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.