Cry, The Beloved Country

Cry, The Beloved Country "But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power. I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the good of their country, come together to work for it. He was grave and silent, and then he said somberly, I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating." (Paton71) Love and the lust for power are important messages portrayed throughout Cry, The Beloved Country. The novel shares these contrasting actions throughout the setting, meaning between the black and white people of South Africa and through the specific characters. Kumalo's prevailing love for his family, even for those who have gone astray show the beauty and humility of the umfundisi. His brother, John Kumalo, has a lust for power creating a barrier between the love that he once shared with those around him. Instead he dotes on material items and the feeling of supremacy and control as in his way to rival the injustices the native people face. This can be seen through his great speeches given in his deep, bull voice about the need to rise up. The novel's journey unfolds some of Paton's deeper
When we first began reading the book as a class, I did not enjoy it. The beginning was a little rough for me to get into because it had a gloomy, depressing feeling to it. Plus, Paton used many words that derived from Africa making it hard for me to connect and fully understand the story. I would much rather read happy, upbeat books that I am able to understand but with time I realized the deep meaning of the book. I began to enjoy reading as the story continued to unfold bring about some new adventure for poor