Introduction
Arthur Miller believes that a common person is like apt subject for tragedy in its highest sense a king could be. On the face of a modern psychiatry, the tragedies are obvious. The analysis of such tragedies is upon formulations such as Orestes and Oedipus complexes. For instance, the complexes might have been formulated by the royal beings but their effect applies to all people in the same emotional situations. For several reasons humanity is held below tragedies and tragedies above them. Former founder president of independent South Africa lived a tragic life under the colonial rule that brought with it the evil racism and in South African; it was more than mere racism but apartheid. Upon his birth, he was given the name Rolihlahla that is translated as troublemaker. This name is ironic to the early childhood and the whole experience of Nelson Mandela. At a tender age, Mandela started fighting for South Africa cause and doing well to the people. Since then tragedies have become part of Mandela. His character of sacrificing for the people and the rights and freedom of South Africa comes because of the tragedy discrimination that existed between whites and blacks in South Africa.
The discrimination was a tragedy in that the native South African blacks became slaves in their own land. This was a tragedy because the way of life of the black natives changed negatively due to the curtailing slavery that saw them working tirelessly in slavery. The apartheid system institutionalized discrimination in the country and its effect was tragic since it affected all the social aspects of the South African population. The rules of the engagement between blacks and whites were enacted in a way to suggest that the blacks had no place in South Africa. For instance, marriages rules were defined such that marriage between whites and non-whites was abolished in addition to the sanctioning of whites only jobs.
There was also the classification of South Africans by racial lines and funny enough it was the laws of the land that defined the categorization through the population registration Act. The categories included the white, black (African) or colored (of mixed decent). The classification was racial as it based on descent, acceptance and appearance. Horrific experiences are theoretically known to affect human thinking and psychological behavior including character. The detrimental deep psychological and social effects of apartheid are the cause of the tragic character of Nelson Mandela who dared to stand against the authorities for the sake of getting out of the tragedy of the racial discrimination. The unjust experiences of the South African community are the building blocks of the tragic character of Mandela.
Upon of Arthur Miller’s visit to South Africa, he confirms the true reflection and evidence of his theory of tragedy in the black townships in the outskirts of Cape Town. The play writer encountered a concrete wall several feet high. The concrete wall reminds the play writer of the Oedipus Rex of the ancient Greek tragedy. Concrete walls are signs of investment denial since they are expensive and the symbol of the shantytowns of Cape Town is denial. This was exactly the situation of South Africa during the period of Apartheid. The visit was Miller’s first to South Africa and after his exploration of the Ghettos of Cape Town; he found the exact birthplace of Apartheid tragedy. To the play writer the places surrounding the outskirts of Cape Town suffused with similar follies and frailties that are in his plays.
Another causal effect of the tragic character and led to triumph of Mandela and the whole of South African community was the imprisonment of Mandela, which was long as 27 years. The imprisonment though it frustrated him it built the spirit of heroism in him and served to strengthen his tragic character. Upon release from prison, Mandela never stopped asking for the freedom of South Africa and more wise and tragic he uses diplomacy unlike other nations that engaged in violence.
The main cause of the tragedy was the severe rule of the colonies, which Mandela saw as detrimental to the way of life of South Africans. However, the imprisonment of Mandela though related to the main cause of the tragedy contributes to the cause of the tragedy that saw Mandela in prison for 27 years. The effects of the tragedy were the distinctive division between whites, Africans and the others who were considered colored. The rule was detrimental in that all the best places and resources in South Africa were divided in favor of the whites. The national income share for the whites was 75% for a population of 4.5 million and less than 20% for a population of 19 million. Land allocation was 13% against 87%. Over time the whites got tired of the insist for freedom as the calls for freedom and movements including riots emerged detrimental and South Africa was free at last.
In the significance of Arthur Miller’s essay, he explains the importance of a tragic hero in the society. The tragic heroes of today are well outline in Arthur Miller’s essay. According to him, he argues that not all the notable king is considered tragic heroes. According to him, any common person can be tragic hero. This only happens when the person has notable respect in the society. For him he said that for a king to be considered a tragic hero he or she must portray good qualities of leadership. Arthur Miller’s idea is significance to Nelson Mandela’s leadership. He considers Nelson Mandela as a tragic hero as he argues that he is the leader who portrays good qualities of leadership.
For Arthur to be considered a tragic hero the person should be ready to sacrifice his or her life for the sake of other human beings in the society. He or she is ready to lay down his or her life so that the society can be freed of a certain situation. This is depicted by Nelson Mandela who is ready to be imprisoned for twenty-seven years for the sake of abolishing apartheid in South Africa. He is ready to be imprisonment for the black South Africans to get their independence. This tragedy that b falls on him when he is fighting for the sake of his fellow South Africans make to be a tragic hero. When he was in prison, he contracted pneumonia and tuberculosis, which jeopardized his life. As he fought for the South African independence, he passed through a lot of challenges and suffering from the whites from South Africa. Although he passed through all these sufferings, he was ready to fight for the people of South Africa to get their freedom. He also fought for the abolishment of the apartheid in South Africa, which the whites used to discriminate Africans
Arthur Miller considers Nelson Mandela a true tragic hero after suffering for the sake of freedom and independence to the people of South Africa. The idea of Arthur where the person is considered a tragic hero only when he is ready to law down his or life for the sake of other human beings is fulfilled by Nelson Mandela who is ready to give out his life for the sake of black people in South Africa. However, he suffered in prison for twenty years, which affected his health status his ready to serve the people of South Africa. He is ready to show good qualities of leadership later after coming from prison and given power to be the president of South Africa. His dignity is maintained when ruled South Africa and served all people equally.
Although he suffered under the hands of whites as he fought for the independence of South Africa he could not mistreat the white after becoming the president of South Africa in 1994.This gives him dignity and respect from all over the world. The significance of Arthur idea of tragedy and tragic hero is very important to South Africans as their hero Nelson Mandela showed these qualities and fought for their independence. When Arthur Miller visited Nelson Mandela in South Africa, he described him as the most respected leader with good qualities of leadership. The visit to South gave him a good opportunity to interview Nelson Mandela. He later described him as a good judge.
The tragic individual or idea does not have to be famous for the society to know that there is a tragic idea or person somewhere but it needs to have significance in the life and history of human beings. Arthur argues that the common person can be a hero also and such tragic heroism does not need to be famous in the society. The tragic hero will only be famous after sacrificing their life and serve the humanity. Such individuals will become famous when their deeds are reflected by their services towards humanity.
Annotated Bibliography
"Mandela's Life and Times." BBC News. BBC, 25 Feb. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
"Apartheid." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2012.
It talks about the apartheid in South Africa. The whites in South Africa discriminated the black Africans using the apartheid rule. The South Africans excluded the black Africans from the government. In case they happened to the meeting by the whites, they expected to sit in the place different from that of the whites. They were also expected to use their own doors. Mandela fought for the abolition of this.
-Nelson Mandela." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2012. Web. 8 Dec. 2012.
It talks about Mandela’s lifetime. He was born in 1918 into a royal family. He studied law in the University of Witswaterand where he met with very many people of different races and backgrounds. Later he fought South African independence.
“No Easy Walk to Freedom." Anc.org.za. ANC, 1 June 1965. Web. 3 Dec. 2012
This is a credible source as it contains the personal address of Mandela ideas, his believes and account of all things that he did and all that occurred around him. The credibility of this source is also important in that it gives details of the presidency of Mandela until he was off power.
“The President’s Job.” Scholastic. Scholastic Inc.,, n.d. Web. 24 May 2013
The site gives an overview of what the Presidents job is really is. It gives an account of what a president is suppose to do and thus giving a comparison with what Mandela did is easy.
"South Africa: The Presidency of Nelson Mandela (1994-1999)." Eisa.org.za. EISA, Feb. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2012
This article is a credible and reliable source as it focused on Mandela’s time as a president of South Africa. It gives details of what he did as the president to help the Government during the short period that he requested.
"Statement of Nelson Mandela at his Inauguration as President." Anc.org.za. ANC, 10 May 1994. Web. 8 Dec. 2012
This primary source contains the plans of Mandela upon his election as the president of South Africa. It generally contains the promises that Mandela made to South Africans.
