Theme Of Cry The Beloved Country

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The novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, is a novel set in 1948. The beginning of the apartheid Era in South Africa was taking place during this time. Alan Paton sets many themes throughout the novel such as racial prejudice, religious issues/ unity, and the beauty of the community bringing together a group. This fictional novel sends out many messages addressing the fundamental problems of humanity throughout time and history. The reader should feel directly inspired by the novel and its messages because of the direct correlation to the modern world. Racial prejudice, religious issues/ unity, and the bauty of the community bringing groups and populations together are main concepts throughout the story which he expresses through syntax and multiple means of parallelism of modern day and 1948. …show more content…

Blacks view the whites as the leaders of breaking the faith and spirit of the blacks, “The white man has broken the tribe. And it is my belief – and again I ask your pardon – that it cannot be mended again”( chapter 5 ) is a view that is not only seen by Msimangu, but is most likely seen through blacks all throughout South Africa. The mending of the bonds between the tribes can be viewed in a more modern way as the relationship between whites and blacks during the civil rights movement. Black crime, injustice, and inequality are all directly related and move in a positive correlation. As black crime increases, injustice and inequality increases towards blacks. As injustice and inequality increases, black crime increases. The more crimes that blacks commit, the more paranoid the whites become. This can also be seen vice versa. As injustice and inequality increases, white crime also increases. The more crimes that whites commit, the more paranoid the blacks become. Neither side can blame themselves for the others actions, so they blame the injustice and …show more content…

This shows a fundamental problem in the differences of and problems of urban vs. rural communities. There are many differences seen in the “beauty” of the different communities and therefore causes prejudice between them, “Some people do not like it, and find it cold and gloomy. But others like it, and find in it mystery and fascination, and prelude to adventure, and an intimation of the unknown” (41). When discussing the constant repetition of the theme of beauty in South Africa in the opening descriptions of Ixopo’s hills, the land is described as something that must be reserved. “Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed” (Patton 33). By using parallelism, where the order of the terms in the first pair of clauses is reversed, the author demonstrates the importance of the land to humans. As today, there are many natural resources being diminished because of man. Once they are all gone, it will destroy the lifestyle of man itself. This syntax shows the relationship that takes place in modern day world and in the apartheid. Cry, the Beloved Country, is not just a novel of hardships during the apartheid, but shares messages throughout it. It gives advice and examples of how communities can come together with the help of faith, overcoming racism, and the recognition of the beauty which

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