Nadine Gordimer

We have read some interesting but yet disturbing stories this past week by Nadine Gordimer. She is a great African writer and made the stories we had to read for the week some of the most interesting yet. She allowed you to look at racism in a different light and see it from different perspectives.

The most disturbing one yet was “Six Feet of Country”. I don’t understand how anyone could care so little about someone who had just died. The white owner of the farm had no respect for the young black man who had just died. He didn’t care anything about him or even try to help get his body back. This story really bothered me. I don’t understand how anyone could just not care about someone like that. He treated everyone on the farm like he was better than them, including his wife. She was on the same level as the people who worked in the farm. How insulting to women! I saw it as being very racial and discriminating against women. Women are meant to work and not get any recognition for it, along with the black workers.  This really relates to the “white people” just being the boss and telling others what to do. They have their own way of thinking and think it is the right way. I don’t understand how people can think and act this way.

In the second story “Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants” it is about a young white woman who decides to trust someone who in the end turns out to be bad for her. I can relate to this story completely. It is hard to know who to trust and who is actually just looking out for you. As a women myself I understand how it can be hard to speak up at times, but in this womens situation she was just downright blinded by the guy who kept taking advantage of her. Sadly there are women out there today who would react the same way she did. Throughout the whole story she was actually being protected and watched over by the black man. This just goes to show you race doesn’t matter.

I never really learned about Apartheid in school. So I’m glad we got to discuss it in class. It made me realize just how big of an impact it has on society. People can be so mean to one another and not care about the actual person. It’s scary to see people who act this way. Makes me feel so sad for them too that they could be like this. It definitely opened my eyes up.