Cry, The Beloved Country

Here is a heart wrenching and beautiful story of strong family love, written by Alan Paton.

Themes to address when reading this piece include:

• Race: the inevitable influence of Africa on people who visit and live there; breaking and rebuilding of tribes, clans, and family members; the native problem, native crime; benefiting vs. exploiting; dominant vs. submissive; customs
• Division of Christianity: fear and survival vs. love, mercy, and compassion
• Power: "The only power which can resist the power of fear is the power of love." and "When a man loves, he seeks no power. Then he has power."
• Tragedy not of things broken in the first place, but of things not ever mended again
• City vs. country living
• "We are caught in the toils of our own selfishness."
• Justice and mercy
• "The Lord suffered not to prevent us from suffering but to teach us how to bear our suffering."