The
Awakening Age 
Ben Okri (1949 - )
About the author
· A winner of Man Booker prize for his novel The Famished Road
· the Nigerian poet, fiction writer, and essayist
· spent his early childhood in London
· informed by folk tales and dream logic, Okri’s writing also treats his family’s experience of the Nigerian civil war
· in an interview for The National, Okri stated, “I grew up in a tradition where there are simply more dimensions to reality: legends myths and ancestors and spirits and deaths. You can’t use Jane Austen to speak about African reality. Which brings the question: what is reality? Everyone’s reality is different. For different perceptions of reality, we need a different language.”
Central Idea
Prolific poet and story teller, Okri, like in his other works, portrays the hardships of the African people in “The Awakening Age”. In addition, he makes a call for unity, peace and solidarity among human beings from different parts of the world.
Summary of the poem
The poem entitled ‘The Awakening Age’ was written by the prolific Nigerian poet, fiction writer and essayist, Ben Okri. This poem portrays the hardships faced by the Africans. In addition, he makes a call for unity, peace, solidarity among human beings from different parts of the world. The poet appeals the people, who travel the meridian line to move from the age of sufferings, poverty and darkness to the age of enlightenment. He wishes people to rage against poverty and see through the glory of the awakening age where one can enjoy the vision of new world full of creativity, wisdom and a flowering of truth instead of pain.
This poem is considered as the sonnet since it contains fourteen lines. The rhyme scheme is AA, BB, CC, DD, EE and FF. In other words, the first line of each couplet rhymes with the second one. This simple rhyme scheme indicates solidarity among people and the world devoid of tension between various ethnic groups. It evokes the idea of sameness in terms of opportunity, dignity and respect
The poet appeals for solidarity among the people because we are richly linked in hope of climbing the mountain of brotherhood, mutual protection and coexistence. Our perceptions must be changed to gain much. Inequalities and discrimination between people must be transformed into equality, tolerance and fraternity. Only the clearest light of our heart can change the darkness of discrimination into the bright day of enlightenment.
The poem reveals the trend of migration due to poverty and discrimination. Meridian line is an imaginary circle round the earth that passes through both the North and South poles, so people who travel this line indicates the people travelling different parts of the world in search of peace, harmony and prosperity. To conclude, this poem is an appeal for brotherhood, creativity, unity, coexistence and solidarity among people round the globe.
Understanding the text
a. Who are the people ‘who travel the meridian line’?
The people who travel the meridian line are the Africans who are facing hardships. They are travelling with the dream of prosperity and new vision of the awakening age. To be specific, they may be the survivors of Nigerian civil war who migrate for peace, harmony and prosperity.
b. What does the poet mean by ‘a new world’?
A new world means the society without poverty, discrimination and tension between different ethnic groups. It is the world of unity, peace, harmony and prosperity. He means the world which is guided by creativity, wisdom and a flowering of truth instead of pain.
c. How are people connected to each other?
People are connected to each other with the rope of hope that ties all of them to the mountain of brotherhood, peace, harmony and prosperity. It is the unity among people that strikes out the poverty and settles everyone in the new world.
d. What can we gain after our perceptions are changed?
We can gain a flowering of truth instead of pain after our perceptions are change. We can transform this poverty-stricken world into the new world of prosperity, wisdom and creativity.
e. How are we benefitted by new people?
We are benefitted by new people in the sense that they prefer unity, peace and harmony to discrimination and tension between various ethnic groups. They attempt to see the world through the glory of the awakening age. New people refer to the kind of people who are guided by wisdom and pursue creativity to outsmart poverty.
f. Describe the rhyme scheme of this sonnet.
The rhyme scheme of this sonnet is AA, BB, CC, DD, EE, FF and GG. In other words, the first line of each couplet rhymes with the second one. This simple rhyme scheme calls for the unity among people from the different parts of the world. It evokes the idea of sameness in terms of opportunity, dignity and respect.
(Note: - Couplet refers to the stanza of two lines.)
Reference to the context
a. What does the poet mean by ‘the awakening age’?
For the poet, the awakening age means the age of equality, brotherhood, unity and prosperity. It is the glorious age devoid of tension between various ethnic groups. There is no fight at all and no fragmentation among people can be observed. All the people living in such age is guided by the clearest light from their heart. They believe in creativity, wisdom and mutual protection.
The awakening age is the age of enlightenment where people become more rational than emotional. They believe in solidarity among people irrespective of their nation, ethnicity, race and sex. To be specific, it is the age for Africans to be recognized themselves. He means the age of awareness for the Nigerian civil war survivors to stride for the peace and progress.
b. Why, in your view, have these people ‘lived with poverty’s rage’?
In my view, these people have lived with poverty’s rage as they suffered the civil war. The war caused extreme poverty and disorder in the society. There is no peace and harmony. Living in the fragmented society, they have become the victim of starvation and shortage of basic needs.
Poverty’s rage, here means the hardships that African people faced or the Nigerians civil war survivors’ rage against poverty in the post war situation. They are aggressive to the poverty, but they intend to outsmart it with the glory of the awakening age.
c. Why does the poet appeal for solidarity among the people?
The poet appeals for solidarity among the people because only unity among people can make this world suitable for life. Tension between various groups destroy peace and harmony, and cause the collapse of civilization. To outsmart the poverty, people should view the world through the glory of the awakening age. Brotherhood brings unity and unity brings prosperity.
To conclude, the poet appeals for the solidarity to establish peace and harmony among people who are fragmented due to tension between different ethnic groups. Unity among people can outsmart the poverty that force them to migrate.
d. Does the poet present migration in a positive light? Why? Why not?
The poet doesn’t present migration in a positive light because he appeals for unity among people to prevent migration. People usually migrate from one place to another for peace and prosperity. Some people migrate for better facilities and opportunities.
If there is harmonious relation between inhabitants, they can generate the things they need. For this, all the people should be guided by their heart’s clearest light. Moreover, they should change their perceptions to gain much: a flowering of truth instead of pain. All of them should use their wisdom and creativity to make the world peaceful and prosperous.
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?
Most of the Nepali youths go abroad either for education or for jobs. It is true that Nepal is also known for its economic as well as educational migrants. The government is indifferent to the unemployed, so the youths compel to choose foreign land for employment. Similarly, most of the youths leave country for quality education. Specially, for higher education, youths prefer foreign land and the country is facing brain drain.
Most of the workers and few of the students return home from abroad. One can notice remarkable change in the perceptions and behaviours of these migrants when they return. They bring idea of self-employed practice. They also contribute to preserve law and order in the society since they return with the positive change in their attitude.
f. Relate the rhyme scheme of this sonnet to the kind of life idealized by the poet.
This poem is considered as the sonnet since it contains fourteen lines. The rhyme scheme is AA, BB, CC, DD, EE and FF. In other words, the first line of each couplet rhymes with the second one. This simple rhyme scheme indicates solidarity among people and the world devoid of tension between various ethnic groups. It evokes the idea of sameness in terms of opportunity, dignity and respect.
The poet has idealized the kind of life with peaceful atmosphere. He imagines the world of brotherhood, mutual protection, coexistence and prosperity. This paired rhyme signifies togetherness and accompaniment for establishing the ideal world.
Reference beyond the text
a. Write an essay on ‘The Impacts of Migration on Nepali Society’.
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another, whether it is within a country or across national borders. In Nepal, migration has had significant impacts on society, both positive and negative.
One of the main impacts of migration on Nepali society has been the remittance economy. Nepal is heavily reliant on remittances, which are funds sent home by migrant workers. According to the World Bank, remittances make up nearly a third of Nepal's GDP, making it the highest in South Asia. Remittances have helped to reduce poverty and improve living standards for many families in Nepal, particularly in rural areas.
However, the reliance on remittances has also had negative consequences. For example, the loss of labor from migration can lead to a shortage of workers in certain sectors, such as agriculture. This can result in lower productivity and economic growth. Additionally, the high dependence on remittances can create a sense of dependency among families and communities, rather than encouraging self-sufficiency.
Migration has also had cultural impacts on Nepali society. As people move to different parts of the country or abroad, they often bring with them different customs, traditions, and ways of life. This can lead to the mixing of cultures and the formation of new cultural identities. On the other hand, migration can also lead to the erosion of traditional cultures as people adopt new ways of life and become more disconnected from their roots.
Migration can also have social impacts, both positive and negative. On the positive side, migration can bring people from different backgrounds together, promoting diversity and understanding. It can also lead to the development of social networks and support systems for migrants. On the negative side, migration can lead to the separation of families and the breakdown of traditional social structures. It can also create social tensions, particularly if migrants are perceived as taking jobs or resources away from the local population.
In conclusion, migration has had significant impacts on Nepali society, both positive and negative. While it has contributed to the country's economy through remittances, it has also had cultural, social, and economic consequences. It is important for Nepal to find a balance between the benefits and challenges of migration in order to maximize the positive impacts and minimize the negative ones.
