This article explores the different aspects of abjection in Neill Blomkamp's film District 9 (2009), namely abjection and the urban space, the aliens and the process of abjection, and the human body and the state of abjection. Julia Kristeva's model of abjection offers a useful lens through which to view District 9, as it is a theoretical exposition of the psychological origins and workings of loathing and disgust. Besides the tension and action of science fiction cinema, the viewer is constantly confronted with the dynamic of the abject which manifests in the dystopic cityscape of Johannesburg (and specifically the ghetto of Chiawelo) and the repulsive bodies and the repugnant social habits of the aliens. It is ironic and significant that the film's central character, Wikus van de Merwe, becomes the extreme manifestation of the state of abjection as a result of his metamorphosis into the repulsive appearance of the Other. This rupture of the boundary between the inside and the outside of the clean and orderly body evokes critical questions about real and symbolic identity, which implies a new comprehension of humanness/humanity. Ultimately the viewer's confrontation with the abject in District 9 is a confrontation with fear, as Hook (2006) argues.
The politics of the human-dog relationship in Op ’n dag, ’n hond by John Miles. This article investigates the way in which the human-dog relationship is presented in the novel Op ’n dag, ’n hond by John Miles. The premise of this article is that the novel can be read within the theoretical framework of Posthumanism, in which the embodied communalities of humans and animals (dogs) are emphasised. Despite the differences between the human and nonhuman animal, it is possible to constitute relationality, based on their shared physical mortality. The investigation will focus on the visual paradigm of the novel: the reciprocal view between dog and human, human and dog, which contradicts anthropocentricism and establishes an intersubjective relationship. The dog as guide embodies a moral agent that causes the teacher to look downward, into the underworld, as well as backward to the past. This, in turn, foregrounds the issues of loyalty and betrayal, and the balance between good and evil in a human life.
Stagnation and transformation: The role of the clown in Paljas This article focuses on the central problem in the film Paljas, and the role of the clown in the process of transformation that is embedded in the story. The stagnation in interpersonal relationships and the accompanying problem of identity on a personal and social level constitute the problem underlying the narrative. The youngest child refuses to speak and dysfunctional family relationships and marital problems are evident. These problems can mainly be ascribed to the spatial isolation in which the characters find themselves. Attention is therefore paid to the way in which space functions in this film. The arrival of an absconded circus clown effects transformation and healing – especially by means of his picaresque performances and the notion of play. Subsequently this article concentrates on the characteristics of game/playing as a cultural activity and on its liberating value. The clown also has definite Biblical connotations as far as the aspects of betrayal and redemption are concerned. The process of transformation as depicted in this film is completed when the child starts speaking again, dysfunctional family relationships are restored and the family is reinstated in the community because of their restored social status.
This article focused on the problem that patients suffering from tuberculosis often stop taking their prescribed medicine and become defaulters. Although various factors could possibly contribute to the non compliance of the patients, this research had focused only on the teaching-learning situation. The experience of both the primary health nurse and the patient suffering from tuberculosis, during the teaching-learning situation in tuberculosis education, has been explored and described within the context of the North West Province. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with primary health nurses and defaulting patients suffering from tuberculosis. Interviews were recorded on tape and transcribed verbatim. The method of content analysis was used. The research has proven that adult-teaching principles have not been established in the teaching-learning situation and that the parent-child ego state predominates in communication.
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