Presentation "The Twelve"

Presentation of Blok's poem, "The Twelve."

Stephen Kumalo

It's an undeniable fact that various experiences can greatly change the perspective of a person utterly morphing their belief system and the morals that they abide by. Whether it's complicated situations that challenge one’s old perspectives and traditional values, especially when it comes to Stephen Kumalo's iron-hold conviction of truth and prosperity that blossomed from the love provided by his family. He has a unique way of dealing with the obstacles he encounters as he dig his way into the core of Johannesburg in search for answers concerning the lives of his relatives and the future outcome of his community while challenging his traditional standpoint of view against the unethical perspective of the African society which bit by bit shapes his dynamic character.

              Stephen Kumalo is realistic rather than a simple, flat character due to his strong desire to protect his family members against the precarious society that’s unknown to them and the solutions that he tries to find while battling his inner doubts thus confronting his darkest fears. The fear of the consequences of his son’s actions of "bereaving" a family out of their love of a father was a large burden he had to carry as he stated that [his son was] "a stranger [for he has] no pity for those [who he had] hurt." Kumalo experienced multiple emotions due to his family's descendant to the darkness that seems to emanate from Johannesburg and at the same time, trying to contain his sanity that is slowly being lured by the avarice of the cursed city.
 However, his strong motivation to gather his relatives back together is the main driving source that enabled him from yielding to the pressure of the numerous problems that had been thrown to him which had began with a single letter concerning Gertrude and his anxiety of opening it urging his wife to "open it" describing it as "not an easy letter" to digest That particular event pushed him to seek answers because of the lack of communication between his family members that enabled his character to developed into a far richer person under a strange environment while gradually uncovering his conglomerate personality thus creating him to be more in depth, and a complex individual.

               Stephen Kumalo is a strong spirited person that's naturally humble to his people which he is greatly respected because of his occupation as a priest although he easily succumbs to his anger and frustration in which his darker personality emerges that's caused by his specific fear concerning his family. For example, Kumalo's resentment surfaced breaking his reserved facade as he desperately places blame to Absalom's pregnant girlfriend in which "a wish to hurt her came into him" when he acquired knowledge about the previous outcomes of her past two husbands thus unable to control himself of his certain "cruel mood" subjugating to his raging emotions. He unconsciously wanted to relieve the heavy responsibility of his son's sins, therefore he searched ways to pass his sufferings into others to decrease his sorrows and anguish resulting of being ashamed of his actions at the end.
On the other hand, Kumalo's refusal to give up are shown throughout his confrontations of those people around him, rescuing Gertrude from her dangerous profession when "she [reached] her [cold] hand to him" stating "there [was] no life in it", [buying his sister's son] "some cheap wooden blocks" for enjoyment, and saving Absalom from a greater punishment than he deserves as Kumalo made it his ambition in which he "was moved to tears by the dejection of his son." His deeds represents a glimmer of hope in the bleak, injustice society that's ruled with multiple crimes committed from both sides of the racial communities which he is currently placed on the middle and his traditional belief of overcoming the hardships he is facing by the restoration of his family.

            Stephen Kumalo is suddenly thrown into the world of corruption and greed thus was unprepared to face the changing concepts of society and the hard consequences that follow. His moral system that consisted of trust was slightly betrayed as the result of being tricked out of his pocket money by a Johannesburg citizen which was his first encounter with a thief as "he was grateful for [the man's] kindness" but "half of [Kumalo] was afraid." It shows that his character is rather unaware of the harsh reality that’s outside the small bubble of his tribal community and the impending events that will forever change the course of his life.
Furthermore, Kumalo’s reunion with his son, Absalom, had contributed to the intense internal struggle of keeping hold of his faith and his beliefs towards God. He was mockingly saying the words "pray" and believing that "God has turned away from [him]" while emphasizing that in "his heart there [was] nothing but fear" as [he was] "numb inside" convincing himself that there "was no prayer left for [him]" therefore, spiraling into depression. His inner conflict within his mind of battling his insecurity of the events that’s out of his control abruptly changes his perception of the world evolving into a mature individual thus more aware of his surroundings while challenging the unwritten rules he abide by.

             In conclusion, Stephen Kumalo becomes an entirely enlightened man due to his exposure of the corrupted world and the iniquitous side of the African society. Kumalo's woes are resulted by the effects of the hard tribulations caused by the abrupt intrusion of foreign ideas that's slowly invading the African cultures and the tightly-knit tribes that's quickly coming apart. Kumalo becomes more realistic because he was placed under difficult circumstances that allowed for his character to grow while slowly discovering the different aspects of his personality that builds up his dynamic individuality.