In Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton uses Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis as examples of humanity’s tendency to be complacent about critical issues until a momentous event occurs which forces them to confront the issues. This message is very clear in Cry, the Beloved Country as it is in our society. People tend to ignore serious issues rather than confront and solve them. Historical examples like the Holocaust greatly illustrate this point. Stephen Kumalo is complacent in his village of Ndotesheni and only realizes the extent of the destruction of the tribal structure after he returns from Johannesburg. James Jarvis is also complacent about the condition of the native people; he chooses to ignore the native question rather than discuss it. By characterizing Jarvis and Kumalo in this way, Paton makes a very important statement: human beings must not wait for a tragic event to occur to confront a critical issue.
Jarvis and Kumalo are both very complacent about the native question before going to Johannesburg. In the beginning of the novel, Kumalo does not want to fully acknowledge the extent of the destruction of the tribal system. Kumalo’s brother, sister and son all went to Johannesburg and have not written Kumalo in a very long time. However, Kumalo desperately holds on to the flawed notion that they are still good people. Kumalo still believes that John is a humble carpenter, Gertrude is a good mother and wife and Absalom is an innocent young boy. Kumalo still holds the idealistic view that Absalom will one day return to Ndotsheni and pursue an education at St. Chad’s. Kumalo is even reluctant to use the money he and his wife saved for Absalom’s education, and castigates his wife when she tells him to spend it. ...
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...of how ignoring a problem will prevent any chances of it being resolved in the near future. Paton is urging us to fix problems as soon as they happen, so problems do not worsen like they did in South Africa. Paton is warning us to not wait for something tragic to call us to action. There are many problems in our society that could be fixed right away if people would attempt to solve them. However, many people choose to ignore the problem. Race, inequality and moral issues in our society could all be fixed or at least improved if people would do something. Many people choose not acknowledge these problems because they are difficult to fix. People blame the problems on others, as Jarvis did, or choose to hope the problem will solve itself, like Kumalo did. However this novel and history prove that this approach to problem solving will fail time and time again.
Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worse attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point were they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous example used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were. After being forced into concentration camps, Elie was rudely awakened into reality. Traumatizing incidents such as Nazi persecution or even the mistreatment among fellow prisoners pushed Elie to realize the cruelty around him; Or even the wickedness Elie himself is capable of doing. This resulted in the loss of faith, innocence, and the close bonds with others.
Homesick is a novel that exposes many different relationships, the strength of relationships, and how they can endure tremendous pain. The various relationships between Alec and Vera, Alec and Daniel, and Vera and Daniel are considerably different because of the variation in generation represented by each character. Each relationship in this family has its strengths and weaknesses depending on the past of the relationships. The relationships in the novel Homesick are seen through all of the character's eyes, so we can see how each character felt about the other characters. These characters do not tend to say what they think, we can see this many times throughout the novel. These relationships can be observed by seeing how they act, speak, and treat one another.
Our Stolen Future is a book published in 1996, written by Theo Colborn that details the impact that atmospheric and ocean carried chemical containments have on the development and growth of organisms. This book completely changed the manner in which scientist approach the way in which they determine the impact to the environment due to chemical contamination. According to Our Stolen Future, the endocrine disruption hypothesis states that exogenous or synthetic chemicals can alter hormonal signals that are vital during growth and development. The chemicals mostly associated with endocrine disruption include: persistent organohalogens, certain pesticides, phthalates, heavy metals and alkylphenols.
Reunion, by John Cheever, is a story told through the eyes of a young boy, Charlie, who is recalling a meeting with his father who he hasn’t seen for more than three years. It is set in New York where Charlie’s father lives. He meets up with his father during a stop over between trains.
Every day, people go through operations and sometimes experience unpredicted and unwanted outcomes. The story, Flowers for Algernon, is exactly like that. In this story, a 37 year old man, named Charlie Gordon, has a mental disability and participates in an operation/experiment to increase his knowledge. After taking part in the operation, Charlie’s intellect gradually escalates to a genius status. Charlie, the man who had an IQ of 68, was slowly maturing mentally and he started seeing the world with a whole new different perspective. However, near the end of the story, his brain regresses back to where he started from. Charlie shouldn't have taken part in the operation: he started seeing the world in a different perspective, he experienced unpredicted outcomes, and the operation changed Charlie's whole personality. Charlie would have been better off if he didn’t undergo the operation and participate in the experiment.
The poem America by Claude McKay is on its surface a poem combining what America should be and what this country stands for, with what it actually is, and the attitude it projects amongst the people. Mckay uses the form of poetry to express how he, as a Jamaican immigrant, feels about America. He characterizes the bittersweet relationship between striving for the American dream, and being denied that dream due to racism. While the America we are meant to see is a beautiful land of opportunity, McKay see’s as an ugly, flawed, system that crushes the hopes and dreams of the African-American people.
Fear and Redemption in Cry the Beloved Country & nbsp; Fear grips all black societies and is widespread not only among black people but also white people. An unborn child will inherit this fear and will be deprived of loving and relishing his country because the greater he loves his country, the greater will be his pain. Paton shows us this throughout this book, but at the same time he also offers deliverance from this pain. This, I believe, is the greater purpose of this book. & nbsp; When Stephen goes to Johannesburg, he has a childlike fear for "the great city" Johannesburg. Khumalo's fears about his family are exactly the same as every other black person in South Africa.
In “The Truth about Stories”, Thomas King, demonstrate connection between the Native storytelling and the authentic world. He examines various themes in the stories such as; oppression, racism, identity and discrimination. He uses the creational stories and implies in to the world today and points out the racism and identity issues the Native people went through and are going through. The surroundings shape individuals’ life and a story plays vital roles. How one tells a story has huge impact on the listeners and readers. King uses sarcastic tone as he tells the current stories of Native people and his experiences. He points out to the events and incidents such as the government apologizing for the colonialism, however, words remains as they are and are not exchanged for actions. King continuously alerts the reader about taking actions towards change as people tend to be ignorant of what is going around them. At the end people give a simple reason that they were not aware of it. Thus, the author constantly reminds the readers that now they are aware of the issue so they do not have any reason to be ignorant.
...s that surviving a tragedy, such as the holocaust, can cause survivor’s guilt, which influences both the survivor’s life and his/her relationships with others. Every day, Vladek and Anja suffer from the survivor’s guilt and from the memories of the war. Their character, which was affected by the war, exhausts their family and friends and eventually chases them away. Vladek is heavily influenced by the war in numerous ways. Ironically, even Vladek, a holocaust survivor deeply affected by the war and racism, continues to be racist. If a holocaust survivor cannot change his perspective on racism, then what can possibly end racism?
In Cry, the beloved country, Alan Paton tells the story of his journey across Africa, his experiences with the colonized Africa, and the destruction of the beautiful, pre-colonialism native land of Africa. Heart of Darkness also tells the story of a man and his experiences with colonialism, but a man who comes from a different time period and a very different background than Alan Paton’s Stephen Kumalo. Although, both Joseph Conrad and Alan Paton portray the colonized areas as very negative, death filled, and sinful places, it is when one analyzes the descriptions of the native lands of Africa that the authors reasons for their disapproval of colonialism are truly revealed. When comparing the writing styles of Alan Paton and Joseph Conrad, their descriptions of the land and the people in both works reveal their different attitudes and views towards colonialism. While Paton and Conrad ultimately oppose colonialism, Paton is concerned with the disappearance of African tribal tradition, whereas Conrad is concerned with the perceived corruption of the white colonists.
Cry, the Beloved Country is a moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom. They live in an Africa torn apart by racial tensions and hate. It is based on a work of love and hope, courage, and endurance, and deals with the dignity of man. The author lived and died (1992) in South Africa and was one of the greatest writers of that country. His other works include Too Late the Phalarope, Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful, and Tales from a Troubled Land.
Paton uses the tone of humility to reveal how after Kumalo experiences the class system in Johannesburg, he can better understand his own people: “After seeing Johannesburg he would return with a deeper understanding to Ndotsheni. Yes, with a greater humility, for had his own sister not been a prostitute? And his son a thief? And might he himself be a grandfather to a child that would have no name?” (120). Paton shows how even though Kumalo cannot stop segregation all by himself, he can grow from the trials, and learn to better communicate and relate to his people. Furthermore, Paton says that if people want to save their world, they must forget the inequalities and unite – person with person – to keep everyone equal and safe.
Racism Exposed in Cry, the Beloved Country. The purpose of Cry, the Beloved Country, is to awaken the population of South Africa to the racism that is slowly disintegrating the society and its people. The. Alan Paton designs his work to express his views on the injustices and racial hatred that plagues South Africa, in an attempt to bring about change and.
Throughout the narrator’s elaborate life; he experienced love, friendship, and sickness; as well as many other things described in his book: Love in Exile. This book discusses the different cultures and personalities that the narrator observes, the love of the narrator’s life, Brigitte, and the life of Bahaa Taher in general and the kinds of cultures he experiences.
Well-acclaimed author, Chinua Achebe from Wes Africa, is recognized worldwide for his exquisite and intelligent usage of literary devices to bring to the limelight pertinent issues facing the African continent, more specifically Nigeria. He introduces the world to his main character Obi Okonkwo whom; through his eyes, a glimpse is given into the world of a Nigerian .In Things Fall Apart, his first of three novels, Okonkwo, upon his arrival from England is completely detached from his African heritage. From the novel, it is noticed that Obi Okonkwo slowly becomes a part of a dominant class whose corruption he finds repugnant. In an effort to choose between the acceptance of traditional values and the pleasures of a fast changing world, Obi finds himself in a tight fix .He is faced with growing pressures from the expectations of his family, his community, and the larger society around him. With unprecedented lucidity and a growing passion, Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease remains till date a brilliant account of the challenges facing Nigeria today. This paper seeks to examine the representation of the colonial experiences of Obi Okonkwo in the fiction of Chinua Achebe.