Set work for gr. 8 1st additional language. Poem, Klara Majola. English explanation of the back ground to the poem. Created and compiled by learners from Northwood Boys High School, Durban, South Africa.

1. Heroes - KLARA MAJOLA

2. What is a hero? Who can be a hero?

3. The story of Klara Majola is based on the true tale of a young girl's bravery in search of her blind father.

4. This happened about 60 (July 1950) years ago. There were no cell phones or radios to contact each other, no big searchlights to conduct a night search. Farm workers lived in small cottages with gas lamps for light and fires to keep warm in the winter.

5. The story is set in the Koue Bokkeveld, which is renowned for its bitterly cold winters.

6. Klara was a little girl who lived on a farm in the Western Cape. Her father was blind and her mother worked in the farmer's house. During the day Klara's father looked after the three children. Klara helped him clean the house and in the afternoon the children would play outside.

7. Klara's father would gather fire wood. He didn't go too far because he could not see. One winter it was very cold. They had used a lot of fire wood to keep warm. Klara's father could only find a few pieces of wood for the fire.

8. I will have to go further, he said to Klara. You stay and look after your little brother and sister.

9. Klara was worried but she did what her father said. It began to get dark. Her mother came home, but her father had not returned. I will look for him, Ma. she said. You better get supper ready. He can't be too far, said her mother.

10. How would he manage? Maybe he just sat down until we came to find him. But hurry it will be dark soon. Klara thought so too.

11. She put on her coat, because the wind was cold and set of on the path her father had taken. Much later some farm workers brought Klara's father home. They had found him wandering far from his path.

12. But where is Klara? said her mother. Didn't you see her? I told Klara to wait with the children, said the father. Klara's mother began to cry. She went to look for you. She's out there in the cold and darkness looking for you. All night long they waited. In the morning, they saw the frost on the ground.

13. Klara's mother hoped that she had found somewhere warm to spend the night. They checked the other workers' houses and then began to search the farm. Much later they found her poor frozen body. She had curled up against a rock trying to keep warm.

14. The family was sad. Life would never be the same again. Klara's father never forgot how brave Klara had been and that she had died trying to help him.