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
1. Explain the author's primary point. The author seeks to bring to light the unfair treatment of the Negros by the whites in the places they live in. He also seeks to show that leaders only make empty promises to their people. Brutal cases are most among the Negros as they are attacked and their cases go unnoticed or ignored.
Melba Pattillo Beals wrote Warriors Don’t Cry as a memoir of her battle to integrate Little Rock’s Central High. The nonfictional story focuses on the life of Melba Pattillo Beals, one of the nine teenagers chosen to integrate central high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Being threatened and harassed by her school mates while her own community ignore her during her attempt to bring equality in Arkansas is heartbreaking as her remarkable story is displayed in this book. There are lots of literary elements used to create this memoir as they help the writing spring to life. Some of them are: first point of view, conflict, plot, theme, symbolism etc.
Statistics show that Blacks are convicted and sent to prison at a much higher rate than whites although they commit crimes at virtually the same rate. Prisons tdehumanize inmates, disconnecting and isolating them from society (Herzing).
“The bloom fell off the African rose fairly early.” This sentence, wounded my heart straightway, as I could not envision to see the kids suffering from the poverty. Many
It is true that blacks disproportionally commit street crimes (Russell-Brown, 2008). On average, as seen in the 2015 Uniform Crime Report, blacks tend to commit more murder
For it was not only a voice of gold, but it was the voice of a man whose heart is golden, reading from a book of golden words”(Paton123). Through this passage, Paton showcases the full power of Msimangu’s voice and the reader cannot help but wonder if Msimangu with his healing voice can be the one to bridge the rift that divides Africa. Unfortunately, the reader slowly learn that Msimangu is a spiritual man and is more concerned in helping others live a spiritual life then helping them to win their rights. One passage in Cry the Beloved Country reads, “yet he is despised by some, for his golden voice that could raise a nation speaks always thus”. They say he preaches of a world not made by hands, while in the streets about him mean suffer and struggle and die”(Paton 124).
A greater population of blacks live in condensed civil areas than whites. Dense urban areas are more policed than suburban or rural areas. It’s easier to control cities because everyone is more closer together which causes the crime rate to go up in these areas. But, just because of the choice in where you choose to live doesn’t give the right for certain people to be judged against because of their race, color, or where they come from. Black and white people use marijuana at the same rates, yet black people are at a greater risk in being
Brent Staples discusses how young black men are made into young thugs based on “the male romance with the power to intimidate” (Staples 240). He also mentioned that young black men use this power to intimidate in order to commit crimes and that “poor and powerless young men seem to take all of this nonsense literally” (Staples 240). Staples is simply stating that young, black men, that are raised on the streets, look for power through intimidation and that every male fights for dominance. They then grow up to use this intimidation and showing of dominance in order to commit crimes and rob other people. Staples explains that intimidation and dominance become daily life and
One is the result of long years of oppression and few middle class blacks’ degree of academic and economic security has led them to adjust to segregation (superego). He calls it do ‘nothingisms’. The other force is those who advocate violence because of hate and bitterness satisfying their struggle to freedom in violence means. Nonviolent resistance seeks to reconcile those two forces while avoiding the extremes and immoralities of
And the novel repeatedly tells us that these crimes--not the casual brutalization of black men and women, not the denial of political and economic rights to the overwhelming majority of the population-are the big problems in South Africa” (AUTHOR NAME AND PAGE NUMBER?). This shows that Europeans are titling blacks as thieves, prostitutes, and murders. They are pretty much titling them as their downfall to society. They are blaming all of the bad stuff that happens in there everyday life on the Blacks of South Africa. They are not seeing the big picture which is that the white forced themselves into their land and caused them to become poor and are forcing them to scramble for money.
Injustices, tragedies, and unfortunate circumstances have plagued humankind for all of existence. Many of these problems have arisen from the society of man, and could not be found in nature. The hatred, selfishness, prejudice, and maliciousness seen in so many injustices man created unnecessarily, as well as all the suffering it causes does not need to exist. If an individual witnesses a crime or injustice occurring, it is their responsibility to defend the weak and fight for whatever is morally right, even at the cost of themselves.
In an attempt to express a sense of cultural identity, Mattera’s short story “Afrika Road” uses metaphors as a technique to communicate a personal connection of unity towards Africa. The short story depicts the narrative of a personified road that describes the actions of marchers during the South African protest of apartheid at Msphala Hill. During the early stages of the protest, the personified road describes the protestors as a “human centipede that took to the streets,” (Mattera 2). The statement from Mattera indicates a personal connection of unity towards Africa. This is achieved by metaphorically
Black people are not born more violent or more bound or liable for crime than other race groups. Black people are out of proportion they are more likely to be targeted by police and arrested, and likely to attend poor or failing schools. All of these social signals place one of the higher risk for being either a victim or someone who has committed of violent crime. To reduce violent crime, they must fight to change system, rather than wanting to hurt other people. Today, in social media individuals throughout the nation and across the world are drastically slashing the time it takes to organize a protest.
“Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton is a novel about Stephen Kumalo’s journey to reunite his family. Kumalo is from the small village in South Africa and most of his imediate family has left in order to move to the big city of Johannesburg. One day, Kumalo gets a letter from a priest in Johannesburg saying that Kumalo needs to come to Johannesburg because his sister is sick. But when he arrives, he finds out that not only his sister is suffering, but his son and brother are also suffering. Along his journey, he is faced with many overbearing challenges that he must overcome.
Imagine living in a place and time where racism is not only unrestrained, but is enforced by the law. In “Cry, The Beloved Country,” Alan Paton discusses racism and its resulting factor; segregation. The novel 's theme is the enormous problem that racism was causing, and how segregation laws were only making it worse. To begin, South Africa had decided to set forth an apartheid to further segregation under the rule of the National Party from 1948-1994.