Sunday, May 4, 2014
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Friday, February 21, 2014
Book I Essay
Book 1 "Cry the Beloved Country"
Stephen Kumalo is a pastor from Ndotshei. He is a very round and dynamic character because he has encountered conflicts and he somewhat changed by it. Stephen is a very trusting person and pleasing person. Throughout Book 1, he changes. Reasons are, his family, and the new experiences. He changes from faithful to unfaithful. He changed because of what he went through.
Kumalo started a new journey to Johannesburg. He isn’t used to living there and that changes him. His home town is peaceful, delighted, and admirable. Johannesburg is depressing, stressful, and remorseful. Kumalo wasn't ready for Johannesburg, he feared it. "The journey had begun. And now the fear back again, the fear of the unknown, the fear of the great city where boys were killed for crossing the street, the fear of Gertrude’s sickness. Deep down the fear for his son. Deep down the fear for a man who lives in a world not made for him. Whose own world is slipping away, dying, beyond any recall? (pg.44)" The purpose of the author writing this is to state Stephen Kumalo's fears. These are problems that he soon faced in Book I. This shows that he is a concerning person, and he cares about his family.
Kumalo's family is plays a big role in him changing throughout Book I. His brother John never wrote to him because of business. John stopped going to church and everything witch made matters worse because Stephen's family are supposed to go to church it's what they believe in. His sister Gertrude turned out to be a prostitute instead of searching for a husband. She is also not a good mother. Stephen was very upset with his sister. "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 don't know where it is? Your brother is a priest. How could you do this to us? (pg. 61)" The author used this to explain how upset Kumalo was at his sister. I to would be ashamed for her. The things she has done are wrong and unfaithful. Stephen's son also plays a huge role, because Stephen soon finds out that his so killed a white man. His son's name is Absalom. He ran away too and never wrote to his father. With all of this, Kumalo started to think that God has given up on him. “It seems God has turned on me." The purpose of that was to show how Stephen is losing faith. This is how he changes. He starts to not have faith, and he doesn't know what to do. This is how his experience in Johannesburg changed him.
Is Stephen Kumalo a realistic character? Yes, very much so. There are tons of people in today's world that go through some of the things Kumalo went through in Book I. There are people who change from a nice and humble person to a worried and stressed out person. All of us go through things like that. Some people know people that have sibling not doing the right thing. Some people have family members that haven't heard from in years. “His brother he did not recognize, for the light from the street was on the backs of his visitors. (pg. 65)” This quote is letting the readers know that they haven’t seen each other in a while. Everyone goes through things like this in today’s world. This is why Kumalo is a realistic character.
In conclusion, all of these things have made Stephen Kumalo himself. They have changed him also. He started off as a humble, trusting, and faithful man. Soon he changes because of his surroundings. He wasn’t used to Johannesburg, because it was so different from his home town Ndotshei. He went through with his sister, the prostitute, and his brother the business man. Most of all, his son changed him. He didn’t think his son was capable of killing someone. Again all of these things made Stephen Kumalo the character that he is.
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