Bobby’s Room

          Bobby’s Room, the short story written by Douglas Dunn, is about a boy named Henry Pollock. When he was 12 years old, Henry and his parents went on a vacation away from their home town, Glasgow. When Mr. and Mrs. Pollock realized that all of the hotels were booked, they began to argue. They continued to argue until then they found a Netherbank hotel with plenty of room to stay in. Henrys parents loved the hotel, but more importantly they loved the older couple that was running the hotel, the Bawdens. Later Mr. and Mrs. Pollock decided to go to Singapore, without Henry.

“Your mother and I have to go to Singapore”, his father said.

“We’ll be gone for most of July and all of August and September.

And I’m afraid it just isn’t practical to take you with us.” (73)

Henry was not keen on this idea, and because he is an only child and all of his grandparents were all dead, he had no one to keep an eye on him. So his parents decided to send Henry to the Netherbank hotel that they had stayed at when he was 12.

“You remember Mrs. Bawden, and Netherbank?” His wife

spoke sooner than Pollock would have liked. “We’ve arranged

 for you to stay with her” (73)

Henry was very uncomfortable with staying with Mrs. Bawden, but sadly he had no choice. So when the Pollock’s went to drop Henry off at the Netherbank hotel, Henry was understandably upset and sad, but nobody seemed to care.

                It’s very sad for Henry because deep down everybody needs someone to care about them, and Henry didn’t really have that. His parents were self-centered and his father was not very nice to him at all. His parents were all that he had, and it was clear that Henry was not the most impotent thing in their life. If he were, they would not have left him at a hotel, with people that he barely knew. Mr. and Mrs. Pollock also didn’t take Henrys feeling about leave school for almost three months under consideration. Or about them leaving the first place. They didn’t think about the fact that they are henrys parents and that he needs them to be around. Henry defiantly needed to be nurtured and cared for. But I think that because he was left at the Netherbank hotel, he resented his parents a lot. All Henry really wanted was to be loved by his parents.

Bobby's Room 2.0

"Bobby's Room", by Douglas Dunn, is about a boy named Henry Pollock. He  was an only child and he and no Grandparents. When he was twelve, him and his parents left from Glasgow, their hometown, for a vacation. After finding nothing but booked hotels, they came upon a quaint, empty nether bank hotel and stayed at it for five nights. Mr. and Mrs. Pollock left Henry under the supervision of the owner, Mrs.  Bawden, and her husband, both around 60, in order to traipse around the town and eat in restaurants. Henry felt very isolated and discomforted until they finally left. Two years later, during the summer around July, 14  year old Henry became suspicious of his parents because they kept whispering and talking on the phone. They soon apprised him that they planned to go on a vacation.

"Your mother and I have to go to Singapore," his father said. "We'll be gone for most of July and  all of August and September. And I'm afraid it just isn't practical to take you with us."(73)

 Henry didn't like this at all. He'd be missing school.  His parents then informed him that he'd be staying at the same hotel they'd traveled to a few years ago. He was extremely reluctant and tried to resist, but nothing was going to change their mind, so he went with them. The moment they had left Henry felt alone with Mrs and Mr. Bawden. During the night, Henry thought of his love for his parents and decided that 'they expected him to be perfect, but they neglected him.'(76) The next morning Henry helped out around the hotel. He found out that the room he'd been sleeping belonged to the Bawdens' son, Bobby. He also found out how much Mrs. Bawden TALKED about Bobby all the time to unknown guests at the hotel. She continually showed guests pictures of him and disclosed everything about him. This made Henry very disconcerted and annoyed. He soon found out someone else shared his same annoyance when a girl named Louise from Lincolnshire visited the hotel. When she asked him to play tennis with her, Henry obliged. Henry asked her what she thought of Mrs. Bawden and she replied, "She certainty doesn't have any secrets."(84) That was when Henry realized they both had the same discontent about Mrs. Bawden and Bobby.

Photo Album

One interesting thing about 'Bobby's Room' is why Henry and Louise both are disconcerted with Mrs. Bawden talking about Bobby. I think that they both  think it's terrible on the outside, but really feel flat out jealous inside,  seeing how much Mrs. Bawden talks and cares for Bobby  and their parents not doing the same for them. Henry thinks his parents don't talk about him a lot because he doesn't think they care for him a lot when they left him at the hotel without consideration from him. Henry doesn't have an opinion for anything his parents do, showing a difference in care level. When Henry and his mom were in their car and Henry's dad was checking out the hotel, His mom asked him where they should put the car. When Henry replied that he thought, since there were no cars, there must be room in the hotel, Mrs. Pollock snapped, 'When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it.'(70) Henry soon starts to think that his parents don't nurture him as much as he thought. As they were telling him they were going to Singapore, Henry expected his mom to stay behind, yet she dropped him off in a stranger's hotel and expected him to adapt. Knowing that his parents probably never talked about him, he starts  to feel this disgruntled feeling inside when he sees how much love Mrs. Bawden gives for her son and don't see his parents do the same for him. Louise is also perturbed by her care as well. She, like Bobby, doesn't feel her parents nurture her like Mrs. Bawden for Bobby. When Henry and Louise play tennis, Henry asks when her father is coming back for them.
'"Is your father coming back for us?" Henry asked. "I doubt it. I think we're expected to walk." Louise said.'(85)

Louise's parents basically dropped her off with a strange boy and expected them to walk home together. This means that Louise's parents didn't really care what would happen to her. As Louise witnesses Mrs. Bawden showing people pictures of her beloved son, Louise may also secretly wish her parents would take initiative and tell other people about her. They see what real love really is when they see Mrs. Bawden's bond with Bobby. They soon strive to find that love with their parents, but don't receive anything in return, making them feel disconcerted and almost alone.

Bobby's Room

"Bobby's Room", by Douglas Dunn, is about a boy named Henry Pollock. He  was an only child and he and no Grandparents. When he was twelve, him and his parents left from Glasgow, their hometown, for a vacation. They soon realized that all the hotels were booked and his parents got into a fight about it. After an hour they found a quaint, empty netherbank hotel and stayed at it for five nights. Mr. and Mrs. Pollock left Henry under the supervision of the owner, Mrs.  Bawden, and her husband, both around 60, in order to traipse around the town and eat in restaurants. Henry felt very isolated and discomforted until they finally left. Two years later, during the summer around July, 14  year old Henry became suspicious of his parents because they kept wispering and talking on the phone. They soon apprised him that they planned to go on a vacation.

"Your mother and I have to go to Singapore," his father said. "We'll be gone for most of July and  all of August and September. And I'm afraid it just isn't practical to take you with us."(73)

Henry didn't like this at all. He'd be missing school.  His parents then informed him that he'd be staying at the same hotel they'd traveled to a few years ago. He was extremely reluctant and tried to resist, but nothing was going to change their mind, so he went with them. When they arrived, his mother told him to write once a week and  to be 'marked up with Country life', and soon after they had left Henry alone with Mrs and Mr. Bawden. During the night, Henry thought of his love for his parents and decided that 'they expected him to be perfect, but they neglected him.'(76) The next morning Henry helped out around the hotel. He found out that the room he'd been sleeping belonged to the Bawdens' son, Bobby. He also found out how much Mrs. Bawden TALKED about Bobby all the time to unknown guests at the hotel. She continually showed guests pictures of him and disclosed everything about him. This made Henry very disconcerted and annoyed. He soon found out someone else shared his same annoyance when a girl named Louise from Lincolnshire visited the hotel. When she asked him to play tennis with her, Henry obliged. Henry asked her what she thought of Mrs. Bawden and she replied, "She certainty doesn't have any secrets."(84) That was when Henry realized they both had the same discontent about Mrs. Bawden and Bobby.

Photo Album

One interesting thing about 'Bobby's Room' is why Henry and Louise both are disconcerted with Mrs. Bawden talking about Bobby. I think that they both  know that Bobby might have wanted some of the things that Mrs. Bawden prattled on about to be kept a secret, and wouldn't like his life to be divulged to strangers. Henry thinks his parents don't talk about him a lot because he doesn't think they care for him a lot when they left him at the hotel without consideration from him. When he sees how much Mrs. Bawden cares, it sets him off. Henry doesn't have an opinion for anything his parents do, showing a difference in care level. When Henry and his mom were in their car and Henry's dad was checking out the hotel, His mom asked him where they should put the car. When Henry replied that he thought, since there were no cars, there must be room in the hotel, Mrs. Pollock snapped, 'When I want your opinion, I'll ask for it.'(70) Henry soon starts to think that his parents don't nurture him as much as he thought. As they were telling him they were going to Singapore, Henry expected his mom to stay behind, yet she dropped him off in a stranger's hotel and expected him to adapt. Knowing that his parents probably never talked about him, he find this for the first time disturbing. Louise is also set off by Mrs. Bawden's care for Bobby. "I feel sorry for Bobby," she said. "I couldn't stand it if my parents talked about me like that."(84) They feel that Bobby might have wanted some things kept private, but Mrs. Bawden doesn't see this. I think that Because they're teenagers, they want more and more things in their life kept private, so they assume that Bobby might not want everything in his life blurted out to some stranger. This makes them feel odd and perturbed.

Why does Sponono want the principle to forgive him when Sponono won’t forgive the principle?

               

The Story Sponono by Alan Paton is about a boy named Sponono. It is in Africa and there are many different tribes of people. Sponono was from the Xhosa tribe. He lived at the reformatory for a couple years. Sponono expects the principle to forgive him for many of his mistakes. He goes to the principle one day and tries to help a boy named Johannes from getting into jail. The principle was impressed by Sponono’s act of kindness towards Johannes and they started a sort of relationship. Eventually Sponono becomes the principles gardener. Sponono gets in trouble for stealing money and throwing a rock at some people that where having a picnic on Christmas. The principle did forgive him for this but he could no longer be his gardener at the reformatory. The principle left the reformatory and Sponono asked if he could come with him. The principle said that he could come with him. After Sponono gets out of the reformatory he comes to the principles home. Sponono had an incident and was sent back to the reformatory. Later he asked the principle to come back but the principle found him a job that Sponono would fit in better and possibly like better. Later he was found guilty of stealing a watch and a leather jacket and was sent to prison. While he’s in prison he keeps in touch with the principle and try’s to persuade him to let him come to him. The principle is not able to forgive Sponono and Sponono doesn’t forgive the principle for not forgiving him.

Sponono always assumed that forgiveness would come easy. There were many occasions that Sponono made mistakes and the Principal did forgive him. The last incident that happened and the principal would not forgive Sponono happened while he was working at the principal’s home. Sponono came to work for the principle as his gardener when he was out of the reformatory. The principle had other workers in his home, Jane was a house keeper and Cele was a gardener. Jane and Cele where Zulu’s and Sponono felt like they never liked him. Sponono was invited to a party at Jane’s sister’s home. He didn’t like the food and killed one of her chickens. This was a great offense to her sister and Sponono made an advance to the host’s daughter. After that they called the police and Sponono had a choice to go to court or go back to the reformatory. He chose to go back to the reformatory because he felt the Zulu’s didn’t like him. When Sponono asks again to come live with the principle he refuses. “But you” he wrote “you ought to know better. You have worked with thousands of sinners and have gained a good reputation amongst us. Also you are a white man, and have no reason to hate me. Lastly you are a writer not a gardener, and you could never lose a job to a person like myself.”   Later the principle finds Sponono a job with a friend of his. Sponono was writing a letter to the principle and wrote, “Are you then like other people, who, when a man has done wrong, treat him badly? I have always looked upon you as trustworthy, but now I am ashamed in front of my friends.” Sponono tries to obey the commandments of Christianity. He wants the principle to forgive him because he looks up to him as a father. If he was the principle’s son he would forgive him. Sponono thinks of the principle as a father so that he should forgive him and not kick him out. 

Sponono Edited

Great Books

Mason Unthank

Friday, April 18^th, 2014

Mrs. Stephanie Berry    

         The Short Story "Sponono," by Alan Paton, does not only have a weird name, it has a good story too. Sponono is a boy in a reformatory school in Africa for some reason or other. Sponono is not a Christian; yet, he frequently quotes the Bible over and over again when he gets in trouble. Sponono frequently talks about forgiveness to the principle of the reformatory school that he considers somewhat of a father figure. "Why would I make trouble in my own father's house?" Sponono gets in trouble over and over again for things that make him start over in the reformatory. He lies to talk to the principle, steals, threatens people with rocks, gets in fights, goes to prisons, and more. Over and over again, he asks for forgiveness from the principle. When the principle doesn't forgive him for the hundredth odd time, Sponono writes him an angry letter saying: "are you then like other people, who, when a man has done wrong turn treat him badly?" Sponono may have different tribal cultures than the other people at the reformatory, because he is a Xhosa. It seems like Sponono sometimes tries to reform, most of the time though, he just doesn't try very hard.

     I think Sponono wants to reform his life; he just isn't trying very hard. Sponono is a Xhosa tribesman, so he probably takes whatever he hears in English literally. This is portrayed in the way he takes the Bible. Forgiving people seventy times seven is probably an example that we should forgive often. Sponono probably thinks he can mess up four hundred and ninety times before he gets punished. Some examples that Sponono isn't trying very hard are quite easy to find. Such as the time he threatens the couple with the rock, and then steals their money. To make him admit it, the principle has to make it easy for him to acknowledge he did it.  He also lies frequently, though sometimes it is for good. "Do you think it is wrong to tell a lie?" "Not to save a person." Sponono has good morals, but he needs to practice what he preaches more. When he does though, he seems like a decent person. "I forgave him." He said. " He did not mean to hurt my eye. I might have hurt his if he did not hurt mine first. It was his bad luck, meneer." Sponono usually means well, but when a so-called, "great temptation" is put in his way; he strays from his path of goodness.

"Bobby's Room" -- By Douglas Dunn

Douglas Dunn

         “Bobby’s Room” by Douglas Dunn is about a young boy named Henry. He is an only child, but is neglected by his parents. His family goes on a trip to Scotland, but his mother and father leave him at the inn with the two owners, Mrs. and Mr. Bawden, while they go sightseeing at restaurants. Henry, at the young age of 12, wants to be seen as a well behaved child, and so doesn’t want to cause any vexations to his parents. He stays with the innkeepers and cooperates with his parents’ plans. He makes no complaints. Two years later, Henry’s father, a civil engineer, is commissioned to build a bridge in Singapore and the company offers to pay for his wife to come with him. Bobby’s father and mother decide to leave Henry with the Bawdens. His parents also consider a boarding school, since they know that after this job is over, there will be another, and another after that. For now though, they decide to have him stay at the Bawden’s inn for the summer and have him continue his studies on his own. When his parents leave him at the inn, Henry almost cries because he is very conflicted. He’s sad and afraid, but also angry at his parents. At the same time, because he strives to cooperative and thoughtful, he doesn’t want his tears to make his parents feel guilty for leaving him.

           Henry was conflicted by his fear and sadness on the one hand and his anger at his parents’ unwillingness to have him come with them on the other. He also doesn’t cry, because he doesn’t particularly feel sorry that he will be without parents. They have never been overly involved or concerned about his needs. They have always paid far more attention to each other than to him. They frequently argue with each other and have little regard for his needs or feelings:

Harsh words when they fell out were, Henry knew, a prelude to that kind of morning on which he didn’t see them until it was nearly noon. If these were mornings when he went to school, then his mother hurriedly threw his breakfast together and kissed him on the ear before running back upstairs in her kimono (69-70).

When they leave for Singapore, he is angry at them because he feels as if they regard him as a nuisance. He knows they do not want him along on this trip, just as they wanted time without him on their first visit five day to the Bawden’s inn: “Henry’s parents had three days on their own, without him, and three evenings at the famous restaurant” (71). Henry knew they wanted a vacation from him and time alone and he sees the Singapore trip in the same light.

          All of these conflicting emotions make him reluctant to cry when they leave for Singapore. He craves consideration from his parents, but never asks for anything or causes trouble. He is by nature a very helpful person and becomes invaluable to Mrs. Bawden. Observing Mrs. Bawden, he knows that some kids who are an “only child” are sometimes showered with attention. Mrs. Bawden shows off her son’s picture to any guest willing to hear her motherly pride. He also sees that when an “only child” is on the periphery of his or her parents’ lives, that two options are available as well. When he meets Louise (a guest at the inn), he sees that an “only child” might also choose not to cooperate and instead become petulant and be “festering on the edge of a bitter family insurrection” (85). In fact he recognizes that this is likely the way his mother was when she was his age. Before he is left at the Bawden’s inn, his mother tells him he will follow a program of study outlined by his teachers, yet “he knew enough about her to know that if she had been given a ‘program of study,’ she’d have collapsed in tears” (74). However, Henry is cooperative and he doesn’t cause trouble. Even when he wants to be “stubborn and obstructive” his only objection to this parents’ plan to leave him while they go to Singapore is “there isn’t a lot to do at the Bawden’s” (74). His time on his own though, may have changed him: “he suspected that a time would come, when his parents would regret the three months in which they had hived him off to the Bawden’s” (87). The author ends his short story by leaving the reader with a bit of an uncertain outcome. Two main options are possible: his attitude may become more like Louise’s, or, more likely, he will just not care much about his parents, and continue living his life independent of them.

Sponono Redone

Alan Paton

"Sponono", by Alan Paton, is about a boy from the Xhosa tribe named Sponono who lives in a reformatory that is located in South Africa. This story is also about the Principal of the reformatory, which Alan Paton wrote so the Principal is narrating the story. This story begins when Sponono sees the Principal in order to save someone named Johannes Mofoking from going to prison. After Sponono's persuasion, Johannes is set free. When the Principal finds out Sponono lied to come see the Principal, he asks him a question.

“’Do you not think it wrong to tell a lie?’  I asked.

‘Not to save a person,’ he said.”

Sponono soon returns to the Principal with an irregular request to work in the Principal's garden, which I thought was very peculiar. After the Principal agrees to let him work in it, Sponono quarrels with the previous worker, William, and they get two separate sections to work with. Later he got into a fight with a boy named Tembo and got whipped in the eye with a metal belt. But, with his forgiving heart, Sponono forgave Tembo and hoped to move on. When the Principal asked where he got the idea of forgiving, Sponono said it was a teaching of Jesus.

 

He isn't a Christian, for he said, (61)"'I am not good enough, but I like to obey the commandments.'" He told the Principal that people must forgive the others whom did an offense, even as many a 70 times 7.

He was banned form working in the Principal's garden, which didn't satisfy him. Sponono assumes that once someone is forgiven, they can wipe out the memory of their bad-doing and act like it never happened. He made the Principal promise he could work in his garden again and the Principal gave his obliges. This promise backfired on him because, when he quit his job as a principal to move to Natal, he was forced to allow Sponono to come because of a silly promise. After a few days of working in the Principal's garden, he got invited to a party. He killed and ate a chicken from dissatisfaction for the food, and threatened the host. He was sent back to the reformatory the next day. 

Reformatory

Even though he pleaded and begged the Principal to reprieve him and let him come back and work in his garden, the Principal never let him.

 

One thing in Sponono that can set several of the readers off is the fact that Sponono quoted the Bible, even though he isn't Christian. Back in the story when he forgives Tembo so easily, the Principal asks him why he forgives people so easily and where he got this idea from. He claims that Jesus forgives everyone, even if they wrong him seventy times seven. Sponono also believes that if someone is forgive, they can forget their wrong like it never happened.

 (60-61)"'Do you think,' I asked, 'that if a person is forgiven, his offence is wiped out like it had never been done?' 'Yes,' Sponono said."

I think that Sponono wants the Principal to pardon his offences so he doesn't have to keep thinking about them. Whenever he does wrong, he won't rest until someone has forgiven him. When he got into a fight with Tembo, the Principal punishes him by restarting his term at the Reformatory from the beginning. Sponono finds this exploitative. He asks the Principal why he can't forgive him now instead of making him start from the beginning. The Principal says he forgives him, but because he committed a grave offence, he needs to be punished. Sponono doesn't understand the true meaning of forgiveness. His idea is that when someone does something dissatisfactory and someone forgives them for it, they don't have to be punished and can forget they had ever done it. He says (61)"I see you are not ready," to the Principal and believes he must share his idea of forgiveness with him. I believe he brings out a Bible and quotes it to the Principal in order to show him the "right way" of forgiveness.

“Sponono” by Alan Paton

The short story Sponono by Alan Paton is about troubled young man that lives in a reformatory. He can be very manipulating at times especially when he convinces the principal to keep Johannes to stay at the reformatory. “Some of us think, said Sponono, that you are being too severe. Johannes admitted that he had stolen the watch, and he did not lie about it. This makes us think that he is not a bad fellow, and he himself does not wish to go to prison, but say he is willing to spend some extra time in the reformatory to atone for what he has done” (52). Eventually Sponono convinced the principal to let Johannes stay. Sponono also quotes the bible a lot, though he is not a Christian. “Jesus said that we must forgive those who offend against us, even unto seventy times seven. Are you a Christian? I asked. I am not, he said, I am not good enough, but I like to obey the commandments” (61).

I think that Sponono should not be trusted because of the choices he has made in the past and the present. And because he bends the rules of the commandments in his favor, it shows that he does not care about the bible at all, but instead wants to look good for the principal. All Sponono really cares about is leaving the reformatory to renew his criminal life. That is way Sponono quotes the bible. Because even though the principal does not teach the bible, the way Sponono tries too, the principal is a Christian. Sponono just wants to show the principal that he can be a better person by quoting the bible and sounding serous about what he is saying. Sponono will never understand what it is like to be a true and honest person. If he were, he would have never talked about the bible like he truly believed in it.