Coding Passage

Jarvis sat, deeply moved. Whether because this was his son, whether because this was almost the last act of his son, he could not say. Whether because there was some quality in the words, that too he could not say, for he had given little time in his life to the savouring and judging of words. Whether because there was some quality in the ideas, that too he could not say, for he had given little time to study of these particular matters. He rose and went up the stairs to his room, and was glad to find his wife not there, for here was a sequence not to be interrupted. He picked up the Abraham Lincoln and went down to the study again, and there opened the book at the Second Inaugural Address of the great president. He read it through, and felt with a sudden lifting of the spirit that here was a secret unfolding, a track picked up again. There was increasing knowledge of a stranger. He began to understand why the picture of this man was in the house of his son, and the multitude of books.
Key:
Green:Repetition
Red: Imagery
Purple:point of view (Third Person)
Pink: Forshadow
Yellow: Alliteration
Orange: Alliteration

Extra Credit

Paton characterizes the gender's differently by explaining that a woman in the city could not get a well payed job. He uses the quote, "These women sleep with any man for their price" (53) to show how the character Gertrude needs to become a prostitute to earn money for herself and her son. However, she ends up getting into a lot of trouble with illegal drugs and alcohol. She no longer knows where her son is ever second as a mother should. Paton uses this to show how he believes that a woman does not know how to take care of herself and is almost worthless compared to a man. What he does not let stand out is the way a woman is treated when she does try to get a descent job. For someone to have to sell themselves to others to just get by shows the disrespect men had for women back then. Becoming a prostitute was Gertrude's last choice she later points out. Her husband ran out on her and their child. Because woman have to stoop that low to earn money, men begin to believe that woman are even more useless. The tone Paton used in the quote shows the disgust men have for women in general.


Later on Paton uses the quote, "'It's easier for a mother, James'"(175), to show that men do not believe a woman's job is hard. All they see is the females stay at home all day. However a mother's job is said to be harder than any man's. In the book, the woman which are displayed before us are all stay at home mothers who must be gentle and sweet. Not once does Paton give us a character that is a strong woman who knows what she wants; where there no successful woman back then?


Paton used the whole book to show the effect of the gender differences. Women were never treated the same as men for as long as one can remember. Generation, after generation, women were said to be the weaker sex all around the world. Now a days, here in America, although we have women's rights, what was done and said for many years will never really change. Still women are put down by men. At times, a woman does not earn as much as a man with the same job. There will always be tension between the two sexes; they will always be rivals.


I do not believe this is fair. Alan Paton either wrote this book to show the unfairness of the situation, or he was on the men's side; threatened by the women of the world. Either way, this book does not stand for the unfairness of it all. It simply states the obvious.

Paton Develops Gender Roles

    In the book, Cry, the Beloved County, gender roles are displayed like water and soil. Men are treated as the head of the house. They work to earn money for their families and themselves. Each man makes all the decisions in the house hold. The quote, "Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men" Pg 33, explains that the male is suppose to be strong, hardworking, and willing to stand tall and proud of his work and family. Throughout the whole book, Paton drops hints on how men are always treated differently than women. A woman's job is later showed to be a maid of the house. She must cook, clean, and take care of the children. Women do not get much of a say in how the money the man makes is spend. Their education is most likely not as good as any man's. From morning to evening a woman must do her work at home on getting the house the way it needs to be. Kumalo, an African American man, who works to support his family is very different than a typical white man. The difference which Paton shows in the book, is that an African American man takes a bit more time to care for his family. The reason being is because their work is usually hard, and they can not get a job such as owning a business that easily. In Cry, the Beloved County, Paton tells us that white men make more money than African Americans because of the racism factor. Working harder for less can teach a man to appreciate what he has more than someone who gets what they want more easily. An African American woman sees how her husband is affected more than a white woman because African Americans must work harder to make a living for themselves. They can see the stress their husbands are going through. Living far away from the city also helps in showing the difference between African Americans and whites. In the end, the African Society also has difficulty with sexism, however it is even more displayed in the White's community.

Power Structures in Lord of the Flies Vs. The Power of One

     The power structure in Lord of the flies is all about power, as it is in the Power of One. In both stories the characters Jack and the oldest boy in the boarding school from The Power if One are leaders. They each have a plot to gain everyone's trust and make them become followers. Jack goes agents Ralf and Piggy because they believed they should try to survive using civilisation. Jack stroke back by making the other boys believe that they will never get rescued, therefore they can live on the island with their own laws. The boys become savages and walk quickly away from any idea of civilization. The pig's head is a symbol of their efforts to stand out and become only what they wish to be. It shows the wrong in their choices to kill anyone who stands in their way. The oldest boy in the boarding school in The Power of One, believes that death is the way to end problems. He makes a tattoo of the swastika sign on his arm to symbolize his power and hunger for hate. He killed PK's chicken to show that he too will kill anyone who stands in his way. Although both boys are leaders in one way or another, their choices show that the only thing giving them strength to continue through their plans is hate. In the end, both Jack and the older boy are stopped by either the Officer or the teacher from the school. The adults show them that without the supervision they need, the children will turn into uncivilized creatures who will kill each other without even thinking twice.