You Never Know

You Never Know

    Sometimes a little thing can end up going a long way.  Such is the case in Bessie Head’s novel A Question of Power, in which main character Elizabeth is greatly impacted by many seemingly ordinary occurrences.  These positive experiences prove to be greatly therapeutic to Elizabeth, and also serve as an escape from the turbulence and turmoil of her dreary world.  More importantly, these small occurrences end up providing Elizabeth with a piece of encouragement, and hope for the future.
    When asked about my hobbies, I immediately start listing off the things in this world which I most enjoy.  This includes numerous sports, specifically the ones which I am best at, because failing in anything really agitates me.  When in despair, it is no surprise to me that people often turn to their hobbies, and use them as a sort of remedy, escape from the negativity that life can bring.  For some, life is more unpleasant than others, as is the case with Elizabeth, who finds comfort and stability in numerous tasks and responsibilities. 
    In her initially ‘frameless’ world, Elizabeth struggles to find any sort of reasoning, importance, and purpose to everyday life.  I believe that Elizabeth is greatly fascinated, and finds an amount of self value when being involved, and more importantly contributing to any cause, like tending the garden.  Although it might not be of great importance, Elizabeth still sees her success, and the beauty of the garden both as indications of hope and enthusiasm in her normally negative world.  While some of the hobbies and interests are of marginal importance, like making the jelly out of the cape gooseberry, or doing pottery and weaving, they are still things which take her mind off of her seemingly unpleasant, chaotic world.
    Elizabeth is also inspired by her interactions with different people, specifically a certain character an young American man named Tom, an agriculturalist who comes to Motabeng to promote the development of young farmers in the region.  Elizabeth is intrigued by Tom and his outlook on life, “It was if the young man’s inner world was always one of ease and freedom, no matter what his circumstances.” (Head, p. 111)  This is very inspirational to Elizabeth, even though Tom has probably been surrounded by much kinder circumstances throughout his lifetime.  Tom is also instrumental in the way that he helps Elizabeth realize her own qualities and self-beauty, “Don’t you love everyone?…This is one hell of a girl” (Head, p.188)  Because she is not at all accustomed to receiving any sort of praise, the slightest bit of it seems to go a long way, “The rest she did herself.  She was poised from that moment to make the great leap out of hell.” (Head, p. 188)
    As an escape from her normally chaotic, unpleasant life, Elizabeth turns to the things which she enjoys most.  Whether its making gooseberry jelly, pottery, or tending after garden vegetables, they are all things which take her mind away from her normally depressing life.  Although some might call it looking too far into things, there is always a ripple effect, where a little thing can go a long way.

A little Sound of Music for you

“When the dog bites,
when the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad”