"The Power of One" - Marysia

The other book that I read this summer is called The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. It was both a compelling and motivation story, about a young English boy who works to accomplish his dream of becoming the best welterweight champion of the world. But along the way he must over come the racism that has plagued South Africa and the struggles that anyone who is different must overcome.

Question 1

Although there are many reasons why I feel that you should read this book, there are two that stand out. This book is very informative and inspires a wide range of emotion in the reader. It was very informative regarding the events in South Africa during World War II which I had no idea had occurred. It gives you a very profound insight into the racial discrimination that has plagued South Africa. The Rooinek’s (the English) were in conflict with the Afrikaner’s (the Dutch) over the Rooinek’s taking over the Afrikaner’s ownership of South Africa. Meanwhile the indigenous Africans – called Kaffir’s by racists, have no rights, no ownership and no chance to succeed in the country. These Africans were forced to live apart from society in different groups. Another reason that I recommend that you read this book is because it stimulates a wide range of emotion. The author does a really good job of making the reader feel many different emotions. For example, I never felt one emotion, I felt many at the same time. Sadness due to the loss of an influential character, humor, fear, suspense, queasiness, happiness, and many more.

Question 5

If I were to make a beginning scene for a movie based on “The Power of One” it would go a little something like this:

(African tribe music playing, beautiful and strong mixing the songs of many tribes, quiet)

Moving shot of everlasting African Landscape, with a beautiful orange sunrise in the distance. Camera is speeding over all the different terrains of Africa, and turns to a small dirt road about 5 kilometers out of a shantytown. You see African people carrying water jugs above their head back to their homes. They turn as the camera moves along, with unconcerned expressions on their face. The camera comes to a dusty village, composed of one house and a series of different mud huts, chicken coops and fire pits. You see a shinning black car pull up; African people come out of their homes to see what is going on. Chickens squawk and flutter across the camera and then you see a large plump women with dark as night skin emerge from the one house carrying a small boy with sandy blond hair. Followed by two black maids carrying a small suitcase. The Nanny is crying, and the boy has attached himself firmly around her neck. The next shot is of someone pulling the boy out of the woman’s arms. With some difficulty because the boy does not want to let go. The other women that have now crowded around the woman, but the woman keeps strong allowing her tears to flow freely down her cheeks. You can see in the background and old man standing in the doorway of the house, with tanned skin and wispy white hair, taking a large drag from a wooden pipe. The last scene is of the boy looking out of the car window with white streaks were his tears have fallen. The door slams with a loud wham. The screen goes black, the music gets louder and in white letters you see the title “The Power of One”. And underneath a quote from the book, “The power of one - one idea, one heart, one mind, one plan, one determination”.

In this scene Peekay, the little boy, is being taken away from his beloved nanny to boarding school. The music is a mixture of all of the very separate African tribes because Peekay will soon be the one that will reunite them. I choose to make the Camera shoot between the big landscapes of Africa to the loving clutches of the nanny to create a contrast. And to symbolize that this little boy will soon become as powerful as the landscape through the power of one. The objective of a beginning like this is to leave a lasting impression on the people who are watching the movie.