Quiz: cry the beloved country h assessment items read the passage. excerpt from cry, the beloved country by alan paton so they all talked of the sickness of the land, of the broken tribe and the broken house, of young men and young girls that went away and forgot their customs, and lived loose and idle lives. they talked of young criminal children, and older and more dangerous criminals, of how white johannesburg was afraid of black crime… which statement best explains how the imagery in this excerpt develops meaning? the repetition of broken reinforces the idea that society is divided and traditional values are being lost. the phrase “young criminal children” develops the idea that there is no hope for society; johannesburg and its people are a lost cause. the word sickness points to a drought that is driving people from their land into the city. the description of conflict between whites and blacks presents the idea that segregation is the only way to move forward. assessment navigation 1 2 3 4 5 6