• Cry The Beloved Country Text

Social Protest Cry the Beloved Country was a book written to bring about change. Through out the book Alan Paton reveal the social injustices of South Africa. This whole book, although a fictional stories, is to protest of the ways of South Africa. Paton brings up the inequity of the natives' verses the whites; he makes points about education, superiority, and separation. Paton clearly showed that the white man is superiority to the black, he gives numerous examples throughout the novel.

The white man had more money, a better job, a nicer house With James Jarvis, Paton showed that he was superior by making him live on high place, because he was so much superior than the natives that lived below him. At the end of the book James Jarvis (even though he had changed) could not get off his horse to talk to Steven Kumalo. He could have easily gotten off but 'such a thing is not lightly done' (307). Paton includes this part in the novel to show that the white man can be amicable with the natives, but they will always have to come out on top. The whites needed to feel like they were on a higher level than the natives.

Cry The Beloved Country Text

If this country ever wants to be as one the whites are going to have to give up there need for superiority. Many times in the novel Paton showed there was a problem without even saying it.

One of the major examples of that would be when he gave the scene of people asking 'Have you a room to let?' And the response would always be 'no I have no room to let'(85). Paton dosent outright say that its horrible that there is not even enough housing for the natives and they have to cram together in shared houses with no privicy at all. He just tells us the story and the reader recognize that there is a problem. Paton offten leves it up to the reader to figure out the social injustices of South Africa. When Kumalo was talking about his son Absolam he said 'he is in prison for the most terrible deed a man can do, He killed a white.Corruption in Cry, the Beloved Country Corruption plagues society. It is the agony of the people, the crying of the land, the discord of society, and the mourning of the individual.

Even the most elite of charitable people struggle to elude its all-ensnaring grasp. Those brave individuals who attempt to overthrow corruption are often left broken and devastated. Corruption is denoted as a lack of integrity or honesty, or to ruin, taint, or contaminate ones morality. In the novel Cry, the Beloved Country, this epidemic is rampant in almost all facets of life. Alan Paton, the author, suggests that an effective way to rid the land of this terrible disease would be to dispose of the infected parts or aspects and rebuild them completely without any contaminated attributes. Problems in the home and family can cause corruption. Quarrels or disagreements in the family cause individuals in that family to rebel and desire to leave home.

Other occurrences, such as change in various fields, may also cause members of the family to desire to leave as well. When one leaves home, it is easy to be corrupted by the lack of knowledge and experience of how to take care of himself. This is the story for Kumalo's beloved sister and son. Neither of them has experience of how to manage themselves and end up going the corrupted way. Gertrude ends up prostituting herself because she is not trained.another character in Paton's novel, Cry, the Beloved Country.

What role does the landscape play in the novel? What does the valley surrounding Ndotsheni represent? 'Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed' (Paton 33). In Cry, the Beloved Country, this bold statement reflects both the beauty of the land of South Africa and the peace and harmony of men.

Both of their relations are solely dependent on the care that they receive and as of now, these relations are strained. Although Alan Paton never directly declares the importance of the land, the repetition of, 'There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills' suggests its significance and contributions to the novel (Paton 33). The landscape in Alan Paton's novel is the mirror image of South Africa's society, devastated, but with the potential of being unified and restored. The grass-covered beauty, '…one of the fairest valleys of Africa,' is the true nature of South Africa, but when the land and the people are not able to coexist, when the equally born blacks and the whites are not able to respect each other, that beauty is disrupted, and they are not able to prosper to their full potential (Paton 161).

Whether in the arid valley or the hectic city, people seem to confront the same problem: wanting improvement, but only a few are seizing opportunities to.The book ' Cry, the Beloved Country' by Alan Paton is a book about agitation and turmoil of both whites and blacks over the white segregation policy called apartheid. The book describes how understanding between whites and blacks can end mutual fear and aggresion, and bring reform and hope to a small community of Ndotcheni as well as to South Africa as a whole.

The language of the book reflects the Bible; furthermore, several characters and episodes are reminiscent of stories from the New Testament and teachings of Christ. Thus, Alan Paton, as a reformer and the author of ' Cry, the Beloved Country', gives the people of South Africa a new, modern Bible, where he, like Christ, teaches to 'love thy brother as yourself' in order to help whites and blacks overcome the fear and misunderstanding of each other. The language of the book from the very beginning reveals its biblical nature. 'The great valley of Umzimkulu is still in darkness, but the light will come there. Ndotcheni is still in darkness, but the light will come there also.' The style includes symbols such as light and darkness, short clauses connected by 'and' or 'but', and repetition.

This style is used to represent speech or thoughts 'translated' from Zulu. Jesus Christ is symbolized by the figure of Arthur Jarvis. He is a white reformer who fights for rights of blacks. Like Christ, he is very altruistic and wants to. Cry The Beloved Country: Book Review Lee Brown Tina Winings Acc. 25, 1997 ' Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of it all. Let him not love the earth to deeply.

Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land are singing, nor give to much of his heart to a mountain or a valley. For fear will rob him of all if he lives too much. Yes cry, cry, the beloved country' ' Cry The Beloved Country' by Alan Paton. ' Cry The Beloved Country' was a magnificent work of art and my words alone would do it an injustice. Its pages echo with the dirge of a battered country that has suffered far to much for far to long. The book takes you to South Africa, where the land itself is the essence of a man. It as if the mountains, soaring high above the clouds, are the high moments in life, and the valleys are those low and suffering times.

Next, you will take a journey to a place called Johannesburg. While reading the pages, begin to envision Johannesburg being a polluted, very unkind, and rushed city. The setting is more of a emotional setting than a physical setting.

As I stated it takes place in South Africa, 1946. This is a time where racial discrimination is at an all. Cry, The Beloved Country Essay Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis were two of the most outstanding characters in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country. Their courage and endurance to overcome the tragic events they have endured throughout the novel has proven that fact indefinitely. Although both of these characters are extremely courageous, James Jarvis proves to be the most courageous because of all the terrible hardships he overcomes.

James Jarvis overcomes the hateful racial misunderstandings he has with the natives, the death of his beloved son, the courage to genuinely forgive the murderer, and create a powerful friendship with the murderer’s father and natives in general. Having the will and courage to overcome a loss of a relative is something extraordinarily tough to do. James Jarvis portrayed this courage, but at an even deeper level because it was his own son that died.

His son, Arthur Jarvis, was killed by Absalom Kumalo, Stephen Kumalo’s son. James Jarvis has the courage to not only overcome the death of his son, but forgive to the Kumalo family and form a resilient friendship with them. By having this courage he “understands” what he “did not understand” before about the natives and is awarded with peace. (Alan Paton 214) When James Jarvis made the decision to forgive the Kumalo family, he was beyond genuine in his forgiveness.

He had the courage risk his.Restoration Through Symbolism Restoration is a beautiful thing. Watching something go from nothing to everything is amazing. In the book Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, restoration is one of the main themes of the book. I am going to talk about two main examples; a quotation from a character and the significance of a certain character.

The first thing developing the concept of restoration is the character Napoleon. Napoleon was an allusion used in the story. He was a demonstrator that came to the city of Ndotsheni to help them 'get back on their feet again' by teaching them how to efficiently farm. However, his advice was not exactly received with open arms.

As a character, he is quite similar to Napoleon Bonaparte, a French leader. Both of them had very helpful ideas to improve life for everyone, but not everyone appreciated his suggestions. The Napoleon in the story also symbolizes starting the process of restoration. When Ndotsheni finally accepts his advice and begins doing things more efficiently, it's an enormous turning point for the city. Also symbolizing the restoration process is the words of another character, Father Vincent.

'Fear is a journey, a terrible journey, but sorrow is at least an arriving', he says, while comforting Stephen Kumalo. When he says this, he also hints at the concept of restoration, because later in the quote, he references building a house, directly.Alan Paton is the clever author of Cry, The Beloved Country, a historical fiction book that displays the violences of injustice, discrimation, and imperialism that begins its story in the lonesome island of Ndotsheni where Kumalo lives. Stephen Kumalo, the main protagonist of Alan Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country, is a meek Zulu pastor who has lived as a native in Ndotsheni. Kumalo discovers his sister Gertrude has fallen ill as addressed in a letter from a fellow priest in Johannesburg. Despite the cost of the strenuous excursion to Johannesburg, Kumalo flees Ndotsheni in hopes of Gertrude’s quick recovery and finding his son Absalom along his journey. Everyday seems to be a challenging obstacle for Kumalo (I used the black poster board to symbolize these hardships), either searching the metropolis for Absalom or coming to the realization his sister is a prostitute, he never loses his confidence. Therefore, it seems appropriate to ask this basic question: “Why is it so important to keep moving forward and have hope if your loved ones are not around to support?” because questions about life pop into each individual’s mind and life is a heavy package that comes with prices to pay (I used the package to symbolize this).

The title is written symbolically because Stephen and Absalom Kumalo have been seperated, but suddenly Absalom reenters Kumalo’s life. The visual portion’s background.Courageous & Complex Cry, the Beloved Country is a compelling novel written by Alan Paton that tells the story of a distraught South Africa, and how one father faces the struggles of putting his family back together. Cry, the Beloved Country takes place in South Africa around the 1940’s. Stephen Kumalo, a priest that lives in the village of Ndotsheni, receives a letter unexpectedly, asking him to come to the city of Johannesburg because his sister Gertrude is very ill.

Kumalo is willing to make this long and expensive journey, being that two other of his family members live there; his brother and his son. While in Johannesburg, Kumalo discovers not only his sister in a rough state, but also his son, Absolom, in an even worse state. What Kumalo doesn’t expect during this journey is the way his and James Jarvis’ lives intertwine, and how much courage it takes to get through the difficult times he faces. Kumalo finds this courage and is the most courageous because of his faithfulness to God and his approaches to problematic situations. James Jarvis is forgiving, understanding, and a man of action. His actions speak louder than any of the little dialogue he speaks. Jarvis is very unenlightened of the unfairness and prejudice in his own country, South Africa.

After receiving the news that his son, Arthur Jarvis, is dead, he soon discovers how much of a stranger he is to his own.