CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND INTERPRETATION
4.3 Drum 2001
4.3.2 The reader's letter: 7 June 2001
no alternative is in place or offered. The government has the capacity to help blacks.
Infact it's their duty to make certain education is accessible to everybody.
Most of the relational clauses are associated with the blacks and education. This characterises the text as describing the education for the black people in South Africa. The reader's nephew, who is a young male of 22 years of age, is presented as an Actor in the material clauses spent, applied and training, as illustrated in he spent two years of unemployed and roaming the streets; He's applied for bursaries; andhe's now training as an apprentice". The writer's identity as an Actor is realised in the material process speaking: I am speaking of those who have the will, drive and determination to succeed. Those, whose referents are the blacks, is the Goal.
Most of the attitudinal epithets describe the blacks. These attitudinal epithets are realised in the following adjectival clauses. Examples are: With such a brilliant mind he should be studying at higher learning institution; Only the rich middle class are able to reach higher level ofeducation without a financial struggle; It's only a few poor blacks that are able to study without financial difficulties; They are fortunate and inteUigent. On the other hand, expensive describes the education.
All the other above-mentionedattitudinalepithets are associated with the black ethnic group. This constructs the writer as concerned about her fellow black audience. The emphasis is on comparison of the social class distinctions existing among the black community: Only the rich middle class are able to reach the highest level ofeducation without a financial struggle. Therich middle class are expressed metaphorically through changing this adjectival clause into a noun clause, to make it appear human. Inaddition,Jew which modifiespoor blacks(It'sonly few poor blacks who are able to study without financial difficulties), positions the writer as having done some research about problems related to black ethnic group, and has relevant statistics.
The choice of personal pronouns I and mypositions Thabile as committed to the assertion she makes: I am not in any way justiJYing the attitudes of those who are lazy and expect the government to take care of them. I am speaking of those who have the will, drive and determination to succeed. This kind of choice characterises her as someone who knows the principle she wants to uphold. She is not the kind of a person who presents knowledge as subjective and impersonal. She takes the responsibility for her resistant discourse and clearly states the premises on which her resistance is based.
Thabile's intrusion into the text is also encoded in her modality choices. With such a brilliant mind he should be studying at a higher learning institution. The choice of should portrays Thabile as an assessor of possibilities.
From what has been said, it is clear that the writer is concerned about black empowerment in a
d~mocraticSouth Africa.
4.3.3 Cover page: 2001 ( see appendix B) The ideational metafunction of the illustration
The praise singer is the only participant that is depicted on this cover page. There is no vector which joins the represented participant with others. Neither a Goal nor an Actor is depicted in the represented image. It is the praise singer's smile, which makes the viewer an object of his friendliness, as his glance is directed to us. The represented imageisanalytical, in the sense that the praise singer symbolises the preservation of black cultures which involves the singing of praises for prominent people. This young man sings praises for the former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. He can be classified as symbolic attributive.
The Interpersonal metafunction of the iBustration
Not only does the praise singer show himself as representing a black cultural and ethnic practice of singing praises, but also as someone who is socially closer. The picture of a praise singer
constitutes a demand. He looks directly at the viewer. He demands social response· from the audience. He seeks recognition, and wants to be acknowledged.
Inaddition, the angle at which the photograph is taken is frontal. This positions him closer to the viewer. The audience is attached to the view of the participant and this depicts the praise singer as part of 'our world' .
The picture is seen at a low angle, which represents the producer as having no power over the image. This low angle makes the image more powerful. The praise singer is depicted as big, significant and close, as having power over the producer. He is represented as an interactive participant. The picture is at the eye level; hence the point of view is one of equality.
The image is represented in the form of a photograph. The colours are not the choice of the producer, but reflect exactly the praise singer's type of dress. He is in black and white Xhosa attire, which also has some yellow spots.
4.4 A SUMMARY OF CONTRAST BETWEEN DRUM READERSIDP IDENTITIES IN