Education Of The Ignorant

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.