Cry, the Beloved Country, Book One Questions Chapter 1 1.Describe the vision of the hills of Natal. 2.Who lives in this valley? 3.One of the ideas that will appear in this book is the unfairness of segregation. How might the descriptions in this chapter foreshadow the motif of injustice? Chapter 2 1.Who is Stephen Kumalo? 2.Why is he nervous about opening the letter from Johannesburg? 3.How does the description of Kumalo’s wife help characterize her? What do you learn about her? Chapter 3 1.The author presents the reader with a vision of society divided by race. How does this chapter give readers a glimpse of this troubled society? 2.Contrast Kumalo’s home village with what he expects to find in Johannesburg. 3.List as Kumalo’s strengths and weaknesses. Chapter 4 1.Describe Kumalo’s first experience in Johannesburg. 2.Why is the young man able to take advantage of Kumalo at the bus station? Chapter 5 1.What is the truth of Gertrude’s life in Johannesburg? 2.Msimangu expresses an opinion of gratitude and doubt when talking about the white man. Explain his opinion. 3.Like Msimangu’s opinions, many of the ideas and symbols in this novel are not clear cut. Take Johannesburg for example. What positive qualities does the city represent? What negative ones? Chapter 6 1.What kind of neighborhood is Claremont?
2. When Kumalo finds Gertrude, what does he want to do with her?
3.What hope for the future is offered in this chapter?
Chapter 7 1.Based on what you read in the chapter, is John Kumalo an admirable person? Explain.
