Hello World - Worldwide Analysis

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In “Hello Day – Worldwide” by Kobina Eyi Acquah, the persona is condemning the materialistic and cold nature of the individuals in the world. The author suggests a positive change to the world by having a “World Hello Day”. The author uses this poem to promote the need for a more open and optimistic world, a world that is not restricted by people’s greed and hostility towards others. In the first two stanzas, a clear distinction is made between “their town” and “our village”. This creates an opposition in which the two examples are isolated from each other. It can be seen that “our village” is formed by a smaller population than “their town”, and therefore “our village” in a way is powerless to change “their town”. The author uses irony to convey the situation in “their town”. The positive connotations of a “hello day” greatly outweigh the alternative and therefore the author is persuading the reader to be on his side. The comparison of “their town” and “our village” emphasizes the individualized nature of people. In “our village”, it would seem odd if a man did not greet his neighbor, in “their town”, it would be offensive to greet anyone. It can be seen that “their town” is a miniature of the world, while “our village” is a miniature for groups of optimistic and open communities dispersed within the world. In lines 18-20, the author has the view that there is too much stress and conflict in the world and he thinks it all can be reconciled and solved. “Of knowing and being known” implies that the condition of alienation has been suffered by the persona, however becoming familiar with others has overcome that feeling. “The grief-joy mixture” that takes “a lifetime to drink” is a metaphor for the interactions between two different human beings that everyone needs everyday in order to appreciate their own existence. The optimism shown in the metaphors between lines
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