Literary Parallels

Besides the biblical style and allusions, Cry, the Beloved Country is chock full of other literary parallels. Specifically, the color symbolism and the theme of man's separation from nature and the divine is reminiscent of several major works: all can be found in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, and Eliot's "The Waste Land."

We will read excerpts from the former two, the entirety of the latter, and an analysis of the structure of "The Waste Land" as well: printed hardcopies will be provided.
       1. Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby (26-30)
       2. Chapter 1 of The Grapes of Wrath
       3. "The Waste Land"
       4. "Structure of T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land'"

Mark or highlight your copies as you find passages in each that relate somehow to Cry, the Beloved Country. I suggest looking for colors and anything that suggests that man is alienated from nature and/or divinity--however, please feel free to make any other connections you wish. In fact, I encourage this.

On Monday, come prepared: ask me questions about these works. Lots of them. Please be as specific as possible.

By Friday, April 23rd, please turn in to me a 2-3 page typed paper explaining the symbolic and thematic relationships you have found betwixt these works. Do not panic at this point. Baby steps, baby steps...
Try this: write a single paragraph relating ONE of the works to Cry, the Beloved Country. This paragraph should include direct quotations from both works to support your claim that they are, in fact, related. Show it to me. I will help you. And you will see that it is possible to make connections and write thoughtful papers, and there will be joy. =)