SIZWE BANSI IS DEAD

The language of the different characters varies widely and serves to underscore the differences in their personalities. The events narrated by both Styles and Sizwe are typified by a stream-of-consciousness style that allows them to follow their thoughts to various stories that illustrate the lives of black South Africans in the 1970s. This narrative style highlights their lack of formal education in the literary field and also suggests the influence of the strong oral traditions typical of illiterate societies. Styles can read, but Sizwe cannot. Sizwe is a simple man who just wants to find a job that will allow him to provide for his family. Like most oppressed members of society, he has dreams but they are simple and concrete. Following this characterization, the events narrated by Sizwe are simplistically structured and the language is to the point. In contrast, Styles’s narrative is characterized by sarcasm and elements of the absurd. It ridicules the superior attitude and position of the white men around him when he satirizes his translation for the “Baas.” The rest of his narrative is also peppered with sarcasm and moments of poetic eloquence. Styles is a man who realizes the absurdity of the treatment of the black population of South Africa. He is a man with great capabilities, great dreams, and great intelligence. His narrative style of alternating humorist satire and profound eloquence illustrates his character.