Connor Norton Chapters 25-28
1. As Mark flips his switchblade, he also flips whether he should live or die back and worth. Living through what he seems is a dead-end life, he certainly has justifiable reason to kill himself at that moment. Mark has seen first hand what his future most likely will be. He sees the families struggling to survive and going nowhere in their lives. At age eleven, he witnesses a gruesome murder that hurts him deeply because of what the tsotsis do to a man running away. The unjust that he sees in the world and the corruption of segregation makes Mark feel as though he is trying to push and immovable object.
From a young age, Mark had been resilient to keep on fighting through his tough life. Now looking back at his life he feels as though the whole world is against him. Mark has reason to kill himself because of the lack of improvement that his life seems to be heading in. He has no freedoms and now say in any of the rules that govern his life. With such hopelessness, Mark sees no more reason to live, and that is justifiable.
2. “For years afterward, I was to think of that suicide attempt in the following terms: whenever the troubles of the world seem too much, it helps to have someone loving and understanding to share those troubles with; and life takes its true meaning in proportion to one’s battles against suffering.” Page 169-170
I chose this quote because what Mark’s mom taught Mark changed his life forever. Mark learns that people do love him and there is something to live for. He learns that during any hard times in his life, having someone that loves to share with can help soothe the problem. Mark then regrets his thoughts of suicide and changes his outlook on life for the better.
3. Since Mark was raised in an environment that hated white people, does his style of writing reflect this? Because of this, do you think Mark over-exaggerates to get his message across more forcefully?