Athol Fugard's play, "Master Harold and the Boys", is fundamentally a play that examines the complex race relations between two black servants and their employer white labor and the conditions of South African apartheid. The excerpt from “Master Harold and the Boys” sheds light on the psyche of individuals during apartheid South Africa, revealing the injustices of the times, the capacity for hope and the fragility of friendship. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Athol Fugard uses an extended metaphor to illustrate the injustices of apartheid in South Africa. In the song, Sam, a black servant employed by Hally's family, compares living life peacefully to a graceful dance. Sam comments that "we bump into each other all the time." The act of “bumping into” someone does not refer to the physical action, but rather paints a picture of the conflicts people have with each other. Sam mentions countries clashing with each other, personifying the countries as individuals with their own problems. This is an external conflict; conflicts that arise from doing everything wrong and without guidance, or as Sam explains, from not knowing the steps and the lack of music. Sam mentions external conflict between countries and even socioeconomic classes, but not between whites and blacks. Sam's omission of a statement depicting blacks and whites is surprising because the context of the play revolves around this racial relationship. However, Sam declares, "Now we're sick of it." The word “we are” means that Sam is part of a group that is tired of all the fighting, tired of all the conflict. With that subtle yet profound word, Athol Fugard moved the reader from the external conflict of the surrounding environment to the internal conflict of the psyche of those oppressed by apartheid. The use of the word is ambiguous. Sam does not directly expand on the group he includes himself in. By inference, Sam is referring to blacks living under apartheid. Collectively, they have suffered injustices for too long. Sam asks Halley questions about how long he will have to remain a second-class citizen and Hally can only respond with admiration for his "vision", unfortunately a step above being just a dream. The shift from hope to despair established a tone of emerging frustration. Sam's language changes, and rightfully so, as he begs for an answer to all his woes. Athol Fugard uses an extended metaphor and a shift in tone to illustrate the injustices of apartheid in South Africa and the conflicts that are brewing, both externally and internally. The universal capacity for hope of a people who endure harsh and arduous circumstances is revealed through an extended metaphor and the response of the other character present, Hally. Similar to Hally, the reader and audience may wonder why Sam and Willie enjoy the dance competition so much. Previously, Hally unknowingly insults Sam by saying that dancing isn't cool. For Sam this is like saying that peaceful coexistence is not beautiful because Sam has equated a peaceful life with dancing. Sam cares about his "vision" of life without clashing with other people, without conflicts, without apartheid. Sam illustrates the capacity for hope. He is an elderly man who has lived under apartheid his entire life, without seeing the end of it. However, she finds hope by dancing and enjoying the life she has. Sam is frustrated about when these conflicts will end, but by holding on to the dance, he maintains his vision of a life without injustice. Fugard once again takes the reader and audience on a journey through the psyche of a people suffering in difficult circumstances. Dance represents a life without.