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Cry, the Beloved Country
by
Alan Paton
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Summary
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1 Summary
Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 3 Summary
Chapter 4 Summary
Chapter 5 Summary
Chapter 6 Summary
Chapter 7 Summary
Chapter 8 Summary
Chapter 9 Summary
Chapter 10 Summary
Chapter 11 Summary
Chapter 12 Summary
Chapter 13 Summary
Chapter 14 Summary
Chapter 15 Summary
Chapter 16 Summary
Chapter 17 Summary
Chapter 18 Summary
Chapter 19 Summary
Chapter 20 Summary
Chapter 21 Summary
Chapter 22 Summary
Chapter 23 Summary
Chapter 24 Summary
Chapter 25 Summary
Chapter 26 Summary
Chapter 27 Summary
Chapter 28 Summary
Chapter 29 Summary
Chapter 30 Summary
Chapter 31 Summary
Chapter 32 Summary
Chapter 33 Summary
Chapter 34 Summary
Chapter 35 Summary
Chapter 36 Summary
Questions & Answers
Themes
Characters
Critical Essays
Critical Evaluation
Cry, the Beloved Country
Critical Overview
Essays and Criticism
Analysis
Teaching Guide
Ideas for Group Discussions
Ideas for Reports and Papers
Topics for Discussion
Topics for Further Study
What Do I Read Next?
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Cry, the Beloved Country Questions and Answers
What are three examples of the purposeful repetition used in Arthur Jarvis’s manuscript in Cry, the Beloved Country? What is the author’s likely purpose in incorporating so much repetition? What issues are emphasized by it?
Why was Absalom sent to the reformatory school in Cry, the Beloved Country?
What prompts Stephen Khumalo's journey to Johannesburg in Cry, the Beloved Country?
What are themes in Cry the Beloved Country?
What is the description of Ndotsheni in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Why does Kumalo go to the mountain of Emoyeni to keep vigil in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Why is Jarvis feeling so angry in book 2, chapter 7 of Cry, the Beloved Country?
In Cry, the Beloved Country, what are the contrasts and comparisons between Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis?
Whats the difference between just and justice in Cry, the Beloved Country and why was Jarvis "sick at heart" as he read some of his sons papers?
What is the meaning and significance of the following quote from Cry, the Beloved Country, chapter 9? "All roads lead to Johannesburg. If you are white or if you are black they leadto Johannesburg. If there are taxes to be paid, there is work in Johannesburg. If the farm is too small to be divided further, some must go to Johannesburg. If there is a child to be born that must be delivered in secret, it can be delivered in Johannesburg."
What does Stephen learn from his journey to Johannesburg in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Compare and contrast Stephen and John Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country.
What is the relationship between Arthur Jarvis and Absalom Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Is there a connection between Cry the Beloved Country and To Kill a Mockingbird?
What are the "things" in the following quote from Cry, the Beloved Country? "Cry the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end."
How do the characters Msimangu, John Kumalo, and Arthur Jarvis represent different segments of South African society?
Who are Msimangu, Stephen Kumalo, and James Jarvis' foils in "Cry, the Beloved Country"?
In Cry, The Beloved Country, what does Kumalo plan to do with Gertrude and her young son?
How does Alan Paton use personification in Cry, the Beloved Country?
What is Father Vincent's gift to Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Explain why the murder of Arthur Jarvis is an especially sore and unfortunate blow for the native people of Johannesburg in 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 the people who stayed in the tribal villages? What happens to those who left and went to Johannesburg? What is Paton's point of view of this mass migration? Does he feel it was necessary? Inevitable? What is your opinion? tell me in a very short answer
In Cry, the Beloved Country, to what decisions did Kumalo come in Enzenzeleni? Chapters 11-14
What decisions did Kumalo make in Ezenzeleni?
Is mercy depicted in the novel Cry, the Beloved Country? When Stephen Kumalo and James Jarvis take refuge in the church during a rainstorm, Jarvis asks Kumalo, "Is there mercy?" Although he is referring to the situation with Absalom, for whom no legal mercy has been extended, how would you answer that question in light of the changes occuring in Ndotsheni and the lives of the main characters in the concluding chapters of the novel? Is mercy depicted in the novel?
What is the contrast between Absalom and Matthew Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
Why were Gertrude's and Abalom's girlfriend's laughter assumed bad/wrong? Was something implied in Cry, the Beloved Country? Basically... I'm wondering if Gertrude and Absalom's girlfriend were doing anything based off their previous promiscuity and the fact that Absalom's girlfriend was pregnant (hint towards sexual willingness?) This question isn't really pertinent to the study of this novel in my AP class, but it has been bothering me for a while. Was the laughter from them doing something bad/wrong? (or naughty?...) The laughter, mind you, was also heard earlier in the novel when Kumalo traveled to Gertrude's home and before she came to the door he heard it. (There was a man in her home?)
What is Paton's vision of the world; does he think that humans are immutable or capable of transformation?
Provide phrases which contain vivid imagery in chapter 9 of Cry, the Beloved Country.
Why is the dam constructed at Ndotsheni in Cry, the Beloved Country?
What is Ezenzelini (the town Kumalo and Msimangu visit in Chapter 13 of Cry, The Beloved Country)? I`ve been looking all over for any information about what Ezenzelini is, and what it has to do with blind people but I have had no luck in finding anything. If you have any links that could help me it would be appreciated. Thanks for answering!
What strategies does Paton use to describe John Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country?
What quote in Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country best supports the theme?
In Cry, the Beloved Country, why is the government more afraid of Dubula than Tomlinson or John Kumalo?
What led Stephen Kumalo to change from ignorant to enlightened and in what way did he change? Please give direct quotes.
Why does Dubula discourage Kumalo and Msimangu from taking the bus to Alexandra in Cry, the Beloved Country?
In what ways can Stephen Kumalo’s quest in Cry, the Beloved Country be understood as a pilgrimage?
What does Msimangu plan to do and what does he give Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country? Chapters 28-29
In Cry, the Beloved Country, how do the conditions of the hills of Natal contrast with the conditions of the valley below?
IN Cry, the Beloved Country how do the people of the village react to Kumalo's return home?
At the beginning of Chapter 13 in Cry, the Beloved Country, whats does Kumalo fear about Absalom? What does he admit to himself about the tribe?
Discuss spiritual reassessment/ moral reconciliation in Cry, the Beloved Country. What would you say is the spiritual reassessment and moral reconciliation in "Cry, the Beloved Country," and what are some examples that show this? We are going to discuss this in my English class and I'm having trouble understanding this concept and how it ties in with the novel. Thank you for your help! :)
In Cry, the Beloved Country which setting, Johannesburg or Ndotsheni, is more moral?
How does Kumalo feel when he tells his fascinated nephew about his homeland?
Favorite Scene What is the most touching scene in the novel, the one which you found the most moving? Why?
How does Cry, the Beloved Country use symbols (or motifs) to reveal a deeper meaning of the following: water, drought, journeying, mountain(s), light, children, tribe, Bible, church, crying/weeping?
In the novel Cry, the Beloved Country, who dies in Chapters 21-24 and how?
Why did Kumalo appear to be ill when Jarvis opened the door? from- Cry the Beloved Country
In Cry, the Beloved Country, how does Kumalo react to the news that Absalom committed the murder?
What happens to Kumalo as he tries to find a bus to Sophiatown? Who helps him find his destination?