Cry the beloved country

A detailed Summary of Cry the beloved country

Dan Witcher Cry the Beloved Country "Opinions founded in prejudice are always sustained with the greatest violence."(Jeffery) The theme of the book Cry, the Beloved Country revolves around the idea of prejudice causing violence. Throughout the book the author shows how the laws of white men caused many South Africans to resort to stealing and even murder. The book is divided into three portions, each with its own theme. The first portions shows how work forced many poor Africans to migrate from rural area into cities, causing an aberration from their heritage, where they were forced into immoral and illegal activities. The second portion of the book shows how some white men were affected by their own doings. The third and final portion of the book shows how the deaths of two young men bring about a reconciliation between a black man and a white man, providing hope that some day the two races will live together in peace and harmony. As, white founded mining companies started to spring up so did cities, bringing many new jobs with them. As more mines were developed, more miners were needed, so affluent white men started recruiting poor black men from small villages. The poor black men were allured by the thought of being paid wel

l and living happy lives, but they were wrong. They were only paid three shillings a day and lived in houses that were complete dumps. Many miners thought that if they found more gold they would be rewarded, but they were wrong. Countless miners had families who depended on them, and three shillings a day was not enough for food, shelter, and clothing. Almost all of these miners did not want to meet with adversity, so they resorted to other ways of getting food and clothing. A lot of these miners resorted to stealing and even murder to get morsels of food and a few shillings from white people. In effect, white men had brought this violence on themselves. In the story Steven Kumalo, a black reverend, sends his son, Absalom, to Johannesburg to find his sister who's husband had gone looking for work in the mines. After a few months Steven became worried because he had heard no word from his son. When he goes to Johannesburg to find his sister and son, he is abject to find that his sister, who had become very frail, was forced to become a prostitute to support her child and his son had murdered a white man who ironically was abetting the black people. Arthur Jarvis the man who had been killed by Absalom had lived in an adjacent farm when the two men were younger. When on trial, Absalom tells the whole truth in hope of lenience and ple

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Approximate Word count = 902
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English