Applied English for Diploma in Engineering || Tbe Awakening Age || Summary and Exercise

The Awakening Age 

Summary:

In the poem "The Awakening Age," the poet Ben Okri depicts the struggles of African people and offers a demand for unity, peace, and solidarity among human beings from all over the world. This poem depicts how Nigerians have suffered a long history of starvation, poverty, unemployment, and conflicts (ethnic, religious, political, terrorism, militancy, electoral, and so on) that have rendered them a vulnerable community. Northern Nigeria has been oppressing the Igho group, which has resulted in ethnoreligious conflict. The poem depicts the narrative of a people whose optimism binds them together like glue, even though they are led by invisible powers.

Dwell upon the Text

a. Who are the people 'who travel the meridian line'?

= The people who travel the meridian lines are people who cross the

border of their countries in search of opportunities and jobs.

b. What does the poet mean by 'a new world'?

= ‘A new world' for the poet is the world of self-confidence and

potentialities that is within the person.

c. How are people connected to each other?

= People are connected to each other in their histories and in their hopes (dreams).

d. What can we gain after our perceptions are changed?

= When we change our perceptions, we understand the things we

otherwise are not able to understand. We see opportunities in problems.

e. How are we benefited by new people?

= New people are without old biases and prejudices. So, they can

contribute the society with their innovative and reformatory ideas.

f. Describe the rhyme scheme of this sonnet.

= The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is aa bb cc dd ee ff gg. Each line

rhyme with the other line that follows. It has added a simple rhythm to

the poem.

g. What does the poet mean by 'the awakening age?

= According to the poet, the awakening age is the age of economic

prosperity.

h. Why, in your view, have these people 'lived with poverty's rage'?

= In my view, the people in the past had to live amidst poverty. They

were not able to explore the potentials that were within them.

i. Why does the poet appeal for solidarity among the people?

= The poet appeals for solidarity among the people because when people

are united, unprecedented achievements are possible.

j. Does the poet present migration in a positive light? Why? Why not?

= The poet thinks that different perceptions are acquainted when a

person is migrated. This can allow him to realize the best perceptions,

concepts and ideas.

Reflect on the Text

a. Who do you think are the people, who 'lived with poverty's rage?

= The 'people who lived with the poverty of rage' are the people of

Africa. Africa is the most undeveloped continent in the world. African

people were colonized by many European nations. They were sold to

Europeans and brought to the Americas. Most of the African people

are poor and they cannot manage even two meals a day. They know

they are poor, they know they were exploited in history and feel angry

towards their destiny.

b. Why does the poet appeal to the unity of the entire human race?

Ans: The world has about 8 billion human population today. There are

billionaires as well as beggars. The number of billionaires is far less

than the number of beggars. There is great economic inequality. In

some places, there are conflicts based on ethnicity, race and religion.

Human beings are intellectual creatures of the world. They should not

divide themselves and fight for this or that reason. If there is the unity

of the entire human race, people will find the true value of humanity.

c. Does the poet speak for Nigerian people, African, or humanity in general?

= The poet is from Nigeria and Nigeria is a country in Africa. At the

surface level, the poet seems to be speaking for Nigeria in particular

and for Africa in general. But deep down, the poet speaks for the

whole human race, for the unprivileged people of the world.

d. The poem is written by an African poet basically in the African context. Can it be applied to Nepal? Why or why not?

= Yes, it can be applied to Nepal as well. There are unprivileged and

downtrodden people even in Nepal. The poet has raised the voice of

those who cannot raise their voice themselves.

Go Beyond the Text

a. Write a paragraph on "The Awakening Age: Okri's Voice for Humanity."

= Poets and artists cannot pick up weapons to fight for the rights of

people. They raise voice through their art. The singers, writers,

painters, poets, and journalists write for the advocacy of people who

are unprivileged. I remember Rabindranath Tagore, who raised their

voice against British Colonialism in India. Nepali poets and artists

raised their voices for freedom in the movement of 2046 and 2062/63.

Ben Okri is a writer who has raised his voice for humanity. Most of

the African countries became independent in the middle of the

twentieth century. South Africa was freed from the apartheid (color

discrimination) system towards the end of the 20th century. He saw all

these changes in Africa. Still, Africans are not able to lead decent

lives. They are spending a life of deprivation. In the poem, "The

Awakening Age", the poet appeals to the people to wake up for their

better lives. It's time for a change.

b. Write an essay on "The Craze for Migration in Nepal"

= Nepali migration can be described in two ways: internal migration and

external migration. Within the country, the people have been

migrating to the. Terai region from the hills and mountains and they

are migrating towards the urban areas from the rural areas. We can see

the population increase in major cities of the Terai like Dhangadi,Nepalganj, Butwal, Narayanghad, Biratnagar, Itahari and Birtamod. In

the past, people migrated to the Terai by selling their land in the hills

or the mountains but now they migrate without selling the land

because nobody is ready to buy the land in the hills. The Kathmandu

valley has become like a concrete jungle. If people earn money by

right or wrong way, they have a desire of making a house in

Kathmandu.

The second type of migration is external migration. People are crazy

about going to western countries mainly the United States, Australia

and Canada. Every year, thousands of people fill up EDV lottery form

thinking they may get a chance to go to America. Thousands of people

have entered America in illegal ways. Hundreds of Nepali people are

staying in America pretending of refugees. The artists like singers,

dancers and comedians go to America with the excuse of giving some

performances and hide there in America. A large number of Nepali

film actors and actresses are in America now.

The most recent migration is related to 'Abroad Study.' Thousands of

young boys and girls go to foreign countries every year in the name of

higher studies but their inner interest is migration. They don't

complete higher education there. They work and stay in foreign

countries. About ten thousand young students received a No Objection

Letter (NOC) from the Ministry of Education, Nepal government in

Paush 2079. The data speaks for itself. Modernization and the desire

for material life have driven young men towards western countries.

Those who are very poor do not try to go to foreign countries and

curse themselves for being poor.