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Dukwane's Deliverance

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Dukwane’s Deliverance

Being different from other people, is never easy. When the color of your skin is what makes you different from other people at your age, it is especially aggravating. However, what defines being different? Is it the pigmentation of your skin, which makes a person different? Don’t we all stand out in some way? When you look across skin color, culture, socioeconomic status, there is one thing that we all have in common, and that is the fact, that we all have dreams. Fulfilling a dream certainly requires hard work and passion, but even that might not be enough. However, it is one place to start. In the short story “Dukwane’s Deliverance” by Neil Ramsorrun, 2010, the main character Dukwane dreams of becoming a politician: someone bigger than Barack Obama. Dukwane is black and lives in the London area where people in his environment have a racist way of thinking. Because of the opportunities and different career options education can provide, he is excited about his admission to the King’s College at Cambrigde University.
One night walking back from work, some young aggressors assault Dukwane, beating him badly. This results in Dukwane ending up in the hospital, with risk of not being able to walk again. This puts Dukwane in a dilemma: either he can keep trying to make his dream become a reality or he can choose to get revenge. An omniscient narrator tells the story, giving a clear picture of Dukwan and his surroundings. Dukwane lives in Camden with his parents. Dukwane is described as being a person with integrity and always sticking up for what is right: “(…) his hand raised to try and calm the gang of four, instinctively he places his body between the kid and his pursuers”. Dukwane dreams about becoming a prominent politician, even though his dad is a skeptic: “ (…) if you make it up there, I’ll eat my pork pie hat (…) If Barack can do it, so can I”.
He is conscious about the fact, that King’s College are white and from a much better socioeconomic class than he is, but he is nevertheless determined and willing to work hard. Not fitting in is not an issue for him. Dukwane’s determinationis also reflected in his perception of British culture: “He could walk to Big Ben in 40 minutes from his house, and could almost see it from his street, but he couldn’t really say he felt part of any of it. Yet”.

The story takes place in different locations. Dukwane lives in Camden on York Way, where he can almost see Big Ben. The landscape is described in a vivifying way: “As he stepped out onto York way, the sun was setting over King’s Cross in the distance, a crimson candyfloss sky broken by a dozen cranes all busy building his city”. The use of the word his city instead of the city, gives us a sense that Dukwane’s dream of becoming a person with significant power one day is intense. Doubt does simply not exist in Dukwane’s mind. The setting of the story changes completely at night, where the surroundings becomes silent and dark; the only light is from the street light. The last setting takes place at the hospital.

“Dukwane’s Deliverance” is told by Dukewane’s point of view, but his colleague and friend Jermaine questions Dukwane’s plans of going to college: “Aren’t you not afraid of not fitting in (…) they’re all loaded and white, I heard you get the cane from teachers (…)”. While Jermaine is skeptic about advancement in regards to one’s social status, Dukwane is trying to see him as being equal to everyone else. The narrator of the story is omniscient, but we are really close to Dukwane and we see his actions and thoughts. Even though it is his point of view, Dukwane is still questioned by Jermaine who tries to influence his decisions and thought process: “Maybe there’s something we can do (…) Revenge”.

A significant topic in this story is the feeling of being different and not fitting in – racism being the main factor in this story. Despite of the fact, that the abovementioned problematic compose a big challenge to most young people, Dukwane does let it bother him. His aspirations to become a politician is simply what drives him. Dukwane is so determined, that not even a violent attack can deter him and make him change his mind. Another main theme is determination and the pursuit of one’s dream. The determined pursuit of a dream and being different is closely related in this story. Dukwane experiencing a racist attack does create doubt in his mind, but despite of this he still manage to beat the doubt, and end up being even more determined than before the attack.

So in reality, is being different that big of an issue? Determination and passion is the key in order to make a dream come true. If we want it bad enough, we can achieve what our surroundings think of being impossible. Socioeconomic status and skin color doesn’t necessarily has to compose an obstacle. In this story, Dukwane tells us that the only thing that can stop a person from achieving what he wants and becoming the person, he would like to be, is himself.

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