(no subject)
Stefanie Hershman
Nancy Shawcross
English 101.020
January 24, 2003
Survival for Dikeledi Mokopi
"She had filled her life with treasures of kindness and love she had gathered from others..." This quote is from the short story entitled "The collector of Treasures" by Bessie Head. It is referring to the main character Dikeledi Mokopi. A woman who survived through strife, but ultimately paid for her actions.
Dikeledi Mokopi's name means tears. Her father passed away around the time of her birth and it is her mother's tears she is named after. Her mother passed away six years later and from that point on, Dikeledi was brought up by her Uncle. Her uncle was a rich man and made Dikeledi his servant. He paid for her education for six years, and then he told her that she must leave for school. Dikeledi then met Garasego who proposed to her. She accepted his proposal mainly because he had been the only man to propose to her. Marrying Garasego was the biggest mistake that Dikeledi could have made. Garasego had left Dikeledi after four years of marriage with three children to take care of. Although Garasego had left, Dikeledi managed to survive. "I was always busy and employed because it was with these hands that I fed and reared my children."
During this time African independence had swiftly and radically changed the pattern of colonial subservience. Jobs had become more available and salaries increased. This was very different from the colonial era where men had to work in another land in order to pay his British Colonial poll-tax, in order to survive
African independence was something that people weren't used to and for the first time it brought forth a sense of new order, above the discipline of custom, the poverty of colonialism. Garasego was one to benefit from this new independence. His salary increased from R50.00 a month to R200.00 a month. He had left Dikeledi shortly after this increase in his pay.
Dikeledi made dresses, knit jerseys, and made baskets to support herself and her children after her husband Garasego left her. She was very close to her next-door neighbors, Paul and Kenalepe Thebolo and frequently made dresses for their daughters. Dikeledi would not accept cash for these services so Paul arranged that she would be paid in household goods. Dikeledi would always be assured of her basic household needs. Eventually Dikeledi became swamped with work and she had to purchase another sewing machine and employ a helper. Dikeledi was flourishing on her own and she was able to support her three sons and pay for their schooling without the financial compensation of her husband. Garasego thought women to be inferior and only good for sex. Dikeledi proved him wrong.
Eight years had passed and everything was going smoothly for Dikeledi. It was then that her eldest son Bonabothe had to take his primary school leaving examination at the end of the year. Dikeledi opened a savings account at the post office in order for her to have some standby money to pay the fees for his secondary education. Consequently, she was short R20.00 to cover these school fees. She decided that she would ask Garasego for the money. Garasego refused to give Dikeledi this money and spread rumors that she was sleeping with Paul Thebolo. This story lived on for two weeks until Garasego decided that he wanted to come home to Dikeledi to settle their differences. Dikeledi knew that this wasn't genuine and that Garasego only wanted to come home for sex. Dikeledi wasn't sure of what she should do. She decided that there was no way around the situation except to face him. She started making preparations for the appearance of her husband.
Garasego had come home like nothing had ever happened. He paid no mind to his three children playing in the yard in front of him. He just sat and smiled thinking to himself how untouchable he was for coming back to his wife. After he had eaten his dinner he fell asleep. Dikeledi walked into the room with a knife and cut off Garasego's genitals. As a result of this she had severed the main artery, which ran on the inside of the groin, killing him. She instructed her son to call the police. Paul Thebolo then entered the hut. He looked around and told Dikeledi that she would not have to worry about her children because he would take them all as his own and give them all a secondary education.
In conclusion the fact that Dikeledi would be convicted of manslaughter does not deter her, for she realizes that she could not live this way any longer. Her imprisonment would mean that all of her children would be getting a secondary education. Dikeledi wants a certain survival for her children and the secondary education is this survival. "The Collector of Treasures" is ironic on the surface, for it would seem that what Dikeledi has collected in her lifetime has not been treasure, but heartbreak. Yet Dikeledi survives through this heartbreak and gains a life for her children. She has learned much more from her hardships and in her travels through life she has managed to earn the respect of men like Paul and women like Kenalepe. The fact that her marriage was a disaster has actually made her strong, and she is very centered in her sense of self. As Dikeledi observes, throughout her hard life she has looked beneath the surface and collected small treasures, and these give her the strength and need for survival to go on.
IEatCakeGay: so she has survival in a sense
IEatCakeGay: living it through her gay ass kids
Nancy Shawcross
English 101.020
January 24, 2003
Survival for Dikeledi Mokopi
"She had filled her life with treasures of kindness and love she had gathered from others..." This quote is from the short story entitled "The collector of Treasures" by Bessie Head. It is referring to the main character Dikeledi Mokopi. A woman who survived through strife, but ultimately paid for her actions.
Dikeledi Mokopi's name means tears. Her father passed away around the time of her birth and it is her mother's tears she is named after. Her mother passed away six years later and from that point on, Dikeledi was brought up by her Uncle. Her uncle was a rich man and made Dikeledi his servant. He paid for her education for six years, and then he told her that she must leave for school. Dikeledi then met Garasego who proposed to her. She accepted his proposal mainly because he had been the only man to propose to her. Marrying Garasego was the biggest mistake that Dikeledi could have made. Garasego had left Dikeledi after four years of marriage with three children to take care of. Although Garasego had left, Dikeledi managed to survive. "I was always busy and employed because it was with these hands that I fed and reared my children."
During this time African independence had swiftly and radically changed the pattern of colonial subservience. Jobs had become more available and salaries increased. This was very different from the colonial era where men had to work in another land in order to pay his British Colonial poll-tax, in order to survive
African independence was something that people weren't used to and for the first time it brought forth a sense of new order, above the discipline of custom, the poverty of colonialism. Garasego was one to benefit from this new independence. His salary increased from R50.00 a month to R200.00 a month. He had left Dikeledi shortly after this increase in his pay.
Dikeledi made dresses, knit jerseys, and made baskets to support herself and her children after her husband Garasego left her. She was very close to her next-door neighbors, Paul and Kenalepe Thebolo and frequently made dresses for their daughters. Dikeledi would not accept cash for these services so Paul arranged that she would be paid in household goods. Dikeledi would always be assured of her basic household needs. Eventually Dikeledi became swamped with work and she had to purchase another sewing machine and employ a helper. Dikeledi was flourishing on her own and she was able to support her three sons and pay for their schooling without the financial compensation of her husband. Garasego thought women to be inferior and only good for sex. Dikeledi proved him wrong.
Eight years had passed and everything was going smoothly for Dikeledi. It was then that her eldest son Bonabothe had to take his primary school leaving examination at the end of the year. Dikeledi opened a savings account at the post office in order for her to have some standby money to pay the fees for his secondary education. Consequently, she was short R20.00 to cover these school fees. She decided that she would ask Garasego for the money. Garasego refused to give Dikeledi this money and spread rumors that she was sleeping with Paul Thebolo. This story lived on for two weeks until Garasego decided that he wanted to come home to Dikeledi to settle their differences. Dikeledi knew that this wasn't genuine and that Garasego only wanted to come home for sex. Dikeledi wasn't sure of what she should do. She decided that there was no way around the situation except to face him. She started making preparations for the appearance of her husband.
Garasego had come home like nothing had ever happened. He paid no mind to his three children playing in the yard in front of him. He just sat and smiled thinking to himself how untouchable he was for coming back to his wife. After he had eaten his dinner he fell asleep. Dikeledi walked into the room with a knife and cut off Garasego's genitals. As a result of this she had severed the main artery, which ran on the inside of the groin, killing him. She instructed her son to call the police. Paul Thebolo then entered the hut. He looked around and told Dikeledi that she would not have to worry about her children because he would take them all as his own and give them all a secondary education.
In conclusion the fact that Dikeledi would be convicted of manslaughter does not deter her, for she realizes that she could not live this way any longer. Her imprisonment would mean that all of her children would be getting a secondary education. Dikeledi wants a certain survival for her children and the secondary education is this survival. "The Collector of Treasures" is ironic on the surface, for it would seem that what Dikeledi has collected in her lifetime has not been treasure, but heartbreak. Yet Dikeledi survives through this heartbreak and gains a life for her children. She has learned much more from her hardships and in her travels through life she has managed to earn the respect of men like Paul and women like Kenalepe. The fact that her marriage was a disaster has actually made her strong, and she is very centered in her sense of self. As Dikeledi observes, throughout her hard life she has looked beneath the surface and collected small treasures, and these give her the strength and need for survival to go on.
IEatCakeGay: so she has survival in a sense
IEatCakeGay: living it through her gay ass kids