Fear and Redemption in Cry the Beloved Country
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.
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.
We also learn of white people's fear of native crime in the city. Absalom's girlfriend is afraid that he has deserted her. She gains comfort from Stephen. In his own pain and suffering he has the ability to comfort her, this is one of Stephen's admirable qualities. When Stephen realises that the police are searching for Absalom, he starts trembling and turns cold with fear. Msimangu and his bible comfort him. Msimangu takes him to Ezenzeleni where he is spiritually uplifted.
When Absalom is asked why did he shoot Arthur he says that he was afraid. Msimangu, Mrs Lithebe, Mr Carmicheal and Father Vincent ease Stephens fear of Absalom's case and expenses in Johannesburg. This is very comforting for Stephen, we remember Mrs Lithebe's words "for what else are we born" and there are some white men who do care. We also learn of James Jarvis's (he was a British white) suffering and fear, he is comforted by an Afrikaner policeman who went out of his way to help him, he is also comforted when he reads Arthur's manuscripts.
Despite his situation, Stephen is able to separate the good from the bad and his experiences benefit him greatly. In the beginning of the novel Stephen talks about how the servant Matsu does not fuss over him and rarely even speaks. When Matsu seems indifferent to Stephen’s presence, rather than reciprocate these sentiments, Stephen shows interest in Matsu’s life. Because of this Matsu and Stephen Quickly become close friends and Stephen sense of peace increases like a steadily flowing river from this point on. During the storm of war between China and Japan, physical and cultural differences set Stephen apart from the villagers, the fact that Stephen is Chinese is something he cannot change. Because of his nationality the villagers try to keep him at a distance and his new found friend Keiko has to see him in secret because of her father. The more Stephen and Keik...
When Stephen contracts tuberculosis and is sent to Tarumi to recuperate, he loses his carefree childhood and falls into isolation. Having quit school and staying home to recover from his disease, Stephen finds himself being sent to his grandfather’s summer house in Tarumi, Japan. Upon arriving in Tarumi, he says, “This early autumn there didn’t seem to be anyone else here, just me, Matsu, and a complete white silence…I was exhausted by the time Matsu stopped in front one of the many bamboo fenced houses and cleared his throat to get my attention. My lungs were burning and my legs were weak” (9). In this quote, Stephen clearly indicates he has tuberculosis because is physically weak, as shown by how his “lungs were burning” and his “legs were weak”. This is further developed by how “exhausted” he feels after the walk to the house. A lack of other people, which shows a sheltered atmosphere, is revealed by Stephen commenting “didn’t seem to be anyone else here, just me, Matsu”. This reclusive feeling is expanded even more by the “complete white silence” ...
She is not afraid of anything. For example, she wasn't afraid of losing her family for standing up for herself. While Luma was in North Carolina she decided to move to Atlanta. Luma’s friends were against Luma moving to Atlanta. According to St.John, Luma’s friends were worried that a Muslim woman from Jordan wouldn’t fit in down in Dixie town. Luma also didn’t know anybody in Atlanta. She didn't even know at Atlanta that well except that it has warm weather. She wasn’t scared to move to a place where she didn't know anybody. St.John sated, Luma moved to Atlanta without any support from anyone and she found a tiny apartment near Decatur, a picturesque and progressive suburb east of Atlanta anchored by an old granite courthouse with grand Corinthian columns. Luma is determined to survive and to make it on her own. For one to survive by his/her own, one has to be at least fearless and Luma is as fearless as a honey badger.
As George and Lennie have been travelling around together since the death of Lennie’s Aunt Clara the two have build a dream in which they discuss how they in-vision their lives once their done working. “O.K. Someday – we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres, an’ a cow and some pigs and-” (Steinbeck 16). Both George and Lennie share a dream in which they will one day have saved up enough money to buy their own farm and live the rest of their days together so that when they work they will be working for themselves and to be able do whatever they want on their own terms. Even though George and Lennie have been working toward their dream for a long time it is still a challenge for them to achieve it with Lennie’s disabilities and him getting them run out of Weed. “God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and g...
The idea of “true courage” is used throughout this text, however so are other equally important themes such as protection of the innocent, prejudice and hypocrisy. Despite that this book was written in the 1930’s it’s idea’s are still very relevant today. I feel that prejudice and hypocrisy are especially common in small towns such as Gunnedah. Although peoples attitudes towards things like racism have not completely changed we must not give up hope, we must have faith in the good of all people.
Being the best of friends, George and Lennie are different in many aspects yet they both seem to share one common goal; to purchase a few acres of land they can call their own, “an’ live off the fatta the lan’” ( Steinbeck, pg. 14). Being able to own a humble home, where they can work for themselves and be free of the torment and scrutiny of society. A place away from all the ignorance of the outside world, where it seems Lennie was not meant to live.
Fear is a concern about something that threatens to bring bad news or negative results. Okonkwo’s success was founded on the fear of failure, which forced him to resent his father in everyway. His will to succeed, which was strongly influenced by his fear of failure made him successful and respected by his people. Although fear of failure made him an achiever, it was also what led to his downfall. This is the kind of irony that is pervasive in the l...
In the beginning of the novel, Ishmael Beah is a scared boy. Ishmael had felt very scared when he was alone. In fact, he felt very unsafe because the air seemed to want to hurt him and
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a tragedy, based during the 1930s, in Western United States of America. The novel revolves around two ranchmen, George and his “opposite” (Steinbeck, 1937, p.1), Lennie who travel to the “south of Soledad” (Steinbeck, 1937, p.1) to find work, in the midst of the Great Depression. Their efforts to earn enough money and “live off the fatta the lan’” (Steinbeck, 1937, p.15) are greatly ruined due to the repercussions of Lennie’s intellectual disability. The highlights of this novel were undeniably the ingeniously established themes embedded in the novel.
George and Lennie's dream of "‘[living] offa the fatta the lan'" (Steinbeck 57) is repeatedly emphasized throughout the novel, which shows that the American dream played a huge role during the 1930s. George and Lennie constantly migrate from place to place in order to chase after their desires. Just as the American Dream gave hope and motivation to those who faced adversities during the 1930s, the dream essentially acts as a remedy with its assurance of attaining opulence by reinvigorating George, Lennie, and the marginalized men on the ranch. George vividly delineates the infeasible dream by saying that there will be no authority over them and that they will own a variety of
George and Lennie feel they are not alone they have a dream. This dream is what pushes them on. They are often talking of the land they dream of.
As Stephen grows, he slowly but inexorably distances himself from religion. His life becomes one concerned with pleasing his friends and family. However, as he matures he begins to feel lost and hopeless, stating, "He saw clearly too his own futile isolation. He had not gone one step nearer the lives he had sought to approach nor bridged the restless shame and rancor that divided him from mother and brother and sister." It is this very sense of isolation and loneliness that leads to Stephen's encounter with the prostitute, where, "He wanted to sin with another of his kind, to force another being to sin with him and to exult with her in sin.
...me to terms with the part of love that is comprised of forgiveness. Stephen is yet doomed to wander in search of the meaning of love, but Bloom has found an incomplete definition, at least of eros.
anger and unify the black man against his oppressors. The second emotion that fear leads to is pride. The pride that the black man now has the chance to stand up to his oppressors. Te final line is about fighting back, and under unity from anger, the whole can fight back. The fear of extinguishment is what pushed for unity. In the anger, there is also strength, but not physical. Instead, the strength is in standing up to the oppressor in a final stand. If We must Die are words that are meant to be the final cry of an oppressed people pushed too far and too close to a meaningless death.