Here are the questions and answers of The Awakening Age by Ben Okri Class 12 English
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT: The Awakening Age
a. Who are the people who travel the meridian line?
The people who travel the meridian line are the Nigerian people who were previously divided into two groups, north and south due to the Nigerian Civil War. A Meridian line is an imaginary north-south line on the Earth’s surface that connects both geographic poles. In the context of the poem, the meridian line refers to north and south Nigeria.
b. What does the poet mean by ‘a new world’?
By ‘a new world’, the poet Ben Okri refers to the world of unity, hope, truth, wisdom, work, and creativity. This new world is free from poverty and pain. In fact, this new world is the vision of a united Nigeria where people are not divided in their views.
c. How are people connected to each other?
People are connected to each other with hope. As the history of the nationalist movement of Nigeria shows, the Nigerians were hopeful to overthrow the British government. Similarly, the poet wants the Nigerians to have hope for a united Nigeria.
d. What can we gain after our perceptions are changed?
According to the poet, we can gain much after our perceptions are changed. Perceptions limit our vision of truth and give us pain only. The poet wants the Nigerians to change their limited mindset for the sake of a united Nigeria.
e. How are we benefited by new people?
We are benefitted by new people by their work, wisdom, and creativity.
f. Describe the rhyme scheme of this sonnet.
This poem consists of seven couplets with the rhyme scheme aa bb cc dd ee ff gg.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT: The Awakening Age
a. What does the poet mean by ‘the awakening age’?
The title ‘the awaking age’ is the poet’s dream of a new world for the Nigerians. This new world is the vision of United Africa where people of the north and South Nigeria are no longer divided. Instead, people are united and have mutual trust and hope. Moreover, this new world is free from the long chain of poverty. In the awaking age, people believe in peace, prosperity, work, wisdom, and creativity.
In the deeper level, the awakening age implies the poet’s optimistic view towards Nigeria and the Nigerians. Written aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), this poem draws a bright picture of Nigeria. As the poet of Nigeria, Ben Okri was familiar with the state of uncertainty and confusion after the Nigerian Civil War. Therefore, he wrote this poem with an appeal for solidarity among the Nigerian people.
b. Why, in your view, have these people ‘lived with poverty’s rage’?
So far as my view is concerned, the Nigerian people have lived with poverty’s rage as many generations of the Nigerian people have lived their lives under the line of poverty. During the colonial period, the British rulers exploited the natural resources of Nigeria. The British rules were concerned neither with the development of Nigeria nor uplifting the living standard of the Nigerians.
On the other hand, after the independence of Nigeria in 1960 from British colonialism, the situation of the Nigerians did not improve. Civil War began in 1967 and all aspects of life were badly affected by the Civil War that continued for three years. The war led to the rise in the graph of poverty and unemployment issue with its impact on Nigeria’s economy. These are the reasons why I think the Nigerian people have lived with poverty’s rage.
c. Why does the poet appeal for solidarity among the people?
The poet appeals for solidarity among the people, the Nigerian people as they were previously divided in their opinion during the Civil War. The poet wants people to get united for united Nigeria. He makes an appeal for solidarity as the unity among people will lead to the awakening age.
The solidarity among the people is a must for Nigeria to ascend to a new height of prosperity, peace, development, and creativity. As long as the people of a nation fight against each other, the nation can’t progress. In the same way, as long as the people of the north and south of Nigeria fight against each other, Nigeria as a nation can’t move forward in the path of development and prosperity. Therefore, the poet appeals for solidarity among the people.
d. Does the poet present migration in a positive light? Why? Why not?
Migration, in its simplest definition, refers to movement from one place to another. In the poem, the poet is concerned not with physical movement. Instead, he is concerned with the migration of his country from the stage of poverty to the new stage of prosperity and development. In addition, he is concerned with the migration of people’s mind-set. That means he wants the Nigerian people to move from a narrow divided mentality to unity and solidarity for the prosperity of Nigeria. In that sense, the poet presents the migration in a positive light.
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