon.
• Gideon watches sadly as the boy grows older and his attitude toward Gideon becomes more like a white man who expects African people,
including Gideon, to obey him.
• One day a snake spits venom into Teddy’s eyes.
• Gideon runs into the bush to retrieve a native remedy – a root that will save Teddy’s eyesight.
• The word spreads of the miraculous recovery of Teddy, and a scientist comes inquiring about the root and asks for a sample.
• Gideon feels betrayed by the Farquars and refuses to cooperate.
• He leads them on a long hike (a wild goose chase) to “discover” common blue flowers.
• After some time passes, the Farquars and Gideon seem to reconcile their differences, but a rift remains between them.

Theme
• A man reaches a crossroads between two cultures and must decide between his loyalty to his African heritage or that to his employer.
Setting
• Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during British rule
Connector
Teddy said defiantly: “He’s only a black boy,” and laughed. Then, when Gideon turned away from him without speaking, his face fell.
Relation in real life:
There will come a time in our life that we will hurt someone with our words without us knowing it until we see their reaction.

But on the day that Teddy came staggering into the kitchen with his fists to his eyes, shrieking with pain, Gideon dropped the pot full of hot soup that he was holding, rushed to the child…
Relation in real life:
Sometimes even how angry we are we suddenly forget our anger when we see our friend needing help or in an emergency.

Relation of the story in real life:
We must treat all race equal.

Investigator
• The theme in 'No Witchcraft for Sale' is all over the story: every character in the entire story was bound to a certain culture.
Teddy, Mr. and Mrs. Farquar, their neighbors, and the scientist (or the 'Big Baas') all follow what can only be defined as white culture-- ignorant and indifferent to other cultures, only interested when knowledge of others can somehow benefit them. In this specific case, the sacred knowledge of the African witch doctors would allow 'humanity to benefit' (for a cost, of course). The other, clashing culture is, of course, the African culture, including Gideon and the other black natives, children, and servants. Gideon, understandably, doesn't appreciate his family's and his peoples' secrets being divulged and SOLD to the entire world, even though the scientist says it's for a good reason. The two peoples (and cultures) clash almost violently and the friendship between Gideon and the Farquars is hurt, but in time the Farquars learn to accept (and even politely joke about), if not entirely understand, Gideon's secretive and stubborn
behavior.
• Other than the characters, the importance of respecting cultures or peoples’ beliefs, or simply just ‘how things are’ is expressed by Gideon earlier on in the story when he points out that Teddy will grow up to be a ‘baas’, and a native African will grow up to be a servant, then sadly concludes that “It is God’s will”. An example of allusion is when Teddy frightened Gideon’s son, justifying it as funny and acceptable because “He’s only a black boy”. Teddy later tries to mend his friendship with Gideon by giving him an orange, and Gideon once again remarks how their lives are on very different paths, which is then repeated again at the ending of the story.

Conflict
• External – Gideon VS the Farquars and the doctor
• Internal – Gideon VS himself