Structure and Language Flashcards
The mood in Born a Crime shifts frequently, reflecting the contrasting experiences Noah had throughout his childhood and early adulthood. The mood oscillates between lighthearted, humorous, dark, and reflective, which effectively mirrors his internal conflict and the tumultuous nature of South African society.
Lighthearted and Fun: In some sections, Noah uses humor to create a more playful mood, particularly when recounting the absurdities of apartheid and his mischievous antics as a child. For instance, when discussing his childhood experiences of moving between different racial communities, he adopts a tone of curiosity and lightheartedness, despite the underlying racial tensions.
Example:
“I was born a crime… the crime was me.” This self-deprecating humor sets the tone for much of the memoir, where he reflects on his existence as a violation of the apartheid system while not taking himself too seriously.
Dark and Tense: At other times, the mood turns somber, especially when discussing the harsh realities of apartheid and the violence in his community. When talking about his mother’s abusive relationships or the constant threat of violence, the mood is heavier and reflective, as Noah describes the emotional and physical scars left by systemic oppression.
Example:
When describing his stepfather’s abuse, Noah writes, “Abel’s love was not love; it was control. It was ownership. It was violence.” This dark mood emphasizes the trauma inflicted by personal and societal violence.
Reflective and Thought-Provoking: Throughout the book, Noah uses reflective passages that invite readers to pause and think about the larger societal issues of race, identity, and inequality. For instance, he reflects on how apartheid shaped his understanding of race and how his identity was in constant flux.
Noah’s tone in Born a Crime is dynamic, moving between humor, irony, sarcasm, and seriousness depending on the situation. His tone serves as both a coping mechanism and a tool for critique, allowing him to deliver powerful social commentary while still keeping the narrative engaging.
Humorous and Satirical: As a comedian, Noah uses humor as one of his primary tools for storytelling. The satirical tone allows him to address serious issues with a sense of levity, making the book more accessible without undermining the gravity of the topics at hand. His wit often serves to underscore the absurdity of the apartheid system.
Example:
He humorously reflects on how his mother’s stubbornness shaped his upbringing: “My mom didn’t believe in modern medicine. She believed in the power of prayer. If that didn’t work, then we’d move to Plan B: get me hit by a car.” This sarcastic tone highlights the absurdity of some of the situations he found himself in, making the story more relatable and entertaining.
Serious and Analytical: While humor is central to his narrative, Noah also adopts a more serious, reflective tone when discussing personal pain or the consequences of apartheid. In these moments, his tone becomes sober and critical as he analyzes the emotional and societal impact of his experiences.
Example:
When discussing his mother’s abuse at the hands of his stepfather, Abel, Noah writes with a tone of sadness and analysis: “We were a broken family because of the system… It was apartheid, but it wasn’t just apartheid. It was the aftereffects of apartheid.”
Ironic and Critical: Noah also uses irony and criticism to expose the flaws and contradictions in South African society, particularly the contradictions inherent in apartheid and post-apartheid realities. His tone critiques the hypocrisy and injustices he witnessed in his community and beyond.
Example:
He writes about how apartheid segregated people based on race and how absurd it was: “The government said we couldn’t marry each other because of race, but at the same time, we all lived in the same neighborhoods, used the same public transportation, and even played the same sports. It was as if they thought that love could be regulated.”
The language Noah uses in Born a Crime is vivid, evocative, and accessible, allowing him to communicate complex ideas with clarity. He incorporates both English and South African vernacular, along with some phrases from local languages (like Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans), to give the memoir a strong sense of place and authenticity.
Simple and Direct: Noah’s writing is often straightforward, using plain language that makes his stories easy to follow. This directness helps keep the memoir from feeling overly complex or bogged down by unnecessary details.
Example:
When describing his mixed-race identity, he simply states, “I was black. I was white. I was everything, and nothing at the same time.” The simplicity of this sentence captures the confusion and complexity of his identity, making it resonate with readers.
Cultural and Regional Language: Noah frequently uses South African idioms and expressions, as well as the unique linguistic fusion of different languages, to immerse the reader in his world. This use of local language adds authenticity to his storytelling and reflects his complex upbringing in a multi-lingual society.
Example:
He uses Afrikaans, English, and various African languages interchangeably throughout the book, reflecting the multilingual environment in which he was raised. For instance, he sometimes refers to people or concepts in their native language for deeper cultural resonance: “He was a ‘boer,’ a white man, and the ‘coolie,’ a mixed man like me.”
Humor is arguably the most distinctive and powerful element in Born a Crime. Noah uses humor not only as a means of coping with the pain of his childhood but also as a tool to comment on and critique the absurdities of apartheid, race, and human behavior. His ability to weave humor into otherwise heavy and painful situations is one of the most striking features of the book.
Self-Deprecating Humor: Noah frequently uses self-deprecating humor to lighten the narrative, making himself the butt of the joke in a way that makes his experiences relatable and non-threatening to readers. His humor allows him to critique himself and his society in equal measure, demonstrating humility and an awareness of his own flaws and privileges.
Example:
He writes about the difficulties he faced growing up mixed-race: “I was never black enough to be black and never white enough to be white. But I was always enough of a problem to be hated.” This self-deprecating humor allows Noah to poke fun at his identity struggles while highlighting the societal problems that led to those struggles.
Absurdity and Irony: Many of the humorous moments in Born a Crime come from the absurdity of apartheid and the way it tried to impose ridiculous rules on society. His humorous reflections on how the system categorized people and tried to maintain racial purity are used to expose the inherent contradictions and senselessness of apartheid.
Example:
He reflects on the ridiculousness of apartheid’s classification system: “I was a crime. I wasn’t supposed to exist.” This absurdity is underscored by humor, as Noah makes light of the severity of the situation while still conveying the oppressive weight of living in a racially segregated society.
Dark Humor: At times, Noah uses dark humor to deal with the trauma of his childhood, especially in the face of violence and abuse. Humor allows him to process and reflect on these difficult subjects without being overwhelmed by them.
Example:
When talking about the fact that his mother was frequently the victim of violence, he quips, “When your mom’s a warrior, she’s never afraid to die.” This dark humor highlights the contradictions in how he viewed his mother’s strength and vulnerability.
Preface
The short, bolded preface to each chapter offers a political, cultural and/or historical context for the personal stories/anecdotes within each chapter
The preface distils and captures the essence of the bigger ideas at play.
