Sahir Khan
D. Eiland
English II Pre-AP Period 7
29 October 2013
Apartheid and the Power of One Apartheid was a system of racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa that was developed by a group of people called Afrikaners, or white South Africans. In “The Power of One”, a young English boy named P.K., living in South Africa, grows up with this “conservative Afrikaner government”. He sees that the African men and women of the country are mistreated and face racial disparities; P.K. knows it is not right and strives for change. The compelling story focuses on the power of one individual and his hungriness for making a difference in Africa’s future, while coming together with others to make it happen. To give the Africans hope for their society, they believe in the myth of the Rainmaker. Being such a strong myth, it gives the men and women of the tribes something to hold on to, providing them with the bravery and strength to do things they would not normally do. They believe the legend is that the Rainmaker resolves conflict among the people. He calms the earth, sky, and tribes, whilst bringing rain and peace. The film perceives P.K. to be the Rainmaker that the mistreated black men and women have faith in. He represents this myth because he helps the tribes in various ways. P.K. does so by bringing tobacco for the prisoners’ gardens, writing letters for them, and ultimately uniting the tribes. Geel Piet, a prisoner where P.K. visits, tells the rest of the Zulu men that the young boy is the Rainmaker, even though he is not. Piet’s purpose of giving them this false hope was to fulfill the emptiness of having no hope at all. Throughout “The Power of One”, P.K. drastically grows as a person. At the beginning of the film, he is portrayed as an innocent and clueless child. Later, P.K. evolves into a knowledgeable young teen as he is exposed to the racial mistreatment by the Afrikaners. Towards the end of the movie, P.K. becomes a brave and successful hero, conquering the task of uniting the tribes and strengthening their education to build a better future for Africa. In the end, the message of the film depicts that “changes can come from the power of many, but only when the many come together