SECTION E: African Prose AMMA DARKO: Faceless Examine the role and significance of Sylv Po in the novel.

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - Literature In English - 2018 (Prose) Subject: Literature In English

Question 1 Report

SECTION E: African Prose

 

AMMA DARKO: Faceless

 

Examine the role and significance of Sylv Po in the novel.

Answer Details

Sylv Po is the radio talk-show host in Amma Darko's Faceless, and although he is not one of the street children whose plight the novel centres on, his role is important both to the plot and to the novel's social message.

The voice of the media. Sylv Po presents a popular radio programme, "Good Morning Ghana," on Harvest FM. Through his show the novel brings the hidden suffering of street children and the failures of society into public discussion. He represents the power of the media to expose social ills and to give voice to the voiceless.

Link between the street and the public. Sylv Po's significance lies in the way he connects the private tragedy of Fofo and the murdered Baby T to the wider public. When the NGO MUTE, led by Kabria and her colleagues, works to uncover the truth behind Baby T's death, Sylv Po's programme becomes a platform on which the issue of abandoned and abused children is aired. He interviews and amplifies, turning a single girl's story into a matter of public concern.

Growth and commitment. Sylv Po begins as a somewhat detached broadcaster chasing sensational topics, but through his involvement with MUTE and the story of the street children he becomes genuinely engaged with the social crisis. His development mirrors the novel's hope that individuals and institutions can be moved from indifference to responsibility.

Thematic significance. Through Sylv Po, Darko explores the role of the media as a potential force for social change and accountability. He embodies the idea that exposure and public dialogue are necessary weapons against the neglect, poverty and abuse that push children onto the streets.

Conclusion. Sylv Po's role is that of the media catalyst: he broadcasts the plight of the street children, partners with MUTE to pursue justice for Baby T, and personifies the possibility that public awareness can confront social evils. His significance is to enlarge the novel's concern from one family's tragedy to a national indictment.

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