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the hatred of the blacks and the coloured

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Nnabuihe Victoria Ifunanya  JSF85/24/0048

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Nnabuihe Victoria Ifunanya  JSF85/24/0048

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Miners

The protagonist of the novel mine boy by Peter Abraham was Xuma who is also known as xuma from the north

Xuma is a farm boy who has come  from the economically depressed north in search of a work in a gold mine

Chapter 4

Xuma was taken to the mine by Johannes, Johannes was in his sober mood so it was difficult for xuma to bring up a conversation with him. It was actually the first time xuma was going to the mine so he wanted johannes to tell him all about it unfortunately, johannes was in his sober mood

After they have left Johannesburg behind them, they could see the taller buildings if they looked

When they were approaching the mine they saw group of miners who were going to the mine, Johannes brought the attention of xuma and then he said to him “ look to the left they were streams of men Marching” it was hard for xuma to see them because it was morning and the day hasn’t quite broken but he was able to see body of marching men. Xuma was amazed and wounded where they came from, Johannes informed him that they came out of the compound.They both sat on the grass and watched the men marched.

“The compound is in Langlaagte, and All the mine boys must live in compounds."Johannes said softly. When Johannes made this statement xuma then ask him why he him self wasn’t living in the compound like the rest of the  miners, it took a while for johannes to answer the question, finally Xuma got a respond

“ They are not of the city, they come from the farms and some are from the land of the Portuguese and others are from Rhodesia. The white man fetched them. And those that are

fetched must live in the compounds. It is the law here. But I came to the city like you and I am the boss boy for a white man so I do not stay in the compounds. They do not take

many boys from the city for they do not like them."

After their conversation they both followed the marching men. In front of of the long column, marched an Induna, who was a mine policeman, who’s duty was to keep order among the miners. And flanking the column on either side, ten yards from each other, walked others. The indunas all carried knob-kerries and assagais. The column of men hummed as they marched.

Johannes and induna got into a conversation, xuma got the opportunity to glance at the face of the marching men, then he saw an elderly man smiling at him,Xuma returned the smile.The elderly man greeted him with his hand. Xuma ask Johannes who the old man was but Johannes shook his head then induna asked johannes who Xuma was, Johannes introduced him to induna even during the introduction Xuma was still staring at the old man. Johannes informed induna that Xuma will be working for the red one also known as Paddy

The gate opened and the marched through a group of white men came out of the low smoky building and watched the marching men past. More columns of miners kept on marching, johannes informed xuma to wait for him. He stepped past and disappeared into the Low smoky building. After sometime came back high (J.P Williamson) then he asked if red one is not yet here while discussing with Xuma a white man came and asked johannes “who's looking after the boys if you are here”. Johannes introduced Xuma to the white man whose name was Chris, after some discussion the white man joined the other white men at the smoky shack.

Xuma ran out of patience, he then asked “where is the one with the red head? you said I would work for him”  Johannes finally took Xuma to red one but first Xuma most be searched that was the law.  They asked for the pass which Xuma provided after sometime he returned with a stiff piece of paper and hand it to Xuma. Xuma couldn’t read what was written on it; it said:

PASS NATIVE XUMA

GANG LEADER FOR MR. PADDY O'SHEA

After the registration Johannes took him to the white man and told the white man he was the new boss boy of the Red One. Xuma didn't like the white one. His eyes told you he was

one of those white men who liked to kick you,

push you and curse you. When he had finished explaining, Johannes pulled Xuma to one side  "This one is no good but you will only be here

to-day. But it will be all right. Do not answer him back if he angers you. That one over there will take you when it is time to eat. I must go now, Xuma Good-luck."

Xuma watched Johannes walk away. Watched him get to a group of men who were waiting at the gate of a cage. One of the men gave Johannes a cap that had a lamp tied to it.

Johannes lit  the lamp and put the cap on his head. Then Johannes waved the men into the cage and followed them in.A whistle blew. The cage moved downward till it was out of

sight and there was a vacant hole where the cage had been. Xuma had known it would happen. Yet it shocked him. His heart pounded. His hands were clammy with sweat.

"Hi, you!"

Xuma jumped. He looked at the white man. The white

man's eyes blazed with anger.

"Push that!"

Some of the themes find in the chapter is ;

The of patience

The poverty

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Chapter 2

: On page 15-17” Policemen jumped out & ran down the street and the blacks began to run, Joseph urged Xuma to run but he refused saying he had “done nothing wrong “ even as the policeman came nearer. The policeman neared Xuma, raised his stick and bright it down upon him with force and Xuma strikes him back.

On the pages 15-17, Xuma and Joseph,alongside other blacks, are being chased by the police but from Xuma’s standing he doesn’t see what he has done wrong and despite Joseph’s urges for him to run, he refuses, not until the police man neared him and hit him with his bat, did he realize that there was a threat

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Chapter 6

In chapter 6 ,page 62 xuma takes a walk on a Saturday night,As he nears the heart of Johannesburg the people grew fewer and he sees less of his people which are the blacks and he sees more of the whites. He passes the window of a restaurant and he sees white people eating , talking and smoking,he quickly looks away. He passes a cake shop and stares at them until he feels a tap on his shoulder by a policeman. Xuma quickly shows the policeman his pass and the policeman looks at it and returns it.The policeman asks where xuma is going and says he's just taking a walk .The policeman keeps up the conversation and further asks xuma is not at home sitting next to the fire and drinking beer.

Xuma replies"you want me to go to jail". The policeman laughed telling xuma to behave himself . Xuma watched him go saying to himself"Not a bad one,maybe he's new"

Due to the police brutality between the police and blacks ,xuma expected the worse from the policeman but surprisingly got a different experience .

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Policemen appear in Mine Boy primarily in contexts related to the oppressive apartheid-like system in South Africa. Some notable instances include:

Police Raid in Malay Camp:

The living conditions of black workers and the authorities’ (police) oppression are described, like:

On pages 15-17” Policemen jumped out & ran down the street and the blacks began to run, Joseph urged Xuma to run but he refused saying he had “done nothing wrong “ even as the policeman came nearer. The policeman neared Xuma, raised his stick and bright it down upon him with force and Xuma strikes him back.

On the pages 15-17, Xuma and Joseph,alongside other blacks, are being chased by the police but from Xuma’s standing he doesn’t see what he has done wrong and despite Joseph’s urges for him to run, he refuses, not until the police man neared him and hit him with his bat, did he realize that there was a threat. This displays the brutality of policemen to the blacks, while the blacks ran from the police, the colored ones remained, not running- on page 16, this shows the racial discrimination and partiality of the police towards the blacks.

On page 135 when Dladla is proclaimed dead, we can see that the policemen come to interrogate leah at her residence, as they see Leah as the prime suspect in his murder, as Dladlq was informing the policemen of how Leah ran “illegal beer business “.(Page 135)

On page 162,the policeman who is Leah's informant gives leah information about when the policemen would come to raid her house.

On page 165, the police finally catches leah red handed trying to dig some beer into the ground and finally arrest her to be locked up.

Police intervention in fights or disturbances:

On pages 70 while Xuma is returning from the Red One’s house and encounters a crowd because there is a policeman pursuing a man who is seen hanging on the rooftops in order to get away from the police.

On page 71, the policeman edges nearer to the man on the rooftops and is joined by another man.

On page 72, the policeman pushes through the crowd and asks the crowd to stand back, while “Dr Mini” stands in front of the crowd and refuses to move, saying that he’s Dr Mini( he says this, because he wants to tend to the man from the rooftops who has now fallen down), then one of the policemen smacks Dr Mini in the face, with the second policeman about to strike Dr Mini after he says “you’d hear about this” to the first one that smacks him, he’s stopped by a third older policeman who says to the second police man “you’d better not “.

This incident shows how brutal the police is when intervening in matters concerning the blacks.

On page 102, Johannes calls the police “son of a bitch police. I will kill one “ he says, as he reports to Xuma that his woman has been taken by the police and has to either pay a pound or stay in jail for 7 days for being drunk and nosy.

On page 90, Leah also reports that she meets the inspector when she is returning home and he tells her that “he’d get her”.

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JFS85/24/0080

INSTANCES WHERE WE CAN FIND POLICEMEN

- We could find policemen in chapter 11 when dladla is proclaimed dead and the policemen come to interrogate leah at her residence.(Page 135)

- We could find policemen in chapter 14 when one policeman who is Leah's informant gives leah information about when the policemen would come to her house(Page 162)

- We could find policemen in chapter 14, when they finally catch leah red handed trying to dig some beer into the ground(Page 165)

- We could also find policemen in chapter 8 where the policeman which is leah's informant ignores her when he sees her and she says she feels she is being betrayed. On that same page, the inspector of the police sees her and he says in particular words"He will get her!"(Page 90)

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Social and Political critique of Policemen in Mine Boy.

1. Pg 15-17: Saturday morning where the community members were having their normal activities then the policemen appeared and began chasing the blacks except the coloured people.

2. Pg 21: A black policeman comes around Leah's house to give her information of when the police would come to raid those they suspect are selling illegal beers, as it is illegal for blacks to sell or drink beer as at that time in South African.

3. Pg 62: Xuma shows his pass to a policeman who tapped him from behind because the blacks were not allowed to get into the whites place(Johannesburg) without a pass.

4. Pg 70-73: Xuma sights a man being chased by a policeman on a slanting rooftop.

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Page 105-115

Xuma's conversation with an old miner

After a day’s work, Zuma and a few other workers dropped their tools and were on their way to have their meal on their way, Zuma saw an old man who looked sickly and unhealthy. The man coughed and continuously spitted blood at the feet of Zuma

Zuma called and, understanding that he had what they called the sickness of the chest. He asked the man ‘how long have you had this’. The Man replied saying ‘two months. Zuma advised him to see a doctor but the man said otherwise.

He told Zuma that he owed a white man eight pounds and the white man threatened to take away his farm where he and his family lived. He claimed that he would have enough money to pay his debt in about three months.

Zuma was hammered by fear, remaining silent, even ignoring paddy’s call. Paddy came closer and spotted blood at the side of the man’s mouth. Again, the man coughed painfully and paddy repeated ‘you must see a doctor. The man explained his predicament to paddy as well. Paddy informed to the old man that when a worker is sick, a particular amount of money is to be paid to him. The man looked eagerly at Zuma as if waiting for a confirmation, whereby Zuma agreed with paddy. Paddy Told the man to see a doctor and the man went joyfully

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CHAPTER 9

Characters in chapter 9:

1. Xuma (the protagonist): Xuma is a mine boy who works at a mining site with fellow black men who all work for the white men, their boss. Xuma is a courageous and hardworking man.

2. Johannes (J.P Williamson)

3. Paddy (the Red One)

4. Maisy

5. Leah

6. Dladla

7. Lena

8. Chris

9. The White Men

ANALYSIS (THE MINERS).

The chapter started with Xuma waking up at Maisy’s house. He was drunk and could not really remember what happened the previous night. Maury made him breakfast and hurriedly sent him to work but Xuma wanted to spend more time with her, he loved her a lot. Maisy insisted that he should get going so he left for work.

When he arrived at the mine sight he met Johannes. Johannes was a man who had a huge ego. He believed that he could do whatever he wanted to do without anyone stopping him because he was J.P Williamson but this time he was drunk and sober because his wife Leah got captured by the police. Xuma showed concern and was worried about Johannes so he gave him the key to his room to sleep there.

Xuma was a very hardworking and deligent man. He worked at the mine site all day long without stopping. He would also instruct his other workers on what to do and how to do their work well. Even Paddy (the Red One) and the other men saw him as a “lucky blighter” (on page 104). He was also a senior worker in the mine site, working hand-in-hand with Paddy and instructing other miners on what to do. It’s amazing how he achieved this much when he started working there for a short time. He became a senior worker over others that had worked there fort a long time. Later on, Paddy agave Xuma responsibility of being in charge of the underground.

In conclusion, Xuma is a hardworking man who is willing to help others in need and always pushing to achieve his goals and dreams. He is indeed a hero, seeing how he helped people like Johannes who was sober about his wife being captured by the police and offered him a room to sleep and also the old man who had lung disease, he gave him money to go to the hospital to get treated and a train pass to go home and meet his family.

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Miners

The story mine boy is written by Peter Abraham

The main protagonist is Xuma from North .

He works in the mines

So Am marking out the pages the miners are seen interacting with each other in the novel.

1: The miner's care for each other: This is seen in page (66). When Nana shared half of his food to Xuma in their working place when the went to have lunch.

2:Xuma and Johannesburg where discussing the hardship the face at work and the blatant racial discrimination under Apartheid.

Including,poor living conditions, and dangerous working environment and the constant threat of violence from the white supervisors .

This is seen in page ( 52).

3: The miner's have understanding among themselves in some point, even though the don't have enough power's or strength. This is seen in page ( 62). When the White supervisor asked Xuma to push a very heavy truck,the truck was meant to be pushed by two persons but he tried his best to push it.

4: Even though the faced hardship the still found ways to rest their bodies. This is seen in page ( 66). After they had meals they stretched themselves and lay on the ground.

And someone among them was humming softly ,this made them to feel relaxed.

5: Even though the poor living conditions some miner's like Xuma remained Honest.

It is seen in page (238).

It was when Xuma told the white man the truth .He had expected the white man to be angry,and the white man was persistent. He had even thought the white man might tell him not to come back to work .

With the best of my knowledge the

Miners the respect each other and more authorities was given to Xuma the head boy and he was also trusted among All.

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Employers:

Exploitation and Dehumanization:

The primary characteristic of these interactions is the exploitation of black labor. Employers, driven by profit, prioritize production over the well-being of their workers.

Black employees are often treated as mere instruments of labor, their humanity disregarded. This is evident in the dangerous working conditions in the mines, where safety is often compromised.

Power Imbalance:

A significant power imbalance exists between employers and black employees. Employers hold absolute authority, while workers have limited rights and little to no recourse against mistreatment.

This power dynamic reinforces the system of oppression, where black employees are subjected to the whims of their white employers.

Lack of Empathy:

Generally, there's a profound lack of empathy from employers towards their black workers. They often fail to recognize the workers' suffering and disregard their concerns.

However, the character of Paddy, provides an exception to this general rule. His interactions with Xuma show a desire to have a human connection, and to recognize the injustice of the system.

Control and Domination:

Employers exert control and domination over their black employees, enforcing strict regulations and suppressing any form of dissent.

The mine management's reaction to workers' concerns about safety, and to worker strikes, shows the degree to which they were willing to use their power to maintain control.

Racial Hierarchy:

The interactions are deeply rooted in the racial hierarchy of apartheid. White employers view black employees as inferior, justifying their exploitative practices.

In essence, "Mine Boy" depicts a relationship characterized by exploitation, power imbalance, and a profound lack of empathy. It serves as a powerful critique of the oppressive system that dehumanized black workers and denied them their basic human rights.

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MINERS

1. Even though the miners don't have alot power, they try to stand up for each other (page 62) when the white man asked Xuma to push a truck that was meant for two people.

2. The miners care for each other (page 66).Nana shared his food with Xuma.

3. (Page 67) despite the sufferings the miners went through, the found a way to rest their bodies and ease the stress of the day and also put together enough strength to enable them to continue

4. Despite the hardship faced in the mines, some miners like Xuma felt like the could only be free in the mines because whites were not everywhere to oppress them. In Xuma's case the white man he worked under who was Paddy didn't try to make him do things as he wanted. Instead he allowed Xuma to control the boys in a way that he deemed fit.

5. I think there's also the trust between the miners and respect they gave each other especially the boss boys like Xuma. Even the white man was not trusted and respected like Xuma was.

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MINERS

From my own perspective, the Miners are people who are hardworking and dedicated to their work.They always help each other in times of need and are also very helpful to each other.Xuma who was employed by Paddy 'The Red One' to come work in the mines to get something going for him.But before that Xuma was brought to South Africa by Leah who accommodated him gave him shelter,food,to stay in her house for some time until he gets his own place of his.The reason why Xuma left the North to come to South Africa was in search of green pastures.Then he was later employed by Paddy 'The Red One' to work in the mines.Nana and Hanes also worked in the mines to gave some profit there.

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Miners

In Mine Boy, the miners represent the struggles of Black South Africans under a brutal and exploitative system. They endure dangerous working conditions, low wages, and racial discrimination while keeping the mining industry running. The novel highlights how they are essential to the economy but are treated as disposable by those in power.

Beyond the hardships, Abrahams also shows their resilience, sense of community, and desire for a better life. Through Xuma’s journey, we see how the miners dream of dignity and fairness, even in a world that constantly pushes them down.

What aspect of the miners are you focusing on? Their struggles, unity, or something else?

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Summary of chapter 4

The chapter starts with Johnnes and in this chapter we realise that johness has two personalities being drunk and being sober when he is drunk, he is brave and can face anyone but when he is sober he is gentle and timid

Early Monday morning j.p is sad and xuma notices, xuma asks questions on how the mine would look like but j.p responds either yes or no with a hint of sadness

Xuma likes how quite Monday was compared to Saturday but j.p felt otherwise.

J.p and xuma reach the mine and j.p explains to him the way miners are employed but he’s an exception due to being the bosses boy . In comes j.p’s boss( Chris) on his bicycle, they both talked before j.p introduces chris to xuma.

Chris hits xuma on the chest and xuma was about to fights him but he reassures xuma that’s he’s only checking to see if he’s a man and tells xuma he will talk to his red hair boss and offers them a cigarette then they fall in line with other miners, xuma is being searched by an Induna ( policeman who watches the miners) who reluctantly gives him a stiff blue card that says” pass native xuma, gang leader for MR.paddy O’shea. J.p gears up by putting his hat and taking a lamp and leaves xuma to work with a group of fifty men led by two Indians and an angry white man. Xuma is being commanded by the white man to push a heavy truck by himself, the heavy truck is normally being pushed by 2 men but Xuma was told to do it alone. Xuma being confused on how to push it and where to apply pressure uses his strength but injures his leg by an axle cut. Chris informs xuma to stop and yells an induna to take xuma to get his leg bandaged. Xuma boss reminds the white man that xuma is his boy and he shouldn’t push the needlessly heavy truck. Xuma prefers the smile on Chris face to that of his boss and describes how his boss looks and also informs us about his red hair and that’s how he got his nickname. Xuma isn’t comfortable in the mine due to loud shouts and explosions but he gets more frightened by the look on other miners face. They all load wet sand into the trucks but xuma feels like they have accomplished nothing. The ouch whistle blows and they stop working to eat., a man befriends xuma(nana) and shares his lunch  with him and also advices and comforts xuma, after Lucy they all lie down together and humm in unison, the humming calms him, after they rested xuma and other continued their work, xuma asks his new friend what it’s like to go underground, xuma is then taken to the hospital by j.p, chris and his red hair boss, chris and xuma boss discuss about xuma going underground.

xuma and j.p wash up and goes to fetch their bosses horses. Paddy advices xuma and tell him he needs to be more aggressive cause he will be tested and he shouldn’t be afraid to use his fist if necessary.

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From my own perspective, the Miners are people who are hardworking and dedicated to their work just to earn a living.The Miners are also there to help each other any was they can.Xuma who later came from North to South Africa to seek for green pastures was later taken by Leah who cared for him and accommodated him in her house,gave him shelter,food,clothes just until he gets his own place.Xuma was later employed by Paddy 'The Red One' to work in the mines to earn a living for himself.Nana and Johannes who also worked in the mines with the rest of the workers to earn themselves their daily bread.

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Employers:

Who is Paddy?

Paddy is a White Irishman who owns a boarding house where he accommodates xuma and other black people.

Paddy's Interactions With The Blacks

Paddy even as a white had so much respect for the blacks.

Paddy allowed xuma stay in his boarding apartment and even got him a job, showing how nice he was and how much respect he had for the black people.

Here are some key aspects of Paddy’s interactions with black people in Mine Boy:

1. Hiring and Housing Xuma – Paddy allows Xuma to stay in his boarding house and offers him a job in the mines. While this may seem like an act of kindness, it also reflects the limited opportunities available to black workers, who were dependent on white employers for survival.

2. More Respectful Compared to Others – Unlike many other white employers in the novel, Paddy does not openly mistreat or demean black people. He treats Xuma with more respect than most white South Africans in the story, though their relationship is still defined by the power dynamics of race and class.

3. Fails to Challenge the System – Although Paddy is not overtly racist, he does not challenge the apartheid system that oppresses black people. He benefits from it, as he profits from Xuma's labor without actively trying to change the injustices faced by black workers.

4. A Complex Relationship – Paddy’s interactions with Xuma highlight a common theme in Mine Boy: the complexity of race relations in South Africa. While Paddy is not cruel or abusive, his actions reflect the broader systemic oppression that keeps black workers in an inferior position.

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In chapter 16

The chapter highlights themes of oppression, resistance, and self-awareness, setting the stage for Xuma’s eventual decision on how to respond to the injustices he faces. Xuma experiences deep frustration and disillusionment with the injustices around him. After the tragic mining accident that killed Johannes, Xuma becomes more aware of the harsh realities faced by black workers. He struggles with feelings of helplessness and anger as he sees how little the mine owners care about the workers’ safety.

In this chapter xuma wants to go down to rescue johannes and Chris his friends with Paddy and the manager try to tell them to Wait for the engineers. They go down in a cage coming back up with the lifeless bodice of johannes and Chris. Two engineers went down to inspect the damage. The engineers claim it was a minor collapse and said it was alright. They said it was  nothing serious. “If those fellows had kept their heads and stayed where they were instead of panicking and trying to keep the place open with their bodies, everything would have been all right. It is all right for working, anyhow just a spot of clearing up and putting up new beams. The next shift can do that.'

The manager looked at the second engineer who nodded.

"They lost their lives through panic,' he said.

Paddy grabbed the man and felled him with one blow.

"They looked after their men,' he said. 'We warned you abo that thing a long time ago."

Men stepped between Paddy and the fallen engineer.

'All rightl All right!' the manager cried. 'The mine's all right

Get ready to go down, night shift!'

"No!' Xuma cried. 'No!'

'Get ready!' the manager shouted.

'Let them fix up the place first!' Xuma cried,”

In this text we see the manager showed no remorse to the loss of life’s cause they were black men. The employers don’t care if they risked their lives and paid little to miners. They showed no concern to the bad working environment as they see them as lower class people.

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Apartheid is a policy implemented in South Africa in the 1948 separating the blacks from the whites