Class 12 English Guide The Awakening Age by Ben Okri Summary Exercise Question Answer With Solution

 Class 12 English Guide The Awakening Age by Ben Okri Summary Exercise Question Answer With Solution

4.The Awakening Age by Ben Okri 

Main Summary

The poem "The Awakening Age" by Ben Okri, a Nigerian poet, is a poem of hope. Here in this poem, the poet has wished for all the miserable Nigerians who had been fragmented(divided) due to the dangerous civil war that lasted for three crucial (terrible)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 from history. Next, he makes a call for their unity as well as solidarity(harmony) to reach a new height of prosperity with positivity in their hearts. He also makes a call for their change in perceptions 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 life will be joyous and they will be able to gain better in the time and space of the new world.

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 sections as 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 in their lives during their survival in fragmentations.

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 a new height of a prosperous and united nation with positivity and wisdom.

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

Answer: We can gain varieties of things after our perceptions are changed. Through 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, work, wisdom and creativity.

f. What does the poet mean by ‘the awakening age’? 

Answer:    By 'the awakening age', the poet means an age of African people's recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of their condition, and the beginning of their new world. This age 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 of Nigeria. 

g. 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 in fighting for various internal issues regarding religion, culture, political ideology ethnicity etc ignoring the sufferings of common Nigerians.

g. 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 to 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.