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Alan Paton who was a South African author and anti-apartheid activist wrote the novel Cry, the Beloved Country, The novel publication in 1948 was just before South Africa institutionalized racial segregation under Apartheid. Paton addresses the destruction of the tribal system in South Africa due to white colonization by using the novel as a medium to illustrate is damage. Throughout the novel we are exposed to the numerous problems resulting from the colonization. Communities are in collapse, the land is bare, people are starving, and families are broken. These fictional communities and people are based on the real problem Paton saw in South Africa. The concern of “native crime” by the whites is a result of changes in the social conditions. This change is the cause of the destruction of the tribal structure and the break from the traditional way of life. Colonization changes have lead to the problem of blacks leaving their communities to become a part of the whites’. The tribal system is destroyed by the lost of people to a white would, deterioration of morals and the lack of community.
The lost of people to Johannesburg, the representation of the white men’ world is a leading cause of the lost of the tribal system as Stephen Kumalo and the priests discussed at the Mission House in Sophiatown “the sickness of the land, of the broken tribe and the broken house of young men and young girls went away and forgot their customs” (52). Once members of the black community leave to Johannesburg, they don’t return. In chapter two we learn that Stephen Kumalo brother John has gone to Johannesburg to try his luck, his sister Gertrude followed in search for her husband and his own son has left in search for the both of them, but haven’t hea...
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...ept responsibility as a white man to improve the situation in South Africa. Stephen and James work to restore order and take individual responsibility is a good start, but not the complete answer as the agricultural expect explains “we can restore this valley for those who are here, but when the children grow up there will again be too many. Some will have to go still” (302). Cry, the Beloved Country was Paton’s call to action of both white and blacks that the answer to their problem was to come together and accept one another, but the novel is also a warning. Paton leaves us with the warning that time may be running out as voiced by Msimangu: “I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they turn to loving they will find we are turned to hating (311).
Works Cited
Paton, Alan. Cry, the Beloved Country. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.
The story, “Good Country People,” by Flannery O’Connor, is a third person limited narration which means the reader can only look into the mind of only a few of the characters. Those characters are Mrs. Hopewell and Hulga, or Joy. Schmoop discusses a deeper understanding about the narrator of the story.
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To begin, the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes reveals the evolution of a being. The protagonist, Charlie Gordon is a thirty-two year old man, studying at a school for the mentally challenged and working as janitor in a bakery. He goes through an operation to make him into an intelligent human being. Throughout the novel, Charlie evolves and learns from many experiences, each situation he deals with leads him into becoming a more complete person. He overcomes various obstacles and grasps a greater understanding of the meaning of life. He experiences: emotional and physical growth, intellectual development and learns of the cruelty in the world.
his goal is to bring back proof of the wolves decimating effect on the northern
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Society has become a shallow place. If an individual does not fit into societies form of the normal person then they are treated differently. But does society treat those who are different in a negative or positive way? In the novel Flowers for Algernon, the author Daniel Keyes shows an in depth look at the treatment of individuals in today's society. Firstly society tends to discriminate against those whose IQ does not fit into the norms of our society. The physically handicapped in today's world are not considered to be "equal" as those who fit into the normal physical appearance, Keyes portrays this through Charlie's thoughts while in the café. Although animals are not technically humans society treats them in ways which no human would wish to be treated, animals have "feelings" just like humans and do not deserve to be tormented just because they cannot talk. In today's society those that do not fall into the norm category are treated in a negative way. In the novel Flowers for Algernon Keyes shows the treatment of different individuals in an intriguing and individual way.
Fear grips all black societies and is widespread not only for 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.
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Allen goes on to explain and support his views on black neocolonialism. He does so by illustrating his views of black power, from the original conception of the term, and the history of effort towards giving the black community political influence. Continuing from this ...
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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.
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.
The elders of the ancient Kwakiutl tribe in the book, I Heard The Owl Call My Name, by Margaret Craven, were naturally insecure with the ways of the white man, yet the tribal youth seemed eager to welcome the change in lifestyle. Mark, an Anglican minister, was sent by the Bishop to spread the ideas of the faith among the people of the Kwakiutl tribe in Kingcome. While performing his duties, he worked with the villagers on a day-to-day basis. He brought his way of life to the tribe and taught some of the children what the white man was all about. The elders feared the loss of their heritage having someone of white descent amongst them. There are three distinct situations in which one can observe a switch in conduct between the youth, the elders of the tribe, and their desire to hold on to their past. A change can be noticed in both their mood and behavior toward the white man and his “evil ways”; from the first time Mark arrived at the village, to when the children began schooling, and finally when he passed away.
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.