The Ultimate Safari-LACAR

THE ULTIMATE
SAFARI
THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 1

Pre Discussion📜
📌Who is Nadine Gordimer?
📌 What is the story of The Ultimate Safari?
📌Who are the characters of the Ultimate Safari?
📌What is the symbolism, theme, tone, message and universal truth of the short story?
What to Expect?
1. Discuss the Ultimate Safari and its author.
2. Identify the characters of the short story.
3. Distinguish the symbolism, theme, tone, message and universal truth of the
short story.
Lesson Outline📖
 Nadine Gordimer is a South African

author.
 Daughter of Lithuanian Jewish
immigrants.
 She wrote 10 novels and 9 short
story which reflects politics like an
unforgiving mirror held up to the
South African government.
 The Ultimate Safari was first
published in Great Britain's literary
publication Granta in 1989.
Plot of The Ultimate Safari
 It was a night in a middle of chaos when the children’s mother left but never
came back. They were waiting for her since that night. Because of the idea that
the bandits might come and kill them anytime, they managed to stay home and
hide.
 The bandits come to their village several times and took everything away but the
last time they came back, there was nothing left to take so they burned the thatch
and the roofs of the house feel in. At that point, the children lost everything but
themselves. Until, their grandparents came to take them to their starving house.
In their grandparents’ house, they were safe but they were starving for a month.
So, their grandparents decided that they should go away, hoping that they could
find a new home with food and no bandits.
 Along the way, the grandmother traded her church clothes and shoes to
someone for food and water container. Then, they met a group of people who
were also going away and they joined them. They all had to go through the
Kruger Park wherein they moved like animals among the animals, away from the
roads, the electrified fences and white camps. They fed on mealies, wild fruits
and flesh of dead animals. They waked by day and night.
 Tried beyond endurance, they slept the nights huddled together, afraid to be
dragged away by the lions. Fortunately, the man who led them all the way
managed to jump off and scared away the beasts. The next day, the
grandmother was moving on unflinchingly, her feet bleeding, without brushing off
flies from her face and holding the little girl’s younger brother in her arms. On the
way, the grandfather is lost when he went into the grass to ease himself. They
waited and searched for him for a day.
 The grandmother stoically made the decision to give up the search and move on
with the group. They reached the refugee camp where they are well taken care

of. They have a small place for themselves in a huge tent. They were given free
food and medicine. Soon, the grandmother was able to find job.
 The grandmother dauntlessly strived to secure the futures of her grandchildren;
they her needs come last and though not able to buy herself a pair of shoes, she
sent the two children to a nearby school, bought them school shoes, and ensured
that they always do their homework.
 In the end, the grandmother’s bitter feelings surfaced when a journalist asked her
if she would ever go back to Mozambique. But she answered ‘no’ for everything
for her is gone. This left the young girl perplexed as she still hopes to return to
her homeland and find her parents and grandfather there.
Characters
 The Young Girl- She is the narrator of this story, she tells about the war and how
her family coped with it; by leaving their village and seek another place.
 Grandmother- She helps take care of her grandchildren along with her husband,
whom they lose at Kruger Park. The grandmother is proven to be the one who
keeps the family together as they travel to the refugee camp. She wants the best
for the grandchildren, as she stated at the end of the story when she was
interviewed. She is big and strong even though she is tired. The grandmother is a
dynamic character, as the story progresses; we learn how she became tougher
as she had to leave her husband behind in order for her and the grandchildren to
be safe.
 Bandits- The bandits had raided many places, including the narrator’s village, in
which they had to run away, even from their home that had burned down; they
had also taken away everything in the village. They are the reason to why the

narrator and her family forcefully had to leave their village and travel through
many hardships to get to a refugee camp. They are feared by everyone.
 Grandfather- Weak and dependent
 The young girl’s little brother (flat character)
Symbolism
 The title Ultimate Safari could be means the extreme journey.
 Little girl symbolizes hope and optimism
 Grandmother symbolizes strength, courage and sacrifice
 Grandfather symbolizes weakness and sacrifice
 Kruger Park symbolizes their homeland, Mozambique
 White people symbolizes racial discrimination
 Bandits symbolizes death or considered lion in the city
 Lion symbolizes danger or considered as the bandits in the jungle
 Huge tent symbolizes success of the refugees as they reached in the camp

Theme
 A racial segregation (Apartheid or separateness) between the colored people or

the blacks and whites.
 A journey of hope and family. The grandmother and the grandfather took over
parenting responsibilities when the parents of the young girl had lost. The
grandmother sacrifice and strive to keep her family together until they reach the
refugee camp. Even though there is a war in their country they still hope and find
way to escape from that place to keep them alive and safe from the bandits .
 It is about homelessness, the young girl could not be able to return to their village
and see her mother and father.
Tone
 Sad
 Challenging
Message
 Never lose hope for the future. Think that one day better days will come because
without hope, there is nothing left for us to look forward. No turning back, keep on
moving forward.
Universal truth
 "The Ultimate Safari," addresses the effects of South Africa's system of apartheid
on its people and its neighbors. (Racial segregation)
 Oppression and absurdity of war.

 Family will always be a family.
Summary
The Ultimate Safari was written by a South African writer named Nadine
Gordimer, the Ultimate Safari was first published in Great Britain's literary publication
Granta in 1989. The story is all about the journey of the little girl and her younger
brother together with their grandparents. It was started when the children’s mother left
but never came back. The country is at war and food is very scarce, thus their village is
being raided by bandits. Just then, their grandparents arrive to save them from starving
since their parents did not came back anymore. The bandits come to their village
several times and took everything away. They starved for a month that is why they
decided to go, find new home with food and no bandits. They sell some old clothes to
pay for a bit of food. They encountered a lot of difficulties as they seek for a safer place.
It is a journey of hope and family. The grandparents took the responsibilities in

taking care of their grandchildren and strive to keep the family together until they reach
the refugee camp. They still hope and find way to escape from that place to keep them
alive and safe from the bandits . It is also about homelessness for the young girl could
not be able to return to their village and see her mother and father.
The short story addresses the effects of South Africa's system of apartheid on its
people and its neighbors because during that time, there’s a racial separation between
the whites and blacks. Minority of the South Africa’s population are the whites people;
they are the one who govern the place. Oppression and absurdity of war affects the
lives of many blacks including the children. The Ultimate Safari mirrored the situation of
the black people way back before. Aside from that, it tells us readers that we should
never give up no matter what happen. Family will always be a family just what the
grandmother and grandfather did. They never leave their grandchildren.

References
Short Stories for Students. Encyclopedia.com. 16 Oct. 2020 . (2020, November 16).
Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-

papers-and-books/ultimate-safari
The Function of Symbolism in Nadine Gordimer's "The Ultimate Safari". (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://m.grin.com/document/496848
The Ultimate Safari. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/chrstnbby/the-ultimate-safari
The Ultimate Safari. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/d56qz3uuane_/the-ultimate
safari/
Ultimate Safari. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/jdotmytcnv7y/ultimate-safari/

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THE ULTIMATE

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 1

📌Who is Nadine Gordimer?

📌 What is the story of The Ultimate Safari?

📌Who are the characters of the Ultimate Safari?

1. Discuss the Ultimate Safari and its author.

2. Identify the characters of the short story.

 Nadine Gordimer is a South African

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 3

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 4

 The title Ultimate Safari could be means the extreme journey.

 Little girl symbolizes hope and optimism

 Grandmother symbolizes strength, courage and sacrifice

 Grandfather symbolizes weakness and sacrifice

 Kruger Park symbolizes their homeland, Mozambique

 White people symbolizes racial discrimination

 Bandits symbolizes death or considered lion in the city

 Lion symbolizes danger or considered as the bandits in the jungle

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 5

 A racial segregation (Apartheid or separateness) between the colored people or

 Oppression and absurdity of war.

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 6

It is a journey of hope and family. The grandparents took the responsibilities in

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 7

Retrieved from https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-

The Function of Symbolism in Nadine Gordimer's "The Ultimate Safari". (n.d.).

Retrieved from https://m.grin.com/document/496848

The Ultimate Safari. (n.d.). Retrieved from

The Ultimate Safari. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/d56qz3uuane_/the-ultimate

Ultimate Safari. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/jdotmytcnv7y/ultimate-safari/

THE ULTIMATE SAFARI 8

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