Essay Assignment

Essay Question

For this essay you will write a five paragraph essay proving the following quote to be true or false based on what you have read in Lord of the Flies and/or a personal experience you have had. It is important that you include the quote in the first paragraph of the essay. Then decide on three reasons that the quote is true or false.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. - Edmund Burke

This essay prompt is similar to what you will see on the SAT. They will give you a quote and you have to prove through personal experience and books you have read whether it is true or not. They want to hear your personal opinion, and so do I. There is no wrong answer. Remember you really want your first sentences to grab my attention. Make them exciting, interesting, surprising. Have fun with it. The essay is due on Friday, April 25 by midnight.

Please let me know if you need any help along the way!

Lord of the Flies

Over the next two weeks you will be reading and writing about Lord of the Flies by William Golding. This classic book will be difficult to forget once you have read it. Golding's purpose in this novel is to explore human nature in a raw and unhindered environment. He chooses his subjects to be children so that they are unbound by the codes and boundaries of society.

Golding's purpose in writing the book, in his own words, was, "an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature." This is exactly what you will be looking for while reading the book. This time around we will focus on larger themes rather than the usual comprehension questions I ask. I have hinted to the themes below and you will all be responsible for answering the following questions. Please let me know if you have any questions along the way!

Enjoy this thought provoking book!

What time in history is the book set? How does this contrast to what is happening on the island?

What do Ralph and Piggy represent?

What does the conch represent? What is it replaced with?

What do the boys think the beast is? What does Simon know the beast is?

Is Simon a Christ figure in the story? What does his hiding place represent?

What do Jack and Roger represent?

What changes in the boys when they paint their faces? Why does this change take place?

What is the irony of their rescue?

Did you like or dislike the book? How did it compare to other books we have read so far, especially Heart of Darkness?

Clarification - Samneric are the twins, Sam and Eric:)

Movie

Back in 1995 James Earl Jones played Kumalo in the film adaptation of Cry, The Beloved Country. This movie is really well done, and follows the plot of the book pretty well. It has been a while since I have seen in, and unfortunately can't rent it right now to preview it. But talk to you parents about renting it, and watching it as a family. It is rated PG-13 for some brief language. I think it is a film you would enjoy having read the book! Let me know what you think after you watch it!

Your Turn

Now is your chance to ask me a question about Cry, the Beloved Country. I love the questions that you come up with, they always impress me. I look forward to discussing this book with you!

Kevin you can answer Daniel's question
Daniel you can answer Tyler's question
Tyler you can answer Kevin's question

For the essays, please don't forget to post your essay under the Essay Question post.
Tyler read Daniel's essay
Kevin read Tyler's essay
Daniel read Kevin's essay
Please post your response to their essays in the comments section. Enjoy!

The above picture is of a shanty town in Johannesburg.

Essay Question

One of the things I like so much about this book are the very real human characters. Paton develops very real and human characters that are always choosing between doing what is right, and doing what is easy. We can identify with their struggles, and sympathize with their hurt/disappointment. Kumalo is an incredible character, but so are Mr. Jarvis, Arthur Jarvis, John Kumalo, Msimangu and others. We cannot discuss this book without looking deeply into one of the characters, so we will do that in this essay.

For this essay we will do things a little differently. You are going to write about a character of your choice. Your three paragraphs should explain why you chose the character (you can discuss their humanity in this part), their role in the plot, and their struggle and victory. Of course in the intro you set up the above, and in the conclusion you wrap it all up. So in the end it is a five paragraph essay. Have fun with this and please ask for help along the way!

Above is a picture of a church in Kenya. I think it is probably similar to the one described in the book.

Comprehension Questions

Here are your questions for this amazing book. Enjoy reading it, it is a treasure!

Introduction - It is vitally important that you read the introduction. It explains the purpose of the book, how it was written, the author’s life, etc. and it is necessary to understand this, in order to appreciate the book.

Q1 What book did he read before he started writing Cry, the Beloved Country? How did it influence him? Kevin
Q2 Book 2 was inspired by who? Tyler
Q3 Who was Dr. Verwoerd and how does he personify the way many White South Africans felt about the natives? Daniel

Book One
Chapter 2
Q4 What had they hoped for their son?
Chapter 5
Q5 What has been the result of the destruction of the tribe? How are Kumalo’s brother and sister victims of Johannesburg?
Chapter 7
Q6 Msimangu says his, “one great few in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating.” What does this mean? Do we see it become true? Kevin, Tyler, Daniel
Chapter 8
Q7 Who does the government fear? Why do they find the “heart” more of a threat than the “voice”? Kevin
Chapter 9
Q8 Describe Shanty Town.
Chapter 11
Q9 Who is the murdered victim? What is the connection between Jarvis and Kumalo?
Chapter 12
Q10 Summarize the debate about education, law, and crime. Tyler
Q11 What purpose does it serve to keep the natives ignorant? What is the benefit? What is the harm? Daniel
Chapter 14
Q12 Summarize what we know about Absalom. The name Absalom means “father is peace.” Do you think there is a reason Paton decided to name his character Absalom?
Chapter 17
Q13 Why is Kumalo so moved by the lawyer who “takes the case for God”?

Book Two
First read the Gettysburg Address that so influenced Jarvis, by clicking here.
Chapter 21
Q14 Summarize what we know about Arthur Jarvis.
Q15 How does Arthur Jarvis feel about the racial division in South Africa? Describe his writings. Kevin
Chapter 22
Q16 What is “behind” the judge? Who is responsible for the laws? How doe the natives feel about the judge and laws? Daniel
Chapter 28
Q17 What do you think of the verdict?
Chapter 29
Q18 What story does John Kumalo refer to?
Q19 Contrast what he did tell his brother, and what he didn’t tell his brother. Kevin
Q20 What does Msimangu give to Kumalo? How does K respond? Tyler

Book Three
Chapter 30
Q21 Describe Kumalo’s homecoming.
Q22 Kumalo’s friend says that, “kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering.” How do we see this come true? Daniel
Q23 What does this same friend say about suffering? Is this true? Tyler
Chapter 33
Q24 What does Jarvis do for the native community? Why do you think he does these things? Kevin, Daniel, Tyler
Chapter 34
Q25 Why did Jarvis add to his letter the line, “You should know that my wife was suffering before we went to Johannesburg.” Why does this move Kumalo? Kevin
Chapter 35
Q26 Why is Kumalo so quick to remind the demonstrator all that the White man has done for them? (Think about what Msimangu said about love and hate.) Daniel
Chapter 36
Q27 Why does Kumalo go up the mountain? What Biblical imagery does this conjure up? Tyler
Q28 What is Kumalo thankful for?

I wrote your names after the questions I want you to answer. In addition to answering those questions, choose three more to answer as well. Don’t forget to fill our your reading journal!

Cry, The Beloved Country

This is a powerful and moving story of sin and redemption, hate and love, fear and strength, bitterness and forgiveness. It is written in a beautiful and gentle voice that draws you into the dramatic plot and human characters. One of my favorite things about this book are the incredibly human and flawed characters. Some are striving to do the right thing, while at the same time resisting the temptation to hurt and hate those around them. At different moments they succeed and fail, and as a reader you feel their successes and failures. Your essay assignment is going to be exploring in depth a character from this book. So pay close attention to the characters.

The plot is an ageless one - that of a prodigal son. It might be a good idea to review the story of the prodigal son which can be found in Luke 15:11-32. The two stories are not identical, but the author’s familiarity with the Bible story certainly influenced this story. I know you are going to find this story compelling. It is a heartbreaking story that still shines with hope.

In order to get the most out of this book, it is helpful to know a little about apartheid South Africa. Apartheid was a system of segregation established and enforced by the government of South Africa. Both Blacks and Whites resisted, as you will see in the book. Some, like Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, wanted peaceful resistance, but others preferred violent methods. In this story, you will see each type of person and their fight against apartheid.

If you watch on YouTube the four videos titled “Witness to Apartheid Part 1, 2, 3 and 4” that are linked here, you will learn quite a bit about South Africa. These four videos are an accurate portrayal of the system. I cannot recommend any other video’s because I have not previewed them. But be careful about what you watch. There are many people who deny the seriousness of apartheid, just like there are people who deny the Holocaust. Also, don’t bother reading the comments, they are just full of ignorant people saying ignorant things.

If you do not have time to watch all four of the videos, watch the second and third one. I think it is tragic how ignorant the White people are about the living conditions of the Blacks. You can also see in this video how after a while, some Black people are tired of resisting peacefully and are beginning to think that violence is the only way to bring down the system of apartheid. In the third video we see how a White man suffers because he has supported the Black community. At the end of part 3, and beginning of part 4 you see an Afrikaner explain very eloquently how growing up in South Africa among the racial division causes one to become blind to it. You can also see the torture endured by those arrested. This part can be disturbing, so view at your own risk.

After you watch the video’s, please leave a comment here so we can discuss your reactions. I will post the comprehension questions next.

(The painting above is titled The Return of the Prodigal Son, and was painted by Pompeo Batoni in 1773. I think it is a beautiful interpretation of the story.)