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.
In my dreams, I never have an age.
Everything is already perfect. And if you can accept that everything is already perfect, the imperfection is a part of the perfection. What's to worry about?
The secret was such an old one now, had so grown into me and become a part of myself, that I could not tear it away.
Uncertainty in the pressure of vivid hopes and fears is painful, but must be endured if we wish to live without the support of comforting fairy tales.
The future of life on Earth depends on our ability to see the sacred where others see only the common
Although the time of death is approaching me, I am not afraid of dying and going to Hell or (what would be considerably worse) going to the popularized version of Heaven. I expect death to be nothingness and, for removing me from all possible fears of death, I am thankful to atheism.
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