Because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye β¦ I realized that people like me, girls with skin the color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature.
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieRead
Evil is tolerable if purged of coarseness.
Interpretation
Evil can be accepted if it is refined and devoid of harshness.
This quote suggests that while evil is inherently negative, it can be made more acceptable or understandable when it lacks brutality or insensitivity. It emphasizes the complexities of human behavior and morality, proposing that a nuanced approach to evaluating evil exists, which involves considering its presentation and impact on society.
In practice
During a debate on ethics, one might cite this quote to argue that understanding the nuances of evil is essential for societal progress.
Because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye β¦ I realized that people like me, girls with skin the color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature.
The real tragedy of our postcolonial world is not that the majority of people had no say in whether or not they wanted this new world; rather, it is that the majority have not been given the tools to negotiate this new world.
If I had not grown up in Nigeria- and if all I knew of Africa were of popular images- I too would think that africa was a place of beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals and incomprehensible people fighting sensless wars, dying of poverty and aids- unable to speak for themselves and waiting to be saved by a kind white foreigner.
Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.
You can't write a script in your mind and then force yourself to follow it. You have to let yourself be.
Non-fiction, and in particular the literary memoir, the stylised recollection of personal experience, is often as much about character and story and emotion as fiction is.
Getting well is not the only goal. Even more important is learning to live without fear, to be at peace with life and ultimately death.
The type and formula of most schemes of philanthropy or humanitarianism is this: A and B put their heads together to decide what C shall be made to do for D. The radical vice of all these schemes, from a sociological point of view, is that C is not allowed a voice in the matter, and his position, character, and interests, as well as the ultimate effects on society through C's interests, are entirely overlooked. I call C the Forgotten Man.
Inner-life questions are the kind everyone asks, with or without benefit of God-talk: 'Does my life have meaning and purpose?' 'Do I have gifts that the world wants and needs?' 'Whom and what shall I serve?' 'Whom and what can I trust?' 'How can I rise above my fears?'
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating.
What exists is a godly existence, a divine existence. God not as a person but as a presence certainly exists. But to understand that presence, you have to understand your own inner presence first, because it is from there that you can take off, it is from there that you can have the first glimpse of what godliness is. If you have not known yourself you will never know God.
England has always been disinclined to accept human nature.
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