Cry the Beloved Country
1. The policy of racial segregation followed in South Africa from the late 1940's into the early 1990's was Apartheid. According to the Encarta dictionary, apartheid is the "rigid racial division between the governing white minority population and the non white majority population". Apartheid classified people into three major racial groups, whites, Bantu (black Africans), and colored or people of mixed descents and institutionalized racial discrimination. The culture and the customs practiced throughout Africa are very different from those practiced in the states.South Africa is part of the Zulu homeland, and even though the majority of the natives are Christian, there are still references to their pagan Zulu past. In the Zulu culture, as a substitute for using the word 'God', Kumalo and his people use the word 'Tixo', which refers to the Zulu's great spirit. "And Tixo alone knows where we shall go" (Paton pg.8) is an example of the use of the word as Stephen Kumalo talks with his wife. Although the Zulu culture has its beliefs in Tixo, the five major religions in America Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. All of these religions are either monotheisms or polytheism.
The old ways need to give way to newer and more modern ideas. Where he was accepting of his role as a second class citizen, as a servant, as a black man, he begins to realize that this is not enough. Due to the occurrences and many problems he faces in his life he is forced to adapt and change his views. Though he still cannot find the solutions to the problems of his village, re returns with a determination to try and help. Paton stresses the poverty of the native communities in Johannesburg with several passages that are statements regarding the situation in South Africa. Also as a token of respect, small children refer to pastors as "umfundisi" (Paton pg. 206) He also has the use of irony repeated a lot. Paton makes many points in his writing that there is a lot of separation in Africa and the hope to end the apartheid. 80) is one passage that Paton stresses the change is taking place from the old values into a regime where there is nothing to hold together the people. In the Zulu culture, respect, religion, and consequence are all portrayed in different ways.
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Acceptance Essays
