1. Who is Gertrude? Stephen’s sister
2. Who is Absalom? Stephen’s son who is hanged
3. Who is Arthur? Champion of the native cause; he was murdered
4. Who is Msimangu? Reverend who sent a letter to Stephen asking him to come to J-burg
5. Who is Vincent? A priest from England who helped find a free lawyer
6. Who is James? Donates milk, a church and other goods to help the native cause
7. Who is Lithebe? Stephen rented a room from her
8. Who is John? Stephen’s brother who is a politician
9. What does Umfundisi mean? Pastor or reverend
10. Who is Stephen? Main character of the novel
11. Explain the contrast between paragraphs 2 and 3 in chapter 1. Explain the significance of these two paragraphs in terms of the novel’s central theme?
The author symbolically describes the land. As it was rich and plentiful, the tribe also flourished. As the land became overlooked and mistreated, the tribal life failed. The unproductive land becomes a symbol of tribal life. Also, as the ruined land is symbolic of the native life, the good lands which hold the water are symbolical of the white man’s life. There is a deep contrast between the “haves” and “have notes.”
12. Explain the following quote: :Once such a thing is opened, it cannot be shut again.” He was referring to a letter he had just received. The reader of it would be irreversibly affected. One may also symbolically infer that once a person is made aware of a problem, he cannot turn away; the problem will not go away by itself; action must be taken
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3. “The journey had begun. And now the fear back again…” What fears did Kumalo have? He had fears of the unknown, fear of a city where boys are killed crossing the street, fear of Gertrude’s sickness, fear for his son’s well-being, and “deep down the fear of a man who lives in a world not made for him, whose own world is slipping away, dying, being destroyed…”
4. “The tragedy is not that things are broken. The tragedy is that they are not mended again.” Explain what Msimangu meant? (Ch.5)
It is bad enough that there is such injustice in South Africa although one can see how it came about. The wrong comes in that the injustices have been eliminated since they have been recognized.
5. What is Msimangu’s one hope for the country? He hopes that one day the blacks and whites will work together for the good of their country and not because they want power or money
6. “Cry, the beloved country, these things are not yet at an end.” What things?
The law and custom that are gone, the decline of family vales and the broken tribe
7. “There are voices crying what must be done, a hundred, a thousand voices. Chapter 12 gives several examples of what these “voices” say. What do they say?
No one can agree on exactly what should be done to fix the problems of South Africa. Some want more police protection. Some say to give the natives a purpose, a useful place in society. Some say to increase schooling, others want to decrease schooling. Others want to totally separate white from natives by giving each race its own country.
8. “No second Johannesburg is needed upon the earth. One is enough.” Explain why not.
It is bad enough that one city is so unjust, so full of terrible conditions for the poor and full of crime. One hopes that there would be no other cities like that.
9. "There is no applause in prison." Explain the inference regarding John Kumalo.
John Kumalo has a voice with no heart. He preaches but only for the fame and power. He does not believe enough in his cause to go to prison for it.
10. "Nothing is ever quiet except for fools." Explain.
Just because there are no outward signs of protest doesn’t mean that plans are not being made. Only fools believe trouble is over when protestors are quiet.
11. What is the significance of the boy's trying to learn Zulu?
Because he is a white boy trying to learn Zulu, it shows that perhaps there is hope for understanding and better communication between the races in the next generation.
13. The last paragraph of the novel speaks of "the fear of bondage and the bondage of fear." Explain the relevance of this phrase.
The natives live in fear of being placed in bondage by the whites through stricter laws and the whites live in the bondage of fear of the natives.
13. Explain the significance of the title, Cry, the Beloved Country.
14. . In what ways did Stephen Kumalo come back to his village a wiser man for having taken his trip to Johannesburg?
15. Discuss the importance of age (youth vs. old age) in the novel.
16. What was the main theme of the novel? Use examples or evidence from the text to support your claim.
17. Each of Stephen's relatives is an individual with his/her own personality, his/her own effect on Stephen, and his/her own effect on the theme(s) of the novel. Give a brief description of each, tell the effect each has on Stephen and tell what role each plays in developing the themes of the novel.
18. Why did Stephen Kumalo go to Johannesburg?
Because his sister was sick
19., Compare and contrast Stephen’s meetings with Gertrude, John and Absalom.
20. Gertrude, John, and Absalom all brought shame to Stephen Kumalo. Explain what each one did that distressed him.
21. To what arrangement did Stephen and Absalom’s girlfriend finally agree?
Return to the tribe
22. Contrast Jarvis’s arrival in Johannesburg with Stephen’s. Jarvis flew in a plane and a car with a driver was waiting on him. Stephen has to travel on many trains and buses
23. Why did Arthur Jarvis read about Lincoln?
24. Explain the significance of the name Peter for Absalom’s son.
It was Peter Jesus called the “rock” upon whom he would build his church. Absalom’s child represents the next generation upon which rests the hope for a better future for South Africa.
25. What gifts did Jarvis give Stephen’s village?
Milk for the children, a new church, sent a man to teach the natives about better farming techniques.
26. The last paragraph speaks of the “fear of bondage and the bondage of fear.” Explain the relevance of that passage.
27. What is Gertrude’s sickness? She is morally corrupt. She makes and sells liquor, lives with prostitutes and has been in prison
28. What rules the land? fear
29. What were Arthur Jarvis’s last written words? All me a minute
30. Why is it ironic that a native murders Arthur Jarvis? He was trying to help the native cause and he is murdered by a native
31. What had Arthur Jarvis written that caused his father to become “sick at heart”?
“I learned all that a child should learn of honor, and charity and generosity. But of South Africa I learned nothing at all.”
32.List three men who are priests in the novel? Stephen Kumalo, Father Vincent, and Msminagu
33. Whom does Kumalo bring from Johannesburg to Ndotsheni? Gertrude’s son and Absalom’s wife
34. What money does Kumalo use for his trip to Johannesburg?
Money he had saved for Absalom’s schooling
35. What happens to Gertrude at the end of the novel? She disappears
36. Who is John Harrison? Jarvis’s brother in law
37. Why don’t black mine workers bring their families to Johannesburg? The mines don’t provide housing for the families
38. What happens when the police catch Absalom? He confesses to the murder
39. Who comes to visit Kumalo and practice his Zulu? Arthur Jarvis’s son
40. Who is pregnant when the novel ends? Absolam’s wife
41. What happens in the church in Ndotsheni during the confirmation? The roof leaks in the rain
42. Why are the village children dying? No milk
43. What is the topic of John’s speech, to which Kumalo and Jarvis listen? The native workers should get paid more
44. Who dies on confirmation day in Ndotsheni? Margaret Jarvis
45. Why does Kumalo go up into the mountain? To wait Absalom’s death
46. What does the novel say is the basis of Johannesburg’s wealth? gold
47. Why was Absalom at the reformatory? For stealing
48. Where are Absalom and Kumalo finally reunited? prison
49. What weapon does Johannes carry when the boys try to rob Arthur Jarvis? Irobn bat
50. Other than his politics, how does John Kumalo make his living? Carpenter
51. Why did Absalom’s wife run away from her home? Her mother drank too much and she could not get along with her stepfather
52. Who gives Msimangu and Kumalo a ride to Alexandra? A white man
53. What is the chief’s role in building the dam? Guarding the flags
54. Which priest marries Absalom and his girlfriend? Father Vincent
55. Who orchestrates the building of Shanty Town? Dubla
Possible Essay Topics. Pick 2 of the following and create some type of graphic organizer before the test.
1. It has been said that Cry, the Beloved Country is a "classic work of love and hope,
courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man." Defend that statement using
examples from the book.
2. Compare and contrast The United States and South Africa on the appropriate points.
3. Cry, the Beloved Country has been called, “the dingle most important novel ion 20th century South African literature. Why? What is it about the book that makes it so important, so outstanding?
4. Msimangu says that the main problem facing the native population of South Africa is that nothing has been built to replace the broken moral and social framework of the tribes. John Kumalo thinks the main trouble is economic inequality. Based on the evidence in the novel, which of these men is right?
5. What is the role of Christianity—a European religion embraced by most of the natives, including Kumalo—in Cry, the Beloved Country? Why has it not succeeded in improving the moral framework of the tribal system?
6. The unit for this novel is moral courage. Which characters do you think display the moral courage? Why? What did he/she do that proves he/she has moral courage?