You'll see that the strong, the affirmative, the positive voice in any of the plays I've written is that of a woman. My men are, well, not quite worthless, but they are certainly weak, and that reflects the reality I grew up with and what I think has in a sense shaped me.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the author's perception of gender roles, emphasizing the strength and positivity of women compared to the weakness of men in his narratives.
In this quote, Athol Fugard highlights the strong, affirmative presence of female characters in his works, contrasting them with the weaker male characters. This dichotomy is rooted in his personal experiences and observations of gender dynamics, suggesting that he views women as embodiments of strength and resilience, shaped by the societal realities he faced while growing up.
In practice
This quote can be used during a discussion on gender representation in literature.
What I quickly discovered is that our so-called new South Africa has as much material for a story-teller as the old one. The landscape hasn't really changed. Who is in power now is different to who was in power then, but the squatter camps grow like cancer, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.
For most of my writing life, I've refused to allow myself to believe that writing was a significant form of action. I always felt very uneasy about the fact that all I did was write in a situation as desperate as apartheid South Africa. Whether I was correct or not is a different issue.
I can't think of a single one of my plays that does not represent a coincidence between an external and an internal event. Something outside of me, outside even my own life, something I read in a newspaper or witness on the street, something I see or hear, fascinates me. I see it for its dramatic potential.
For you in the West to hear the phrase 'All men are created equal' is to draw a yawn. For us, it's a miracle. We're starting out at rock bottom, man. But South Africa does have soul.
As fascinated as I was by words on paper, it was matched by my fascination with words in people's mouths. The spoken word. And that is the world of theatre.
Grief doesn't change you. It reveals you.
I'm so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.
Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.
It's very difficult to convince other countries that they shouldn't pursue nuclear weapons programs if we ourselves are actively developing a component of a strategic defense system.
The things of this world take up too much of my time, of which indeed I have too little left, to undertake anything like a reformation in religion.
I believe in mysticism, with an interior goal, _x000D_ and you are your own temple _x000D_ and your own priest.
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