Alan Paton s Cry, The Beloved Country - 1747 Words

All human expression can be broken down into four basic emotions- happiness, sadness, anger, and fear. Of these emotions, none can contest with the influential effects of fear. Throughout history, we have seen the devastating impacts of fear in slavery, Stalin’s brutal reign over Russia, and most significantly, the Nazi party. Fear has constantly been shown to possess and control people to engender dire consequences, much like it does in Alan Paton’s novel Cry, the Beloved Country. In his novel, Paton examines the negative impacts of fear, namely prejudice and corruption. Set in South Africa, the main character, reverend Stephen Kumalo, observes the stark contrast between his poor village and the cosmopolitan city of Johannesburg. Throughout the story, he unearths the changes occurring in South Africa as a result of escalating racial tensions. His journey brings him to an understanding of the harsh struggle of his fellow Africans, and he too begins to experience t he growing fear. Paton explicates that eradication of fear is of utmost importance in fashioning a unified country, and if we fail to set aside our fears, we must forever bear the scars of prejudice and corruption. It is human nature to be afraid of those we deem different, and it is this fear of the unfamiliar that compels us to hate and hold prejudice, even among ourselves. Throughout the novel, the author provides insight into the problems with segregation in South Africa. The white population seeks toShow MoreRelatedAlan Paton s Cry, The Beloved The Country1358 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Blacks, leading up to the Civil War, and during the Apartheid, the Natives were segregated from the Whites. In Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved the Country, the main character Stephen Kumalo goes through a journey to restore his tribe. During his journey, he discovers and learns of the injustices in South Africa. Through the parallels and contradictions of biblical allusions, Alan Paton is able to explain the impact of racial inequality in South Africa, but signifies how unconditional love and hopeRead MoreThe White Mans Fear Depicted in Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton830 Words   |  4 PagesThe time of the 1940’s in South Africa was defined by racial oppression of the native inhabitants of the country by the Dutch Boers, also known as the Afrikaners. These people were the demographic minority yet also the political majority. They executed almost complete control over the lives of the natives through asinine rules and harsh punishments. The highly esteemed novel Cry, the Beloved Country tells a story of Stephen Kumalo, a black priest dealing with the struggles of living in the SouthRead MoreImagery In Cry, The Beloved Country By Alan Paton768 Words   |  4 Pagesnoises, etc, as did the roles in the novel. Alan Paton uses a strong voice packed with imagery in his passage, â€Å"For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist, and the streams are dry in the kloofs. Too many cattle feed upon the grass, and too many fires have burned it. Stand shod upon it, for it is coarse and sharp, and the stones cut under the feet. It is not kept or guarded, or cared for, it no longer keeps men, guards men, cares for men† (Paton, 34). The overwhelming senses of touchRead MoreCry, The Beloved Country By Alan Paton1155 Words   |  5 Pages Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a stunning and all too accurate depiction of apartheid in South Africa. Even though the novel centers on John Kumalo and his struggling family, it subtly shows the social going ons of South Africa supposedly in 1948, when the book was written. Strong examples of this come across in the choral chapters of the novel. These chapters give voice to the people of South Africa. Chapter nine shows the struggles of being black during apartheid, chapter 12 shows theRead MoreCry, The Beloved Country994 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Harrison in Cry, The Belove d Country While a subsidiary character in Alan Paton s Cry, The Beloved Country , John Harrison offers a glimpse into the attitude of the younger generation toward the black population in South Africa, one that seeks change but isn t always willing to exert the necessary effort. Who is John Harrison? People enter our lives all the time. Some become close friends. Others are here one day and gone the next. There are some with whom we rarely speak, but when weRead MoreCry, The Beloved Country1710 Words   |  7 Pages Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country takes place during the late 1940’s in Southern Africa. Specifically, in High Place, Ndotsheni, and Johannesburg. It takes place during a time of social change. There is racial inequality taking place during the late 1940’s. The novel shows what it was like to be living during this time. Cry, the Beloved Country has an urban and crowded feeling for most of the novel. This novel is written in past-tense, third-person omniscient point of view. Occasionally, theRead MoreThe Black Natives By Arthur Jarvis1449 Words   |  6 Pageseverything in the country, in essence capturing the natives. The natives are suppressed with low paying and hard jobs, little to no education, and essentially no social structure. Withou t this education, the natives learn and obtain little to no skills. Without good paying jobs, they have no wealth or prosperity. Arthur Jarvis says, â€Å"It is not permissible to watch its destruction, and to replace it by nothing, or by so little, that a whole people deteriorates, physically and morally† (Paton 179). JarvisRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1094 Words   |  5 Pagesviews of African culture have often been those of disdain. Some books about Africa have set out to change the typical Western views of African culture, but others have upheld these negative views of African culture. Through each of their novels, Alan Paton, Chinua Achebe, and Joseph Conrad approach the topic of African culture and Western views on it differently. Chinua Achebe shows through his book, Things Fall Apart, that he is disapproving of Western views towards African culture. This exchangeRead MoreRacial Morals in Cry, The Beloved Country Essay1531 Words   |  7 PagesRacial Morals in Cry, The Beloved Country Discrimination against people who are different can be identify in every country around the world. People of every sex, color, religion, and in this case, ethnicity are tormented. In the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s apartheid was an emanate injustice throughout the land of South Africa. Apartheid was the governments rigid policy racial segregation between white Europeans and black natives. The officialRead MoreCry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton778 Words   |  4 Pagesfront to give it the opposite meaning. Therefore, it means a land free of cold and horror. It’s such an ironic name for a country where people are living their lives with hunger and fear. The conditions in South Africa during mid-1900 were even worse than they are today. Alan Paton addresses these issues in his novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, published in 1948. Paton uses two contrasting places to present his view of South Africa while suggesting solutions. The desolate village of Ndotsheni