Answer to Question #259347 in English for Refiloe Moloi

Question

 Compare the The Absolutely true diary of an Indian and on the run by mohale mashigo. Make an argument as to whether you consider these texts meaningful or not and why. In other words, you MUST explain your criteria for what makes these texts meaningful or not, and you must cite evidence. Your argument must be comparative and must be based on evidence from

the texts. As evidence for your argument, you MUST analyse some of the literary devices, settings and themes (you MAY also analyse key plot points as evidence for your argument)

Answer 1

 A collection of short tales by South African writer Mohale Mashigo, uses a speculative lens to analyze Africa's future in the face of oncoming disaster. While her stories depict the postcolonial other as a potential future victim, as suggested by Agamben's state of exception, they also exhibit a balance of the global with the local, as well as a feeling of agency that is unique to the author and the reality of post-transitional South Africa.

Alienation, companionship, and mortality are major themes in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Junior becomes a "part-time" Indian, and he is alienated by both his Indian and white companions' incapacity to grasp the unique challenges he experiences as he crosses two cultures.