Cry, the Beloved Country Essay PDF

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ENGL 101 3 November 2014 Only Human The qualities people might possess if they practice Christianity are love, forgiveness, selflessness, compassion, patience, and kindness. Christians are expected to behave in ways that show their ability to put others' needs before their own. Ideally, they show acceptance of all people and forgiveness for those who have sinned. Alan Paton's novel, Cry, the Beloved Country, tells the story of Stephen Kumalo, an underprivileged black priest from the village of Ndotsheni who expresses and practices these Christian values. Sadly, Kumalo's family has disappeared into the city of Johannesburg, and he is summoned there by a letter from a fellow priest, Msimangu. The letter states that Kumalo's sister, Gertrude, is very sick and he must come immediately. Kumalo arrives in Johannesburg to discover that Gertrude is a prostitute. In the city, Kumalo also searches for his other family members, John, his brother, and Absalom, his son. To Kumalo's disbelief, he finds that his brother is now a corrupt politician and his son has murdered Arthur Jarvis, an advocate for the natives, and also the son of James Jarvis, a neighbor of Stephen Kumalo's in Ndotsheni. Although Kumalo's family members show behavior that is far below Christian standards, he copes with his grief in a way that demonstrates that all people are human, no matter how religious they are. He does this by expressing his frustration towards Gertrude after she disgraces the family, by lying to his brother to intentionally hurt him because of his personal grief, and by forgiving his son after murdering another human being.

When Kumalo sees Gertrude for the first time, he does not shy away from expressing his frustration towards her for disgracing the family. Kumalo reveals a side of himself that he has not

shown leading up to this point. He is very angry when his fear that his sister is a prostitute is realized and at the person that he sees his sister has become. At first Kumalo expresses his usual calm behavior but then is overcome by rage and disappointment " You have shamed us, he says in a low voice, not wishing to make it known to the world. A liquor seller, a prostitute, with a child and you do not know where it is? Your brother a priest. How could you do this to us?" (61) Normal Christian behavior would shy away from the aggression that Kumalo expresses towards his sister when he sees her for the first time, but because he was not able to control his emotions it shows that he can only follow the Christian guidelines so far. After Absalom is proven guilty and John's son is found innocent, Kumalo, overcome with grief, lies to his brother to intentionally hurt him and sabotage his campaign. As any Christian or anyone familiar with some of the guidelines of being a Christian may know, Lying is extremely frowned upon. Lying is not a Christian thing to do, it is a human thing to do. It is part of the human nature to lie, whether it be to save someone's feelings or to hurt them. Kumalo shows that emotions can take over your morals and beliefs, the grief he feels over his son is stronger than his Christian beliefs. His son, someone he has nurtured, raised, watch grow up, built a relationship with, a tangible thing, is more important and more overpowering to Kumalo than the opinions and passages that he preaches to others and follows himself. Kumalo not only shows his humanity by this act but his commitment to his family and the people that he loves and cares for. Although Absalom goes against everything a Christian believes in by murdering a human being, Kumalo finds it in his heart to forgive his son. Murdering another human being is not something that any religion takes lightly, it is not only against Christian beliefs, but most humans beliefs as well. Even though Absalom shows a side that is not so human, his father shows that he

is human by forgiving his son for the inhumane choice that he mad. It is part of the human nature to lie and it is also part of the human nature to grant forgiveness where forgiveness is not always deserved. Kumalo shows how human he really is by not only forgiving his son, but trying to understand why he did what he did, and accepting the fact that the past cannot be reversed no matter how much he wishes he could go back and do something differently to stop the incident from occurring. Those kinds of thoughts and actions are not Christian, they are purely human. Kumalo shows on numerous occasions what is more important and what can be pushed to the side. Although Kumalo's family members show behavior that is far below Christian standards, he copes with his grief in a way that demonstrates that all people are human, no matter how religious they are. He does this by expressing his frustration towards Gertrude after she disgraces the family, by lying to his brother to intentionally hurt him because of his personal grief, and by forgiving his son after murdering another human being...