Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Cry, the Beloved Country-General Notes
GENERAL NOTES—CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY
1. Although Paton’s book received critical acclaim, in his native South Africa praise remained muted, and the novel’s objective take on the problems of racial inequality in South Africa created much controversy.
2. Although apartheid, South Africa’s infamous system of enforced racial segregation, was not instituted until after the novel’s publication, the South Africa of this book was suffering from the effects of racial segregation, enforced inequality, and prejudice.
3. Whites held a monopoly on political power and they did nothing to alleviate the extreme poverty among black South Africans, which in turn led many young black men to crime.
4. The gold mines, which were so vital to South Africa’s economy, depended on cheap black labor to remain profitable, and a s result, the workers were paid barely enough to survive.
5. Those in power broke up attempts to strike or seek a better wage.
6. The setting of the book shows a tense and fragile society.
7. There is breathtaking beauty of the nation’s natural landscape which is tainted by the fears of the its people.
8. The message of the novel is hope and the potential for goodness in humankind to defuse hatred, overcome fear, and take the first steps necessary for mending a broken nation.
9. Paton’s novel helped raise the social consciousness of white South Africa, although thinks got much worse before they got better.
10. With the introduction of Apartheid, every South African was classified according to race, as the Group Areas Act enforced the physical separation of blacks from whites.
11. The central problem of the novel is stated by Msimangu: it is the problem of a people caught between two worlds.
12. The old world of ritual and tribal adherence, of respect for the chief, and of tradition has been destroyed, but nothing has been offered in its place.
13. The white man has disrupted the old ways but refuses to accept the native in the new world.
14. The natives live in an unstructured world where there are no values and no order to adhere to.
15. The damaging result of this change is fear. As soon as the tribe is broken, the people live in fear because they have no place to turn.
16. Arthur Jarvis was working on plans that would give the native a sense of direction and worth, but his life was cut short by the very forces that he was working to improve.
17. The novel is not only a study of social problems but also a study in human relationships.
18. At first Kumalo is only interested in uniting his own family, but comes to understand the greater problems facing his race.
19. Suffering of the characters is also a key aspect. For it is through this suffering that characters undergo a catharsis (transformation), and then comes to a better understanding of themselves and the social situation of the entire country.
20. Embedded in these ideas is the contrast between the old and new generations. Kumalo eventually recognizes that if there is to be a permanent change, it must come through the new generation, as he places all his hopes on Gertrude’s boy and the child that is to be born to Absalom’s wife.
21. The land and a disregard for the land are also important themes. By the end of the novel there is hope that humanity can rediscover the land and made it into a new Canaan (the promised land).
22. CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY is strongly influenced by the American novel THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck.
23. Like THE GRAPES OF WRATH, Paton’s novel uses the language of the Bible, has a number of parallels with the Biblical story of Job (Joad), and is what is called a “social protest novel.”
24. The simplicity of language is meant to help convey the fact that Stephen Kumalo is a simple man used to plain words and plain living and uncomplicated ideas.
25. CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY remains relevant for modern readers.
26. Despite the violence in the world, this novel reminds us that in each one of us there is the potential to do good. We all have the power to change the world; pity if we lack the will to do so.
27. The lives of the two main characters, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis, are depicted separately, giving each a quality of distinctness and independence.
28. When Kumalo and Jarvis meet, it is clear that they parallel one another, leading similar lifestyles and experiencing similar tragedies.
29. Each book of this novel gives insight into the separate lives of Kumalo and Jarvis, while subtly showing how each life is interrelated.
30. The three books of the novel serve to tie together the lives of Kumalo and Jarvis, who are plagued by grief for their lost sons.
1. Although Paton’s book received critical acclaim, in his native South Africa praise remained muted, and the novel’s objective take on the problems of racial inequality in South Africa created much controversy.
2. Although apartheid, South Africa’s infamous system of enforced racial segregation, was not instituted until after the novel’s publication, the South Africa of this book was suffering from the effects of racial segregation, enforced inequality, and prejudice.
3. Whites held a monopoly on political power and they did nothing to alleviate the extreme poverty among black South Africans, which in turn led many young black men to crime.
4. The gold mines, which were so vital to South Africa’s economy, depended on cheap black labor to remain profitable, and a s result, the workers were paid barely enough to survive.
5. Those in power broke up attempts to strike or seek a better wage.
6. The setting of the book shows a tense and fragile society.
7. There is breathtaking beauty of the nation’s natural landscape which is tainted by the fears of the its people.
8. The message of the novel is hope and the potential for goodness in humankind to defuse hatred, overcome fear, and take the first steps necessary for mending a broken nation.
9. Paton’s novel helped raise the social consciousness of white South Africa, although thinks got much worse before they got better.
10. With the introduction of Apartheid, every South African was classified according to race, as the Group Areas Act enforced the physical separation of blacks from whites.
11. The central problem of the novel is stated by Msimangu: it is the problem of a people caught between two worlds.
12. The old world of ritual and tribal adherence, of respect for the chief, and of tradition has been destroyed, but nothing has been offered in its place.
13. The white man has disrupted the old ways but refuses to accept the native in the new world.
14. The natives live in an unstructured world where there are no values and no order to adhere to.
15. The damaging result of this change is fear. As soon as the tribe is broken, the people live in fear because they have no place to turn.
16. Arthur Jarvis was working on plans that would give the native a sense of direction and worth, but his life was cut short by the very forces that he was working to improve.
17. The novel is not only a study of social problems but also a study in human relationships.
18. At first Kumalo is only interested in uniting his own family, but comes to understand the greater problems facing his race.
19. Suffering of the characters is also a key aspect. For it is through this suffering that characters undergo a catharsis (transformation), and then comes to a better understanding of themselves and the social situation of the entire country.
20. Embedded in these ideas is the contrast between the old and new generations. Kumalo eventually recognizes that if there is to be a permanent change, it must come through the new generation, as he places all his hopes on Gertrude’s boy and the child that is to be born to Absalom’s wife.
21. The land and a disregard for the land are also important themes. By the end of the novel there is hope that humanity can rediscover the land and made it into a new Canaan (the promised land).
22. CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY is strongly influenced by the American novel THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck.
23. Like THE GRAPES OF WRATH, Paton’s novel uses the language of the Bible, has a number of parallels with the Biblical story of Job (Joad), and is what is called a “social protest novel.”
24. The simplicity of language is meant to help convey the fact that Stephen Kumalo is a simple man used to plain words and plain living and uncomplicated ideas.
25. CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY remains relevant for modern readers.
26. Despite the violence in the world, this novel reminds us that in each one of us there is the potential to do good. We all have the power to change the world; pity if we lack the will to do so.
27. The lives of the two main characters, Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis, are depicted separately, giving each a quality of distinctness and independence.
28. When Kumalo and Jarvis meet, it is clear that they parallel one another, leading similar lifestyles and experiencing similar tragedies.
29. Each book of this novel gives insight into the separate lives of Kumalo and Jarvis, while subtly showing how each life is interrelated.
30. The three books of the novel serve to tie together the lives of Kumalo and Jarvis, who are plagued by grief for their lost sons.
# posted by Sister Pat / English @ 3:13 PM 
