Lesson 1, Cry, The Beloved Country

Standards
 RL 9-10.2  SL 9-10.1
 RL 9-10.12  SL 9-10.3

Objective
 Students will be introduced to the novel Cry, The Beloved Country by
Alan Paton and life in South Africa during Apartheid. They will be able
to speak openly about their insights and opinions of the reading
passage.

Instruction
 Book Introduction Slides
o https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1F2wR57C5jX6wVh2
MrkY1-q71_BWqUbIujCMzHgXoFW4/edit?usp=sharing
 Read Chapter 1
o Discussion
 What themes are already evident in this very short
chapter?
 Damage
 Something isn’t right
 Mankind’s actions have consequences
 Something good has been corrupted
o Considering the personification in the novel’s title (the
country “crying”), how could Paton be using the land or the
country of South Africa in Chapter 1 as a symbol for more
complex ideas?
o Based on chapter 1, it seems that Paton is very connected to
his “place,” the land and his nation. In your opinion, do you
think that this kind of connectedness to a physical place is
important or useful? Do you feel like such a connection to
one’s place is common in today’s world? Why or why not?