Comparing the Teachings of Nelson Mandela to Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton

In Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton and in many of Nelson Mandela’s famous speeches, I have been able to notice many parallels between the messages Mandela always left his audience with, and the concluding chapters of the novel. Throughout the ending of the book, the characters are taught to accept the past, a key teaching of Mandela as well as look towards a brighter future- another main lesson Mandela shares with us. Overall, Nelson Mandela’s motivational and persuasive speeches highly relate to the final chapters of Paton’s Cry, The Beloved Country.

To begin, in Mandela’s speech given after his release from prison, Mandela shows his gratitude towards the people of South Africa and of the world that fought for him. The great man shares his belief that the country needs to unite in order for true freedom to be established for all, and he gives many ways in which he hopes to achieve this. Similarly throughout the conclusion of Cry, The Beloved Country, I am able to identify this same hope in the journey of the characters. As Stephen Kumalo sees “something new in [the] valley, some spirit and some life” (Paton 300) that will unite the tribe, similar to that of what Mandela believes- recognizing that “[even though] nothing has come yet, something is here already” (Paton 300) that is going to transform the divided country into a cohesive nation. Additionally in his speech, Mandela shows no resentment towards the government that had imprisoned him, or those who do not support what he is fighting for.

Likewise in the novel, all of the characters have to accept what happened in their past- for example, Absalom and Arthur’s deaths, and the many other misfortunes that have been placed upon the characters. This is most prominently...

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...s cherished not only in his country, but all around the world. Nelson Mandela and Cry, The Beloved Country both urged us in different ways to accept that past and move on towards a greater future, not just for some of us, but for all of us.

Works Cited

• Mandela, Nelson. "The Adoption of the New Constitution." Address by President Nelson Mandela. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .

• Mandela, Nelson. "Nelson Mandela`s Address Upon His Release From Prison." Nelson Mandela`s Address. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .

• Mandela, Nelson. "Nobel Peace Prize Address." The Nobel Peace Prize 1993. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014. .

• Paton, Alan. Cry, The Beloved Country. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1948. Print.