Discuss the issue of power in this play.  Is there more than one sort of power?  Who has what sort of power, and does one type of power win out over another?

FRANK: On a large scale, the issue of power is seen by apartheid being enforced by the government.  It directly and indirectly affects the characters of this play.  The audience is informed of the men of power liked by both Hally (whom likes crude conquerors, writers and scientists) and Sam (whom likes educated, humble, peaceful, liberators). Hally’s father is in favor of apartheid and he shares racist jokes with his son.  Hally repeats one and they hurt Sam, possibly Willie and the audience.  The men of power liked by Hally and Sam directly reflect their personalities.  Hally and his father hold the power of racism.  Sam holds the power of peace and wisdom.  Sam has more mental power over  Willie but he does not use it to make Willie feel inferior.  Willie has physical power over his girlfriend.  The power of apartheid is very strong due to its backing from the government however, the power of peace and wisdom seem to prevail as a result of the creation of this play.

LESLEY: In this play, color and control were issues of power.  Color played its part in the scene of the bench when Hally flew the kite that Sam made.  The
reason why Sam left Hally there was because it was a "white's only" bench.  In this play blacks (Sam) were inferior to whites (Hally).  So, Hally used
the privelage of being white to try to gain some respect from Sam.  Towards the end of the play when Hally gets furiated with sam, he uses the fact that
he is white to gain power over the two servants. I think that control was another issue of power because sam uses his good judgement and control to override Hally and his attempt to win.  He was trying to make himself look like the better man by trying to get Sam to hit him, but Sam's self-control overpowered him.  Sam knew that if he hit Hally, he would not be acting respectful and like a real man.

BEN: The type of power that Hally posses is the power of aparthied.  Hally has this power for one reason the color of his skin.  Hally can get away with making
Sam call him master and spitting in Sam's only because of the rules of aparthied allow him to.  Sam's power is more of the heart.  Sam has known
Hally for all of his life.  Sam has seen Hally at his lowest monents and tried to lift him up.  Sam in some ways, the kite for example, has a better father
to Hally than his actual father.  It is this power that causes Hally to explode on Sam.  Sam tries to help Hally deal with the return of his father, Sam has
erned this right by being friends with Hally.  Hally feels that he has no right to tell him how to act.  In the end the power of friendship wins.  I feel this
way because after Sam has been humilated by Hally at the end of the play he still extends the olive branch of friendship at the end of the play by
asking Hally if the should fly a kite tomorrow.
 

The main conflict of the play occurs between Sam and Hally.  What role does Willie fulfill, then, if he is not directly involved in the main conflict?

AMY: "Master Harold... and the boys" is a story of lessons that are both taught and learned.  Hally and sam are the teachers of these lessons through
out the play.  Hally teaches lessons on respect and power. Hally also teaches many historical lessons on famous people of the past with great
"magnitude". Although Hally teaches many lessons, they all purtain to what he has learned to school, with the exception of one (respect) which he has
learned from his father.  Sam's lessons are all from either past experiences or from the goodness of his heart. For example Sam lessons all root back to
becoming a better human being.

Although Willie is not directly involved in these experiences, I think his role in the play serves as the "absorber" of these lessons.  Although Willie does not talk much throughout the play, the very last lines of the last scene prove that willie, although not directly involved, has listened carefully and gained great knowledge about life. Willie learns that its okay to "dream" as well as how it is wrong to abuse other people.  He learned that he too, if he apply's himself and enjoys what he is doing, can
be an amazing dancer like Sam.

Through Sam and hally's characters we hear these lessons that are being taught, but it is through Willie's character that we actually see the outcome and importance of the lessons.

Hally the white “master” seems to get what he wants by the end of the play: Sam calls him “master” and both servants are much more respectful of the white boy.  Why then was the play banned in South Africa, do you suppose?  What about the play might have been threatening to the South African apartheid government?

HENRY: I believe the play was banned in South Africa because of the message it conveyed and the consequences that could arise thereafter.  In my opinion this play transported the message saying that blacks could be looked at as heroes.  It is threatening to the African government because just like Hally learned to look beyond apartheid with the help of a black man, other whites in the South African society can do the same with the message of the play.