The moral and ethical disparity plaguing a malevolent, revolutionizing society is the direct consequence of humanity’s desire to achieve supremacy entailing social paralysis through the formulation of stereotypical viewpoints concerning ethnicity, social classification, and physical characteristics including vernacular and traditional activities. Humankind’s quest for social equality is illustrated in various occurrences in history specifically the South African apartheid. The masterfully structured, fictional novel, Cry, the Beloved Country is authored by an anti-apartheid activist, Alan Paton, and depicts the physical, spiritual, and emotional expeditions of an Anglican Zulu priest, Reverend Stephen Kumalo and wealthy, landowner, James Jarvis, in discovering sadistic realities and resolutions for racial injustices with refined comprehension. Alan Paton’s utilization of literary and linguistic techniques consisting of distinct parallelism, dramatic irony, and lyrical dialect provides an authentic foundation for the exposition of the detrimental consequences of racial segregation indicating the necessity of firm resolve in synchronized human existence as the narrative is one of “love and hope, courage and endurance”. The journeys of Absalom Kumalo and John Kumalo departing from the native lands of Ndotsheni to Johannesburg, a modern European society, correspond to the corruption and poignant conditions South Africans faced during apartheid. Stephen states, “He [Absalom] went away, to look for my sister” (54). Paton primarily portrays Absalom as morally sensible individual with exceptional capabilities with the potential to further his education; however, as a genuine and compassion spirit, he elected locate his aunt in an unfam... ... middle of paper ... ... corresponding to the unification of South Africans and Europeans exhibiting a common goal. Paton inserts, “They say he [Jarvis] is going queer. From what I've heard, he soon won't have any money left" (230). The initiation of James Jarvis’s transformation from the epitome of a European functioning as a bystander and promoter of the segregation to an enlightened individual, from his son’s composition, results in his election to resume the spirit of assistance by providing nourishment in milk, a dam, and an agricultural expert to allow the natives of Ndotsheni to become strengthened and self-sufficient. The philanthropic endeavor of providing Stephen with a refurbished religious institution is the largest symbol of the apartheid’s progression from segregation to tolerance as a new era begins with the birth of Absalom’s child in formerly scenic, improving Ndotsheni.
The distance of 5km, is it truly the disparity between affluence and indigence? Although they only live 5km apart from each other, the “apartheid’s children”, Sylvia and Nameurena live in contrasting worlds. Sylvia lives in the Alexandra township, without a mother or father for protection or comfort. On the other hand, Nameurena lives in a private home with her family just outside of Alexandra, where she enjoys the luxury she would’ve never been able to if apartheid was still in effect. Consequently, the two black South African girls evidently demonstrate distinctive individual development and identity. Although the Afrikaner government has long since been taken down, apartheid is still not over for thousands of black South Africans living in poverty; therefore it is vital for young students to maintain their own individuality.
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.
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.
Racism appears everywhere and is playing an enormous role in society, not only to the Hispanics, but also to the African Americans. In fact, Being Latino in American society can be challenging there are many stereotypes that are said about Latinos. Not only do politicians give Latinos immigrants a bad name, but they also attempt to debase immigrants. From living in a Caucasian neighborhood, and going to a high school with five percent Hispanic. Politicians giving Hispanics a bad name, I know firsthand experience does not only affects me but everyone. Racism is an issue that was introduced to our environment through Cultural beliefs.
Racial Discrimination is a detrimental stressor among African Americans (Sellers et al., 2003). As a result, African Americans are more likely to be faced with poorer mental and physical health outcomes. There has been research conducted relating to African Americans’ experience with racial discrimination. Specifically African Americans exposed to racial discrimination are likely to experience multiple externalizing outcomes, including anger aggressive behavior and delinquency (e.g., Kang & Burton, 2014). Given these negative outcomes of racial discrimination, it is important to identify factors that are protective against racial discrimination. Racial identity is defined as the importance of race to African Americans as well as the meaning
Many boundaries present themselves in everyday life. Perhaps one of the largest boundaries that lead to conflict is race. The mere color of a person’s skin can isolate an individual from the rest of the world. In the 20th century contemporary novel, Cry the Beloved Country, Alan Paton uses parallelism to show how the boundaries of racism present themselves in the lives of the South Africans and how the differences in people make for a split society.
America has been thought of as a place represented by fairness, different cultures, power and the dream of having a better life for everyone, whether a person is white black, brown, red or yellow. The truth is that racial groups have been segregated by the American society. There is no doubt that racism has been around for a long time. It was said to start around the 1400s, mainly between the black and whites during the days of slavery. So what comes to mind when you hear the word racism? The reason for racism is because some people felt high class, entitled, better and more deserving of any better than others who were a different color then them. Racism has had a negative impact on everyone but specifically for African Americans. African
Racism is still a very prominent yet controversial topic in the United States today. Discrimination in the United States dates back to the 1500s when America was first founded. As generations passed, it has become a social norm to believe that darker skin tones are less desirable to society. The foundation of this country was built upon the false impression that Whites were superior to not just blacks, but all other ethnicities. From this, the idea of white privilege was derived and is still prevalent in society today. Those who are victims of discrimination are sometimes not aware of the psychological effect and the overall impact it can have on one’s life. The persistence of racism over generations has been in correlation to adversely affect the mental health of the victims economically, socially and in turn physically.
Throughout both Cry, The Beloved Country and Ways of Dying there are different uses of language to describe the landscape. While these works are set in separate time periods, the language used is similar and is not only due to the ideologies of South Africa but also due to the background of the authors. The language used to describe the landscape explains the differences in the way the tribal village’s lives compared to the city’s lives, as in Cry, The Beloved Country and Ways of Dying.
Racism and ethnicity continue to affect the sector of education in most parts of the world. More often, it influences adults and children’s experiences in education at all levels and in various ways. These include professional employment, academic performance, parental involvement, social interactions, assessment issues, and curriculum development. Certainly, the terms racism and ethnicity identify as problematic and arise socially. Therefore, many people fail to recognize that racism is a perception about the color of the skin and traditions of a particular group of people. Racism and ethnicity exist in quite blatant and subtle forms. As such, racism and ethnicity usually lead to negative consequences for the group that does not belong to the dominant culture. The contemporary racism originated from various avenues, one of it being the society norms and upbringing. Indeed, as children grow, they exclusively rely on their parents or guardians to learn new things. Moreover, part of the upbringing involves teaching the children things about the society and the
Coster, P., & Woolf, A. (Eds.).(2011). World book: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement, (pp. 56-57). Arcturus Publishers: Chicago.
Deegan, H. (2001). The Politics of the New South Africa: Apartheid and After. England: Longman
When reading J. M. Coetzee’s Disgrace, before delving into the character studies interwoven in this novel, it is essential to first understand the backdrop of Apartheid as an institution. Apartheid had a socioeconomic effect on the different cultural groups in South Africa that eventually affects the main protagonists in this novel. Disgrace, a novel by J.M. Coetzee, implies that David Lurie embodies the pre-arpartheid era, while Lucy represents post-apartheid.
I was treated well in prison; security guards grew a certain respect for me. I decided not to waste my time, so I informed my cellmates about the apartheid, and their horrible laws. They listened attentively, and wanted to help, so together we organized hunger strikes and protests. After 27 years, on February 11, 1990 I was released from jail. I could’ve got out of jail in 1985, P.W. Botha offered me a release but only if I would stop the armed conflict. Without a doubt, I chose to stay in prison because I believed that the right thing to do was to put an end to apartheid. P.W. Botha was an evil man, he committed to state terrorism and to thwart black majority rule. He had a stroke in 1989 and Frederick Willem replaced Botha. Frederick on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Botha. He set me free from jail.”