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- CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY, BY ALAN PATON, IS A BOOK WHICH TELLS
- THE STORY OF HOW JAMES JARVIS, A WEALTHY ESTATE OWNER WHO, BECAUSE
- OF HIS OWN BUSY LIFE, HAD TO LEARN OF THE SOCIAL DEGRADATION IN SOUTH
- AFRICA THROUGH THE DEATH OF HIS ONLY SON. IF ARTHUR JARVIS HAD NEVER
- BEEN KILLED, JAMES JARVIS WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN EDUCATED BY HIS SONS
- WRITINGS, AND STEPHEN KUMALO.
- WHEN WE FIRST MEET JAMES JARVIS, HE KNOWS LITTLE OF HIS SONS
- LIFE. HE DOESN'T KNOW HIS SON WAS ON A KIND OF A MISSION(P. 140), AND
- THIS IS WHY WHEN HARRISON SAYS,...WE'RE SCARED STIFF AT THE MOMENT IN
- JOHANNESBURG.( P. 140) JAMES IS SORT OF SURPRISED AND SAYS,OF CRIME?(
- P. 140). TALKING TO HARRISON TAUGHT STEPHEN ABOUT THE CRIME IN THE
- CITY, AND THE NEXT MORNING HE LEARNS ABOUT HIS SON. ONE OF THE FIRST
- THINGS THAT JAMES LEARNS OF HIS SON, AND HIS VIEWS, HE LEARNS IN
- ARTHURS' ROOM. IN READING HIS WRITINGS, JAMES FINDS THAT ARTHUR
- WOULD HAVE RISKED ANYTHING TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE, AND ENDED UP
- DOING JUST THAT. JAMES FINDS THAT HIS SON WAS WELL RESEARCHED ON THE
- PROBLEMS OF THEIR SOCIETY, AND WAS INTERESTED IN HELPING THE
- DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA. FROM THE
- PICTURES OF JESUS AND LINCOLN ON HIS WALL, JAMES DISCOVERED THE
- ADMIRATION ARTHUR HAD FOR THESE TWO MEN. THESE WERE MEN OF ACTION,
- WHO SHOWED LOVE FOR THEIR FRIENDS, AND AT THE SAME TIME, THEIR
- ENEMIES. THESE TWO MEN SUFFERED AND DIED FOR THEIR BELIEFS, AS DID
- ARTHUR IN A WAY, THIS IS SHOWING ARTHURS' FATHER WHAT A GREAT MAN
- HIS SON WAS BY COMPARISON, AND SIMILARITY TO OTHERS. THIS REVELATION
- SHOWS ARTHURS CONCERN FOR HUMANITY.
- AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF HIS SONS VIEWS THROUGH ALL OF HIS
- WRITINGS, JAMES BEGINS TO REALIZE THE PROBLEM, AND STARTS TO THINK OF
- THE PROBLEMS OF OTHERS BEFORE HIS OWN. IN THIS ASPECT, JAMES BEGINS TO
- REMIND THE READER OF OSCAR SHINDLER. THIS IS SO BECAUSE SHINDLER WAS
- ONE WHO AT ONE TIME HATED JEWS, BUT AS HE BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THEM,
- HE THUOGHT OF THEIR TROUBLES AND HOW HIS WEALTH COULD SAVE THEM.
- MUCH LIKE SHINDLER, JARVIS HELPS THE MINORITY. FOLLOWING HIS SONS
- DEATH AND THE ACQUAINTANCE OF STEPHEN, JAMES DONATES 1000 POUNDS TO
- THE AFRICAN BOYS CLUB. JARVIS IS NOT JUST GIVING GIFTS IN MEMORY OF HIS
- SON, OR JUST TO GIVE, BUT GIVING THOSE WHO NEED HELP WAYS TO HELP
- THEMSELVES. WHEN JAMES GAVE THE MONEY TO THE CLUB, HE DIDN'T JUST
- DECIDE TO GIVE IT TO THEM, BUT KNEW THAT IF HE GAVE IT, THE CLUB WOULD
- USE IT TO IMPROVE THE COUNTRYS' CONDITION. IN ALL OF HIS DONATIONS,
- JAMES USES THIS SUBTLE METHOD TO EMANCIPATE THE BLACKS. A WAY TO
- HELP HIS SON TAUGHT HIM. USING HIS SONS VIEWS AGAIN, JAMES DECIDES TO
- DO SOMETHING ABOUT KUMALOS' VILLAGE, WHICH IS FALLING APART. THIS
- TASK IS A FAIRLY LARGE ONE , AND JAMES DOES THIS IN STEPS. HE FIRST
- PROVIDES MILK FOR THE VILLAGE KIDS, WHO ONLY HAVE WARM WATER TO
- DRINK, AND THEN HE BUILDS A CHURCH. THE REASON HE DECIDES TO BUILD A
- CHURCH IS THAT WHEN HE IS IN NDOTSHENI IT BEGINS TO RAIN, AND HE AND
- STEPHEN TAKE SHELTER IN THE CHURCH, WHICH LEAKS AND IS IN NEED OF
- REPAIR. THE RAIN IN NDOTSHENI IS A BIT OF FORESHADOWING OF HOPE FOR
- THE VILLAGE, AND MAYBE OF WHAT IS TO COME.
- THROUGH JAMES' EDUCATION, WE LEARN THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN
- MR. JARVIS AND KUMALO. WHEN WE FIRST MEET JARVIS, THE SETTING IS MUCH
- THE SAME AS WHEN WE MET STEPHEN. THEY BOTH LIVE IN THE FARMING AREAS
- OF SOUTH AFRICA, AND THEY SHARE THE LOVE FOR THE LAND, AND WHAT IS IN
- THEIR LIVES. THEY EACH ARE MARRIED WITH ONE SON WHO THEY KNOW
- NOTHING ABOUT, AND BOTH ARE FORCED TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE GUILT
- OF THE WHITES BY THE SAME OCCURANCE. AFTER THEY BOTH LOSE THEIR
- SONS, THEY HAVE A NEED TO UNDERSTAND THEM, ALTHOUGH ALL THAT IS LEFT
- ARE THE MEMORIES. THEY EACH LEARN OF THE PROBLEMS IN SOUTH AFRICA
- THROUGH THEIR SONS, AND AFTER THE REALIZATION, THEY BOTH TRY TO DO
- SOMETHING TO IMPROVE THE SOCIAL, AND RACIAL DIFFERENCES WHICH
- PLAGUE JOHANNESBURG.
- CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY I S A BOOK MEANT TO TEACH THE
- WAYS RACIAL VIEWS CAN AFFECT PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT WAYS. THE
- REPRESENTATION SHOWS HOW THESE SOUTH AFRICAN PROBLEMS
- EDUCATED JAMES JARVIS, AND TURNED HIM INTO A COMPASSIONATE,
- AND UNDERSTANDING MAN. IF ARTHUR JARVIS HAD NEVER BEEN
- KILLED, JAMES JARVIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN EDUCATED BY HIS SONS'
- WRITUNGS AND STEPHEN KUMALO.
- <br><br>
- Words: 773
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