Nadine Gordimer

In this reader response I will be talking about three readings. These include, “Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants,” “Amnesty,” and “Six Feet of the Country.” These short stories have nothing to do with me, but at the same time they have everything to do with me. I have been kept in the dark on the problems over in Africa that I never would have thought it would matter if I knew about their way of life or not. Now taking this course and reading these stories I see how wrong I am. In my schooling career I have never been taught anything about the African culture, way of life, or of any problems that are happening over there in the past or present.

                Some people seem to think that the American way is the only way, well that is fine for those who live here in America, but convincing those in Africa that the way things are done over there is where we go wrong. They need to learn the things that are important to the country not irrelevant material from another.

                All of the text seemed to clash and agreed with my view of the world. For me the first story “Good Climate, Friendly Inhabitants” has one large problem that the world presents even now. The last line says, “It just shows you, a woman on her own has always got to look out; it’s not only that it’s not safe to walk about alone at night because of the natives, this whole town is full of people you can’t trust.” In other words you can be of any race, gender, area, you can’t trust anyone. This can be so true in our world today. We like to think that it is not, but it can be the truth. In the story “Amnesty” there is also a clash. The woman is left alone to raise the children while the man is out fighting for the “freedom” of his people seems to be almost heroic. To me this seems almost like in today’s world the idea of the soldiers who are fighting oversees. Here the author supports both sides. What the man is doing is important for the future of all generations, but the woman is left to suffer without having the perfect life she wishes for, being married and having the family she wants.

                The third story addresses a slight problem with me. This story showed me how some people can get so caught up in themselves that they do not even care how it affect others. The man in the story who is called Baas is a very self centered individual that needs to be taught a lesson. He doesn’t even have respect for those who are deceased and their families. I see this as a very important thing in the world. I just feel that it is morally right to respect those who have lost a loved one no matter who they may be. You would want to be treated nicely. Just like the golden rule says, “do unto others as you would want others to do unto you.”

                Overall I am glad I had the opportunity to read these stories. They were very informative on life in the African ways. These literature readings are good for everyone to read because for the knowledge of what is going on around us. I was angry with the text especially after discussing it in class. The things that others pick out of a story help me understand more in depth on what is going on in the reading. I had never realized the hard reality that people from other countries go through.