A chip of Glass Ruby Nadine Gordimer A

A chip of Glass Ruby Nadine Gordimer

A chip of glass ruby Imitation/ counterfeit ruby. Glass in nose to enhance beauty. Outward appearance. Ms Zanip Bamjee is a ‘real ruby’ – she is valuable. Setting: Poor neighbourhood with Indians and South Africans. South Africa - period of apartheid – 1960 s. The Group Areas Act. Pass laws – Black South Africans. Asians’ movement were restricted. Note – old hand-operated machine / 5 shillings fare.

Characters 1. Mrs Zanip Bamjee Political activist - printing leaflets Mother of 9 children - wanted to help. 2. Yusuf Bamjee - Food and vegetable vendor. He develops - the egotist changes. 3. Jimmy - Son - same political views as mother. 4. Girlie - Daughter- same political views as mother. Wears lip-stick – modern ways? 5. Mr Peterson – teacher who ridiculed Jimmy …

Summary – main points An Indian-African Muslim woman wants to make a difference. Zanip Bamjee lives with her husband, Mr Bamjee, her son Jimmy, and daughter Girlie. The children feel the same. They live in a poor neighbourhood. Zanip is a political activist who feels obligated to help the people in need by making leaflets and protesting against the government.

Mr Bamjee, on the other hand, sees things differently and thought they were going to get themselves into trouble. Mr Bamjee begins to wonder why he even married his wife. Girlie reminds him that he married her because Mrs Bamjee doesn’t want anybody to feel left out, and no one else is like that. Mrs Bamjee is thrown into jail with other activists who tried to make a difference.

Plot development 1. A duplicating machine arrives. 2. Mr Bamjee’s racist attitudes are revealed. 3. Mrs Bamjee makes anti-apartheid leaflets. 4. Mrs Bamjee is arrested by special branch police. 5. Mrs Bamjee goes on hunger strike. Mr Bamjee’s confusion, resentment and self-pity grow. 6. Ms Bamjee sends birthday greetings to husband: he experiences a sudden epiphany or realisation.

Themes • • The effect of politics on a family. Sacrifice. Change. Justice/ injustice. Family values. Racism – maltreatment of non-whites. Political activism.

. Ms Bamjee is different – she considers everyone - to serve. Why do certain people do things which might be a risk to themselves? Theme of change: Others praise her behaviour and comment on her kindness. Her behaviour changed the family … community … the country …. the world!

Mr Bamjee changed – less self-centred – showed concern and understanding. Changed people’s political views. Tone is ironic – Mr Bamjee is critical of wife’s activities YET these activities are morally noble. He changes. “At once the snap of a trap, realisation came. ” NOTE: metaphor.

Themes Sacrifice Prejudice Racism Political activism Selfishness Family values Change is possible

Need to know • Title: Taken from Proverbs 31: 10 (King James Bible) • “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies”. • By the end of the story Mr Bamjee realises his wife’s value as an honourable woman. • Setting: Apartheid South Africa in the 1950 s; a town near Johannesburg; the living room of the Bamjee home

Characterization: • Mr Yusuf Bamjee – a food and vegetable vendor; at first he does not understand his wife’s involvement in the black resistance campaign; racist; an egotist; undergoes a change - realizes his wife’s worth.

• Mrs Zanip Bamjee – virtuous; fulfils her duties as mother and wife; caring – for her extended family, the underprivileged; a political activist • Girlie – Eldest; modern ways; • visits mother in prison – same political views as mother • Jimmy – 14 years old; • supports his mother – same political views

Climax: Mrs Bamjee is arrested. Has consequences

Questions 1. To what apartheid group do the Bamjees belong? How do you know? • They are Indian people. • The teacher at school mentioned that Mrs. Bamjee wants the Indians to be the same as the natives. • Mrs. Bamjee wore a sari. • The family was Moslem. 2. Describe what comes “hidden in a wash basket in a black man’s taxi, ” and tell what exactly it’s used for. It was a duplicating machine / copier used by Mrs. Bamjee to make anti-apartheid leaflets.

. 3. Describe the kids’ activities that first night and explain why are we told about their activities in such detail? • The older children were doing homework, and the younger ones were playing. • All activities took place in the living room. • It is described in detail to highlight the following aspects: • The house was small and there was no room in the bedrooms for the children’s activities. • The family did everything together. • Mrs. Bamjee has a close relationship with her children. • The children are curious about the duplicating machine and what Mrs. Bamjee was going to use it for.

. 4. How does the current Mrs Bamjee differ from the girl she was? She was a fashionable young women with a chip of glass ruby in her nostril but currently she did not care about her outward appearance as she was very thin, wore cheap saris and her hair was greasy. 5. Describe the visitors to the Bamjee home. Strangers visited the house and varied from native women to prominent community members. Mr. Bramjee does not like his wife’s interaction with the visitors, because he new they were discussing politics.

. 6. How does the way his wife relates to them influence his view of his wife? He was bitter about the fact that she invited all kinds of people to their home, in contrast with the behaviour of other Indian/Moslem women. 7. Does Bamjee share his wife’s interest in politics? Motivate your answer. No, he believes that the natives should fight their own battles and that the Indian people should stay out of it.

. 8. What does the message Mrs Bamjee send to Girlie tell us about Mrs Bamjee and her relationship with her children? Mrs Bamjee had a close relationship with her children. Even after Girlie has moved out, her mother can still ask her to assist the family when needed. 9. How does Mrs. Bamjee get her husband’s mind off of the scary fact Dr. Kahn was arrested? Mrs Bamjee made a new dress for her daughter and Mr. Bamjee was reassured by this domestic act. She refrained from political activities that night.

. 10. Mr Bamjee wonders why he married this widow with five children. What does he conclude at this point in the story? He was attracted to her because she was not like other women. 11. What happens when the government finds out about Mrs Bamjee’s activities? Two coloured policemen from the Special Branch were send to arrest her and then she was jailed.

. 12. On page 26, it says “Ma is there because things like this happen. ” 12. 1 What is meant by “things like this? ” 12. 2 Explain how things like this led to their mother being jailed. 12. 1 People discriminate against each other on basis of race and colour. 12. 2 His mother wanted to assist the native people in their fight against the apartheid’s government and was jailed because it was against the law to have political gatherings and to spread political material, like the leaflets she printed. 13. Why exactly is Mr Bamjee “baffled, mad and hopeless”? He could not understand that the good Moslem woman he married turned into a political activist.

. 14. Mr Bamjee says “What importance is my birthday while she’s sitting there in a prison? ” 14. 1 What is Fatima’s answer? 14. 2 Her reply answers another of his questions. Which one? What is the answer? 14. 1. She says her mother does not wasn’t anybody to be left out. She cared about all people. 14. 2. Previously he wondered why he married the ugly widow with five children and now realizes it’s because she is different from other people in the way that she cares about everybody indiscriminately.