Monday (and Tuesday)

* Open
  • Check Focus for 0's
  • Were you absent on block?
    • STAR Testing (see block day's post)

* Cry, the Beloved Country: Last chapters reviewed


  •   Ch. 32: Theme: Repentance (Absalom prepares for death); Theme: Native Poverty in the Country (church scene) (278-279); Theme: Growing unity, love, and respect between black and white people (milk arrives)
     
  • Ch. 33: Theme: Growing unity, love, and respect between black and white people (a new church will be built; Jarvis behind these things)
     
  • Ch. 34: Death and darkness. No mercy for Absalom.  James Jarvis' wife dies.  Theme: Forgiveness (the Bishop expected the congregation to ask Stephen Kumalo to leave, but they are happy to have him still as their pastor; the Bishop is surprised 297).  Symbolic reference: "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, these things will I do unto you, and not forsake you" (Isaiah 40 ff).
     
  • Ch. 35: Theme: Rebirth, resurrection: "There is a new thing happening here....There is hope here" (301). 
     
  • Ch. 36: Motif: "God put His hands on you" (Msimangu's epithet is now employed by Stephen Kumalo to describe James Jarvis' generous heart, pg. 308).   Theme: Some things are God's secret, "But his mind would contain it no longer.  It was not for man's knowing.  He put it from his mind, for it was secret"  (309).  Allusion: "My son, my son, my son" (pg. 310; see II Sam. 18:33).  Symbolically and allusively dense conclusion.  Read the last two paragraphs of the novel: what do you find?  Discuss.
* Cry the Beloved Country: In groups, explain (one sentence or more in your notes) at least three distinct examples from our novel of each term:
  • Theme 
  • Motif
  • Symbol
  • Allusion
  • Narrative voice (changing in one way or another)

* Grammar (Bedford Book Online)

HW: Review for the Final Exam; begin by reading the Final Exam Page; begin where you are weakest

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