Cry, the Beloved Country Questions and Answers
Cry, the Beloved Country
Compare and contrast Stephen and John Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country.
Stephen and John are brothers, so they share a common upbringing in addition to both being black men living during apartheid in South Africa. Beyond that, they are quite different people. John is a...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, what are the contrasts and comparisons between Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis?
Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country provides readers with obvious similarities and differences between the two characters of Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis. Both men live in South Africa. By the...
Cry, the Beloved Country
How does Cry, the Beloved Country relate to an urban and rural analysis of South Africa?
An important aspect of the way that the rural/urban divide is presented in this amazing novel is the way that both settings are linked to the overwhelming theme of inequality and the vicious cycle...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What are the "things" in the following quote from Cry, the Beloved Country? "Cry the beloved country, these things...
The quotation in this question comes from Chapter 11, which indicates a shift in the novel as the narrator urges the reader not to focus on the lovely African landscape and beautiful nature that it...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Whats the difference between just and justice in Cry, the Beloved Country and why was Jarvis "sick at heart" as he...
It is the Judge's job to uphold the law, and when he does, justice has been served. It is not up to him to determine whether the law itself is just or fair; the law is made by the society, and if...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What decisions did Kumalo make in Ezenzeleni?
Ezenzeleni provides Stephen Kumalo a moment to reflect. The chaos of Johannesburg has confused the unfundisi and without the hopeful environment of Ezenzeleni, Stephen's epiphany would not have...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Who are Msimangu, Stephen Kumalo, and James Jarvis' foils in "Cry, the Beloved Country"?
While many may argue that the foils are obvious (James/Stephen and John/Msimangu), another argument could be that the sons are foils of the fathers. Absalom Kumalo is a foil to Stephen Kumalo, and...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, to what decisions did Kumalo come in Enzenzeleni? Chapters 11-14
Chapter 13 when Kumalo accompanies his friend, Msimangu, to Ezenzeleni, the colony for the blind where whites work and help blacks who are blind or are going blind, is a turning point for Kumalo in...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In the beginning of Kumalo's travels, it is said that all roads lead to where?
In this novel it is very clear from the start that "all roads lead to Johannesburg." Unfortunately, it is not a very easy road to travel and the final destination ends up being a misfortune to...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, why is the government more afraid of Dubula than Tomlinson or John Kumalo?
The answer to this question can be found in Chapter Eight of this excellent novel. Msimangu and Kumalo have been just been persuaded to observe the boycott of transport, in spite of the distance...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why does Kumalo go to the mountain of Emoyeni to keep vigil in Cry, the Beloved Country?
The mountain called Emoyeni is a place of inspiration for Kumalo. He goes to the mountain in times of great crisis in his life. Three times he has gone to Emoyeni - once when his son Absalom was...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What are the differences between Arthur Jarvis (the son) and James Jarvis (the father) and what are the differences...
The major difference between James and Arthur at the beginning of the story lies in how they view the native population. James was a very liberal man who felt very strongly that the underlying...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why were Gertrude's and Abalom's girlfriend's laughter assumed bad/wrong? Was something implied in Cry, the Beloved...
Paton is using the laughter of Gertrude and Absalom's girlfriend to symbolize the kind of lifestyle of which these two women had been a part. It represents their loose morals and lifestyle. When...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Questions Cry, the Beloved Country is, in part, a story about those who stayed and those who left. What happens to...
This topic touches on the very title of the novel, "Cry, the Beloved Country." The cry from the title and the opening chapter illustrate the beauty of the country and what is being lost by those...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What is the description of Ndotsheni in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Ndotsheni is a small, remote village, one of many such villages in South Africa where the vast majority of the country's black population lives. Paton describes it as a beautiful village, a place...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What is Father Vincent's gift to Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Father Vincent gives the gifts of friendship, consolation, and hope to Kumalo. He also secures a good lawyer who will defend Kumalo's son Absalom without pay. Father Vincent is an English priest...
Cry, the Beloved Country
How does Gertrude first react when she sees Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
When Gertrude first sees Kumalo, there "is fear in her eyes," and she "draws back a step, and makes no move towards him." Gertrude lives in the squalid town of Claremont, which is "the garbage-heap...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why was Absalom sent to the reformatory school in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Absalom Kumalo has gone off the rails in a big way. His father, the Reverend Stephen Kumalo, is shocked to discover that he's become a serial criminal, regularly committing robberies with his...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Explain why the murder of Arthur Jarvis is an especially sore and unfortunate blow for the native people of...
The murder of Arthur Jarvis is an especially tragic blow for the native people of Johannesburg because he was sympathetic to their situation and had been prepared to work actively to improve it. In...
Cry, the Beloved Country
How do the characters Msimangu, John Kumalo, and Arthur Jarvis represent different segments of South African society?
Cry the Beloved Country, written in 1948, is about the changes in South Africa after Black South African tribes were largely broken up and many people moved to the cities. The characters represent...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, how do the conditions of the hills of Natal contrast with the conditions of the valley...
The contrast between the hills, where Jarvis lives at High Place, and the valley, where Stephen lives in Ndotsheni, is both stark and symbolic. The hills are lush and green, well nourished and...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What led Stephen Kumalo to change from ignorant to enlightened and in what way did he change? Please give direct quotes.
You have asked a fascinating question, and tracing the development of this key character casts light on some of the main themes of the novel and the author´s hope for South Africa, in spite of all...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What is the relationship between Arthur Jarvis and Absalom Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Absalom, a black South African, is the son of Reverend Stephen Kumalo. When he moves to the city, he gets entangled in all the vices it has to offer. Refusing to see the value of helping others and...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why does Dubula discourage Kumalo and Msimangu from taking the bus to Alexandra in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Dubula is a political organizer who fights for the rights of the black people in South Africa. He discourages Kumalo and Msimangu from taking the bus to Alexandra because there is a boycott of the...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why is the dam constructed at Ndotsheni in Cry, the Beloved Country?
The first inkling the community gets that a dam is going to be built is when sticks appear in the ground, with the chief being given strict instructions that these sticks are not to be touched....
Cry, the Beloved Country
Who were the three natives accused of murder in Cry, the Beloved Country?
The three natives accused of murder in Cry, the Beloved Country are angry and disillusioned young men, whose lot in life reduce them to the act of violent robbery. Absalom Kumalo is the only one of...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Please comment on Johannesburg as a metaphor in Cry, the Beloved Country.
I would argue that Johannesburg actually operates as more of a symbol than a metaphor. Throughout the novel, in the way that both Kumalo and Arthur Jarvis travel to Johannesburg, it seems to...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why did Kumalo appear to be ill when Jarvis opened the door? from- Cry the Beloved Country
In Cry, The Beloved Country, Kumalo is grieved when he finds out that it was his son Absalom who was responsible for Arthur Jarvis' death. Absalom tells the court that he was afraid when he fired...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What happens to Kumalo as he tries to find a bus to Sophiatown? Who helps him find his destination?
I must admit that there isn't much to add to the first answer in that this is one of the first things that happens to Stephen Kumalo in the book (and we are not very far along in the plot when this...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What does Stephen learn from his journey to Johannesburg in Cry, the Beloved Country?
From his journey to Johannesburg, Stephen Kumalo learns that there are great changes taking place in South Africa, and that they are represented, for better or for worse, in the city of...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What does Msimangu plan to do and what does he give Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country? Chapters 28-29
Msimangu plans to retire "into a community" where he will be able to live the life of an ascetic. He will "forswear the world and all possessions;" it is "the first time that a black man (has) done...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Is mercy depicted in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country? When Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis take refuge in the...
This is a fascinating question. The part of the story you relate occurs in Chapter 32, when Jarvis inquires of Kumalo if there is mercy for Absalom. However, when I first read this question I...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, how is inequality and social justice combined in South African society?
This is an interesting question to consider, because in some ways the novel seems to offer little hope for social justice compared to the many different examples that we are given of racial...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, The Beloved Country, what does Kumalo plan to do with Gertrude and her young son?
Kumalo is reunited with his sister, Gertrude, and her son, in Chapter 6 of this novel that is focussed on pre-apartheid South Africa. When he comes to where Gertrude is working, it is clear that...
Cry, the Beloved Country
How does Alan Paton use personification in Cry, the Beloved Country?
In the title of Alan Paton's work Cry, the Beloved Country, the land is personified. Paton urges the reader not to be misled by the "fields and hedges" or the beauty of the land. Instead, Paton...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Comment on the change in Jarvis in Chapter 24 of Cry, the Beloved Country.
The character of Jarvis is shown before Chapter 24 to be a character who is typically white and South African in terms of his prejudices against black South Africans and his view of what is wrong...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What quote in Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country best supports the theme?
Above all else, Cry the Beloved Country is a book about the hope that is found in reconciliation. Reconciliation begins between men and then extends to reconciling with the land so that all people...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, what is the author's tone?
This is an excellent question. Of course, when we refer to tone, we think about the attitude of the author towards his subject matter. What is distinctive about this novel is the simplicity of its...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What is Paton's vision of the world; does he think that humans are immutable or capable of transformation?
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a novel that explores the issues of family and faith in the midst of the racially-tense backdrop of South Africa. Throughout the novel, Paton gives several...
Cry, the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, for what charge does Absalom's lawyer want him to plead guilty, and what does he...
Absalom, a cousin, and a friend were attempting to rob Arthur Jarvis, and unfortunately, Absalom was carrying a gun for protection. When Jarvis returned home unexpectedly, Absalom shot and killed...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Discuss spiritual reassessment/ moral reconciliation in Cry, the Beloved Country. What would you say is the spiritual...
This is a very interesting question. I would want to focus on the journey of the two central characters, Kumalo and Jarvis, and the way that their parallel journeys to the city of Johannesburg and...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What would be the impression of the mood and tone for the first chapter in Cry, the Beloved Country?
The novel Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton takes place in the era just before official apartheid in South Africa. It tells of Reverend Stephen Kumalo, a black minister in a remote village, who...
Cry, the Beloved Country
How does the setting in, Cry The Beloved Country contribute to the theme of the break down of the tribe?
Refer to the early portions of the text referring to the color of the hills. (This is wonderful imagery describing the correlation between the death of the land and the death of the tribe. Hint:...
Cry, the Beloved Country
I need a character that experiences an epiphany because of a certain event in Cry, the Beloved Country.
I think the clearest example of a character who experiences an epiphany is in Chapter Thirteen, when Kumalo goes to Ezenzeleni with Msimangu and is given time to think, reflect and take stock of...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Compare the difference to being "a nobody" in Ndotsheni to being "a nobody" in Johannesburg.
During a conversation between brothers Stephen and John Kumalo (in Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country), they discuss the differences between being a nobody in Ndotsheni (their home growing up)...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What does Msimangu believe is the only hope for South Africa in Cry, the Beloved Country? To whom was he referring?
Msimangu believes that the only hope for South Africa lies in the power of love. He says, "...there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves, he...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Why was the landlady trembling in "Cry the Beloved Country"?
Although she claims that the reason she is trembling is because she is cold, the landlady, Mrs. Mkize, is actually trembling because she is afraid. Mrs. Mkize had housed Absalom Kumalo and his...
Cry, the Beloved Country
What is the "great duty" of a Judge in South Africa in Cry, the Beloved Country? Why is it important that he be...
The "great duty" of a Judge in South Africa is "to judge and to pronounce sentence, even sentence of death." The Judge does not make the Law; the People make the Law, and if the Law is not fair, it...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Explain the effect of the narrative shift in Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 of Alan Paton's novel Cry, The Beloved Country....
Only Alan Paton could really explain his reasons for the rather abrupt break in his narrative represented by Chapter Nine, but the author of Cry, The Beloved Country died in 1988. We can,...
Cry, the Beloved Country
Disscus a character in Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, who has a personal journey from ignorance to...
The central moral character in Cry, the Beloved Country, Stephen Kumalo, is one character who undergoes a person journey from ignorance to enlightenment. In the beginning, he is confident that he...
Showing 1-50 of 128