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Cry, the beloved country
By alan paton
HISTORICAL TIMELINE
• Home for
thousands of
years to native
African groups
• Modern history
began when the
Dutch East India
Company
settled in 1652,
and settlers
increasingly
exploited the
natives.
•TIMELINE, CONTINUED.
• The Cape Colony was taken over by the British in 1806, who
continued to destroy native tribal life.
• Discovery of diamonds by the British (and later gold) led to
•
further exploitation of the natives, who were forced to
•
work in deplorable conditions in mining camps.
• The British fought the Boer (descendants of original Dutch
settlers) Wars, which victory led to the Union of South
Africa, a dominion of the British Commonwealth, which was
established in 1910. Soon after, various political parties of
English- and Afrikaans-speaking parties reconciled to
establish APARTHEID, a systematic form of segregation that
remained until 1993.
Tribal life
•
•
•
•
Rural and community-based,
dependent upon the weather,
very family-centered
and religious-oriented
Johannesburg in 2010
RACIAL DISPARITY CONTINUES EVEN
AFTER APARTHEID (data recovered in
2003)
• 12 % OF POPULATION
WHITES
• EARN 61% OF
COUNTRY’S INCOME
• AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD
12 TIMES THAT OF
BLACK FAMILIES
• LIFE EXPECTANCY 73
YEARS
• INFANT MORTALITY
13/1000
• WHITE FARMERS OWN
87% OF RURAL LAND
AND PRODUCE 97% OF
CROP OUTPUT
• 75% OF POPULATION
BLACKS
• EARN 28% OF COUNTRY’S
INCOME
• 45% UNEMPLOYED
• MORE THAN 59% BELOW
POVERTY LEVEL
• 40% HAVE NO ACCESS TO
FRESH WATER
• 30% HAVE ELECTRICITY
• LIFE EXPECTANCY 57 YEARS
• INFANT MORTALITY 57/1000
• OWN 13% OF LAND
Townships (Shanty towns)
• Communities of institutionalized racial segregation (Apartheid) and
poverty
• Nearly one in five South Africans between the ages of 15 to 49 lives
with the HIV virus. The country is also home to more than 1 million
children orphaned by AIDS-related illnesses.
•
•
•
•
In townships, it is not
uncommon for as many as
17 individuals to live
together in 3 or 4 rooms.
Racial segregation
• Apartheid, an Afrikaans word meaning "apartness," was the name given to
the program of racial segregation implemented in South Africa after WWII.
http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/
"We don't want apartheid liberalized. We want it
dismantled. You can't improve something that is
intrinsically evil.“
- South African Anglican Dishop Desmond Tutu
•
ethnicities
About 79% of South Africans are from the black native populations, mostly
descended from Bantu-speaking people.
•
Ten percent of South Africans are of white, European descent, comprising
Afrikaner, or Boer (Dutch mixed with other northern European
groups), and British populations.
•
South Africans of Indian bloodlines, locally referred to as
"Asians," make up 2.5% of the population.
•
Another category, a remainder from the era of apartheid when the
•
races were strictly separated, is that of the so-called colored
population, persons of mixed race (i.e. part European, part black), which is
listed in the 2001 census results as including 8.5% of all South Africans.
Tribal rivalries, once used by the Europeans to weaken resistance, have
since relaxed. In today's post-apartheid era, there is a focused effort by all
of the ethnicities of South Africa to accept and be accepted by all.
Mixture of languages and cultural
influences, even in existence today
•
•
•
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English
Dutch
Afrikaans
Zulu
http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UB
ER2/WORLD_NEWS_SAFRICA-PARK_2_LA
Alan Paton
• South African writer who lived from 1903 to 1988,
• Began his career as a teacher, but later served as a principal of a
progressive reformatory school for young boys.
• Wrote novel while touring correctional facilities in Europe and
North America.
• Cry, The Beloved Country was a critical and popular success all over
the world, except in South Africa, where it was banned by the
National Party for its depiction of racial injustices there.
• In 1953, Paton helped found the South African Liberal Party, a
political organization that protested against the apartheid regime of
the National Party.
Group one
Name and identify five
characters in the novel who
represent types of
personalities. Indicate
(through a cited example)
the type of personality each
represents.
Group three
Find five examples of
epithets, which Paton
uses in place of names so
the characters can
represent “groups” rather
than individuals. For the
five you find, explain
what “group” each is
supposed to represent.
Group two
•
In the context of this story
which of the following
social problems facing
native South Africans do
you think is the most
destructive? Prove
through cited evidence.
•
•
•
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The break up of the family unit
Economic hardships
Discrimination
Lack of educational opportunities
Group four
Religion is important to
the story because
Christian values and faith
help characters endure
their suffering, guide
them into decent lives,
and promote hope for
the future of South
Africa.