"Old harsh distresses are now merely pictures and tastes which hurt no more, like itching scars which can only give pleasure now" - "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born" - Ayi Kwei Armah, 1968, p 63.
Explanation
The prevailing problems have become normal to people. The problems have become part and parcel of the their lives. Now, people are used to the problems. For instance, if people have been living in poverty-stricken situation for a long time, they just accept the situation and get ready to live with it until death. Instead of hurting people, these problems have become like tastes or scars which give more pleasure than the pain.
However, these people may decide to stand up and stop the situation. They can say 'we don't want this anymore'. They can change the situation. Or the government and the leaders can decide to be the first to change the situation. They can listen to people and try to improve their lives and meet their demands. In some society, if the government fails, people decide to take the actions themselves. Still there are some societies which accept the situation, but in the end any force from within or outside their community can come around and change the situation.
To avoid further confrontations, the government can change the situation by starting to listen to people and use their opinions to improve the undesirable situations.
Relevant Themes/Issues:
- Disillusionment
- Awareness
- Social Unrest
- Unity
- Oppression
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Tags
'A' Level English Language 2
FORM FIVE
FORM SIX
Literary Diary
Literary Quote: Connect It To Your World
Literary Quote: In-Depth Book Talk
Literary Quote: Learning Little by Little
Literature: Themes/Issues
Make Your Literary Skills Applicable
The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (Novel)