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  • Essay / Footprints in the Sand

    "'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and not pay attention to the plank in your own eye?'" (Matthew 7:3 ). Scholars are quick to uphold the stern wisdom of this advice, but very few are fully capable of following it. Many authors have written on this subject, including Alan Paton, author of Cry, the Beloved Country. Much debate has been sparked by this book due to Paton's ability to examine the plank in his eye, South Africa. Even the essence of the book's title examines South Africa and declares the presence of the inner conflict of its citizens. The importance and significance of the title of Cry, the Beloved Country is seen in Paton's efforts to connect the reader to upcoming ideas in the novel, in Paton's description of South Africa's problems, and in prayer of Paton for the solution of South Africa's difficulties in matters of race and racism. oppression. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One way Paton connects the reader to the racial tension in the novel is by repeating the thematic title throughout key events in the novel. Paton often uses the title wording in the text to express the pain inflicted by moral conflict, racial segregation and oppression in South Africa. Paton uses repetition to connect the events of the story to the overall theme, changing the context slightly each time. At one point, Paton expresses the anguish of broken African society and the transformation and assimilation into a white man's society of hatred and separation. Paton pleads: “Cry for the broken tribe, for the law and custom that have disappeared. Yes, and cry out loud for the man who died, for the bereaved wife and children. Cry, beloved country, these things are not yet. to its end” (Paton 73-74). By creating links between major events and minor characters, Paton's repetition gradually penetrates the mind and leaves the indelible mark of a quest for freedom and liberty so much so that we see the title again, it's like if we see the cover for the first time, and we realize everything contained in the few words of “Cry, the beloved country”. Alan Paton also connects the title of Cry, the Beloved Country to the subject of the story by personally identifying with the reader's feelings. Paton plays on everyone's maternal or paternal instincts, finding a sensitive chord and playing on it, evoking fear, wisdom or sadness through his powerful yet simple words. At one point, Stephen Kumalo searches the wide streets of Johannesburg for his son. He fears that his son has done something terribly wrong, and for the Reverend, that's almost more than he can bear. Paton says: “Cry, beloved country, for the unborn child who is the heir of our fear. That he doesn't love the earth too deeply? Because fear will take everything away from him if he gives too much” (Paton 80). The Reverend's desperation is evident in his fear of love for the earth and what lies within the earth. Due to the appearance of the book title at such a critical moment, one cannot help but connect the book title to this point in the novel. On the other hand, Paton looks at South Africa's problems of unity and erosion, expressing an idea of ​​how a beautiful country will waste away because of petty morals. Paton discusses the controversy of apartheid and the inequalities present in a country that cannot recover from the past, but yet tries to participate in the present. When James Jarvis reads the work of his deceased son, Arthur, he discovers shocking evidence and realizations of thiswhat white men did to South Africa in the name of betterment. Arthur wrote convincingly about the fault of white men who inflict segregation and cause nothing but harm because of it. Arthur writes: “It is true that we hoped to preserve the tribal system through a policy of segregation. It was allowed. But we never did it thoroughly or honestly? We are caught in the traps of our own selfishness” (Paton 146). Because of the white man's desire to separate black men from white men, a system filled with flaws has resulted, causing white men more trouble than good in their struggle. against a system of their own creation. Another explanation of Cry, the Beloved Country can be found when researching the history of segregation and oppression of the "lesser races" by the white man in the name of Christianity. men who strive to make the world a better place and proclaim equality for all, but who cannot accept another human being as a man. In the last speech Arthur Jarvis wrote before being assassinated by Stephen Kumalo's son, Arthur realized that white men had oppressed black people. "for their own good" and with the perfect conviction that what they are doing is acceptable and right because Africans are not human and therefore do not deserve all the rights that white men deserve. Arthur proclaims: "The truth is that our Christian civilization is riddled through and through with dilemmas. We believe in the brotherhood of man, but we don't want it in South Africa" ​​(Paton 154). The Truth that Paton reveals through Arthur Jarvis is that South Africa has double standards: one standard for human rights worldwide, the other for human rights. man in South Africa, these two ideas are not even comparable and even belong to completely different categories of humanity. Later, Paton deals with racial unrest in South Africa before even a single page is published. Conflict is present in the very title, Cry, the Beloved Country, Paton uses this simple phrase time and time again to express his sorrow and hope at South Africa's outdated position, a position that has long been lost in the bitter tangle of oppression and segregation When the African community discovered that the white government was considering complete segregation of the country, reactions were extremely mixed to the finality of such a move. Paton quips: “Yes, there are a hundred and thousand voices. tears. But what do we do when we cry one thing and one cries another? Who knows how we will shape a land of peace where blacks outnumber whites? » (Paton 78). The common verb, to cry, appears here too, in the reaction of fearful and outraged indigenous people. We discover that the title conveys these reactions which, although they vary as much as the colors of the rainbow, all share a feeling of deep sadness, a burning loss of pride and unity. Another example of Paton's hope for unity can be found in a call to prayer Often. , when the book's characters are involved in enormous inner struggles, they turn to prayer, finding peace and strength to wait for the greater solution that lies beyond, even if they cannot find it. see with their mortal eyes as Reverend Kumalo struggles with the. After the horror of his son's murder, Father Vincent helps him focus on the bigger picture, to hope for others, to pray for those who do not see the end of their difficulties approaching. Father Vincent helps Kumalo with a convincing outside point of view. Kumalo to pray for those who cannot pray. The Father."