Education Of The Ignorant Essay, Research Paper

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.