the power of one Ch 1-3 Prompt Response

In the book “the power of one” by Bryce Coutenay, he clearly demonstrated through the life of the main character, Pisskop, that people back then were treated and prejudged for who and what they were. This could be shown when the older kids pees on him. “I felt a sudden splash on my neck and assumed it was warm blood trickling over my trembling, naked body and across the cold cement floor and into the drain.” There is also tension between the Judge and jury and Pisskop. The Judge and jury do not like Pisskop because he is English. This hatred for English goes back into history during the Boer war. He is also the only English man in the school which causes all the kids, Judge, and jury to hate him.

            Pisskop deals with his cruelty by his nanny and his chicken. One of the ways he sooths his pain is by thinking about his nanny. He recalls about all the things he use to do with his nanny before he was torn away from her. “She was a person made for laughter, warmth, and softness and she would clasp me to her breasts and stroke my golden curls with a hand so large it seemed to palm my whole head.” In the bad, depressing moments, he tries to ignore his surroundings by trying to imagine how much he had fun being with his nanny. One key way he deals with his cruelty was by his chicken, Granpa Chook. Pisskop takes his chicken with him everywhere, even to school. It is his best friend since he has no other friends because he is the only English in the school and everyone hates him. He relies on Granpa Chook to comfort him through his hard times.

            The author is trying to teach us in this book to not judge the people by who they are or how they look. “‘Hey, look, there is no hat on his snake!’ someone yelled. They all crowded closer, delighted at this monstrous find.” All the students are laughing at him and calling him names because he was circumcised and everyone else was not. The older kids will also call him Pisskop because they always pee on him to torture him. They also have never talked to him to see how he is like to even give him a chance. Once he goes to school, all he gets is getting made fun of. They also think he is a weak boy because he is not fighting back and he is the only one getting picked on. “I learned that crying is a luxury good adapters have to forgo.” He knows to not cry or else it will show them that he is weak and they will not stop.