Cry, the Beloved Country

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1. 
   amy-lepore Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   A couple come immediately to mind.  One is fear.  In "Cry, the Beloved Country," Stephen fears the land and fears for his son.  They live in the city are are uncomfortable with the unpredictability of the land in the country and beyond the city.   

   Walter and his family in "A Raisin in the Sun" are afraid of many things: moving to a white neighborhood, success and failure, not being able to afford the new house, what the future holds for them.

   Racism is also a prevalent theme in both stories.  The whites and blacks are on edge and fearful of each other in "Cry, the Beloved Country."   The Younger family in "Raisin" are also subject to prejudice, tolerance (or lack of it), and racism in their story.

    

   Sources:

   http://www.enotes.com/cry-beloved/themes

   http://www.enotes.com/raisin-sun/themes

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   Posted by amy-lepore on Saturday May 31, 2008 at 5:43 AM
   
   

2. 
   eabettencourt Teacher
   High School - 10th Grade

   I would add redemption as well.  "Cry, the Beloved Country" contains much redemption towards the end of the novel.  Kumalo and Jarvis come together to work together, in some ways to redeem the terrible death of Jarvis's son.  This coming together leaves the reader with much hope for the future, another theme in the piece.

   In "A Raisin in the Sun," Walter Lee also redeems himself by coming into his own as the man of the family and being a strong role model for his son, also pointing to hope for the future.

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   Posted by eabettencourt on Wednesday August 27, 2008 at 9:51 AM
   
   

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