The Indian pacifist, Gandhi, once advised, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world". Gandhi knew at the time that the only way his country could be saved from British rule is if he and others lived out the change which they were seeking from their adversaries. This perspective that describes how to overcome life’s difficulties is similar to how Alan Paton portrays some of the characters in his book Cry, the Beloved Country. The characters Arthur Jarvis, his son, and Msimangu are all agents of restorative justice because they seek equality in South Africa by embodying the values they wish to spread. Arthur Jarvis, the victim of Absalom Kumalo’s crime, conveys his ideas that he once lived out postmortem through his writing, desiring …show more content…
Arthur writes on the topic of government that “it is not permissible to watch [the tribal system’s] destruction and to replace it by nothing, or by so little that a whole people deteriorates, physically and morally” (179). Arthur is addressing the ways in which the white government corrupts the innocent people of South Africa. Arthur does not blame the acts of violence on the natives, but on the white invaders who make things better, but only for white people. From his perspective, the radical changes to the government’s structure only benefit one side making it an unjust movement. Arthur also speaks about how segregation is immoral and the reasoning behind most people's discomfort with the subject because he wants to challenge those who see injustice but do nothing. In the following passage, Arthur elaborates on why most people have a reluctance to change: “No one wishes to make the problem seem smaller than it is. No one wishes to make its solution seem easy. No one wishes to make light of the fears that beset us...we shall never, because we are a Christian people, be able to evade the moral issue” (179). …show more content…
Arthur’s son spreads his father’s ideals through Ndotsheni by embodying a simple child-like love and innocence for everyone around him with no preconceived notions involving racism. Arthur’s son was raised to love everyone not taking into account their race, so he greets Kumalo as if he were anyone else for he “raised his cap and said, Good morning. And Kumalo felt a strange pride that it should be so… and an astonishment that the small boy should not know the custom” (268). This white boy begins to break the boundaries of race by simply treating Kumalo as an elder, and all elders should be respected for their immense wisdom and experience. Arthur’s son does not completely grasp the idea of the apartheid that divides his country; he only wishes to be kind and treat those around him as he wants to be treated. He makes no assumptions of the natives in Ndotsheni as being criminals, and he does not act in an entitled manner. Treating a native with respect is a step in the right direction, but a white boy committing himself to be taught by a black man is a leap towards bringing justice to their broken country. A few moments after Arthur’s son shows the preacher his skill with the native speech of Zulu, he declares to Kumalo that “I’ll come and see you again, umfundsi. I’ll talk more Zulu to you. Kumalo laughed. You will be welcome, he said” (270). (Add uniqueness) This passage continues to show
The short story, “Good Country People”, by Flannery O’Connor, was built on the elements of both irony and foreshadowing. Throughout the story, the most ironic aspect was the phrase: “good country people” because after analyzing each individual character, all of them were uniquely flawed in their own way. In addition every character’s name was uniquely crafted to either foreshadow future behavior or ironically give the character a deeper meaning as a whole. The main characters, Hulga and Manley were both ironically portrayed as someone they are not until their true characteristics were revealed at the very end when they were alone together.
He then goes on to state that on a chosen night, the people implement a planned mass killing of all the African-American folk, therefore solving all of their problems. The essay is able to show how effective racist language and ideas can be, as well as providing a good example of a writing style that keeps the reader engaged
In Alan Paton's novel Cry, the Beloved Country two characters, Absalom's girl and Gertrude, show the how society in Johannesburg is as a whole. Absalom's girl symbolizes how girls her age are mothers and have even become divorced several times before. On the other hand Gertrude, Kumalo's sister, illustrates the qualities of a young woman who becomes corrupt from Johannesburg's filthy system of stealing, lying, and prostitution. Both of them show the ways of Johannesburg as a whole.
Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton is a novel inspired by the industrial revolution. Paton describes in detail the conditions in which the Africans were living during this time period, 1946. This story tells about a Zulu pastor who goes into the city in search of his son and siblings who left in search of a better life. The pastor sees this immense city where a ruling white group is oppressing the black population. This novel is more than just a story, but it depicts the effects imperialism and the Industrial Revolution had on South Africa. Although the government has intervened to protect the people, some of these effects are still present in our societies.
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.
Of all musical genres country music is perhaps the one most influenced by a male presence. Country music is often associated with the classic cowboy strumming a guitar around a campfire or riding his horse with a guitar strapped to his back. Even the politics of country music is inclined towards a male-dominated, republican, conservative, pro-war stance (Spong 184). The stereotypical women of country music “behave properly” and passively follow the same values as men do. Therefore, in 2003 when the Dixie Chicks, a three member all female country music band, became the top selling female group of all time it was quite an accomplishment. Their success began in 1997 with an image that embraced their versatility. Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, who are sisters, played fiddle and banjo and provided background vocals to lead vocalist Natalie Maines, gifted with a strong, clear voice. Maines stood out from the others with her forceful stage presence. They wore feminine, bling infused, non-countrified outfits. They were pretty to look at and kind of goofy in demeanor (129). The kind of young women fans could imagine having a lot of fun with, but also the kind that young women could identify with through their music. Songs like “Goodbye Earl” described a strong woman who has had enough of her abusive husband and ends up killing him. However, the band delivered it in a style that was far from morose. It sent a clear message of girl power for many women (129). Many accolades followed from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association (CMA) which included Entertainer of the Year, Top Vocal Group, and album of the Year (Towner 293). During the first five years of their career they sold 28 million copies of the three records...
In 1930’s and 1940’s South Africa, many people suffered through traumatic events, whether it be a robbery, a loss of livelihood, a beating, or the ultimate tragedy, the loss of a loved one. In his novel Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton makes sure that this is not left out of his true-to-life, albeit fictional, account of life in South Africa. James Jarvis is the recipient of this tragedy in the novel. His son, Arthur Jarvis, is murdered in his home by Absalom Kumalo during a botched robbery attempt. This sudden loss breaks Jarvis’ heart and sends him reeling. He goes to Johannesburg for the trial and ends up realizing that he really didn’t know his son at all. Reading his son’s writings causes him to have a moral conversion, and he begins his new life when he returns to Ndotsheni. Even though James Jarvis is a man of few words, he has much to say after his son’s death and he speaks through his actions.
Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, is the story of the two fictional characters, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis, who lose their sons in South Africa in 1948. In his story, Alan Paton used the George Hegel's Dialect of thesis, antithesis, synthesis, in order to expose social injustices in a microcosm of South Africa that correlate to the macrocosm of the issues faced by the entire country and what must be done to fix these injustices. Paton subdivided his story into three books. The first of these books, depicts the Journey of Stephen Kumalo, to try and restore his family, is a cry against injustice. The second book focused mainly on James Jarvis’s plight to understand his deceased son, depicts the yearning for justice. While the final book displays the restoration and repair of the injustices derived from the yearning for justice.
William Apess then asks his mostly white audience to reexamine their Christian values along with their prejudices. His essay acknowledges that unless the discrimination and prejudices that plague the white man over the other races disappear, then there won’t be peace in the Union.
The year was 1968, and America’s spirit was at an all-time low due to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the struggle of civil rights groups, and the expansion of the Vietnam War. Creedence Clearwater Revival changed how Americans felt about the war, drug use, politics, and music. CCR was most popular from 1968-1972, during that time they released seven albums and countless singles (The Guardian, 2013). The Vietnam War Era was a time of dramatic change for the United States in music and life. John Fogerty, the lead singer and songwriter of Creedence Clearwater Revival, encouraged Americans to speak their minds, protest peacefully, and live freely.
Cry, the Beloved Country is such a controversial novel that people tend to forget the true meaning and message being presented. Paton’s aim in writing the novel was to present and create awareness of the ongoing conflict within South Africa through his unbiased and objective view. The importance of the story lies within the title, which sheds light on South Africa’s slowly crumbling society and land, for it is the citizens and the land itself which are “crying” for their beloved country as it collapses under the pressures of racism, broken tribes and native exploitation.
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.
then thought of their humanity – like yours. Ugly.” [pg.5] Conrad is a kingship, and a kingship is a kingship. Achebe makes the point that this racism is overlooked simply because racism against Africa is a “normal way of thinking” [pg.4].
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”. Which shows how even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed the African Americans from slavery, they still are not free because of segregation. He then transitions to the injustice and suffering that the African Americans face. He makes this argument when he proclaims, “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream”.
Bibliography w/4 sources Cry , the Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a perfect example of post-colonial literature. South Africa is a colonized country, which is, in many ways, still living under oppression. Though no longer living under apartheid, the indigenous Africans are treated as a minority, as they were when Paton wrote the book. This novel provides the political view of the author in both subtle and evident ways. Looking at the skeleton of the novel, it is extremely evident that relationship of the colonized vs. colonizers, in this case the blacks vs. the whites, rules the plot. Every character’s race is provided and has association with his/her place in life. A black man kills a white man, therefore that black man must die. A black umfundisi lives in a valley of desolation, while a white farmer dwells above on a rich plot of land. White men are even taken to court for the simple gesture of giving a black man a ride. This is not a subtle point, the reader is immediately stricken by the diversities in the lives of the South Africans.