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Evidence of racism in the beloved country
How racism relates to the plot, characters and society in the beloved country
Christianity in northern Africa today
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Although many societies in the world believe that they practice a Christian culture, with people replacing their faith for the new progressive and liberal times, the foundation of Christian society has become worn down and broken. Arthur Jarvis sheds light on this phenomenon, stating, “The truth is that our civilization is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice” (188). Many countries in the world face this dilemma of preaching, but not regularly applying and performing Christian beliefs and ideals. Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country stresses the importance of Christianity and weaves these religious beliefs through its words and characters. Christianity is the backbone of Cry, the Beloved Country as the …show more content…
Arthur Jarvis, a man innocently murdered, reveals many Christ-like characteristics. An advocate for native equality and rights, Arthur Jarvis displays an undeniable connection to the acts of Jesus as he dies by the hand of a native. Directly revealing Arthur’s optimistic views on native crime, Arthur’s father, James, reads his manuscript regarding this racial injustice, which states, “But it is not permissible to watch its destruction, and to replace it by nothing, or by so little, that a whole people deteriorates, physically and morally” (179). Arthur preaches on the discrimination the natives face and the destruction Western influence has had on their culture. As a white man himself, Arthur is unconventional for encouraging political and social alterations for the natives in the South African society. He demands …show more content…
After God spoke to Moses and ordered him to lead the Jews out of Egypt, Moses escorted God’s followers out of the city and brought them to Israel. Saving the Jews from the despair they once endured, Moses gave them serenity. The narrator demonstrates the similarities between Moses and Msimangu when Kumalo is suffering from depression and Msimangu states, “It is time to turn. This is madness, that is bad enough. But it is also sin, which is worse. I speak to you as a priest” (121). Although Msimangu is using tough love, he helps to ease Kumalo’s suffering and he works to alleviate his fears. Msimangu stands by Kumalo’s side during this extensive journey, guiding him in a constructive direction and never letting him lose his faith. Selflessly, Msimangu sacrifices his time to support Kumalo and places Kumalo before himself. When Kumalo says goodbye to his dear friend, the narrator explains the situation, “They were silent till the man passed, and then Kumalo said, in all my days I have known no one as your are. And Msimangu said sharply, I am a weak and sinful man, but God put His hands on me, that is all” (249). Msimangu explains that God saved him and now, God is saving Kumalo. Giving Kumalo all of his savings as he decides to live a more secluded and anti-materialistic lifestyle,
The Day of Mourning Protest, held in Sydney’s Australian Hall on the 26th of January, 1938, was an event organised by the Aborigines Progressive Organisation (APO) in a call for Aboriginal civil rights. It was held on the symbolic sesquicentenary of the British landing at Sydney Cove, as the day represented 150 years of Aboriginal suffering under the Whitemen. All “Aborigines and Persons of Aboriginal Blood” were invited to attend (APO, 1938 in BGGS, 2017, pg. 23).
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.
In Cry, The Beloved Country, Alan Paton uses Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis to show that all human beings are complacent about critical issues until a momentous event occurs that forces them to change their minds. This message is very clear in Cry, The Beloved Country as it is in the world, today and historically. People tend to be optimistic about serious issues rather than confront them and solve them. Historical examples like the Holocaust greatly illustrate this point. Stephen Kumalo is complacent in his village of Ndotesheni and only realizes the extent of the destruction of the tribal structure after he returns from Johannesburg. James Jarvis also is complacent about the condition of the native people; he chooses to ignore the native question rather than to debate it like his son Arthur does. By characterizing Jarvis and Kumalo in this way, Paton is trying to make a very important point: human beings must not pretend problems are not there or assume that problems can fix themselves.
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.
When Stephen goes to Johannesburg he has a childlike fear for "the great city" Johannesburg. Khumalo's fears of his family are exactly the same as every other black person in South Africa. In the train he is afraid of living in a world not made for him. He opens his bible and starts reading it, this is one of Khumalo's great sources of alleviation. Gertrude is frightened that her life will now be exposed to her brother who is a priest. She is redeemed from this fear when she prays with Stephen. Stephen experiences great pain and fear during his search for Absalom, Msimangu comforts him, he gains comfort when plays with Gertrude's son, when he thinks of Ndotsheni, his wife and of rebuilding his home it consoles him.
In the essay "Worldviews in Conflict," Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey compare and contrast the ideas of Christianity and the views of today's society. Throughout the essay, they provide information about how the changes in society affect views regarding Christianity. Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcy's essay was written to contribute information so others could understand their views about the shifting cultural context and how it affects society's beliefs. The authors Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey's essay is credible because they both have knowledge and experience regarding the topic and researched various parts of the topic using reliable sources. Along with this essay, Charles Colson has written thirty books which have received much praise among the Christian community.
Christianity has its challenges. It places demands on us that set us apart from the rest of our world. The bible calls us a peculiar people, who navigate the challenge of living IN the world, without being OF the world. When we say ‘no’ to temptations that are enjoyed by the masses, we are labeled as self-righteous snobs, religious weirdoes, or worse. But we persevere, and we press toward that invisible line the Apostle Paul drew in the sands of time…for the high calling in Christ Jesus.
The novella Anthem by Ayn Rand explains the world in which there is no such word as “I.” Nobody knew about themselves. People decided on what they did, what jobs they worked, and where they live. They never even knew how they looked. “We” was their main word. They used “The Great We” as there god to worship. They had their pledge to say every morning when they woke up. They did the same things every single day. Get up, go to work and come to back to their beds. That’s all they did every day. Prometheus comes to understand that there’s more out this big world. It isn’t just about “The Great We.” There is more to it. There’s the Unspeakable word, the life beyond the city, and more to him than he ever knew.
One great paradox of human life is the balance between security and independence. Many people would say that they are self-sustaining, that they can make it on their own. The question is not always whether or not they can make it, but what the cost of their security is. Some value their personal freedom more than their security, for others it is the opposite. In “Cry, the Beloved Country” characters often wrestle with this issue. Every character responds uniquely according to their situation. The results are meaningful and give information about who they really are and what they value.
As seen in many parts of the world, there are dictatorships. One also sees a dictatorship in the book “Anthem” by Ayn Rand. People must abide equally and never say the word “I”. If one considers themselves as an individual, then it is told to be a crime. No one knows who their families are because they were separated at birth. Leaders feel it is best to be apart from one’s family because it keeps everyone in the same category. These people are not supposed to have a figure above them that can be an influence besides the government. Dictatorial leaders separate children from their parents because this sets boundaries at an early age that cannot be passed.
The church has a problem. The eternally relevant message with which she has been entrusted no longer readily finds a willing ear. According to Henderson, the solution lies in first understanding how our world thinks and then, beginning where people are at, bring them to see "the functional relevance for their lives of the actual relevance of our message". In high school speech classes, we were taught to "know your audience." As a careless high schooler, I didn't really care what she meant, but it eventually made sense (once I actually decided to think about it). You wouldn't use sock puppets to explain math to accountants; you wouldn't use in-depth power-point presentations to explain math to first graders. With this in mind, why do many Americans still try to talk about Jesus using the methods used thirty years ago? Why do we use Christian "jargon" to explain Christianity to those outside the faith? Henderson contends that modern American Christians must change their approach to sharing the faith in order to fit modern America. The pattern of Henderson's book is straightforward: he examines a particular aspect/mindset/value of modern Americans; he then gives ideas about how a Christian might share Words of Eternal Life with such an American. Henderson's writing is both straightforward and enjoyable. He gets right to the heart of the American mindset, then illustrates it with descriptions from scenes from popular movies, personal anecdotes, jokes, etc. In all, Henderson does the modern Christian a great service in writing "Culture Shift." Jesus told Christians to tell others about him ("Go, therefore, and baptize all nations...") and Henderson can help us along the way through this book
The following excerpt taken from Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis in showing the importance of Christianity in saving our
In Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton uses Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis as examples of humanity’s tendency to be complacent about critical issues until a momentous event occurs which forces them to confront the issues. This message is very clear in Cry, the Beloved Country as it is in our society. People tend to ignore serious issues rather than confront and solve them. Historical examples like the Holocaust greatly illustrate this point. Stephen Kumalo is complacent in his village of Ndotesheni and only realizes the extent of the destruction of the tribal structure after he returns from Johannesburg. James Jarvis is also complacent about the condition of the native people; he chooses to ignore the native question rather than discuss it. By characterizing Jarvis and Kumalo in this way, Paton makes a very important statement: human beings must not wait for a tragic event to occur to confront a critical issue.
“But I hold on to this hope and the promise that He brings. That there will be a place with no more suffering.” These are lyrics from a song by Jeremy Camp and describe the story of the Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and Kumalo and his tribe in Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. Throughout the novels, the characters are faced with many difficult situations. They rely on their hopes to get them through. Like the lyrics say, they hold on to hope that there will come a time of no more suffering. A sense of hope in difficult times gives people the strength and courage to keep going.
Everyone makes mistakes and does wrong at some points in their life, whether they break minor rules or commit serious felonies. With punishable actions come consequences, which impact the offender as well as whomever else the criminal action involves. Results of offenses can be irreversible and can have the potential to emotionally and physically tear apart families and relationships. Throughout the contemporary novel Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton uses personification to reveal how chaotic and illegal actions can result in consequences that separate offenders from those that love them.