Cynicism and Corruption - The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

Ayi Kwei Armah’s novel The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, is a tale about a nameless man living in poverty in the African country of Ghana. Struggling to support his wife and children in a land colonized and dominated by Europeans, this man observes the corruption of the people trying to do the same. Native Ghanaians are being crushed by poverty and it is clear that most anybody would do anything in pursuit of wealth and power. Thru the man’s experiences, we learn of Ghana’s recurring cycle of corruption and its doom. The encounter he makes in his everyday life reveals the hopelessness and cynicism of Ghanaians. Honesty is not valued in this poverty stricken land, and it is obvious when even his loved ones hate him for it. However, false hopes are quickly killed and even the dreams of his hopeful family are thrown in the dirt. As a result, even the powerful are overthrown and a new group of wealthy, powerful leaders take their place.

So contaminated the Ghanaians have b...