StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Life and Times of Michael K - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Applying the ideas of Frantz Fanon and Chinua Achebe, discuss the themes of starvation and speech in Life and times of Michael K. Strange distinction of societal classes of human beings on the basis of skin and colonial dominance is a good old societal problem leading to revolutions and a mass scale loss of human lives and their immortal sacrifices…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.3% of users find it useful
The Life and Times of Michael K
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Life and Times of Michael K"

Download file to see previous pages

Decolonization has transpired but the very attributes of colonialism is manifold in the tension of Black and White within the society. The Blacks in Africa and labor classes in the capitalist world have been tremendously crushed by the Whites and the capitalist classes of the society. Now among excellent writings exhibited by an array of scholars, one of the most crucial things that are to be noted is the way of obtaining freedom or to find an escape route from this state of struggle. The protagonist Michael K has been born with physical deformities and he is Black.

He faces tremendous constraint in almost every aspects of living in the society with a dead mother. But facing challenges which are really not wanted in a civilized society, he never lost hope and kept ignited the fire of freedom within himself reflecting a post modern view of self liberation. Starvation has been one of the aspects through which Michael has went through and infused him with the realization of harsh reality in the then society. It can be also regarded as a way of liberation against a life that is amalgamated with furious torment and outright negligence (Coetzee).

Two anti colonial scholars Frantz Fanon and the Chinua Achebe are famous for their revolutionary writings on African context associated with colonial exploitation and freedom of the common masses from blood sucking colonial dominance and racial suppression. Their ideas will be discussed in this paper for highlighting the themes of starvation and speeches from the book, Life and times of Michael K. Frantz Fanon was a third world intellectual whose work is dedicated against colonialism with particular impact in Africa and his writings in the period of 1950s and 1960s especially Les Damnes de la terre explores the passion on the historical conditions of the anti colonial struggle.

He grew up among the African slaves working in the sugar plantations and participated in the guerilla struggle against the pro Nazi French Vichy government. Fanon’s political vision is guided by the notion of European tradition of Marxist thought reflecting anti colonial dimensions. Fanon thought in lines of Marx that violent anti colonial struggle is necessary as a solution but he differed from Marx in the sense that he focused on the execution of revolution by the peasants and the social outcasts.

Marx saw less potential among them. Fanon visualizes that these classes of the society are intensely subjugated by the capitalist class without receiving a minimal distribution of goods for sustaining life (Fanon, 1576). There is a continuous escalation in demand from the colonial power and in this process the common people are dragged into virulent poverty and they die of hope. In this aspect a link can be established where Coetzee metaphorically used the phrase, “It will close up as he grows older” (Coetzee, 3).

This is in respect to Michael K’s physical deficiency of the mouth. Midwife stated this to the mother of Michael K giving a hope that it will heal up and deformity in Michael K’s mouth will diminish. But the deformity never diminished and it became a subject of mockery and discrimination in the society. Michael K from his very childhood has been deprived of access to essential goods and services that are necessary for maintaining a sustainable standard of living and has been subjected to mockery from time to time.

Hope is not a solution. Revolution is

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Life and Times of Michael K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/english/1465439-the-life-and-times-of-michael-k
(The Life and Times of Michael K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/english/1465439-the-life-and-times-of-michael-k.
“The Life and Times of Michael K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/english/1465439-the-life-and-times-of-michael-k.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Life and Times of Michael K

Analysis of Post-Feminism

Given the sense of entrapment many women feel in having to pursue unrealistic standards of motherhood, I suspect Douglas and michael would dispute that we live in a post feminist age.... Douglas and michael p.... 5) Douglas and michael's versus Dowd's Understanding of Feminism Dowd describes feminism in terms of women's legal and social rights that is to have equal access with men to educational and career opportunities, to initiate and pursue relationships, and to dress and make lifestyle choices as they please (Dowd 2005)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Term Paper

Michael Jackson's Personality - Two Contrasting Personality Theories

Although some aspects of michael's tumultuous life are as of yet clearly explained, and some allegations remain without proof, his personality can be studies from various perspectives to help explain his life as a prominent public figure.... Biography of michael Jackson Born in Gary, Indiana on the 29th of August 1958, Michael Jackson was seventh child of Joe and Katherine Jackson, in a family that consisted of a total of nine children.... Explain michael Jackson's Personality Using Two Contrasting Personality Theories Introduction michael Jackson is one of the most famous characters ever to have graced the global entertainment scenes....
12 Pages (3000 words) Term Paper

Life and Times of Michael K by John Maxwell Coetzee

An examination of the rhetorical strategies used by the author in The Life and Times of Michael K gives us deeper insight into the use of language as distinguishing feature of the social classes of ruler and the ruled. Nowhere is the writer's linguistic problem properly captured than in The Life and Times of Michael K.... bout him is directly told: "The first thing the midwife noticed about michael k when she helped him out of his mother into the world was that he had a hare lip The harelip is an emblem of otherness and "natural inferiority....
5 Pages (1250 words) Book Report/Review

Decline of Michael Jackson

The nature of the life of michael Jackson was a long history of having his life framed by a public ‘brand' which worked against him both personally and professionally in the end.... michael Jackson, named by the music industry as ‘the king of pop' was a talented, but tormented man who had started his lustrous career in his prepubescent years out of Gary, Indiana in the United States.... As such, he is proclaimed the ‘king of pop', a title he earned through multiple achievements in which his music broke records and… However, his personal life was plagued with problems that left him with an image that is irreparably harmed....
18 Pages (4500 words) Essay

Book critique of monoculture by F.S Michael

This is the case in every corner of life as michael reflects in the issue of pervasiveness that is brought about by the attempt to privatize public goods.... The author discusses how the economic story rises especially with regard to how it can fundamentally change life....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Correcting the Spelling Errors

The writer of this case study "Correcting the Spelling Errors" examines the difficulties of second-language acquisition for the children with dyslexia, using an example of one student.... The results of his year 3 NAPLAN test (2008) showed that the student had significant problems with his spelling....
9 Pages (2250 words) Case Study

Kafka, Hawthorne, and Coetzee

The impact of massive machinery moving against a single person, crushing them without reason, and can now be found in much contemporary literature, in particular in Coetzee's The Life and Times of Michael K.... The protagonist of Kafka's The Trial, Josef K, and the protagonist of Coetzee's book shares a lot in common, even if the latter book is more political than anything by Kafka....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

The Turning Point for Michael Jackson

This article will investigate the turning point in the career and personal life of michael Jackson.... At such, the article presents a comprehensive summary of Jackson's life and professional activity followed by an analysis of major events in his career.... hellip; michael Jackson was born in Indiana on 29 August 1958 in Indiana.... michael emerged as this group's lead vocalist and was a stunning performer.... Next, michael worked with Quincy Jones to produce the next solo album that cast him into the limelight globally....
9 Pages (2250 words) Article
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us