?The Power Of one, a novel written by Bryce Courtney, is a book about standing up for what is right and achieving a goal. It shows Peekay, first known only as Pisskop, being oppressed by the Africanas, and learns to be a warrior at the age of 5, after being tortured by them and seeing his beloved Kaffir Chicken, Grandpa Chook, is brutally killed by Pisskop’s tormenter, the Judge. Pisskop is put on a train to be cared for by Hoppie, a boxer who inspires him to change his name to Peekay and train to become welterweight champion of the world. “First with the head and then with the heart” As Peekay grows up, first in barberton with Doc and Geel Peit, then at Prince of Wales Boarding School with Hymie, and finally in the mines with Rasputin, he learns how to box, slowly becoming better an stronger and earning the nickname Tadpole angel along the way. Peekay achieves his goal, close to becoming welterweight champion. Growing up, he helped segregated people out, brought them together and inspired them. He became a chief and hero of Africa. Peekay is a person to look up to, and someone many will recall the story of the Tadpole angel, who brought tobacco to blacks in barberton prison, who brought glory to the Prince of Wales Boarding School and its boxing team, and finally became the Welterweight Champion of the World.
? The Judge, Peekay’s torturer, Grandpa Chook’s killer and the person who named him Pisskop, has a special relationship with Peekay. It started in the opening pages of the book. Peekay, 5 at the time, arrives at the Boer school, and on his first night, the Judge and his Africana friends drag Peekay out to the washrooms, which 5 year old Peekay sees as a slaughterhouse. The Judge and his friends pee on Peekay, make fun of his circumcision, call him Pisskop, and leave him there. The fear of the Judge gave him nightwater problems his entire first term at the school, and was only fixed when Peekay was visited by Inkosi Inkosikazi, the medicine man, who is the first person to inspire Peekay to discover the power of one. He also gave Pekay a kaffir chicken called Grandpa Chook. When Peekay and Grandpa Chook got back to school, he’s braver and ready to face the Judge- only for him to be a nazi and torture him for being white. As he is tortured, he keeps calm by thinking about Inkosi Inkosikazi. Finally, on the last day of term, when Peekay will finally be free after one last torture session, the Judge is shat on by Grandpa Chook, and as revenge the Judge kills him. This early memory, the torture, the death of Grandpa Chook, and the africanas being nazis traumatised Peekay, and its a wonder he grew up without a sick hatered for all africanas. That he grew up without wanting nothing to do with them, and to actually support the Kaffirs when no one else would. Finally, Peekay meets the Judge once again, they are both older and stronger and both in their game for Boxing. It becomes the hardest fight of Peekay’s life, but Peekay wins, Carving ‘Pisskop’ into the Judge’s back, the union jack over his swastika tattoo, and rubs mud into the cuts, so they will get infected and cause the judge constant pain.
? Peekay’s journey from scared child to Welterweight Champion of the World is a long hard story with so many things against him. The torturing from the Judge had started to turn Peekay into a warrior at a young age, but he still needed to grow up. The first step would be taking the initials of Pisskop and renaming himself PK, or Peekay. Then he would be inspired by Hoppie to take up boxing, before meeting Doc and Geel Peit, inmates of Barberton Prison, who taught him boxing, and music. His next challenge would be to unite the people of Africa in the prison by starting a tobacco ring to help them, bring glory to their boxing team, and play a medley of all the tribe songs in a prison concert. Yet another challenge is fitting in to Prince of Wales boarding school, which he does while overcoming Puberty, fighting and winning for the boxing team, and starting a bank with his rich friend Hymie. Then he must fight against a Zulu chief, the hardest fight he’s ever had, and it’s against the son of his old Zulu nanny. Finally, Doc dies, turning himself into a crystal, leaving Peekay alone. He must get into oxford and become stronger, so he goes and works the grizzly drills in an african mine, nearly dying in the process. In his accident, he is saved by his friend Rasputin, who gives his life so Peekay can live. And then, he fights the Judge. It is undoubtable that Peekay grew into a warrior during the book, losing everything several times and never giving up.
?♂️ During the book, Peekay discovers the Power of One by standing up for others, and for what’s right. The Power of One is the feeling inside of all of us to stand up for what’s right. “I learned that in each of us there burns a flame of independence that must never be allowed to go out. That as long as it exists within us we cannot be destroyed.” Examples of Peekay using the Power of One are when he became welterweight champion of the world to escape his past and inspire others, when he brought glory year after year to a previously lackluster boxing team at Prince of Wales Boarding School, and Brought together the aftrican tribes in the prison with music. The Power of One is an inspiring force inside the best of people, that many people including me wish we had. It is was caused great people like Martin Luther King, George Washinton, Abraham lincon and Rosa Parks to stand up and do what’s right, and inspired others along the way.
?The Power of one really is a masterpiece by Bryce Courtney. It shows an oppressed, traumatized kid overcome his situation and forgive the tribe that his torturers belonged to, the africanas, and to actually support them. He used the power of one to inspire others and achieve his dreams, and eventually to take down the person who did all the bad stuff to him in the first place. Peekay is a person to look up to and respect who will be remembered as the tadpole angel for many years. Though we are not sure what happens to him after, we can only assume great things are coming for him.
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