My Children! My Africa!

My Children! My Africa! Literary Elements

Genre

Play

Language

English

Setting and Context

Camdeboo, South Africa in 1985

Narrator and Point of View

N/A

Tone and Mood

Realistic, somber

Protagonist and Antagonist

N/A

Major Conflict

Thami feels constrained by the education system under apartheid, causing him to clash with his teacher Mr. M who has more traditional views about life in South Africa.

Climax

Thami tries to warn Mr. M about the mob, but Mr. M refuses to listen and is killed by the mob at the end of Act II, Scene 3

Foreshadowing

Mr. M asks Isabel if Thami is having any problems; as early as Act I, Scene 1 we see that Thami does not want Mr. M to control him, which foreshadows the active resistance that comes only later.

Understatement

N/A

Allusions

Many allusions are made to famous poets and novelists while Isabel and Thami are studying for the literature competition.

Imagery

Thami and Mr. M both describe moments from their childhoods in great detail

Paradox

N/A

Parallelism

N/A

Personification

N/A

Use of Dramatic Devices

The play switches between scenes of dialogue between characters in specific settings and monologues by each character directly to the audience. Costumes and props are of great symbolic importance.

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