Profile of a Heroine a her own Right
She wakes up just as early as the rest of us to attend lectures. She can always be seen at the library, reading up for the latest assignment and she is always found studying until the wee hours of the morning for an upcoming test. On entering this young woman’s room, one is greeted by a note written under her exam timetable reading: “Junior needs YOU to do well, so kill it ma”. Reacting to my response to it that it is sweet, she says, “it’s not supposed to be sweet, it’s supposed to motivate me to study” Sounds like the typical hardworking student, but Ntombi Mlangeni has had it tougher than most. She not only had to deal with moving so far away from home but, only four months into her first year in university she was forced to decide whether or not she would keep a child or not. “At the time it felt like I had many options. I could have just decided to terminate the pregnancy”, she says with her typical ‘couldn’t-care-less’ attitude. Today she walks around proudly with the new love of her life safely growing inside of her. “I thought I was going to die. The first few weeks were hell.” She tells of how she had to deal with the anger and confusion of having fallen pregnant in university.
Her whole lifestyle literally had to be changed. A very successful basketball career of six years had to be put aside for fear of harming the baby. “I had to quit smoking”, she says with so much pride. She laughs as I tell her that I didn’t even notice that she had quit smoking despite the fact that she could always be found clouded in smoke when not in lectures. Along with the cigarettes and basketball her one love had to take a backseat after her arrival in Grahamstown. Ntombi is a DJ and she says that on her arrival in Grahamstown she was disappointed because she couldn’t play as much as she used to in her home-town in Sebokeng. “I used to be booked for gigs every week.” she says with an air of pride, “but partly because of my condition and that there are less connections this side I have only had one gig this year.”
Her advice to those who are about to enter into university is that they should be careful when it comes to giving ‘it’ up too easily. “Personally I don’t think it’s worth it”, she says when commenting on having sex with a man before, one knows whether they are certain or not. In her blog post on her group blog, she writes “I thought I should let you know that you might not necessarily find your soul mate at varsity instead you might just end up with no soul. You will find the perfect guy, good looking, talented, understanding, loving, no wait that’s what he’ll make you believe.” She has decided to end the relationship with the father of her child. “I’d rather be alone than unhappy”, she says quoting the lyrics from a popular song. A decision she doesn’t take lightly considering that her child will need to know who his or her father is. She has decided that the father of her child will be a part of her child’s life despite the fact that they are not together anymore.
Ntombi is a heroine in her own right. In the very judgemental world, where just the stares that are given pregnant youth are enough to persecute them unjustly, she still walks with pride. As she says, “taking it a day at a time”. In a world filled with so much choice, where she could have chosen to abort the baby, quit school and go back home to give birth to her baby she chose to go through with the pregnancy, despite the challenges. When asked whether she would consider giving the baby up for adoption she replies almost immediately with a “No, this is my baby.” This goes to show that although Ntombi did not plan the situation she’s in but has learnt to carry it with much graceful strength .
15 years ago
9 comments:
In this paticular blog, Ntombi has been chosen as the heroine. The focus of this profile is that she is a candle stick with lots of mouths blowing on it but because of her intelligent mind set she has chosen what she wants her end result to be. All her determinations and movements were captured clearly. The disruption of her story was that she had to maintain rhodes hectic workload and had to deal with the pregnancy, as carefully as she could.This was a difficult decision for her to make. Other students probably won't understand what she is going through but the fact that she sent out advice to them shows the caring side of this young soul. The writer seems to have been sensative on this topic because it is a fragile issue to deal with, but in the end the story was told.As Carl Sandburg would say, "A baby is God's opinion that life should go on".
This piece was amazing...
kganya Ramoshaba
Wow, what an amazing story. It’s so refreshing from the superficial dribble that many first years are writing about. It stays clear of the fantasy and ‘silver-lined’ world. This profile and the students story is touching and serious, it deals with real life problems that would be difficult for anyone, let alone a first year, to deal with.
This Profile was constructed very well; it lays out the story of the student’s life and then proceeds to tell the story, but gets to the point quickly. The author of this profile has written beautifully about how the student took it upon herself to deal with the problem and came up with the decision that was right for her. She was awfully brave to face her peers under the circumstance, but her courage must be commended and acknowledged by her peers, because even though there are those who stand-out in the first year class. A first year this courageous and determined must be recognized as ‘extra’-ordinary.
Wow, Godmother, this is a touching piece, so well written! I won’t lie and say I know what Ntombi’s going through but I admire her so much and respect that she walks with pride. In a today’s world when women and young girls feel embarrassed about “taboo” subjects such as these, she stands out from the crowd. I love the quote that reads “I thought I should let you know that you might not necessarily find your soul mate at varsity instead you might just end up with no soul”. I myself had a thought at the back of my mind that University would be the place I met ‘the one’, don’t ask why, but that quote certainly hits close to home. I honestly believe that nowadays there’s no space for judgement or disapproving eyes, she’s certainly not the first young women to fall pregnant and won’t be the last. We need to be able to talk about these issues openly and as objectively as one can be, to decrease the shame element pressed down on people. It’s what makes young women feel ashamed and forced to give their babies up, or abort. This is why I admire Ntombi so much. The way you introduced your subject then narrowed in on her story was riveting. Godmother I commend you on telling such a powerful story with as much emotion and humility as you did.
Lotsa luv: Khatija (www.truthaboutlies101.blogspot.com)
The profile is on Ntombi who has fallen pregnant in her firs year at varsity. When Ntombi got here her life was in equilibrium, she was just starting school and very excited. Her falling pregnant was disequilibrium; things were not as they were supposed to be. She now had to think about the baby growing inside her as well as her future. She has decided to keep her baby and now her baby is her inspiration, she works hard so she can create a future for her bundle of joy. Things are now back to equilibrium although they have changed. She is a true heroine, some people would not have had the courage to do what she is doing and for that, she is a true heroine. Wow!!!
It was commented in the text that “Ntombi is a heroine in her own right. In the very judgemental world, where just the stares that are given pregnant youth are enough to persecute them unjustly, she still walks with pride.” She not only has to deal with the idea of living so far away from home four months into her first year in university she had to make the critical decision on whether the keep her baby or not. . She can be decided, as Russian folklorist Propp does, as a hero in the way she was able to overcome the emotional and physical challenges of falling pregnant. As a star basketball player she had to give it up for the baby, therefore her ways of life where disrupted by the baby. But a new equilibrium has developed in her ambition to keep the baby and get a degree.
This is an interesting story, it is not boring at all. The story was well written, and as for Ntombi, i really admire her. people will do all the talking about you girl but the fact remains that you are pregnant and are willing carry your baby, Ntombi is a heroin. Falling pregnant and focusing on her school work was the disruption of the equilibrium. This story was very clear, it went straight to the point, and it was an amazing story. And i think many student have learned a lot from your story, "you might not necessarily find your soul mate at varsity instead you might just end up with no soul",I liked this quote. You are such a brave young women to tell a story like this.
You are my inspiration Ntombi
Jacqui
This profile beautifully depicts the life of a heroin in her first year of university. Todorov’s five stages of a narrative are clearly shown here as we follow the life of Ntombi Mlangeni. Her story begins with her adjusting to her new lifestyle here in Grahamstown which can be seen as the initial equilibrium. The disruption presents itself when Ntombi falls pregnant and as a result the recognition of this disruption is dealing with the decision to keep the unborn child or not. Her attempts to restore the equilibrium is when she decides to keep the baby, end the relationship with the child’s father and temporarily end extra-curricular activities that she once loved. Thus the new equilibrium sees Ntombi continuing with her studies despite her pregnancy. Ntombi Mlangeni’s profile follows her life from before she entered Rhodes University to date and talks about obstacles that she and other students before her have faced, experiences that future students can learn from.
This post is a refreshing change in terms of content. Most first years may not be able to relate directly to this, but this issue is a potentially universal one.
The piece is an eclectic mixture of Prop and Todorov's model of narrative analysis. The distinct heroine is ntombi, who is encountered with disruptions to her equilibrium in that she has fallen pregnant. She has chosen to keep this baby and continue with University in the wake of extreme adversity, societal and personal pressures which may hinder her along the way.
The writer has captured the essence of her determination to succeed, and the important paradigm shift that Ntombi has had to go through while dealing with a particularly sensitive issue with care.
The piece is touching, soulful, real, and is a discovery of the real heroes we have among us.
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