Cry,
the
Beloved
Country
by Alan
Paton
What I Know About South Africa
Pre-write anything that you know
about South Africa.
We will later explore some of the
features of South Africa as they relate
to Paton's work and as they give a
context for contemporary South Africa.
Alan Paton
- Born on January 11,
1903, on the east
coast of southern
Africa (formerly
Natal) to evangelical
Christians
- South Africa did not
yet exist; it was
established in 1910
following the AngloBoer War.
Johannesburg
In 1886, gold mines were discovered and
gave rise to the creation of this city.
The setting for Cry, The Beloved
Country, it provides a realistic stage for
the unfortunate racially based tension
that mounted at the end of World War II
due to the increasing number of people
moving to Johannesburg from nearby
outlying rural areas in Africa.
Johannesburg, a
major setting in
Cry, the Beloved
Country
Current
Population:
1,675,200
Johannesburg - 1931
English vs. Afrikaner vs. Zulu
The tension between British imperialists
and the Afrikaans, or white South
African inhabitants descendant of the
Boers, pales in comparison to the
struggles between the Afrikaans and
native black Africans.
The respective languages of these two
groups, Afrikaner and Zulu represent a
pronounced difference in culture and
perspective.
Jan Hofmeyr
Hofmeyr helped Paton
to make possible the
Diepkloof Reformatory,
an institution that
approached the issue
of juvenile delinquency
in terms of education
rather than
imprisonment.
Cry, the Beloved Country
Published in February 1948 in New
York, Paton's masterpiece has been
translated into some twenty different
languages since.
The work captures the ethnic,
political, and spiritual essence of the
setting in which it is based. It also
brings to surface universal
considerations, such as love,
retribution, and justice.
Cry, the Beloved Country
The London publication of this work
included the subtitle, “A Story of
Comfort in Desolation,” which makes
reference to the underlying tone of
hope in the midst of desperate events
of which the main character becomes
aware throughout the work.
History of South Africa
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
. 1487: Bartholomeu Dias (Portuguese) reaches Cape of Good Hope
1652: Dutch and French settlers create a colony for East India Co.
1700s: Dutch colonize and Christianize South Africa
1806-1820s: British take control and settle Dutch colony
1833: Slavery abolished in British Empire
1834: Dutch war with Kaffirs
1838: Dutch conquer Zulus, take Zululand (Natal)
1852: South African Republic (Transvaal) founded by Boers (Dutch farmers)
1877: British Empire takes control of all Dutch colonies.
1885: Gold discovered
1899-1902: British war with Boers: Brits win.
1910: Union of South Africa becomes a Dominion in British Commonwealth
1931: Becomes independent
1948: Nationalist Party takes power, institutes apartheid
1961: Becomes a Republic
02/16/08
I. Novel Structure
• A. Character
•
1. Stephen Kumalo--Father/father
•
2. James Jarvis: father
•
3. Msimangu: Father
•
4. Absalom--son
•
5. Arthur--son
02/16/08
• B. Setting
•
1. Ndotsheni--Stephen’s home--old
ways
•
2. Johannesburg--new place
02/16/08
• C. Plot
•
1. Book I
•
a. The “sorrows” of the Kumalos
•
b. Journey to Johannesburg (literal
and figurative)
•
c. Murder of Arthur
•
2. Book II
•
a. The “sorrows” of the Jarvis’s
•
b. Trial
•
c. Kumalos/Jarvis’s meet
02/16/08
• 3. Book III
•
a. Return home
•
b. Darkness and dawn
•
c. The secret
02/16/08
• 4. Chapters of commentary: 1, 3, 9, 12, 18,
23, 26, 28, 35
•
5. Chapters of narrative: All others
02/16/08
• D. Themes
•
1. Love of fellow man = solution to
disintegration of culture
•
2. Family (fathers/sons, mothers,
brothers)
•
3. Obsession with wealth v. spiritual
wealth
•
4. Journey (metaphorical)
02/16/08
II. The title of the novel
• A. References to crying in the novel:
•
•
•
The crying of the titihoya
Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and
the custom that is gone.
Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn
child that is the inheritor of our fear.
•
•
02/16/08
• B. Africa as the beloved country:
•
It is Africa, the beloved country.
•
Yes, God save Africa, the beloved
country.
• C. Grammatical interpretations:
•
The country itself cries (because it is
disintegrating).
•
(You) cry for the country, which is
disintegrating
02/16/08
III. Literary
• A. Motifs: recurring images associated with
theme
•
1. travel
•
2. clothing
•
3. farm/land
•
4. Letters/mail
•
5. Money
•
6. Home
•
7. Mines/resources
•
8. Titihoya (bird)
•
9. Meals/food/communion
•
10. Secrets
02/16/08
• B. Character names
•
•
•
•
1. Absalom: King David’s favorite but
rebellious son (II Samuel 18:33)
2. Arthur: King Arthur, “Father” of GB
3. Gertrude: Adulterous mother in
Hamlet
4. Theophilus (Msimangu): “lover of
God”
02/16/08
Preconceived Concept Associations
For the following terms, write a twosentence response to what each means
to you. Avoid clichés.
Justice
Prejudice
Love
Family
Progress
Home
Title Inference
Looking only at the title, Cry, the
Beloved Country, write what you might
assume is a central theme to the novel.
Consider questions like the following:
Is “Cry” the name of the country? Is
there irony in the title? Is this an
imperative statement? Is “beloved”
being used in the present or past
tense?
The Work's Acclaim
Cry, the Beloved Country is noted for
its ability to make others aware of
South Africa and the ills of apartheid.
Paton provides a combination of
despair and hope that helps to
enlighten the reader who is ignorant to
the unjust events that occur in this part
of the world that is often unrevealed to
Americans.
South Africa's Acclaim
Population:
43,997,828
Total Area:
471,008 sq mi
Today, eleven languages are
recognized as the official
language.
South Africa's
President Kgalema
Motlanthe
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans
13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana
8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other
7.2% (2001)
South Africa during
Paton's Life
1910 - Formation of Union of South Africa by
former British colonies of the Cape and Natal, and
the Boer republics of Transvaal, and Orange Free
State.
1912 - Native National Congress founded, later
renamed the African National Congress (ANC).
1913 - Land Act introduced to prevent blacks,
except those living in Cape Province, from buying
land outside reserves.
South Africa during
Paton's Life
1914 - National Party founded.
1918 - Secret Broederbond (brotherhood)
established to advance the Afrikaner cause.
1919 - South West Africa (Namibia) comes under
South African administration.
Apartheid set in law
South Africa during
Paton's Life
1948 - Policy of apartheid (separateness) adopted
when National Party (NP) takes power.
1950 - Population classified by race. Group Areas
Act passed to segregate blacks and whites.
Communist Party banned. ANC responds with
campaign of civil disobedience, led by Nelson
Mandela.
1960 - Seventy black demonstrators killed at
Sharpeville. ANC banned.
South Africa during
Paton's Life
1961 - South Africa declared a republic, leaves
the Commonwealth. Mandela heads ANC's new
military wing, which launches sabotage
campaign.
1960s - International pressure against government
begins, South Africa excluded from Olympic
Games.
South Africa during
Paton's Life
1964 - ANC leader Nelson Mandela sentenced to
life imprisonment.
1966 September - Prime Minister Hendrik
Verwoerd assassinated.
1970s - More than 3 million people forcibly
resettled in black 'homelands'.
1976 - More than 600 killed in clashes between
black protesters and security forces during
uprising which starts in Soweto.
South Africa during
Paton's Life
1984-89 - Township revolt, state of emergency.
1989 - FW de Klerk replaces PW Botha as president,
meets Mandela. Public facilities desegregated. Many
ANC activists freed.
1990 - ANC unbanned, Mandela released after 27
years in prison. Namibia becomes independent.
1991 - Start of multi-party talks. De Klerk repeals
remaining apartheid laws, international sanctions
lifted. Major fighting between ANC and Zulu Inkatha
movement.
Works Cited
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107983.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1069402.stm