Analysis of The Power of One Essay

Summer Independent Reading

You cannot open a book without learning something─Irish proverb

In every book there is a lesson to be learned, something useful to be carried away, or at least a saying or phrase that can help you to fulfill your life the best you can. In The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay a sentence that I could not get out of my head throughout the entirety of my reading was when Hoppie Groenwald said to Peekay, first with the head and then with the heart. Hoppie ultimately inspired Peekay to begin boxing and this quote stayed with him for the remainder of his story. In easier terms I believe Hoppie was trying to express to Peekay that you must first think of what youre going to do and then strike with all your determination and heart. Peekay definitely strived to follow Hoppies advice and this helped him to become such a successful boxer.

With the help of all the great people that Peekay meets throughout the course of The Power of One, he was fortunate enough to get some of the best boxing lessons, life lessons, and just overall love and care that anyone can ever receive. But before he began meeting all the wonderful people who would influence the rest of his life, Peekays life started off at an Afrikaans boarding school where he was severely beaten and tortured. He was referred to as Pisskop because he wet his bed at night and the other students physically tormented him for it. With no one to trust or count on, Peekay spent most of his time with his only friend, his pet chicken, Grampa Chook. By staying strong and persevering through all the grueling encounters with the Judge and other older kids, Peekay survived the horrible boarding school and finally began to experience life the way it should be.

At the beginning of the book I learned that no matter how hard something is you always have to keep a positive mind set and look toward the future. You have to be dedicated and stick with whatever you are trying to do whether its making a sports team, working hard on a school report, or even, as in Peekays position, just trying to survive to see the next day. Even after only reading the first one or two chapters of the novel, I had already learned a lesson about myself, my family, and everyone who has become a successful person in life. No matter who your parents are or how good your siblings are in school or sports, you have to start somewhere and that begins with hard work and determination. No one can just step out onto the field or into the classroom and be a great athlete or student without practicing and working hard to achieve thier goals. This exists for everyone from star athletes to just everyday regular people who work a steady job and care for a family. Everyone encounters tough times when nothing seems to be going their way, but after gritting their teeth and grinding it out, the hard work eventually pays off for them.

After surviving boarding school Peekay comes to meet his first, and at the time, only influence in his life, Hoppie Groenwald. Peekay was on a train headed for Barberton when he first came face to face with his soon to be life long friend. Hoppie was a guard on the train and he happened to be the one who was to look after Peekay. They began talking and Hoppie began telling Peekay about how he was a boxer and, not to mention, champion of the railways. Peekay was intrigued by the sport of boxing and when he saw Hoppie defeat his much larger opponent, Jackhammer Smit, he realized what he wanted to do in life. And that was to become welterweight champion of the world. Later on in the book Peekay meets his next major influence and best friend, Doc. They hike the hills together where Doc teaches Peekay about different types of plants and other wildlife. Doc also teaches Peekay to respect himself and his country, to conquer his fears, and to just enjoy life. I believe that after Peekay met Doc his whole point of view on life significantly changed. He went from being a kid who what seemed like a total failure to a young man who could carry himself in a manner that was confident and proud. Peekay began boxing not only because of Hoppie Groenwald but also with the help of Doc and everyone at the prison where Doc served time for being an illegal alien. Boxing became a way of life for Peekay and he just kept getting better and better at it throughout the whole novel.

Towards the end of the book I learned that you dont always have to be a part of a group to become successful. Peekay used the power of one to carve himself into a well known and respected boxer in Africa. With the help of Hoppie Groenwald and Doc along with Geel Piet, Mrs. Boxall, Morris Levy, Lieutenant Smit, Rasputin, Solly Goldman, Miss Bornstein, and the rest of Peekays mentors he became very successful. Even though all those people helped Peekay along the way he was able to be independent and carry himself as a great boxer all on his own. He did not always need to count on someone to win a match; Peekay would practice as hard as he could to bring out his best performance in the ring. Following Peekay in his journey and seeing how he succeeded without always having help and support was a huge eye opener for me. I realized that it may be good to have a little assistance here and there when you need it, but ultimately you must be able to count on yourself because you determine your own destiny. Becoming independent is something that everyone has to experience sooner or later and a great place to start is with something small like a sport and then move on to bigger things in life such as getting your first job, your own home, and starting a family without your parents always at your side. I thought that The Power of One was definitely one of the most inspiring and well written books I have ever read. It had so many life lessons hidden deep inside the context of every page and every chapter. The challenge was just recognizing each simple lesson and applying those lessons to my life.