Land Parallel to the Kumalo Family

    In Cry, The Beloved Country, the land is an extended metaphor for Kumalo's family.  They are similar because both need attention and to be taken care of; they are breaking apart, worn down, and the family doesn't have the power to fix it.  Everything starts out looking fine, but there is a struggle ensuing beneath the surface.  "Where you stand the grass is rich and matted, you cannot see the soil.  But the rich green hills break down.  They fall to the valley below, and falling, change their nature.  For they grow red and bare; they cannot hold the rain and mist" (33) is a quotation that conveys this extended metaphor between land and the family.  Here, the soil represents all the problems that Kumalo and his wife are unaware of until Kumalo leaves for Johannesburg.  They are hidden under the "grass" of their relatives not writing letters.  The "rich green hills break[ing] down" describes the truth being revealed and suddenly everything Kumalo knew about his family changes.  "[T]hey cannot hold the rain and the mist" shows that John, Gertrude, and Absalom are unable to use the help Kumalo tries to give them.  Absalom is sentenced to death, John won't change his ways, and Gertrude doesn't come home to Ndotsheni.

Ashoka Fellows

     Emad Mubarak Abd El-Raheem is working in Egypt to improve human rights.  Specifically he wants to make academic freedom a right for all the students and universities that have censored textbooks and content.  They are forced to avoid controversial topics and are not allowed to be creative and learn some of the different things they would like to.  He is supporting students by providing legal assistance, educating teachers and administration about this issue, as well as bringing attention to the violators.
     George Abraham is working in India and is focusing on the medical attention and full potential of people with disabilities, especially decreased vision or blindness.  There are many people in India that are blind or vision impaired that either don't hold jobs or believe they must be dependents because of the viewpoint of their society.  Abraham started the Vision Enhancement Center which provides these people with counseling as well as medical attention.  They are given the support and the tools to get past their problems with vision and lead successful independent lives.
     Ravindranath from India is successfully helping the people, in areas that are ravaged by floods, to be prepared for floods and successfully live and work around them.  He has created committees and recruited volunteers to watch for floods and then put out warning signs.  He has also helped the people with crops, jobs, protecting their homes, and finding safe water to drink during a flood. 

Cry Journal: Nameless Characters

     One character in the book that is not given a name was Gertrude's son who is referred to as either Gertrude's son or the little boy.  The effect of this is that the boy seems less significant and less important to the story and more of a minor, background character.  When he is called the little boy it is more generalized and seem less caring or emotionally attached.  It doesn't seem to matter whether he is there or not; in one way, he is only a rope that ties Gertrude down.  Also, when the boy is referred to as Gertrude's son, all her sins and the possible negative thoughts about her are passed on to the boy.  His potential is shadowed by her wrong-doings.
     I think Alan Paton made this choice because the decision not to give a character a name tells the reader just as much as when the author chooses to give the character a name.  I think the author made this choice to show that a person has to maintain some responsibility, and that there are always consequences for every action.  All the mistakes Gertrude has made wouldn't seem as severe if she didn't have a son that needs to be taken care of.  I think it was a good decision on Paton's part to not give the boy a name because it keeps us focused on Gertrude who is one of the main characters that is going through a lot.  Without a name, the boy seems to be a bigger part of Gertrude's character than of his own.  I think Gertrude's character would be less complex without this boy who is not the main focus but always in the background.

Cry Journal 5

     There are multiple reasons why an author separates their story into different books.  First, it is a good way to organize.  The books divide groups of chapters that may have a slightly different subject and style.  In Cry, The Beloved Country, Book II focuses on Jarvis instead of Kumalo, like Book I does.  Secondly, the books prepare the reader for a new idea, or new shift in the story that will add another layer.  Also, it  highlights a part of the book that is the start of something new, and just as important as the first page of the first book.  It allows you to draw more connections and comparisons between two parts of the novel.

Cry Journal #4

These two websites link to information about the oppression of slaves in America.  They were oppressed by being forced to work and having their rights taken away by the white Americans.
http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2008/12/slavery_in_america.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jc1RbUxQv4E

Cry Journal #3

Repeating words/phrases: "When people go to Johannesburg, they do not come back" (38), "the toy train,"  "Have you a room to let?", "No, I have no room to let," "Shanty Town is up overnight," Msimango saying "huh" repeatedly, more lovely than one could sing about.
Repeating images: hills, valleys, mountains, comparison to a child, John being compared to a bull.
Repeating concepts: "Is this really Johannesburg?", fear, lost in streets.
     One phrase that Alan Paton repeats is "Shanty Town is up overnight" (89).  The effect of this phrase is to make the reader understand that these black families were moved into the Shanty Town before they knew it and it was an event that they hadn't known about or been planning for for a long time.  The author repeated these words to show that the government and the whites are now taking bigger steps towards racial separation and discrimination.  Although the families had generally lived in separate areas, this is the first time that a specific group of people was forced to live in a certain place and the fact that it is "up overnight" shows how rapidly these rules and laws are being enforced.
     The comparison of different characters, especially Stephen Kumalo, to a child is used repeatedly.  This image gives the impression that the person is very innocent and possibly uneducated and naive.  Also, the character may not be prepared for new things such as technology, loss of culture, and the problems they need to conquer as an adult.  I think the author uses this image to portray that the character still wants guidance and protection from what is going on in the world and their life and they don't necessarily know how to handle it.
     A concept used repeatedly is the difficulty of changing a person's way of life to start something completely new as represented by the quote "Is this really Johannesburg?"  The effect of this is to show that Kumalo is in disbelief and doesn't know what to think of this hectic city compared to his country life.  It is difficult to comprehend and this is one reason the author used the quote.  The quotation illustrates the concept that coming to such a different place is overwhelming and it is hard to try something new instead of sticking to a life of repetition, patterns, and customs.