One of Mathabane's favorite quotes....
"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." --Leo Tolstoy
In this blog post, explain why this quotation is significant to Mathabane's life story. Why is this true for him? Also, explain a personal or worldly connection to this quotation to today. This post is due by Monday, March 28th at 11:59 p.m.
For Mathabane he saw many terrors in Alexandria that were mainly cause by white Africans. Due to his experiences Methabane felt that all whites were bad, and that the only way he could live happily was if all the whites had different attitudes or were dead. So in a way I think Methabane felt that the white people need to change in order for him to have a better life. But really when Methabane began changing is attitude and began to see purpose in his life he became happier, in a way. A worldly connection I can make is that today many organization focus is fixing other countries problems: Africa's poverty and disease, the Middle East's terrorism, rebuilding Haiti, and the list goes on and on. But one thing that you do not see a lot of is organizations that are focused on fixing the problems here in America: our diseased, orphaned, neglected, homeless and hungry people.
ReplyDeleteThis quotation is signnificant to Mathabane's life story and is true for him because initially he believed all white people were evil and the cause of the horrible conditions in which he lived. However, as he came into contact with white people, such as Mrs. Smith, Wilfred, and Stan Smith who befriended him and assisted him in achieving his goals, he discovered that not all Caucasians are racist. He learned that in order to change the world, a person first needs to change himself.
ReplyDeleteThis quotation can be connected to worldly issues when people expect others to preserve the environment, but are not willing to do anything themselves to save our planet.
I think this quote is significant to Mathabane because throughout his childhood, he was always hoping for a change, like equality. He always thought it was the world that had to change, but this quote explains that you can't change the world. The only way it can change is if everybody changes themself. For instance, the white people his grandmother work for aren't changing the world to abolish racism, but they abolish it personally and try to get their son to change his thoughts as well by saying "That's rude", "Don't say that", "Those things aren't true", etc. There are many examples of this in the world today. Many reformers want to end bad trends like childhood obesity, but nobody can just "change it". Change must occur on an individual level; the kids must prevent obesity/lose weight individually. There is no quick fix for any problem and it can't be solved by one person. Everybody must take part in it to impact the issue as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is very significant to Mathabane because he wanted change. He wanted to change the ways of his father, schools, other ways of thing, and apartheid. He didn't like to participate in tribal rituals, so he merged to Christianity whether he was going to be punished or not. He wanted to change the discipline area of the school. When he wouldn't bring his books in they would beat him. Mark wanted his eagerness to learn be the reason why he goes to school. Every lack person thought of white people as evil. When he visited his Grandmother's workplace, the white woman gave him books, and clothes. He wanted to change the way people were thinking about white people because they were not all bad. This quote is perfectly acceptable for high school students. A lot of people just want everyone else to switch to their standards, but they don't see that changing themselves is a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteThis quote can relate to Mathabane's life in the way that during most of his childhood he desired change. The way that African Americans were treated, the conditions in which his family lived, the poverty of Alexandra, and so on, were all parts of Mathabane's life that he wished to improve. However, as the novel goes on, the reader can learn that individual change is neccessary before worldy change. In other words, a worldly change will not result from individuals who aren't passionate about that change. This can apply to problems in America today, such as environmental issues. To reduce the risk of global warming would be a worldy change, and most people can list several ways of going green. However, how many individuals will actually go out of their way to go green? Whether its driving a hybrid car, buying eco-friendly products, or taking part in organizations, a worldy change results from the indivduals that are willing to take part, and share the same passion for change, as Mathabane did.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to Mark's life in many ways. As a child, Mark lived in a world where he was treated as if he were an animal, sometimes even worse. He understood at a young age that changed was greatly needed; but he also realized that the problem was much bigger then himself. He realized that nothing would change unless he did first. And in the process of changing himself, whether he was aware of not, his passion grew to change his enviroment. This was somewhat like the quote "one person can change the world." Although, I would have to disgree with that exact quote, the idea is still the same. One person can not change the world, yet one person can influence others to help. Mark understood that he had to start small if he ever wanted anything to change. By Mark changing himself and his attitude towards the world he influenced others to do the same and eventually I beleive this wil lead to a greater change then he could ever imagine. This quote relates to pretty much everything in the world today; enviromental issues, pro-life vs. pro-choice, educational standpoints, because no matter what someone tries to do, unless they are truely passionate and doing it themselves, then no one else will follow. Unless someone changes thier habits on recycling and conserving power, no one else will either.
ReplyDeleteThis quotation is significant to Mathabane's life mainly because he constantly yearned for change throughout his childhood. As a young child growing up, Mathabane despised many things about his life, including the way black South Africans were treated by the whites. For the majority of his childhood, Mathabane hoped and dreamed of the day in which equality would spread throughout his country. However, no matter how much Mathabane wished and waited for racism to be abolished, nothing ever seemed to change. Eventually, after growing older and more independent, Mathabane began to realize that the world would not change unless someone decided to make that change. It is at this point in which Mathabane began to take his stand against his countries racism by joining others in protests and speaking what was on his mind. Mathabane was able to recognize that the problems of the world would not change unless individuals first changed themselves. This one of the problems that faces many individuals living in America today. Many Americans are worried about pollution in the environment, yet few are willing to change themselves in order to fix it. Perhaps if people would stop waiting for the environment to change itself, and instead look to change their own habits, the environment would be much cleaner and healthier.
ReplyDeleteThis quotation is significant to Mathabane's story since all of the horrible experiences he faced were results of people's actions and words. He had to live in terror as a child because of the white police officers' demeaning words, abuse, and threats to take away his parents. If the police officers would have took it upon themselves to realize that what they were doing was cruel and needed to be stopped, the whole community would have changed as a result, and blacks would have lived in much better circumstances. Also, Mathabane realized that it was close to impossible for him to stop Apartheid by himself. However, if he, himself, remained strong and didn't give in to the harmful practices surrounding him, he could make it through and survive to raise awarness about what had happened in Africa. This quote is also significant to the world today when dealing with environmental practices and conservation. If one person decides to make an effort to recycle and stop harmful practices that are damaging the environment, then their family and friends will become more motivated to pitch in themselves, and the chain will continue from there. The effort of one person to improve themselves inspires others to do the same in their lives. It is when one person is telling others what to do that makes them opposed to the person and not want to do the action.
ReplyDeleteFor Mathabane I think this quote would apply directly to his father. His dad always felt like there was something wrong with the world and the lot he was served in life but he never thought to change his ways to keep up with the quickly altering world around him. He was stubborn in sticking to his tribal beliefs without considering other options and ways of doing things. He felt that his way of life was the only way to live and I think that was often detrimental to the way his life could have been. It also made him very unreceptive to Mathabane going to school and trying to better himself in ways his father thought was inappropriate because it went against what his father believed in, even though it was proven that Mathabane’s education was a very important thing. I think this can apply to many things happening today, but one thing in particular is global warming. People are always freaking out about the concept of global warming and saying that the government needs to do something about it, but they won’t take the time out of their life to do the things necessary to protect our planet. They expect other people to do the work for them and to benefit from the results, but they don’t want to do anything themselves to help the process.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to Mathabane because the world he lived in was cruel and unjust, but it was accepted. At the beginning of the novel, the apartheid seemed as though nothing could be done to change the ways of the white people. Although as the book progresses, the actions of Mathabane impact people to have more faith and perseverance to survive. An example of this situation present-day is the public school systems. As seen in the "Waiting for Superman" documentary, there are numerous stastics proving that America's public schools are failing. Although, few people are doing what needs to be done to fix the ongoing problem. If every student and teacher individually attempted to improve, America would see an increase in the proficiency of it's schools.
ReplyDeleteThis quotes is significant to mathabane because by changing yourself it can lead to a change in the world no matter how small. It is true for him because he was unable to change what was going on but he was able to change how he dealt with it. A similar quote by mahatma Gandhi states “Be the change you want to see in the world” Its hard to change something like the world because of how much it needs changing, But changing yourself is easily done. A change in yourself can be interpreted by others as a demonstration or even an inspiration to follow your lead. An example that could clarify the “ripple effect” of how a change in oneself could lead to change in thousands could be the movie Pay it Forward, a film which is an extrodinary example of how an act of one person was able to have a worldwide effect.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant in Mathabane's life because it can be directly applied to his father. Throughout the entire book, Mark's dad is constantly expecting the world to change for him and to follow along with how he feels and believes about things. Yet he never considers changing himself with the fast changing world around him. Especially when it comes to tribal beliefs and how he feels his son is not part of him becasue of the path through life he chooses. If he would have thought more about it, then maybe he could have grown with and been closer to his son. This relates to our world today in many ways. One example is global warming. Everyone in our world complains about how it is destroying earth and life around us, but no one is willing to do anything individually about it. We all blame the government and expect them to make all the changes but they cant do it alone. Without society helping, nothing will ever be different.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to Mathabane's life story because throughout the novel, he desires to see change in the world and frequently questions why blacks are treated so unfairly. This quote is true for him because once he changed his outlook on life by shifting his focus from gangs and fighting to education and tennis, he led a happier life. Even though he still lacked clothes, a clean shelter, and food, this change within himself led his life in a new direction without having to rely upon the world to change for him. One worldly connection is with the issue of recycling. We've talked in many group discussions about how people may say that they're all for recycling and everyone should recycle, then they sit back and never really take on that change themselves. They expect the world to do it for them, but that's not the case.
ReplyDeleteMathabane essentially lived by this quote. His life was the way it was because no one wanted to have the guts to stand up against white people and in some way start a revolution. Mathabane, however, went against the typical view of African Americans that life can't get any better, and did everything in his power to make something of himself and hope others will follow in his footsteps. I, myself, try to make the best out of every situation instead of blaming everyone around. Which in a way connects to the quote because a viewpoint or a change of personality can lead others down the same path and possibly change the world.
ReplyDeleteI think that this quotation is dear to the heart the Mark Mathabane because a lot of his life he focused on all of the bad things going on in the world. All around him people talked badly about what was happening to them in the world, and how they needed to change it. They all thought that the only way they could have change was by changing the world. No one ever thought to look inside themselves and think about what they could do as one person to help change the world. I think that towards the end of the book Mark begins to realize this. He wants a better life for himself and his family, but he is going to have to change himself first by having a positive outlook on life. This quote speaks to me personally because there have been a lot of times in my life when I thought that it was the worlds fault for suffering. But by looking at the problems a different way, give a different outlook. If you first change yourself, to make yourself prepared and ready for change, then the change you're making is going to be even more significant than you thought it would be.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to Mark Mathaban because growing up, his opinioins of white people were shaped by his father and all of his friends. They were mean, ugly, and just polain horrible to him. It was their fault that he was living a poor and hard life and he fully believed that it wouldn't change unless the White man changed, which could never happen. But when he visits the Smith's he notices that not all white people are harsh, and that day, he promises himself that he will change and outdo all of those white people who thought of him as a barbarien with a small brain. At last Mark came to realize that he should not worry about changing the world, but changing himself, to become more educated and to succeed, unlike most of his neighbors and friends. This connects to the world in how there are still a lot of countries in the world that are similar to what Mark Mathabane lived, and theses countries could be changed, starting with one person.
ReplyDeleteThis quotation is significant to Mathabane's life because in this quotation MAthabane expresses his belief that one person can change the world. If the chief of police who did all the raids he experienced as a child had felt remorse for the Africans, then many bad things would not have happened. This also goes along with something we learned in church. The population of tazmanian devils is now on the endangered species list. All of the devils have a form of facial cancer that was caused by one dirty devil biting another. This goes along with the quote because one bad person can ruin a whole population but if everyone was good personally, then nothing bad would happen.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to Mark because throughout his life he saw so many people struggle. They wanted the world to change but didnt know how. Everyone always looked at someone else to solve the problems for everyone. But Mark knew change would not come if he didn't do something. That is why he became so dedicated in schooling, he knew the only hope for him was to become educated and he wasn't going to wait for anyone to help him. This quote has a connection to the world today because everyone looks at the big picture, noone thinks thatlittle things can make big differences, but they really do. For example, the environment, many people think that they will not have an impact on the world but if everone thought like that nothing would ever get accomplished.
ReplyDeleteThis quote reflects the attitude of most blacks in apartheid in South Africa. They want change in society, to rise above the segregation and cruelty they're surrounded with. But none, it seems, are willing to take the first step towards this rise. They, like so many people in todays American society, don't see the difference just one person can make to a society, or even to their own life. Many of the apartheid blacks, instead of trying to live their life to the fullest, spend their earnings getting drunk at shebeens. They long for a better life, and for a better country, but don't want to take on the responsibility necessary to acheive these things. Mark Mathabane was surrounded by this attitude as a child, and saw the pain it borught his father. This is what made him different, he, like his mother, relied on himself to work out the problems in his life, and ended up with a scholorship because of it. This, in a much less severe level, is reflected in the American attitude towards recycling. Everyone accepts the fact that recycling is a neccesity to save our environment, but most rely on the fact that, if they don't recycle, someone else will. Since nobody seems to see the difference it can make if just one person recycles, they don't see the significance of it. Nobody wants to take on the "burden" of recycling. They want to save the world, but they accept the fact that if they don't, someone else will.
ReplyDeleteThis quote relates to Mathabane's life because at a young age he wanted the world to change into a better place for all blacks. He, unlike others, realized that to be able to change the world, he first has to change himself and the way he views the world. This is true for him because throughout his daily struggles, he finds out that everyone has a bad attitude towards each other and or society, so they need to change themselfs first before any improvement can happen to the world. This connects to the world now because people who want to help, say Africa, never think of changing themselves to help Africa as a whole. If everyone truely believed in organizations/ companies like Invisible Children, Falling Whistles, and TOMS then people might see a change in the world from their attitudes towards it.
ReplyDeleteThis quote reflects the people of South Africa. The Black and whites are divided because they continually look for faults in the other race without considering what they have done wrong. It reflects to Mathabane because he wanted to change this attitude and get to these two different races to see how similar they really are and too actually what they have been doing wrong in Africa that causes all the hatred between the races>
ReplyDeleteI think that this quote implies that most people today are hypocrites when it comes to "changing the world". They sit back and expect others to make the the world a better, more suitable place for themselves, not even bothering to think about what they could do to help the cause. Mark wanted to have a better world for african americans to live in, but unlike most, he tried to make a difference.
ReplyDelete~Sam Ingrassia
This quote is significant to Mark Mathabane because throughout much of his childhood, he focuses solely on all the pain he feels. He blames the whites, the police, teachers, neighbors, and many other people. But he does not think that maybe if he changed his attitude towards others and looked for "the doors of opportunity" like his mother, he could have made himself view the world in a different perspective and realize that an education could help him out of his family's poverty. I think this quote can be applied to numerous different situations today. One such situation that we commonly see is in our political leaders. They will often try to pass laws for the greater good of the people, but it does not work out because they have their own problems to deal with. Often divorce or problems at home and that reflects in the way they handle situations. They think they can just change things, but they do not realize that to be a good leader, you may have to first try to change yourself into the person that can handle the job.
ReplyDeletec. barton
This quote is significant in Mathabane's life because it describes what he himself did. he decided to be somebody more than what the world thought he should be. He changed himself, made himself, when the world refused to change its racist and unfair ways. This quote can be connected to many things in this world today, such as, America itself. Or any country for that matter. If each person changed himself into the person that they want in their country, there would be a lot less probelms.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is one of Mark Mathabane's favorite quotes because he can relate to it in many ways. It is significant to his life, because he grew up only blaming others for the unfortunate events that happened to him, and didn't realize until he was fully grown, how changing yourself instead of trying to change others is the first step to improvement.He had a childhood full of struggles, but only blamed everyone besides himself for them. But as he grew, matured, and met many white people, his outlook on life changed. He realized that not all whites are cruel people and learned that he must change himself before he can go blaming others. One worldly outlook is recycling. Many people rely on others to recycle, and think that their input won't help the world, when even the smallest person can make a big difference.
ReplyDeleteThis quote is significant to Mathabane because throughout his life he is always hoping for the world to change to solve the problems he saw happening. He believed the world is what needed to change. This qoute explains that the people need to change to ever accomplish changing the world. This is shown even now, when people complain that something needs to be changed to halt the large amounts of pollution, yet they themselves don't do anything to solve the problem. Until a person actually changes their ways, like beginning practiving more green ways, the problelm won't begin to be solved.
ReplyDelete