Who is warder Hannetjie?

Who is warder Hannetjie?

Brought in to subdue the “out of control” inmates of Span One, Warder Hannetjie is the antagonist of the story who undergoes a profound moral transformation. Brille initially perceives Hannetjie as “frightening […] The guard tries to reestablish his authority over Brille and the work span, but cannot.

How did Brille betray Hannetjie?

Brille (the prisioner) catches Hannetjie (the warder) stealing fertilizer and uses this to manipulate him. Brille agrees not to turn him in if Span One is treated better and more humanely with privileges.

What was Hannetjie punishment for stealing?

TestNew stuff! The new warder, Hannetjie is stiff and mean, as he yells at Brille. As Brille refuses to take order from the new warder, as the warder begins to get angry and punishes the whole span by taking away 3 meals. Brille gets caught and punished by Hannetjie for stealing grapes.

What is the main conflict between warder Hannetjie and Brille?

Bessie Head Hannetjie is a new warder and is in charge of Span One. He punishes Brille, the prisoner who wore glasses, for stealing tobacco and talking back to him. Soon Brille catches Hannetjie stealing fertilizer.

What is the significance of Brille’s glasses?

Initially, Brille’s glasses symbolize his weakness and vulnerability as a prisoner. He is described as “a thin little fellow with a hollowed-out chest and comic knobbly knees,” and having poor eyesight adds another layer of physical debility to his character.

What was the name of the prisoner who wore glasses?

Brille is a political prisoner in the area of Span One, which has nine other prisoners just like Brille. Brille is not physically intimidating. He wears glasses and has “a hollowed-out chest and comic knobbly knees” (Head 427). Brille needed to release these suppressed feelings.

What punishment did the warder give out for Brille dropping the cabbage?

What punishment did the warder give out for brille dropping the cabbage? When brille stands up the warder, its symbolic of (black south africans) standing up to the (white minority) and taking back their dignity.

How was Brille physically described?

Brille is not physically intimidating. He wears glasses and has “a hollowed-out chest and comic knobbly knees” (Head 427). Brille needed to release these suppressed feelings. He did this by turning the Warder in.

What is the message of the prisoner who wore glasses?

Idealism, Politics, and Resisting Oppression “The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses” describes what life was like for a group of incarcerated South African political prisoners and narrates their small-scale subversion of the prison system.

What was the prisoner who wore glasses about?

The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses Summary. A group of black South African political prisoners, called Span One, works on the prison’s farm picking cabbages. They live in fear and suffer under Hannetjie’s harsh treatment until the bespectacled prisoner, Brille, concocts a plan to subdue the guard.

Is the prisoner who wore glasses a short story?

In the short story “The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses” by Bessie Head, an old political prisoner named Brille lost control in his life by ending up in jail and not taking care of his kids. The guilt was overwhelming.

Who is the protagonist in the prisoner who wore glasses?

The protagonist of this short story is Brille. He is the prisoner who wore glasses. The antagonist is his opponent Warder Hennetjie. he is the new prisoner guard or Warder.

What is Warder hannetjie’s first act?

Strict and brutal to the point of inhumanity, one of Warder Hannetjie ’s first acts is to severely beat a prisoner with glasses for a minor offense. In fact, he punishes the entire work group, and, seeming “to have eyes at the back of his head,” his surveillance and authority destroy Span One’s freedom.

How does hannetjie become “good and human”?

He becomes “good and human” in a broadly moral sense, as shown by his greatly improved treatment of the prisoners—even putting himself on an equality with them, working alongside them in the fields. The The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses quotes below are all either spoken by Warder Hannetjie or refer to Warder Hannetjie.

What does hannetjie tell the guard to say to get tobacco?

Instead, he tells the guard, “It’s not tobacco we want, but you.” Span One needs a “good warder” on their side so that they can endure the long incarceration ahead of them. This proposal prompts Hannetjie and Span One to form a sort of alliance that benefits both sides materially as well as morally.

Why doesn’t brille call hannetjie “hannetjie”?

Brille calmly replies that he doesn’t call him that because he is 20 years older than the Hannetjie. The other prisoners laugh, but then Hannetjie hits Brille several times on the head with a club. Before being assaulted, Brille deftly manages to remove his glasses so that they don’t get shattered.