Comparative Literacy - Essay Example

Comparative Literacy The main objective of the study undertaken is to be able to present important issues that that been discussed and tackled by different literary works. Aside from entertainment, the literary creations such as plays are fundamental ways in expression of thoughts and ideas and conveying messages to the people. Throughout the course of history it can be considered as a common scenario that literary works that targets consciousness of the people regarding certain political and social issues inspired revolutions, changes in society and advocacies. The literary composition that can be considered influential in certain aspects such as directly conveying messages to the audience is a play. Basically, when a play is tackling a particular issue, the audience can empathize thus achieving the level of influence that advocates of certain ideas and philosophies target. This can be considered as the power of the multi media. In the study of comparative literacy, the main target is the presentation of two plays that can be considered to have received literary recognition on the basis of being able to tackle the important and controversial issues that influence the members of the population. These issues can be considered as included in the problems that are being faced by the public to some degree. The controversy lies in the fact that these issues are also political in some aspects thus these plays were able to also catch the attention of the political sector. Impartiality and political and social unrest are some of the issues that are being discussed in the work of Ariel Dorfman and Athol Fugard which are The Death of a Maiden and Sizwe Bansi is Dead. A View on the Death of a Maiden The play revolves around three characters that have different roles in the story. Paulina and Gerardo is a couple who had experienced first hand different political and social cruelties due to the fact that they had been living in a country that had experienced a long period of dictatorship. Paulina Salas had specifically experienced being violated during the time of the dictatorship due to her connection with her husband. She had been undergone torture which had been performed by the third character who is a doctor whom she wrongly given her trust. Basically the events that transpired during the course of the play were able to present political issues through the interplay of strong emotions specifically when the character of Dr. Roberto Miranda surfaced. This has brought about a façade of strong emotions specifically displayed by Paulina. Due to the fact that she had been victimized by the people with power and capabilities to do such acts, her character had evolved from a normal woman who had overcome her past to a violent person. The character of Paulina reflects the possible effects of the atrocities in the said type of government. The different crimes and scenarios during a dictator government can be considered to have negative effects to the people specifically due to the abuse of power of the leading group. Chile was considered as the possible place wherein the plot occurred. The said country can be considered as one of the nations with the same scenarios corresponding to the events presented. At the height of a dictator government, majority of the population can be considered to have similar problems. The events that had occurred through the course of the story became a psychological thriller on the basis of the transition of the character of Paulina. This can be attributed to the interplay of different factors through the whole plot which includes power, values, trust and even the vulnerability of being a woman. The factor of power can be perceived when it had been shifted from Dr. Miranda during the time of dictatorship towards Paulina in the present time triggered by the sufferings that had been brought back from the past. This can be compared to the shift of the power from the governing few in a dictator government towards the power held by the people and the weaker class in a democratic government. The issues related to the trust and values of the people can be related to their susceptibility of being exploited as what happened to Paulina despite the trust that she had been able to freely give to Dr. Miranda. It can be considered that in most cases, the more powerful class creates a make believe scenario that can exude trust from the weaker group e.g. the government and the people. The relationship between the weak and the powerful group can also be observed through the vulnerability of one group in certain scenarios and situations. Aside from the said character issues, the double standard between the two genders is another important issue being targeted by the said literary work under study. Basically the main objective and message that can be perceived from the author is the attention to the different impartiality in the social and political aspects of the society. A View on the Sizwe Bansi Is Dead The play had been made targeting the conflicts between the different races. The dilemma and trials of the main character that is Sizwe Bansi specifically points out to the failure of races to accept the culture, traditions and even the appearance of the other races. This is very evident with the black races specifically the South African race. The plot of the play presents the importance of power as another common disease in the society. Based on the monologue presented by the character that narrates the story, it is important to be able to hold power since it can make a person successful despite hindrances that can make him or her be on the bottom level of the society such as the colour of the skin. Basically, the said power is commonly translated to a privilege being achieved by the white people over the black. Such struggle is even more evident for a black person in the land of the white race such as what the play had depicted. The play also presented a view on the segregation in the South African society specifically the Apartheid system that is comparable to the caste system that limits the rights of the black people and the natives of South Africa even if the land belongs to them. The said system can be considered as the ultimate representation of the impartiality in the social and political aspects of the races. In a foreign nation as depicted in the plot, the said segregation of races is even more evident. The policies are even more unfair making the black people suffer hardships in seeking jobs and even staying in a particular place that they prefer, e.g. on the basis of livelihood. In those periods even the laws and policies that are applied are impartial to the people in the lower classes. For that matter, the only resolution of the people in the foreign land is to hide their identity. Thus, by being able to pretend he is dead and by living the life of another person, Sizwe made his way to the life he wanted, that despite his coloured skin he now has stability, a higher level compared to the life that he led in his real identity. Analysis on the Literary Works under Study The two plays that had been studied presented the realities of impartiality and struggles of the people of different classes and races in the interaction with the others. In addition the relationship of the prey and predator and also the weak and the superior can be considered as the main subject of the said literary works. The main query in relation to the research undertaken is the determination of the main difference regarding the life of the actors of the play. This can be related to the struggles of presenting such works to the world on the basis of the fact that the said impartiality is comparable to an untreatable disease that can affect the whole human race regardless of the location. For that matter, acceptability of the messages conveyed in the plays can be questionable. The life that the actors in the play Sizwe Bansi is Dead, can be considered as an essential example of the struggles of the people in the said race. This can be attributed to the fact that actors of South African descent is not commonly given roles other than in those stories with the plot related to the people of the said race. For that matter, achieving such a level as acting is a success in its own right. It can be considered that literary works such as Ariel Dorfman’s The Death of a Maiden and Athol Fugard’s Sizwe Bansi is Dead had encountered similar hindrances as their own characters. This can be attributed to the fact that such plays had the courage to present the bad and problematic facet of the society which can be acceptable to some. The powerful classes can even influence the public by criticising such works as a negative influence to the united public. There are different aspects in the study of the said works including political, social, cultural and moral facet. Thus, it is important to consider such views to be able to achieve an understanding of the messages being conveyed by the authors. References Dorfman, A. (1981). The Death of a Maiden. Penguin Group. Fugard, A. (1972). Sizwe Bansi is Dead. South Africa. Read More