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Act 2, Scene 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Children! My Africa!, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Protest, Dissent, and Violence
Apartheid, Race, and Human Connection
Education
The Future of Africa
Summary
Analysis
Hopeless and alone, Mr. M monologues about the “nightmare” of trying to get from his home to the school during the riots. All the possible routes were blocked by policemen and protestors, so he couldn’t make it. Instead, he started wandering the area, watching cars and buildings burn while the police chased after children.
When the community starts protesting, Mr. M’s worst fears come true and Brakwater descends into violence. He considers this violence a “nightmare” because it overturns the orderly routine that gives his life meaning: his daily commute between home and school. This violence shows that he has not been able to convince his community that education and persuasion are the best ways to improve society.
Themes
Mr. M passed a young student writing on the wall: “Liberation First, Then Education.” The student even asked Mr. M if he spelled the words correctly. Mr. M saw children packed into a police van—they called out to him, too, and asked him to contact their parents. Mr. M tried to close his eyes and forget what he was seeing, but he couldn’t. Other children started throwing rocks at the police, who fired tear gas back at them. Choking on the gas and clinging to a lamppost, Mr. M told himself he had to “Do something” to “Stop the madness!”
Mr. M views himself as his young students’ guide and protector, so he is devastated to see them attacked and arrested by the police. Beyond causing pain and grief, this also suggests that Mr. M has failed to do his job of protecting and empowering his students. In particular, the student’s graffiti directly contradicts Mr. M’s deep-seated belief that education can help lead to political change on its own. But when the student calls out to Mr. M to check his spelling, this ironically undermines the graffiti’s message by pointing out the importance of education.
Themes
