I think that Caroline s parents actually were never racist, they just did not understand the blacks. They were scared of them and did not want to know any better. This was what really made most of the whites against the blacks. They thought that being different was scary and that their skin color made them supposedly "The evil ones" So after the apartheid I do think that Caroline's parents will change.
I think this because at first, when apartheid officially ends, her parents might be scared and frightened of what the blacks would do to them. At first, a lot of people thought that once the apartheid was over, the blacks would only want revenge. They would treat the whites the same way the whites treated them. However, they did not and that is why I think that Caroline's parents will change. They would notice that they are good people and they would start acting better to them. Once they actually see that all the blacks just wanted to be normal and treated normally, they would for once accept the blacks. For example, on page 62, Caroline's mom says: "Look, I am not saying that your girls can't be trusted..." So it sounds like she was just scared of Janey and afraid that she would harm her.
Even though Caroline's parents will change, I do not think that Caroline would ever change. I think she will always be mean to the blacks because she started becoming friends with Alice. Alice was the main problem. If Caroline continued being friends with Lily, she would learn even faster than her parents about what was right and what was wrong. However, Alice is totally against the idea. All she will do to Caroline is turn her way against the blacks. For example, on page 69, Alice says: "I was only telling the truth, wasn't I Caroline?" So Alice was bribing Caroline to agree with all she said about the blacks.
Overall, I think that their behavior will change depending on the people that they are around. I think that they really influence the people. I just have one last question: How would Lily react to this? Will she ever try to get Caroline back to her common sense?
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I choose this picture because I think that the girl in the yellow dress is like Lily and the two girls behind her are like Alice and Caroline teasing her.
I liked what you said about how Lily's parents don't understand the blacks side. There could just be a side that doesn't now much about the blacks. I also liked what you said about how the parents might change but Caroline will no because she as lived in a white environment for her whole entire life.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post, and it made me change my mind. At first I thought that they would never change because it was like a language, once you learn it, you never forget it. Now that I read your post I think in a different way, now I think that they were just afraid of the blacks, and when apartheid eventually ends, which it will, they will come and live normally with black people. I think that one event that really shaped the forge of white South Africans and black South Africans was the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. There every South African, black or white, participated and cheered for the same nation. They were united in only one, and that really shaped the country. Later on, the South African Rugby team actually won the Cup making an even bigger party for the South Africans.