Write a critical appreciation of this extract from "Waiting for the barbarians" by J.M. Coetzee, focusing on Coetzee's appreciation of Colonel Joll

Résumé du document

This extract from Waiting for the Barbarians is a first-person narrative which recounts the narrator's meeting with a colonel. A person can be defined and described through multiple techniques, several of which are combined in this extract to give as full an appreciation as possible of the latter character. Indeed, Coetzee manages to convey a complex appreciation of Colonel Joll through his relation to and contrast with the narrator, the language used to describe him and Joll's own way of behaving. How he is seen by others can seem to be a misleading way to describe a character, since nobody can take in the full scope of someone else's personality: personal feelings will interfere with an objective judgement. An internal point of view can nonetheless be useful as it enables the reader to observe a character through the eyes of another human being, who can reflect on what he sees and translate details into an explanation of one's personality.

From the narrator's point of view, Colonel Joll is at the same time an enigmatic visitor and a familiar figure. Indeed, from the beginning of the extract, the use of negation and oppositions reflects the narrator's lack of understanding and the fact that he is walking on unknown grounds: “never”, “anything”, “I could understand it if […] But”, “they look […] but”. The rhetorical question he asks himself “Is he blind?” also depicts an attempt to make sense of what he sees, but without success. The references to “home” and the peculiar customs of where he lives also indicate that he is a foreigner for the narrator, and from a different culture altogether: “At home everyone wears them”, “where people eat certain snakes as a delicacy”, “among the strange furniture”.

Extraits

[...] Waking in the night, in the open, one is dazzled.” Pastoral elements night breeze”, “moonlight”, “walnut trees”, “orchards”, “thousands of stars” which he reflects upon and takes the time to admire, give him an almost childlike innocence and purity, which makes Colonel Joll appear in contrast more materialistic and older. In this way, Coetzee manages to give a certain impression of Joll as an important but perhaps also superficial figure, who relies much on his status to impose his presence. References - "Waiting for the Barbarians". Constantine P. [...]

[...] The rhetorical question he asks himself he blind?” also depicts an attempt to make sense of what he sees, but without success. The references to and the peculiar customs of where he lives also indicate that he is a foreigner for the narrator, and from a different culture altogether: home everyone wears “where people eat certain snakes as a delicacy”, “among the strange furniture”. However, in the next paragraph, the casual discussion between the two men shows a closer relationship than could be expected given the many things the two characters do not know of each other. [...]

[...] Cavafy. - "Adriana Zabala, mezzo-soprano". AdrianaZabala.com. - "What's On". baxter.co.za. - "Waiting for the Barbarians". segalcentre.org. [...]

[...] Write a critical appreciation of this extract from “Waiting for the barbarians” by J.M. Coetzee, focusing on Coetzee's appreciation of Colonel Joll This extract from Waiting for the Barbarians is a first-person narrative which recounts the narrator's meeting with a colonel. A person can be defined and described through multiple techniques, several of which are combined in this extract to give as full an appreciation as possible of the latter character. Indeed, Coetzee manages to convey a complex appreciation of Colonel Joll through his relation to and contrast with the narrator, the language used to describe him and Joll's own way of behaving. [...]

[...] Nevertheless, we realise that the impression of equality between them is not actually true. Indeed, from the beginning Colonel Joll is in a position of dominance. The sunglasses that he wears appear to be a basic to him home everyone wears although they are new invention” which the narrator has never heard about. His use of the imperative and suggestions on the way others should act would find them useful out here in the desert” are also signs of his position of authority over the narrator as well as his superiority in terms of knowledge and worldliness, which is reinforced by his being well-travelled visit he paid elsewhere on the frontier”, is here under the emergency powers”). [...]