Missy Schreiber/ Nadine Gordimer

Melissa Schreiber

Dr. Professor: Dr. R. E. Benander

ENGL 223

18 APRIL 11

Nadine Gordimer, author of, “Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants,” “Amnesty,” and “Six Feet of the Country,” began fighting apartheid in the 1930’s through her powerful literature and political actions. These short stories have presently taught me that white people and black people must unite in order to end a lifetime of racial segregation. Gordimer’s literature attempts to denounce the cruelty and the hopelessness of a situation accepted by all parts of the population. Gordimer’s overarching themes in these short stories are the moral and psychological tensions of her racially divided home country overcoming apartheid.

 In, “Six Feet of the Country,” apartheid was the norm in South-African society, and racism, and discrimination were the only ways to behave towards black people. The white people were a disappointment to white people everywhere; this ironic story proves how apartheid policies failed all races and classes of people. Personally, when I was in military training we are taught to be united, discrimination of any kind isn’t tolerated. In 2011 the US military allowed homosexuals to join, I believe this type of progress will help put an end to racial inequality world- wide.

Gordimer’s literature communicated to me that the strong must help the weak, and that discrimination and inequality must be acknowledged and learned. In the Navy, I served in Afghanistan twice, it was my first trip away from home, and I relied on 50 people I had just met. We deployed immediately after the 2003 terrorist attacks, and in the middle of the ocean racial inequality isn’t tolerated. Gordimer’s texts are necessary for all of us to learn from mistakes that have been made, and unite before anything else is destroyed.

I believe Gordimer is an artist as well as an author who gives hope to repressed Africans suffering from apartheid. I enjoyed her short stories, although they made me sad, and I will read more of her in the future. The more people who can read these stories the better, understanding  literature is the key to overcoming apartheid.