Hope. It is the one thing that people have survived on for centuries. Without hope, the African Americans of the early 1800’s would have just succumbed to the will of the slave owners. This is why Mandela is considered such a great leader. Nelson Mandela’s message through his speeches was one of hope, which is the only thing the people of Ndotshemi have to thrive on (Chokshi). Alan Paton, the author of Cry the Beloved Country, also believed in hope bringing together the land of South Africa. There are many similarities between the novel and the real life occurrences of the South African Apartheid. In the book or in the real life Apartheid, someone came into the scene that was willing to help by assuming a leadership role, whether it is Nelson Mandela or an agricultural spectator, the one that appears at the end of the novel. Also, In one of Mandela’s speeches, he believes the youth really are the fighting force. Considering they hold their own future in their hands, James Jarvis’ grandson, the boy that appears at the end of the novel that seems to have put all past biases behind him, seems to be someone who at one time could lead a racial revolution, uniting the tribes of South Africa with its white counterparts. Another thing, in another of Mandela’s speeches, he so eloquently writes “This is our national soul, our compact with one another as citizens, underpinned by our highest aspirations and our deepest apprehensions. Our pledge is to again shall the laws of our land rend our people apart or legalize their oppression and repression. Together, we shall march, hand-in-hand, to a brighter future.”(Mandela 1993).
This matches the book dramatically with the end of the novel being a new sunrise, symbolizing a new rebirth.
In both circumstances, some one has came in as an unlikely leader and lead the group into a new way of life. Mandela assumed leadership by being a humble, modest man who the people could respect and admire. He also never let his own success come before his leadership role to his country (Dugard). One of the reasons he was such a leader was because he never held himself to a higher status then any of his loyal followers who believed in him so dearly. In his speeches he commended everyone else, before giving himself one ounce of praise (South Africa Index). The novel also had a savior of sorts, in the form of the agricultural spectator, who ...
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...can not just be something that is said or promised, it must be acted upon with good intentions. Without the action, the words are meaningless and hold no real value but a shallow lie.
Without hope, the people of Ndotshemi, as well as the people of South Africa, would be spiritless and would have no drive to rebuild. Nelson Mandela, as in the real Apartheid, and new ways of efficient manual labor, as in the novel Cry the Beloved Country, have given them a reason to try. In one of Mandela’s speeches, he so eloquently writes:
This is our national soul, our compact with one another as citizens, underpinned by our highest aspirations and our deepest apprehensions. Our pledge is to never and never again shall the laws of our land rend our people apart or legalize their oppression and repression. Together, we shall march, hand-in-hand, to a brighter future.(Mandela 1990)
Today the South Africans have more than hope on their side. They also have many a people helping them through their hard times, and many nations providing their support. But without hope, it is to be said that they couldn’t have gotten where they are now and been half as successful.
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.
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.
“The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that things are not mended again.” (Paton 56). Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a novel about life in South Africa after European countries came and colonized it. This novel shows the injustice, racism, and the depleting native life and culture of South Africa. Alan Paton presents to his readers the simple life in the country and then the urbanized life in the city. This novel is unique compared to others in how it includes intercalary chapters and sections throughout the whole novel. The intercalary writing style Alan Paton used, is able to show the reader the reality of the society, shape the tone of the story, and the main plot.
“Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and the custom is gone. Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end (Paton, 105).” In Cry, the Beloved Country, it is 1946 and the land reserved for blacks in Ndotsheni, a part of South Africa, is drying up. In the novel written by Alan Paton, young men and women begin to leave Ndotsheni for the new city Johannesburg. One of those gone is John Kumalo, a businessman in Johannesburg and younger brother of Stephen Kumalo, a reverend in Ndotsheni. Stephen and John Kumalo differ in their regards for family, religion, and corruption.
He opens his speech with “I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all.” (Mandela)
divided South Africa. Inspiration is a powerful tool which has the ability to give and take hope
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.
Worse, barriers to communication, “obstacles that interrupt the flow of conveying and receiving messages,” had arisen due to the division between the whites and blacks (P.380). Because of this, the future of South Africa was not only misunderstood by South Africans, but by the international community as well. In order to promote his vision, Mandela understood that he would need to actively communicate, “the…transmitting [of] information, thoughts, and processes through various channels,” to make his intentions known, and to create motivation, “drive to complete a task,” throughout the country (P.
Hope is the strong feeling of desire for something good to happen. Hope is a driving force in the progression of life. The idea of hope is powerful because it can lead to patience, courage, and happiness. Hope is an important concept in Cry, the Beloved Country. Hope is what the main character Stephen Kumalo must use to keep fighting for his beliefs, for his son, and for his tribe. The power of hope is one of the only things that people had to overcome apartheid in South Africa. If hope were not present, Stephen Kumalo may have gave up on restoring himself, his son, and his tribe. Hope is the concept that helps Stephen Kumalo and other characters develop during the span of the novel. Hope is found in the characters, the tribe, and the land.
Finally, the novel, Cry, The Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, presents a key concept through the setting that develops the theme of injustice as a result of racial conflict leading to penalties including death. The village of Ndotsheni, Kumalo 's travels to Johannesburg, and Johannesburg itself has been a reinforcement to the overall theme of injustice as a result of
Coster, P., & Woolf, A. (Eds.).(2011). World book: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement, (pp. 56-57). Arcturus Publishers: Chicago.
“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices: submit or fight” (“Nelson Mandela”). Nelson Mandela took the chance and fought for his rights and freedom. Mandela has gone through many troubles in his life since the day he was born. A young man that had no shoes till he approached the age of sixteen, and then transformed into a great political leader of his country. Mandela’s life is an impressing story to be told!
1. Thesis: Nelson Mandela’s courage brought justice to his country and greatly improved South Africa overall.
Many debates have been sparked by Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country. Even the essence of the book's title examines South Africa and declares the presence of the inner conflict of its citizens. The importance and meaning of the title of Cry, the Beloved Country is visible in Paton's efforts to link the reader to forthcoming ideas in the novel, Paton's description of South Africa's problems, and Paton's prayer for the solution of South Africa's difficulties with race and racial oppression.
...ellent policies, 5) the Constitution had come into existence through the working together of various groups that had composed South Africa, 6) South Africa's political and economic institutions are well established, 7) and that South Africa is by far the most developed country in Africa. However, there are still avenues that can impede further progress, more so economically then politically. Primarily the lack of foreign investment, especially when South Africa's gold and diamond reserves are emptied as other parts of economy are not as developed. Secondly, the economic gap between whites and blacks that was stretched during the time of apartheid needs to be tightened or else it could become dangerous to the stability of the political system. However, due to the leadership of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s current government structure exists to solve these issues.