How can I look at Oyo and say I hate long shiny cars? How can I come to the children and despise international…

Analyze the question

The passage is a speaker's internal reflection. It seems to come from Ayi Kwei Armah's The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, where the Man (the protagonist) refuses to take part in corruption. His wife (Oyo) and the children want the comforts that Koomson's wealth represents: the long shiny cars and the international schools. The family worships Koomson as if he were a saviour ("sees Jesus Christ in him"). The question asks what feeling this conveys.

Explain the concept

Look at the rhetorical questions: "How can I look at Oyo and say I hate long shiny cars? How can I come to the children and despise international schools?" The speaker feels torn. He can't comfortably voice his principles to his own family, because they desire these things. When "the family sees Jesus Christ" in Koomson, the speaker is the odd one out, separated from his own household by his values.

That is alienation: being estranged or isolated from the people around you, even those closest to you.

Check each option

• A. Anger: There is no outburst or hostility. The tone is reflective and burdened, not furious.
• B. Alienation: The speaker is cut off from his family's values and aspirations, and he stands apart, isolated in his principles.
• C. Hope: Nothing in the passage looks forward to improvement.
• D. Despair: There is some weariness, but the main point is the speaker's separation from his family, not total hopelessness. Despair is not the best fit.

Answer

The speaker feels isolated from his own family, who admire Koomson's corrupt wealth while he stands apart. alienation**.

Exam tip

In "feeling conveyed" questions, look for the relationship between the speaker and others. If the speaker is set apart from the group (family, society) by his values, think alienation. In this novel, the Man's moral isolation in a corrupt society is a major theme.