Kayla Potts 1

Kayla Potts
Ms. Conaway
Period 5
4 May 2014
When Rain Clouds Gather
The novel, When Rain Clouds Gather was published in 1969. The main setting is in the
village of Golema Mmidi, where refugee Makhaya and Gilbert try to transform the villagers
usual agricultural methods. Author, Bessie Head was one of Africas best-known women
writers. She was born in South Africa and had spent most of her life in Botswana. She had
mainly gathered from her own experiences to write her creative novels. This novel was based
off her experience as being a refugee. The body politic is a metaphor in which people are
regulated in a society under an organized government. The novel, When Rain Clouds Gather
illustrates the understanding of the body politic and how it affects people in everyday life.
The Body Politic is a metaphor for how government and organizations can affect the
overall well-being of humans in a society or culture. Different articles I researched have
different meanings for the body politic. They are all related to one another. According to Steven
Case article, The term body politic is used to describe the people of a government considered as
a whole, from the government leader right down to ordinary citizens (Case p.1). It describes the
people of the government as a whole and not by individually. It includes everyone from the
government leaders in authority to the regular laboring citizens. If the people of the government
are considered as a whole, then the individual roles of people matter because they will affect the
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government. Some believe, When considering any society, many people think that it is critical
to look at the role of the people, and the opinions of the people have a profound impact on the
nature of the government (Case p.1). In any society, people may think its important to see the
role of the people. The opinions of the people have an effect on the different features of the
government. In an effective society, the role of the people and their opinions are relevant. They
affect the society function as a whole. In addition, Opinion columnists often talk about the
body politic when they want to stress the idea that a society must function as a whole (Case
p.1). The body politic stresses that a society must function as a whole. If not function as a
whole then the body politic becomes dysfunctional and affects everything. On the other hand,
A body politic is a metaphor in which a nation is considered to be a corporate entity, being
likened to a human body (Warman p.1). The body politic is a figure of speech for a nation
expressed to be like a human body. It has different functions but is considered to be a whole and
not by individually. Other articles has their way to define the body politic. At the same time,
The term the body politic refers to the practices and policies through which powers of the
society regulated the human body as well as the struggle over the degree of individual and social
control of the body (Body Politic Feminism And, Racial p.1). The society or the culture
controls humans whether its individual or social control of their body. The society or the
culture has complete control over humans.
The body politic can affect protection of peoples rights and their liberty trying to become
independent. Protection against the government is needed. Of course, The circumstance
highlights the need for a protection against the government itself. Only with a safeguard against
an abusive government can a free people not return to the unruly state of nature in order for more
liberty because their rights are being violated in the body politic (Moreno p.2). Only with a
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protection against an abusive government can free people and not return to the disobedient
society in order for more freedom because their rights are being violated in the body politic. If
rights are being violated, citizens of an abusive government will want more freedom. For
instance, Makhaya made ready to cross the patch of no-mans land, the two border fences were
seven-foot-high barriers of close, tautly drawn barbed wire. Then he was in Botswana (p. 4).
Makhaya crossed the no-mans land. The two border fences separated the countries from
Makhayas homeland to Botswana by barbed wire from keeping people to cross into another
country. He did enter the country illegally, so he had to register himself as a refugee. In fact,
Makhaya Maseko was on the newspaper with a headline: Dangerous Saboteur Flees Banning
Order (p.13). In the novel, Makhaya was considered to be dangerous in the newspaper, but he
didnt see himself as being dangerous. He came to Botswana to become free from his abusive
government from home. Botswana is the independent country in the novel. For example,
When South Sudan declared its independence on July 9, it not only inherited long borders with
five neighboring countries (Jacobs p.1). South Sudan became independent with the created
borders to separate and protect it from other countries and people. In the novel, Makhayas
home land is more dependent than Botswana and didnt have as many opportunities. As stated in
Jonathan Morenos article, This social compact comes at the cost of complete freedom but
allows for the security of ones rights to life, liberty, and property (Moreno p.1). With complete
freedom allows for the security of ones rights to life, liberty, and property which are protected
by the government. Makhaya had difficulties of his freedom and becoming independent on his
own. Even though Makhaya may have troubles, he did what he had to do to make it work.
Rights of the citizens are not equal but are supposedly be protected by the government of
the body politic. Citizens rights are so precious to them to have an agreement that the
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government will protect them. For this purpose, Along with these rights, the agreement each
citizen makes with his nation and his nation makes with him must be honored and protected by
the legitimate government of the body politic (Warman p.1). With the rights of the citizens, the
agreement between each citizen and nation must be respected and protected by the government
of the body politic. Freedom and equality are important to citizens for the protection of their
rights. As reported by Tyler Warman, The founding principles of freedom and equality
reinforced the common good of the founding and the uppermost duty of the government, which
is to protect those inalienable rights (Warman p.1). Freedom and equality supported the
common good of the establishing the duty of the government which is protecting the inalienable
rights of the citizens. Violence shouldnt be anywhere apart of the protection of citizens rights.
Violence will only bring out the worst and wont help anything. In the same way, A body
politic must have the ability to protect individuals and their God given rights outside of the
violent state of nature (Warman p.1). A body politic must be able to protect people and their
rights without any violence taken place. Rights shouldnt be violated by any circumstances. As
an illustration in the novel, Makhaya would be granted a resident permit in one week. Political
refugees were never allowed permanent residence in Botswana, and it did not take too many
complaints to engineer their removal (p.69). Since Makhaya has been in Botswana, he wanted
to become a licensed resident with a permit. Political refugees were never allowed permanent
residence in Botswana. Even though he was considered to be a refugee, he was able to get his
resident permit legally. Rights werent fair or equal between genders but there were supposedly
be protected by the government of the body politic. For instance, The eight-year-old girl,
named Lorato, was thus able for most of the year to attend the village primary school, while the
boy, Isaac, was tied to the cattle post and received no education at all (p.73). In the novel, it
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was common for girls to attend school and get education while boys did labor work and received
no education.
Women are specifically pointed out more than men in the body politic because women
are affected heavier. In the body politic, women werent treated fair by the government.
Surprisingly, Debates about laws and womens bodies sparked the interests other groups of
women who felt that government or institutional power had unfairly exercised control over their
bodies or that society should take greater responsibility for the care and protection of women and
children (Body Politic Feminism and, Racial p.1). The government unfairly practiced control
over women and should take more responsibility for the care and protection of women and
children. Women were being used like tools of the government. Specifically, The female body,
the laboring body, and the body of the other are the main figures in the body criticism, which
tends to think in terms of gender, class, and race, and which focuses on The Bodys social
construction, (Jacobs p.2). The female body is considered to be used for labor. Women are
hard workers because what they do and how much they do for a society. Commonly, women did
most of the labor and even farming. In fact, The women were the traditional tillers of the earth,
not the men. The women were the backbone of agriculture while the men on the whole were
cattle drovers (p.29). Working in the fields for farming was usual for women to do not the men.
Also, women had to take of their children by themselves As a result, Botswana men no longer
cared. In fact, a love affair resulting in pregnancy was one sure way of driving a man away, and
it was a country of fatherless children now (p.115). n the novel, if a love affair results into a
pregnancy, it was common for the man to leave the family and the child to be become fatherless.
In the novel, it was unusual for women to be considered as equal as men. Although, The small
group of women, including Paulina, at first felt a little inhibited. They were unaccustomed to a
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man speaking to them as an equal (p.102). Paulina and the group of women felt a little shy.
They werent used to a man speaking to them as an equal.
Racism was negatively critical in the culture of the body politic. Apartheid was a system
of racial segregation of nonwhite people in South Africa. Similarly, the Jim Crow Laws were
also racial segregated laws but in the United States. As stated in this article, The attribution of
ethical, moral, temperament, and social characteristics to individuals or populations based on
skin color. Facial features, body types, and sexual anatomy figure prominently in racial body
politic practice in the United States in racism against African Americans (Body Politic
Feminism and, Racial p.2). African Americans were main targets because of what they look like
and how differently their characteristics were from white people. Blacks were considered to be
worthless, and only good for hard labor. According to the novel, racist logic, dark skin was
at the negative pole in the dichotomy of white and good versus black and evil, broad facial
features denote licentiousness and lack of intelligence, and the browny bodies of black men and
women cry out for hard labor (Body Politic Feminism and, Racial p.2). Dark skin was
considered to be negative in the division of white and good versus black and evil. Broad facial
features supposedly mean uncontrolled and lack of education, so black men and women call out
for hard labor instead. It was so dreadful for the blacks to endure the hard labor and brutal
treatment from the whites while still serving them. For example, His reasons for leaving were
simple: he could not marry and have children in a country where black man were called boy
and dog and kaffir (p.10). Makhaya had to leave from a place where he was always limited
to do anything. He couldnt get marry, have children, and was continently called out of his
name. The word kaffir was specifically used to name a black person also known as nigger.
This was out of disrespect and being racist to the black population. Whites compared and treated
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blacks like animals. Even though, Black men were human too and not some strange animal
they tarred and feathered and hung up from a tree to die (p.129). Whites treated black men like
animals as if they werent humans. There was always hatred between whites and blacks because
of racism. Strikingly, For he hated white men in a strange way. [For over many years kept
silent] black men had not lived nor allowed themselves an expression of feeling they had no
life apart from being servants and slaves (p.129). Black people hated the whites for many years
but never said or did anything about it. Besides being servants and slaves to the whites, blacks
didnt have much of a life to live for.
In the body politic, health can tremendously affect peoples well-being, lifestyle, and
nutrition. Health is very critical to a persons life so the government should help solve health
problems. According to Erin OConnor article, One insists that government must use its
legislative power to slim down an increasingly obese nation. In this view, obesity, like smoking,
has become a public health crisis and demands a public health solution (OConnor p.1). The
government must use its powers to help and inform citizens to be more aware about their health
and become healthier. Medicine would have helped a lot for the unfortunate countries to use.
Even though, Analogies were made between the supposed causes of disease and disorder and
their equivalents in the political field which were considered to be plagues or infections which
might be remedied by purges and nostrums (Warman p.1). If bodies of citizens arent taken
care of properly when people are sick or ill, diseases or disorders could spread through a village
like Golema Mmidi in the novel. In the novel, many people suffered from Tuberculosis. As
stated in the novel, Tuberculosis was the one major killer in the country, and the small boy with
his red feverish eyes was seriously ill with it (p.146). Tuberculosis is a contagious disease that
involves the lungs and can spread to any other organs in the body. Health also deals with foods
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that are grown and ate. In addition, Apart from growing crops for food, crops that brought in
cash had to be grown too. This called for trying out new ways of making the land produce all the
crops a man might need to support his life (p.36). Depending on the land, it produces all the
crops a man might need to support his life. The soil of the land was important because it differ
how well the crops will produce for nutrition. Also, keeping your body hydrated and with
nutriments will maintain a balanced health. Unconsciously, Makhaya sat in the car drinking a
little water and eating food while the policeman and doctor made their reports Id say the
poor little fellow died of malnutrition, [the doctor] said (p.162). While Makhaya was getting his
nutrition, come to find out the boy had died of malnutrition. Food was considered to be scarce.
Religion of the body politic depends on peoples needs and how they interact with
Christianity and other branches if it. Religion wasnt a big topic in the body politic, but was
occasionally brought up. According to Steven Case article, , the body politic is also
sometimes used in a religious sense. The Church sometimes views itself as the body politic,
viewing God as the head of the body, and the Church as its heart (Case p.1). Theres a
connection to the Church and God like the connection between a body and the heart having faith.
Religion mainly uses God and the Church to understand Christianity. Also, This sense of the
metaphor appears most commonly in the Catholic Church, although other branches of the
Christian faith may use it as well, emphasizing the interconnection nature of God, Church, and
the faithful (Case p.1). The body politic is commonly used in the Catholic Church and other
branches of Christian faith. Religion affiliates with God, the Church, and its faith. In the novel,
women went to religion, and they became more knowledgeable. For example, while
growing up Mma-Millipede became very interested in the Christian religion many women
drifted to the church, where they were also able to obtain a bit of missionary education (p.64).
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It was very common for women to drift to the church when they are growing up. They were able
to collect mission education which gave the advantage over men. Few women took the church to
develop new personalities and expand their minds and hearts. As women gained mission
education; it expanded their understanding of life with faith. In the meantime, [Makhaya asked
Mma-Millipede if shes religious. She told him] Goodness is impossible to achieve. I am
searching for a faith, without which I cannot live [He asked her] What is faith, Mama? It is
an understanding of life, she replied (p.124). In the novel, Makhaya was curious to know if
Mma-Millipede was religious and wanted to know what faith is. She told him it meant the
understanding of life. Makhaya was still confused how religion and life would be so abusive
based off the color of his skin and treat him so wrong. It didnt matter for Makhaya to
understand life. For this reason, People could do without religions and Gods who died for the
sins of the world and thereby left men without any feeling of self-responsibility for the crimes
they committed (p.130). In the novel to Makhaya, this meant that whites could forever go on
killing blacks because Jesus Christ would save them from their sins they made. That is why he
says Africa can do without a religion that believes in that. Makhaya didnt feel as if it was right
to believe in a religion like that.
From examining different articles about the body politic and the novel, I can say the body
politic has a major impact on how it affects people in everyday life. In the novel, When Rain
Clouds Gather displays the body politic and other aspects of it affecting people in a society.
There are different attributes within the body politic that can be effects to someone or something.
The author, Bessie Head clearly displays how the novel is a similar personal experience of her
own. She deliberately tells her own story through her writings as a permanent refugee in
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Botswana. The novel is a great model to show how the body politic can truly affect a person or a
whole society with their rights, protection of the government, racism, health, and religion.
















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Works Cited
"Body Politics - FEMINISM AND, RACIAL." - Women, Bodies, Abortion, and Power. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. Print.
Case, Steven. "The County as a Body Politic and Corporate." County as Body Politic and
Corporate. N.p., 13 Apr. 2010. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Print.
Jacobs, Frank. "Fresh Scars on the Body Politic." Opinionator Fresh Scars on the Body Politic
Comments. N.p., 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. Print.
Moreno, Jonathan . "The Body Politic: The Battle over Science in America." Times Higher
Education. N.p., 10 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Print.
O'Connor, Erin. "Epitaph for the Body Politic: A Review of Roy Porter's Bodies Politic: Disease,
Death and Doctors in Britain, 1650-1900." Epitaph for the Body Politic:. N.p., n.d. Web.
4 Apr. 2014. Print.
Warman, Tyler. "The American Body Politic." California Political Review. N.p., 30 Mar. 2014.
Web. 4 Apr. 2014. Print.