Effort and Awareness are Necessary for Liberation

1566 Words4 Pages

The universal truth that effort and awareness are necessary for liberation is evident in the song “Wavin’ Flag” by K’NAAN, essay “What is Poverty?” by Theodore Dalrymple and documentary “Solar Mamas” by Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim through effective presentation of the Marxist Literary Theory. Firstly, the universal truth that effort and awareness are necessary for liberation is displayed in the essay “What is Poverty?” by Theodore Dalrymple through the idea that ignorance restricts enlightenment. Ignorance makes an individual blind o he world, unaware of the truth and reality. To be aware and to escape ignorance, effort is required True liberation of the mind, body, and soul leads to enlightenment. Both lack of effort and awareness are up to the individual, and thus, liberation and enlightenment are up to the individual as well. To achieve liberation, one must take the effort, and one must dispel ignorance by being aware. This is displayed in the essay through a quote; Moreover, political authority in the countries in which I worked was arbitrary, capricious, and corrupt… Yet nothing I saw—neither the poverty nor the overt oppression—ever had the same devastating effect on the human personality as the undiscriminating welfare state. I never saw the loss of dignity, the self-centeredness, the spiritual and emotional vacuity, or the sheer ignorance of how to live, that I see daily in England. In a kind of pincer movement, therefore, I and the doctors from India and the Philippines have come to the same terrible conclusion: that the worst poverty is in England—and it is not material poverty but poverty of soul. (Dalrymple, 6) In reference to the quote, the “poverty and overt oppression” in countries like Africa did not stop t... ... middle of paper ... .... However, the academic nature of the essay leads to it being taken more seriously. Therefore, the form of the essay is more effective due to its form. Thus, the essay “What is Poverty?” by Theodore Dalrymple is the most effective medium of representing the universal truth that effort and awareness are necessary for liberation. Works Cited Warsame, Keinan Abdi. "Wavin' Flag." K'NAAN. Kerry Brothers, Jr., Bruno Mars, 2009. CD. Dalrymple, Theodore. “What is Poverty?” Oh, to be in England. Ed. Brian C. Anderson. New York: The Manhattan Institute, City Journal, Spring 1999. Electronic. 6. Solar Mamas. Dir. Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim. Perf. Rafea, Abu Badr, Umm Badr, and Raouf Dabbas. Rafea: Solar Mama. Toronto International Film Festival, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. .

Open Document