Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
Paton Describes South Africa
In the book “Cry, The Beloved
Country” Alan Paton goes into great detail when he describes the land in South
Africa. He focuses on the land because
it is symbolic to the story and overall message in the book. Paton uses the land to symbolize many things
in the book such as the struggle that the black people went through as they
were looked down upon by their white leaders and fellow citizens.
Paton starts out the book by describing rich and fertile land that can sustain life and provide for the people. This symbolizes the white men and their land and how what they have is rich and pure. Paton then begins to describe land that is bare and unlivable. Where women scrape the ground to find food and people are in a constant struggle to survive. This symbolizes the black people and everything they own. They have very few rights and are given next to nothing to help them survive. They are discriminated against by the white people and treated like they are not even human. Throughout the book, Paton explains to us the struggles and hardships the black people of South Africa faced every day.
Another example of Paton describing the land and using symbolism is when he is saying almost the same thing in the start of the second book. The difference in the two chapters is that in book two, Paton is putting more detail into the valleys instead of putting detail into the hills like he did in the first chapter. He does this because he is describing the land that our new character, James Jarvis lives on. Unlike the land that Stephen Kumalo lives on, has rich grass and ground that not too many cattle have fed on. This symbolizes the differences in life that the two characters face. Stephen Kumalo has a much harder life and struggles more than Jarvis. Jarvis’ life is a little easier and he doesn’t have all the struggle that Kumalo has.
I think that Paton believes that using symbolism while he describes the land is very important. I think this because the land that people live on can tell a lot about the way that they live and the lives that they lead. For example, the land that the black people lived on was desolate and unlivable. This tells us a lot about how black people lived compared to white people. The black people were limited by the white people and were forced to live lives that we today would think is unacceptable. The white people however, had land that was fertile and sustained life. Paton uses symbolism perfectly in the way that he connects the way white people live with the land they lived on. Their land was some of the best in the country and they lived lives that some people could only dream of.
In conclusion, I think that Paton uses symbolism very well with the way he describes the land. He connects it to the peoples lives with their land. He also perfectly describes the black people compared to the white people. This book is full of brilliant symbolism and wonderful description of white and black people in South Africa.
Paton starts out the book by describing rich and fertile land that can sustain life and provide for the people. This symbolizes the white men and their land and how what they have is rich and pure. Paton then begins to describe land that is bare and unlivable. Where women scrape the ground to find food and people are in a constant struggle to survive. This symbolizes the black people and everything they own. They have very few rights and are given next to nothing to help them survive. They are discriminated against by the white people and treated like they are not even human. Throughout the book, Paton explains to us the struggles and hardships the black people of South Africa faced every day.
Another example of Paton describing the land and using symbolism is when he is saying almost the same thing in the start of the second book. The difference in the two chapters is that in book two, Paton is putting more detail into the valleys instead of putting detail into the hills like he did in the first chapter. He does this because he is describing the land that our new character, James Jarvis lives on. Unlike the land that Stephen Kumalo lives on, has rich grass and ground that not too many cattle have fed on. This symbolizes the differences in life that the two characters face. Stephen Kumalo has a much harder life and struggles more than Jarvis. Jarvis’ life is a little easier and he doesn’t have all the struggle that Kumalo has.
I think that Paton believes that using symbolism while he describes the land is very important. I think this because the land that people live on can tell a lot about the way that they live and the lives that they lead. For example, the land that the black people lived on was desolate and unlivable. This tells us a lot about how black people lived compared to white people. The black people were limited by the white people and were forced to live lives that we today would think is unacceptable. The white people however, had land that was fertile and sustained life. Paton uses symbolism perfectly in the way that he connects the way white people live with the land they lived on. Their land was some of the best in the country and they lived lives that some people could only dream of.
In conclusion, I think that Paton uses symbolism very well with the way he describes the land. He connects it to the peoples lives with their land. He also perfectly describes the black people compared to the white people. This book is full of brilliant symbolism and wonderful description of white and black people in South Africa.
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