Term 3 Study Guide

SECTION C: Tesfa, Sabrina Guerrir and An Doung

WHAT: Amandla was the revolution in a four part harmony where the oppressed black S. Africans used song, tune and dance rather than fighting to protest the apartheid laws which restricted them from being completely free.Aside from using song, they had an army march/ dance that they would do called the toyi-toyi. They would do the toyi-toyi for miles down the road kicking their feet up to their chests which would somewhat frighten the S. African soldiers trying to keep them in order.

WHEN: in the 1960s, the first group of people who protested against these laws were brutally killed. One incident drove soldiers to kill students in 1976 who also protested apartheid law. Ironically, these two groups/massacres were both ended in song, just as they were began.

WHERE: these revolutionary protests took place in S. African streets, meeting centers, schools and homes.

SONGS: the songs that were sang during the protests were sometimes joyful, other times they showed misery and sorrow. There's a song they sang about the concentration camps that they were put in. Although the soldiers didn't understand the language the song was in, they did, however, nod their heads to the beat. What they didn't know was that some of the songs were direct threats to them. Those were the songs they enjoyed the most.




SECTION ?:

POETRY:
-TO A SMALL BOY WHO DIED AT A DIEPKLOOF REFORMATORY BY ALAN PATON
-REFUGEE MOTHER AND CHILD BY CHINUA ACHEBE

SPOKEN WORD:
-SILVER-LINED HEART BY TAYLOR MALI
-THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

SONGS:
-WORK SONGS
-NOT READY TO MAKE NICE BY THE DIXIE CHICKS
-CHANGES BY TUPAC SHAKUR
-BLACK AND BLUE BY ANDY RAZAF, THOMAS "FATS" WALLER AND HARRY BROOKS

SHORT STORIES:
-HUCKLEBERRY FINN BY MARK TWAIN

FILMS/DOCUMENTARIES:
-AMANDLA! BY LEE HIRSCH


SOME IMPORTANT NOTES AND HANDOUTS TO STUDY FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
-JAZZ AND RAP HANDOUT
-"WORK SONGS:
-MAP OF SOUTH AFRICA
-AMANDLA! BACKGROUND INFO
-ANY OLD HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS, ESPECIALLY RESPONSES AND PASSAGE ANALYSES
-MALNUTRTION HANDOUT
-ANY NOTES TAKEN IN CLASS ON SOUTH AFRICA
-POVERTY STATISTICS
-THEMES WORKSHEET

BRIEF SUMMARY OF CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY:

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT STEPHEN KUMALO, A PRIEST IN A SMALL SECTION OF A PROVINCE IN SOUTH AFRICA, DURING APARTHEID. HE WANTS TO BRING HIS FAMILY BACK TOGETHER, SO HE GOES TO LOOK FOR HIS SON, ABSALOM. ALONG THE WAY, HE MEETS MSIMANGU, A FELLOW PRIEST IN ANOTHER CITY. MSIMANGU HELPS KUMALO ON HIS JOURNEY. KUMALO IS LEAD TO JOHANNESBURG, WHERE HIS SON IS PUT ON TRIAL. HE IS BEING TRIED BY MR. JARVIS. WHOSE SON WAS SHOT DEAD IN HIS OWN HOME. ABSALOM AND TWO OTHERS WERE THE THREE ACCUSED AND ABSALOM WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO ADMITTED TO CARRYING THE GUN. HE WAS ACCUSED OF SHOOTING JARVIS' SON. ABSALOM ADMITTED IT, BUT SAID HE SHOT OUT OF FEAR. THE COURT FOUND HIM GUILTY AND HUNG HIM. AFTER, KUMALO RETURNED HOME AND TOLD HIS WIFE EVERYTHING ABOUT HIS JOURNEY.

Characters and characteristics
Stephen Kumalo~quiet sweet African priest man who goes to johannesburg to unsuccessfully try to save his family.
James Jarvis~white farmer whose views about blacks change after his son is killed. He learns alot from his son’s writings, about how blacks are treated in South Africa,
Msimangu~the guy that shows kumalo around town. he puts kumalo first and understands the problems in south africa.
Absalom Kumalu~ Kumalo's son, gets arrested for murder and is found guilty and sentenced to death.
Gertrude Kumalo~ Stephen’s sister who is the reason Kumalo goes to johannesburg. she is "sick". Kumalo gets her to return tovillage but eventually she runs away.
Mrs Lithebe~ generous woman who takes in Kumalu when he is in Johannesburg.
Arthur Jarvis~ a man who spoke out for civil rights in South Africa and is murdered by Absolom When he breaks into Jarvis' house.
Motifs:
Nature- Both in the beginning and near the middle of the book, the author writes the same passage about the land in Ndosheni. It describes how there is a road along the village of Ixopo, where the land is green and unhurt. However, if you go farther down, you can see the land destroyed by fire. It looks bare and ruined. This depicts South Africa and how it looks pretty from the outside, but if you go further in, you will see all the destruction.
Redemption- Gertrude wants to change her life for the better and asks forgiveness and help from her brother or Absalom trying to do some good before he dies. These people are asking for salvation and liberation.
Symbols:
Kumalo’s journey to restore his family is a symbol for hope.
The train and the mines are symbols for the dream and the hope of finding prosperity in the city.
The word “umfundisi”, meaning “father” or “priest”, is a symbol for Kumalo because it shows that he is a holy man and a good man who will do the right thing.
The books that Mr. Jarvis finds in his sons home symbolize how Arthur Jarvis tries to influence his father’s ideas and the whites about the natives with his ideas. He is depicted as Abraham Lincoln who tried to bring the whites and blacks closer.
Themes:
Restoring of the family- Kumalo’s family is separated and so he goes to Johannesburg to get his sister, Gertrude, and his son, Absalom, and maybe his brother, John, and to bring them all together in Ndosheni.
Protest against Apartheid- Alan Paton uses this book to fight against the Apartheid laws. He writes about “native crimes” and how the white men fear the natives. Paton even writes about the Shanty Towns and the poverty that goes on in South Africa in order to raise awareness and to protest against the restrictions of the Apartheid laws.
Fear- Fear is a big part of this novel. Kumalo fears what he will find in Johannesburg. He also fears that his son has killed a white man and will die. The whites fear that the natives will revolt for more money.
Racial discrimination/ injustice- Whites live in good lands and have profitable businesses, while blacks live in Shanty Towns and work for very little money in the dangerous mines so that they can dig gold for the whites. Blacks have to leave their villages to go to the city to find work.
Hope- This is a hidden theme in the novel because in between all the fighting and discrimination, there is a small hope of blacks and whites coming together. A good example of this is Mr. James Jarvis who helps not only the town of Ndosheni, but also Kumalo, even though Absalom killed his son. There is goodness in some whites and Msimangu says that some whites want to come together. Another good white is the lawyer, Mr. Carmichael, who helps Absalom “pro deo”, or for God and therefore free.
Literary Devices:
Imagery- there is a clear description of the land in Ndosheni and the city of Johannesburg.
Parallel structure- Paton uses parallel structures to emphasize certain words.
Characterization- Paton clearly characterizes and depicts the characters of his novel with specific details and even shows their beliefs, ideas, and thoughts.
Dialect- In this novel there are words such as “umfundisi” and other Zulu words that connect the reader further to the story.
Apostrophe- This is shown in the title itself, “Cry, the Beloved Country”, in which someone addresses an inanimate thing, such as the country, in exchange for help or sympathy.
Conflict- Absalom has left home to find Gertrude and never comes back. Kumalo must go find them, but only gets into more conflict when Absalom is in trial for murdering a good, white man.
Analysis (so what?)
Cry, the Beloved Country is an important book because it gives us a new perspective about life in South Africa. It shows us that beneath all the beauty of the South African land, there is much poverty, destruction, fear, and inequality. This novel protests against the Apartheid laws which restrict and segregate the black in South Africa. This theme of inequality and injustice could also be used in our lives. We should treat everyone equally. This book teaches us to fight against inequality and to stop degrading others. Most importantly, this book teaches us to help those in need who can not help themselves.


Kumalo

External: Kumalo’s son, Absalom, left and has never been heard from since. So Kumalo decides to go find him. He travels to Johannesburg where he thinks his son may have gone. Throughout the novel, Kumalo continues to come up short on his quest for Absalom. He is always just a little too late. As the journey drags on, it takes its toll on Kumalo physically.

Internal: As the quest for Absalom continues, Kumalo begins to fear the worst. He believes that something terrible has happened to his son since he has yet to find him. Kumalo begins to lose hope thinking he will never find his son. When he finally does locate Absalom, Kumalo learns that his son is in serious trouble and must suffer the consequences. This causes Kumalo to become depressed; he has just been reunited with Absalom and now they must be separated again. Kumalo tries to appear strong to others and covers up how he really feels.


Absalom

External: Absalom makes a bad decision by firing a gun when frightened and killing Arthur Jarvis. This leads to a lot of controversy and trouble for him and his family. Absalom has to deal with being charged guilty of murder of a white man. This is enough to ruin one’s reputation and their life. Absalom has to constantly suffer from the chaos that Jarvis’ murder has brought upon him.

Internal: Absalom tries to explain his side of the story and his true intentions for firing the gun that killed Arthur Jarvis, but no one believes him. This becomes so frustrating to Absalom because no one will listen to what he has to say. What makes matters worse is that the other two men that were with him were found innocent. He feels helpless; like no one can save him from his fate which he fears. Kumalo encourages his son to pray and later on, Absalom accepts his fate with dignity.



Analysis

• When Absalom is found guilty of murdering Arthur Jarvis, he feels a number of different emotions. Overall, he is afraid. Absalom is fearful of what the future will bring and what will happen. He also mentioned that he is afraid to die. Kumalo can not do much for his son at this point, except comfort him. He encourages Absalom to pray and to not be fearful of what awaits him. Absalom makes a transformation as his death approaches; he changes his ways of thinking. He now accepts the situation he is and realizes that he can not change his fate. Absalom obtains faith and seems to have a whole new outlook on life. When the day of his death arrives, Kumalo knows that the change in his son allows him to die with dignity.


• Race seems to play a major role in the novel. People are clearly separated and live different lifestyles. The murder of Arthur Jarvis actually causes the black and white races to clash. Absalom was a black man who murdered a white man. Just knowing those simple facts already causes controversy because of the different races in the two people. Arthur Jarvis was actually working to unite Africa and makes the lands peaceful again. His death may actually be an example of how people should join together, not be against each other. Ultimately, the dignity Absalom shows demonstrates hope for he did not go out with bitter feelings. It could also be a premonition of how one day racism will no longer be an issue and people will be united just as Arthur Jarvis would have wanted.