Prompt 01
Essay task
In Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton depicts Reverend Stephen Kumalo's journey from his rural village of Ndotsheni to the bustling city of Johannesburg to highlight the devastating impacts of racial injustice, moral decline, and social dislocation during apartheid in South Africa.
Write a well-organized essay that argues how Paton contrasts the land and the city to convey a central theme about the destruction — and potential restoration — of both a nation and the human spirit. In your argument, analyze how specific literary elements like symbolism, tone, and characterization bolster your claim. Use evidence from at least three distinct moments in the novel to support and develop your argument.