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| Neb English Support Class 12 Section 2: Literature (Poems) The Awakening Age Exercise | Ben Okri Summary | Exercise (Question Answers) |
The Awakening Age by Ben Okri
MAIN INTRODUCTION
SHORT SUMMARY
The Awakening Age by Ben Okri
Write a short summary of the poem "The Awakening Age" by Ben Okri.
The poem "The Awakening Age" by Ben Okri is a poem of hope. Here in this poem, the poet has wished for all the miserable Nigerians who had been fragmented due to the devastating civil war that lasted for three crucial years.
Here in this poem, the poet is wishing for their well-being after the outbreak of civil peace, a time for all to enter a new world of the awakening age.
The poet wishes for all these miserable and fragmented Nigerian people that they may have a vision of a new world - a world of hope, prosperity, unity, truth, wisdom and creativity. He also wishes for them that they may experience the glory of the awakening age beyond their poverty rage. Here, by the awakening age, he refers to the age of enlightenment, where there is peace, prosperity, liberation, joy, unity and harmony among people.
The poet has presented a suitable new world in the awakening age for all of them. He makes a call for all the Nigerians' hope to move further. For him, Nigerians are quite rich in their hopes, and these hopes have connected them firmly to history. Next, he makes a call for their unity as well as solidarity to reach a new height of prosperity with positivity in their hearts. He also makes a call for their perceptions to change with truthfulness in a new world to gain much in their lives away from problems and pains. He talks about the new world of the awakening age, where all these people have a chance to get jobs, wisdom and creativity beyond their poverty. In this state, their lives will be joyful, and they will be able to gain better in the time and space of the new world.
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POEMS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
TEACHERS' GUIDE
▪︎ Nigerian Civil War had a bloody history that started in 1967 and lasted for three years. It was a destructive and bloody war between the Government of Nigeria (North) and the so-called independent Biafra (South). Due to starvation, nearly a million people
▪︎ "The Awakening Age'' is a poem composed by Nigerian poet Ben Okri.
▪︎ About the poem: It is about the hardships of the African people of southern and northern Nigeria.
▪︎ The poet himself is the speaker. Here, he makes a call for unity, peace and solidarity among human beings from different parts of the world.
▪︎ In the poem: seven different stanzas, altogether fourteen lines. Every stanza contains two lines (couplets) with the AA BB CC... rhyme scheme.
First Stanza:
▪︎ The speaker wishes for all the Nigerian people who have experienced a lot of hardships during the time of civil war.
▪︎ He is hopeful about the lives of people in a new world of the awakening age.
▪︎ The awakening age is a new age that appeared with immense joy and hope for the Nigerian people. This age brought hope of survival for all Nigerians in a new world.
▪︎ He wishes for the people of the Meridian Line, i.e., those who had been divided into fragmentations of the South and the North due to the devastating civil war. These people have travelled a long path of hunger, poverty, unemployment and other aspects of their lives during their survival in fragmentation.
▪︎ He wishes that all African inhabitants may have the vision of a new world, a world of hope, prosperity, unity, truth, wisdom and creativity.
▪︎ He wishes that these people have the shining vision of a new peaceful world within them after the outbreak of civil peace in the nation.
Second Stanza:
▪︎ He wishes for these people that they may experience the glory of the awakening age.
▪︎ These people may get the chance to see fine conditions through the glory of the awakening age (the age of African people's recognition, realisation or coming into awareness of their condition and the beginning of their new world).
▪︎ The awakening age is the age of enlightenment, where there is peace, prosperity, liberation, joy, unity and harmony among people.
Third Stanza:
▪︎ He talks about hope and its connection with the Nigerian people.
▪︎ He says that all Nigerians are richly linked in hopes. He relates their hopes to the mountain rope, which is so strong that it can unite all the Nigerians into one in their new peaceful world.
▪︎ These hopes can connect them like a mountain rope.
Fourth Stanza:
▪︎ He talks about the unity of the Nigerian people. He thinks that Nigerians' unity can lead them towards a height of perfection and prosperity.
▪︎ According to him, by being united, we can reach a new height and thrive in our lives. To reach this height, we must be guided by our heart's clearest light (positivity). We should be away from the concepts of rage, hatred and discrimination. We can ascend towards prosperity by being united.
Fifth Stanza:
▪︎ He talks about the necessity of changing perceptions of truth for Nigerians. The narrow perception must be avoided at first.
▪︎ It is the perfect way to gain much. Being broad in our perception allows us to get a flowering of truth instead of pain. Life will move in the direction of truth without any trouble. So, the way of perceiving things must be changed.
Sixth Stanza:
▪︎ He talks about hopeful conditions related to Nigerians' lives. This condition will allow people to live in a fine state, away from their poverty range. Nigerians will get more in this condition.
▪︎ This is the condition that is the perfect blend of vision of the new world, realisation, hope, positivity, changed perception etc.
Seventh Stanza:
▪︎ He talks about the joyous lives of all Nigerians in different places, no matter the south or the north.
▪︎ The lives of the people will be joyous with peace and harmony. The outcome will be so loving in space and time. Their lives in the new world will be so pleasant and full of rhymes.
THE BULL BY BHIMNIDHI TIWARI SUMMARY & SOLUTION CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Awakening Age by Ben Okri
The Awakening Age Exercise
BEFORE READING
Discuss the following questions:
a. Why do you think people from your country migrate to another country?
Answer:
I think people from my country migrate to another country to find better opportunities, especially in the matter of education, jobs, earnings and a better life.
b. Do people from other countries migrate to your country? Why?
Answer:
No, people from other countries don't migrate to my country because there is no opportunity for people to uplift their living standards.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions:
a. Who are the people ‘who travel the meridian line’?
Answer:
The people 'who travel the meridian line' are those Nigerian people who have been divided into two sects, the south and the north, due to the devastating civil war. These people have travelled a long path of hunger, poverty, unemployment and other aspects of their lives during their survival in fragmentation.
b. What does the poet mean by ‘a new world’?
Answer:
By 'a new world', the poet means a fine world, which is a world of hope, prosperity, unity, truth, wisdom and creativity. This is the world of united Nigeria that people have experienced after the outbreak of civil peace in Nigeria.
c. How are people connected to each other?
Answer:
People are connected to each other with hope from history. They are quite strong in their hopes. Due to this firm hope, they can rise to the heights of a prosperous and united nation with positivity and wisdom.
d. What can we gain after our perceptions are changed?
Answer:
We can gain a variety of things after our perceptions are changed. Through changed perceptions, we can gain truthfulness away from problems and pains. When our perceptions are changed, we will be able to gain unity, truth, prosperity, work, wisdom and creativity.
e. How are we benefited by new people?
Answer:
We are benefited by new people by their support in various aspects. Our unity with them leads us towards a prosperous state. They support us to reach a new height where there is positivity in our hearts, truthfulness in our perceptions, working environment with wisdom and creativity.
f. Describe the rhyme scheme of this sonnet.
Answer:
There are altogether seven different stanzas that contain fourteen lines. Every stanza has two lines (couplets). The rhyme scheme of this sonnet is simple and sonorous, which provides a rhythmic tone. Every stanza has a rhyming couplet. For example, AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF, and GG
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REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. What does the poet mean by ‘the awakening age’?
Answer:
By 'the awakening age', the poet means an age of African people's recognition, realisation or coming into awareness of their condition and the beginning of their new world. This is the age of enlightenment, where there is peace, prosperity, liberation, joy, unity and harmony among people. This age appears just after the bloody civil war in Nigeria.
b. Why, in your view, have these people ‘lived with poverty’s rage’?
Answer:
In my view, these people have 'lived with poverty's rage' because they involved themselves in the bloody civil war for continuously three crucial years. During that time, millions of people, especially children, died of starvation. They were concerned more with fighting for various internal issues regarding religion, culture, political ideology, ethnicity etc. ignoring the sufferings of common Nigerians.
c. Why does the poet appeal for solidarity among the people?
Answer:
The poet appeals for solidarity among people because he wants to see all the miserable Nigerians reach a new height of prosperity in a new world - a world of hope, prosperity, unity, truth, wisdom and creativity. He believes that solidarity among people can only lead them towards perfection and prosperity.
d. Does the poet present migration in a positive light? Why? Why not?
Answer:
Yes, the poet presents migration in a positive light because he has presented this migration with immense positive hopes as well as good wishes. This isn't a physical migration of people, but a migration of their state from one level to another through the means of awakening. The poet wants to see all of them united, prosperous, truthful, wise and creative in a new world of awakening age away from the concept of miseries.
e. Nepal is also known for its economic as well as educational migrants. Have you noticed any change in the perceptions and behaviours of these migrants when they return home from abroad?
Answer:
Yes, I have noticed various changes in the perceptions and behaviours of these migrants when they return home from abroad. Migrants return home with immense joy in their minds and hearts. They feel extremely happy to step into their motherland. They have good financial status and knowledge related to their foreign lives. They try to show their imposing attitude towards others. They try to be a bit more standard and civilised than others. They try to expose themselves as if they are of high social status. After spending some days in Nepal, they start talking rubbish about their own country regarding jobs and opportunities. But some people wish to stay in their motherland and do business in their own country. People's perceptions and behaviours change according to their own experiences of the time and situations they have spent or faced. Most of them wish to go to foreign lands again and again. Some of them wish to stay in Nepal and try to apply their skills for the development of their nation as well as their people. Some migrants try to reveal their experiences in foreign lands to others. They try to work for the welfare as well as the development of people and the nation.
f. Relate the rhyme scheme of this sonnet to the kind of life idealized by the poet.
Answer:
This poem, "The Awakening Age" by Ben Okri, is a poem of hope where we find the rhyme scheme of AA BB CC DD EE FF and GG. Every couplet of seven different stanzas is perfect in its rhyme as well as its meaning. With the help of the rhyme scheme of the poem, the poet presents the idealised lives of Nigerian people in a new world of the awakening age. All these rhyming words at the end of couplets have a direct connection with the Nigerian people's lives and their ideal way of living, along with wisdom, realisation, hope, prosperity, truth, opportunities and joy. His wonderful rhyming scheme has perfectly presented his hopes as well as wishes regarding the ideal life of Nigerian people in a new world.
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ONE-ACT PLAY CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE THE BULL BY BHIMNIDHI TIWARI SUMMARY & SOLUTION
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
Write an essay on 'The Impacts of Migration on Nepali Society'.
Answer:
The Impacts of Migration on Nepali Society
In recent days, migration in Nepal has been a lot more on trend. Most Nepalese people are on the way to migration. People are seen migrating at both levels as internal migration and external migration. People are migrating to urban areas within the country and also to foreign lands. The sole cause behind their migration is to seek better living standards as well as opportunities. Nowadays, it is quite difficult to find youth manpower in the country. Most of the youths of Nepal have moved to foreign lands in the name of education and jobs and settled their lives there. The rural areas are facing a lack of youth. In most villages in Nepal, elderly people are living miserable lives. Most youths are spending their lives working in urban areas as well as in foreign lands. Nepali societies are facing very bad impacts due to this concept of migration. Following are some of the bad impacts of migration on Nepali society:
1. The number of youths is decreasing rapidly.
2. Most Nepalese societies are facing a lack of youth manpower.
3. The relationship between people is becoming weaker.
5. In most societies in Nepal, elderly people are spending their lonely lives in a very miserable state.
6. Due to the lack of people in societies, people are experiencing loneliness during festivals.
7. There is no sense of love, affection, care, cooperation, security, peace and harmony among the people of societies.
8. Due to the lack of people, the development of societies has decreased.
9. The prime concept of humanity itself is a question mark.
10. People are seen away from relationships, and selfishness among people is seen.
11. The birth rate has also decreased dramatically.
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