Describe at least one way that a character or individual changed in the text. Explain how this change was important to the text as a whole
In the novel “The Power Of One” by Bryce Courtney a key time that Peekay changed in the book was when he discovered his opinions on racism and how he disapproves of it. “The Power Of One” is a novel about a young African boy who figured out who he really is and his story on growing up in a very perplexed world. He changed when he discovered that he didn’t support the racism in his world and wanted it to change. He also changed when he discovered that he was smart and he should try and use his brain rather than hide his smartness. One more way that Peekay changed was when he found Doc. He truly found his reason to be in the world and where he belonged.
A massive way Peekay changed in the novel “The Power Of One” was when he discovered that he didn’t approve of the racism in his life. “. . . God is too busy making the sun come up and go down and watching so the moon floats just right in the sky to be concerned with color . . . Only man wants always God should be there to condemn this one and save that one. Always it is man who wants to make heaven and hell. God is too busy training the bees to make honey and every morning opening up all the new flowers for business.”Peekay believes that every person is equal, no matter what the condition. Peekay believes that if a person is black or white they should be treated the same. Despite Peekay being surrounded by his mothers and his friends’ different beliefs he finds his own and sticks to it. I think Peekay is a caring person, he knows racism is wrong even though his mother, who is usually someone a child would look up to, thinks that racism is ok.
Another time Peekay changed in the novel was when he learned that he was smart and he should use his brains rather than hiding them. “The camouflage was intact and I had moved up to the next evolutionary stage. From knowing how to hide my brains I had now learned how to use them” Peekay had been so embarrassed by his extraordinary smartness for a child that he thought that he needed to camouflage his brains. He had thought that being smart was ludacris when really being smart is a gift. When Peekay started using his brains he started to become a better person. Peekay was already a very nice person but he used his smartness to help others. I think Peekay doubted himself quite a lot but as he grew he got more confident with himself.
One last time Peekay changed on the novel “The Power Of One” was when Peekay found Doc. Peekay describes the love between him and Doc as “so fierce that it burned like a flame inside of us.” Peekay and Doc have a connection unlike any other relationship in the novel. Doc was Peekay’s piano teacher, as he used to be a famous concert pianist back in Germany but refused to play the piano after freezing whilst playing Beethoven’s Symphony Number 5. I think that this changed Doc quite a lot, possibly making him an alcoholic. But despite this Peekay still loves Doc unconditionally, and vice versa. Peekay was quite troubled as a child, he never felt like he fit in but when he found Doc he was a significantly happier person, changing for the better.
In conclusion, Bryce Courtney showed how Peekay changed in many different ways. This helped the readers to have an insight into Peekay’s mind and helped the reader to understand all of Peekay’s ups and downs. When he found his beliefs about racism were different to his families he was more open to talking to other people with different beliefs, leading him to Doc, whom he still changed with. But for the better. As well as him using his brain rather than camouflaging it. As Peekay slowly changed more and more I, the reader, felt more connected as we got to see Peekay grow in “The Power Of One”.
By Paige Gawn
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