...In J.M Coetzee’s Disgrace, it is a very powerful novel that has many unfortunate events all taking place in South Africa. J.M Coetzee wanted to really outline the topic of racial oppression in South Africa and interlink it with very grim themes that are very raw and brutal. There are many themes in the novel ‘Disgrace’’ such as sex, family (relationship between David and his daughter Lucy), violence, men and masculinity, and women and power. In this essay, my main focus is the theme of women and power and the injustice they face in their society. This essay will also briefly explain how the men’s perspective towards women can be viewed as degrading and immoral. It is an intense theme, the text represents a male dominated society and women are followers. It outlines the idea that men do not value women, they have very little respect for them. It also emphasizes the idea that men hold a lot of power compared to women. However, throughout the novel the characters, especially David, they change. He is represented as an arrogant man, feels superior. Throughout the novel, his character tends to change; he becomes powerless in the sense that he loses everything, his job, and reputation and not to mention his dignity. David Lurie is an intriguing character; he is a professor teaching romantic poetry and has so much passion for literature and arts as well as culture but the irony is that his personal life is led by ignorance, this is evident in the way he objectifies both Melanie and...
Words: 1358 - Pages: 6
...Coetzee uses animals in his novel Disgrace to become metaphorical images of the characters and in some way the characters become animal-like characters. It also reflects the struggles that they go through in the post-colonial era. Animals are significant in the novel Disgrace become metaphorical to the people in the novel and how their situations that they find themselves in change them to become the animals. A certain situation can make them result into a certain animal, but they also change from one animal to another animal, depending on what curve ball life troughs at them. According to Patton (2009) it is clear that from the beginning of the novel David Lurie has a strong distinction between humans and animals. He believes that “We are from different order of creation from the animals.” (Coetzee: 1999, 74). Humans are not equal to animals in any way, humans have a soul that is not bound to them, before we are born we were already a soul, and when a person dies his soul leaves his body, where as an animal’s “souls are tied to their bodies and die with them.” (Coetzee, 1999, 78).David believes that animals do not have a proper soul, but his seeing changes and by the end of the novel, he finds that humans are equal to animals. He is in the room, the room where he and Bev organize the death of the animals, and David comes to a realisation and he thinks to himself “here the soul is yanked out of the body…” (Coetzee: 1999, 219). According to Meier (2006): David Lurie explains...
Words: 1226 - Pages: 5
...Disgrace Essay: Question 2 “Disgrace can be seen as an exploration of the relationship between the powerful and the powerless.” Set in post-apartheid South Africa, amidst a large scale shifting of power in many forms countrywide, Disgrace can very much be seen as an exploration of the relationship between the powerful and the powerless. Disgrace delves into power dynamics in various, contrasting relationships, and explores these dynamics between people of different race, gender, generations, positions of authority, and even those between humans and animals. During the course of the novel, various questions surrounding power in interpersonal relations are raised, and by the conclusion of Disgrace, Coetzee leaves us with profound thoughts and suggestions on which to dwell. In just about every relationship in Disgrace, the themes of dominance and power are present, albeit to varying degrees. There are four main relationships to which the subject of power is central: those between Lucy and Petrus, the rapists, and her father, and that between Melanie and David. Analysing these relationships with reference to Hegel’s view of “history being determined by a cycle of domination and counter-domination in which individuals who strive to fulfil their need for recognition are entrapped” (Marais 2008:35) greatly enhances the understanding of power and its context within the various relationships in Disgrace, especially with regard to Lucy’s decisions after her rape, and to Lucy’s...
Words: 1334 - Pages: 6
...English 2210 9 November 2012 In Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee we are introduced to David Lurie, the protagonist and narrator of this novel. David Lurie is a 52 year old divorced man, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, as a respected romantic poetry professor at a university. His life is full of sexual, non-committed relationships. After being accused of inappropriate behavior with a student, Lurie loses his job at the university and must move in with his daughter, Lucy, in the country. Throughout the novel we see many references to animals, especially in relation to Lurie. Because he is the narrator of the novel, these animal references lead the reader to believe Lurie is describing himself through these animals. Lurie uses descriptions of animals as a way to describe how he feels about himself. We see Lurie go from a sexually charged predator, to a strange beast who has been hunter, to a dog-man, and then finally to a helpless dog who is ready to be put out of his misery. David Lurie is a predator at the beginning of the novel. He is a man searching for sex, and for the most part he is successful at it. His first sexual interest he introduces us to is Soraya, a prostitute who he has been going to see for a long time. Lurie describes them having sex by comparing them to snakes engaged in intercourse, "lengthy, absorbed, but rather abstract, rather dry, even at its hottest" (Coetzee 5 ). Being the narrator, this shows the reader how David views himself, as well as Soraya...
Words: 1194 - Pages: 5
...Britanee Windom Scott Inguito English 1B 5/18/2013 Essay #5 The novel Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee is story about having good morals and karma. The main character David Lurie is a middle aged man that is in a sense going through a mid life crisis. Lurie thinks of himself has am accomplished man and typically feels he has control in his life when it comes to finances, professional, and his personal life. However, after having an affair with a student, Lurie begins have a hard time controlling aspects in his life that he was once took for granite. Some concepts that Lurie comes to realize throughout the novel Disgrace are the amount of violence he faces, two sides to justice, and accepting old age. As David Lurie comes upon different trials and tribulations his character changes over the course of the novel and by the end Lurie finds closure in the unknown. David Lurie’s has a real problem with the idea of aging gracefully; he has a wont to feel like he’s still got it, as a result this notion of youth controls him. Lurie is pretty obsessive about aging to the point that it sometimes clouds his judgment and deep down it depresses him. “Overnight he became a ghost. Then one day it all ended. Without warning his power….. If he wanted a woman he had to learn to pursue her; often in one way or another, to buy her. (p.36)” Lurie pursues all the wrong women or resorts to buying women all so that he can feel young again. The wrong choice in women is extremely apparent when goes after one of...
Words: 984 - Pages: 4
...How does J.M. Coetzee present David Lurie in chapter one and what do we learn about him? Coetzee’s novel Disgrace appears to be centred around an immature, arrogant, self-centred David Lurie. In the novel as a whole but particularly chapter one Coetzee demonstrates, through Lurie, the loss of power due to age and the loss of ‘white rights’ as the novel is set in South Africa after the apartheid. The loss of power links with Tennessee Williams’ play ‘A streetcar named Desire’ as both the protagonists demonstrate the loss of power and their unconventional coping strategies. Coetzee shows the reader the negative impact breaking away from the norms of society can have upon an individual. I think David Lurie is a character with whom the reader should sympathise with as he does not know who he is which may be what causes him to act in an irrational way. Furthermore I believe Coetzee aims to make the reader feel detached and uncomfortable in the first chapter thus reflecting Lurie’s feelings about this ‘new world’. The theme of age and maturity is presented heavily throughout the novel. Growing old appears to be an unfortunate thing in the novel as Coetzee claims ‘for a man of his age’ Lurie has ‘solved the problem of sex rather well’. The beginning of this statement gives a disparaging view of again and could cause the reader to believe that growing old is something we should resist. However this is contradicted by the second part of the sentence as it gives the impression that...
Words: 1330 - Pages: 6
...“Disgracing himself” This novel, “Disgrace” by J.M. Coetzee was such an outrageous novel for me. David Lurie was our main character; he was involved throughout the whole entire novel. David Lurie has many superior changes that occur to him in his life. As, we analyzed David Lurie is the main character in the novel, he acknowledges many terrific experiences, some were quite shocking and extremely intense. The author of this novel makes David Lurie’s personality seem very doubtful. There are many significant changes in David Lurie, especially how his personality creates new a character for him. Many major changes occur to David Lurie’s life, these affect him a positive manner. The changes occur and teach him not to make similar mistakes as previously...
Words: 1373 - Pages: 6
...daughters, Goneril and Reagan please Lear with fulsome flowery words that they love him more than any thing in the world. Meanwhile, his youngest and favorite daughter, Cordelia, who truly love King Lear the most, could not find a word to properly express her love to the king, which infuriates him. Lear divided his kingdom to Goneril and Reagan while disinherited Cordelia. His thoughtless decision was paid off by a series of tragedies. Goneril and Reagan betrayed Lear; and later the sorrow death of Reagan, then Goneril, Cordelia and finally Lear end the tragedy. Sorrow with King Lear’s misfortune, Shakespeare wrote Lear Sonnet 29 that partially express his sympathy with Lear. Thus, the state of disgrace referred to in this sonnet have been said to be real. Sonnet 29: “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes I all alone beweep my outcast state, …. That then I scorn to change my state with kings.” Looking at this sonnet by itself, one could see that the speaker seem to cry alone with pity when nothing is...
Words: 582 - Pages: 3
...Sarah Kaminski Biddinger Essay 2 July 3, 2012 David Lurie- Not so Disgraced David Lurie, a twice-divorced man and communications professor, is the antagonist in the novel Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee. In the beginning of the novel, Lurie believes he has found the key to a successful relationship with a woman- hiring a prostitute once a week- but when his favorite prostitute leaves the brothel he seeks companionship in another place. After having relations with one of his students he is found out and asked to resign from the university and moves away from Cape Town to be in isolation with his daughter. He refers to this period as being in “disgrace” and that because of what he lost back at his home in Cape Town he is now expected to be in this state of disgrace. Lurie, although at first resistant, becomes at home with his daughter Lucy in this small country area- giving the impression that he is in fact a changed man. On the contrary, after he leaves for Cape Town he resorts back to his old ways of going to a prostitute for an intimate connection. For a person who had not seemed to change at all, one would consider Lurie a static character, although this is not the case. David Lurie is a realistic, growing, and dynamic character that effectively paints the picture of how “old dogs” can still, in fact, learn new tricks. In the first few chapters of the novel, Lurie is represented as a man who seeks to control and to display his power. In the first chapter he uses...
Words: 1305 - Pages: 6
...Hebrews 6:4-6 expresses a thought, whereas, Christians can lose their salvation. People who have experienced salvation and fallen away cannot be saved again because they are making Jesus go through the crucifixion all over again and humiliating him. Even after they have experienced all the amazing things God has provided them with, if they fall away and try to become saved again it would be like putting Christ through disgrace and His sacrifice on the cross. At the beginning of the passage it speaks of all the great things Jesus died for and that Christians get to enjoy. “In the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...well- known scientist, marries Georgiana who at birth received a birthmark on her left cheek that looked like a small handprint. After being married Aylmer for some time he did not like the birthmark that was on her cheek and asked if she ever wanted it removed. She too decided that since her husband did not like the birthmark and she did not want to be a disgrace to her husband that she would have the birthmark removed. He then took her to his lab and he got to work on something that was going to get the birthmark to go away. Georgiana said over and over that if he could not get rid of it then she did not want to live. He finally came in with a cure. He tested it on the plant that had blotches on its leaves. The flower began to grow and the blotches disappeared. Georgiana then decided to take the potion. She fell asleep and her husband sat by waiting. After a while the birthmark then disappeared and with his excitement he woke his wife. They were both excited that the birthmark had disappeared but shortly after Georgiana had passed away. Knowing that he husband did not like her with her birthmark and her feeling like a disgrace to her husband she agreed to allow her husband to get rid of the birthmark, before she had no issue with her birthmark. Her husband was only worried about what was on the inside, and by getting rid of the birthmark he was messing with God’s design especially when she trusted him so much that she took the potion and later on died. There are some people...
Words: 1035 - Pages: 5
... knowing it goes against everything they believe. The elders’ grand children or their own children, get the number, that the elders got, tattooed in the Holocaust. A lot of people believe this is ignorant, they get it tattooed to show remorse for their elders’ but how can they show remorse by getting a tattoo that was meant to disgrace their religion, heritage and family. Some elders’ however encourage or do not have a problem with this, they understand their children get the tattoo so they wouldn’t have to go through the pain of having that heinous memory forever in ink wherever they got it tattooed. Nazi’s not only tattooed them to get the pleasure of disgracing their own religion and maybe having them spend an eternity in Hell, but only so tell Jews aside from Non – Jews. They could also identify the Jews with that barcode number; it was not just used for degradation. Elders’ believe that getting a replica of their barcode is ignorant because of the disrespect it shows, but they also believe that it’s a better choice than the stupid tattoos their children get nowadays. If one of my family members had a tattoo that was meant to bring disgrace and dishonor to my family, religion or heritage, I would definitely not get a replica. To be...
Words: 533 - Pages: 3
...between the hills like white elephant and no name woman would be that both of the women became pregnant with a child that came from a relationship that was just not meant to be or that did not last long. The differences between both of the texts would be that Jig wanted to abort her baby while the aunt in the other text did give birth and then committed suicide. Each of these stories has conflict, they are imaginary, and they have some rising action. The two differences that were between the two texts were that Jig wanted to have an abortion just so that she could go on with her life like she did before she had gotten pregnant. In the other text the aunt did have her child and then committed suicide because she did not want to be a disgrace to her family for having a baby out of wedlock. Also another difference would be that aunt after she had the baby because she lived in a Chinese village where that went and destroyed her home and her crops because the village people did not believe in having a baby in a non-lasting relationship. Jig was not sure about going through with her abortion...
Words: 1156 - Pages: 5
...of Thebes by enforcing various laws. Kreon’s patriotic nature is further revealed when he promises to place the safety of his country as his first priority. Hence, Kreon remains true to his word as he casts out the death of Polyneices, his own nephew, whom he considers a traitor to Thebes. Thus, These reasons depict how Sophocles portrays Kreon as a patriotic character. Kreon’s patriotism for Thebes is illustrated when he chooses to place the honor of his country, ahead of his own family. This can be seen in the play when he casts out the death of his own nephew, Polyneices. Kreon views polyneices as a traitor and a criminal to his country. Therefore, he forbids any citizen of thebes to bury the body of polyneices, in order to further disgrace his death. While addressing the state Kreon states, “But his brother, Polyneices, the exile,...will be left unburied so men may see...
Words: 769 - Pages: 4
...How much are “The Salem Witch Trail” and “The Baseball Steroid Scandal” are alike? The author of “The Crucible” is Author Miller. The similarities of these stories are people die, lives are ruined, people are accused, and causes disrespect to families. The Crucible was the first huge huisache. People in Salem got accused and some confessed even though it wasn’t true (Miller). In the story, Hale states, “you have confessed yourself to witchcraft, and that speaks with to come to Heaven side. And we will bless you, Tituba” (1058) Tituba was pressured to confess by Hale and Parris (Miller). Over half of the town was accused by the end of the story. The steroid scandal in base ball started way before it became a huge problem. It started...
Words: 279 - Pages: 2
