“Hello Day—Worldwide” (2nd period)
INTRODUCTIONS PARAGRAPHS
1. We make absolutely no connections with the people around us. Generally we get by with
“how’s the weather?” conversations and accept that as is. But what if we actually broke past
those simple phrases, deciding to learn and unite ourselves with our fellow men. The poet,
Kobina Eyi Acquah, presents this exact idea in Hello Day—Worldwide by using diction and
imagery to have the poem’s speaker create a sense of unity between people without a sense of
connection to others.
2. Hello is such a simple word. Quoth Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary hello is “an expression or
gesture of greeting.” This definition is expanded upon by the poet, Kobina Eyi Acquah in her
poem “Hello Day—Worldwide”. She uses literary techniques such as diction and structure to
add deeper meaning to this common colloquialism.
3. “Maybe they need / A hello day, / A gesture, / a token, / of what could have been.” In Acquah’s
“Hello Day—Worldwide” the writer introduces a day in which salutations are welcomed.
Acquah incorporates a narrative of two contrasting villages to support his proposal, which is
aided by the use of structure, imagery and diction. Through the use of these devices, the
audience is able to understand Acquah’s ideal society.
4. How many times have you passed a stranger on the street without saying hello? It might be
easier to pass by without making a connection, but opening yourself up to someone and having
a conversation can lead to lifetime relationships. In the poem Hello Day—Worldwide, the poet,
Kobina Eyi Acquah, uses diction and contrasts to show that people need more than a day to
form lifelong relationships.
5. Could you imagine a society without emotion? The Poet Kobina Eyi Acquah uses structure and
diction to convey that the world is becoming a Place of SuPerficial emotion. The diction
constrasts the situation of two seperate villages that in reality have the same value system. The
first village does not greet each other, while the second greets each other, but only does so out
of politeness. Both villages show a lack of emotion in their social interactions. As for structure,
the poet use a fixed form structure to compare the two societies.
6. The poem ‘Hello Day—Worldwide’, by Kobina Eyi Acquah, is about how the people in a town
and village seperate themselves from each other. Acquah uses third person narrative to
compare another person’s town to their own village. Acquah uses this comparison to show how
these two places are similar in their way of seperation.
7. “Good neighbors make good fences,” says poet Robert Frost. Yet, poet Kobina Eyi Acquah
disagrees in the poem “Hello Day—Worldwide” by suggesting that good neighbors, personable
neighbors, demolish the communal “fences.” (line 30). in this poem, there is a comparison of
the two societies—one accustomed to daily greetings and affirmations of existence, and one
lacking of pleasant sincerities. The effects of such are discussed through the authors diction and
figurative language. Acquah uses eloquent diction, figurative language, and imagery to contrast
greetings in two societies.
8. Amongst varying cultures, people have social expectations on how they are recognized within
their society. Different cultures are often defined by the interactions of their people. In some
cultures, walking down the street can make someone feel isolated, despite being surrounded by
others; in other cultures, it can feel as if each person is family. In ‘Hello Day—Worldwide’,
Kobina Eyi Acquahuses diction and imagery to contrast a self-centered society with an ideal,
inclusive society.
9. In “Hello Day—Worldwide,” a poem by Kobina Eyi Acquah, the poet promotes a more open and
greeting world, hence the name “Hello Day—Worldwide.” Acquah uses the structure of her
poem, as well as the imagery, in order to promote her idea of a more enlightened civilization.
10. “Maybe they need a hello day” (line 7-8). The theme of differing cultural norms between a town
and a village present in Acquah’s poem develop the idea of the necessity of a “Hello Day” to
promote love and peace worldwide. Moreover throughout the entire poem, the poet uses
words such as “our” and “their” to have the speaker have a personal tone. And in each of the
stanzas, the speaker compares and describes the different cultures to achieve his ultimate goal
which is to denounce other cultures who do no promote friendliness, ultimately putting his
culture on a pedastool.
11. This town in which nobody greets another, where it is thought to be even offensive and
provocative to greet each other, learns of a day called Hello Day, celebrated around the world,
on the radio. This day is the solution to this town, it is needed to start a new way of living in this
town, where a man passes his neighbor without greeting or asking how he or his family or home
are. The town needs more than just a day to be able to change bit it is the best way to start
moving towards the change because change cannot be accomplished in a day, it “takes a
lifetime.” (23) The day that would change this town is described through specific examples of
citizens in the town showing how they would change through the chosen diction and the further
use of examples.
12. Without a means of communication, human interaction would be non-existant. Humans would
go about his/her own business without a simple hello. And that is what Kobina Eyi Acquah
wants to avoid. In her poem, “Hello Day—Worldwide,” she uses structure and diction to create
a passionate message about her death for world wide communication.
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPHS
1. The last stanza just brings out the complete idea that the author wants to present. If we don’t
start acknowledging each other, all of us will fall in line, only addressing ourselves and ignoring
the world around us.
2. Acwuah wants a kind, hospitable world. She urges us to “unbar the windows and gates,” to
“abolish the border posts.” She expresses this explicitly through her own words, and indirectly
through her use of structure and imagery. Overall the poet uses these literary features to
reinforce the basic theme and idea that she has of a friendly and greeting world.
3. Through “Hello Day—Worldwide” Kobina Acquah discusses the differences between two
societies. He expresses the need to break down the walls that cause people to become selfcentered. If these walls are not broken, the egocentric nature that is causing negativity in some
cultures will soon spread to the rest of society.
4. Noticing the greed and lack of conscience plaguing those who identify with an insincere,
unpersonable society, the reader strikes to identify with the more open, peaceful society.
Through the harsh words used to identify the latter, readers see, and feel, these harmful effects.
Through the author’s preferential treatment to a society more welcoming (through use of
diction, figurative language and provoking imagery), readers should consider opening the
shutters of their soul.
5. What’s interesting is that although his culture is at first the most advanced in terms of
benevolence, with the application of Hello Day, the unfriendly town becomes better than
speaker’s village. This causes the speaker to develop the overall image of the village. The poet
and the speaker promote the significance and necessity of worldwide peace and kindness.
6. This day is needed for the betterment of humans who have fallen or started to fall where they
are unable to see clearly. They need to open up because being secluded leads to the problems
that they have along with not caring about others even those who live close to them. The
negative thoughts on greeting are due to a loss of themselves and can become positive when
connected to others. Hello Day as a whole can be used as a way to connect people, allow for
society to co-operate and improve relations of people to others and even themselves.
7. To conclude ‘Hello Day—Worldwide’, it is a poem that’s about how the people of these two
places are concealing their emotions from each other. Acquah includes their village to help
emphasize how the behavior of the town and the village is the same. The first stanza of the
poem is about the town. Then the village is discussed in the second stanza. The message
withing the poem, is that people need to be more open with each other and that people
shouldn’t be seperated. Also for this to happen, it only takes one person to make that first step;
then others will follow in those footsteps. If one person says hello, then they are expressing
emotion in an attempt to create a bond with one person and/or other people.
8. Through the structure, imagery, and diction in the poem, the author warns against private
societies as he proposed a “hello day.” In using the two contrasting communities to introduce
the issue Acquah ultimately describes his ideal society.
9. Two very different towns are presented in this poem, one much friendlier than the other.
However, you can learn something from both of them. Saying hello is a common courtesy that
all people should give each other, but it is not enough. In order to truly connect with someone,
an individual must invest time and effort. The next time you interact with someone you do not
know, say more than just hello.
10. The poem, “Hello Day—Worldwide” by Kobina Eyi Acquah explains the pros and cons of a
worldwide “Greeting Day.” The way Acquah conveys this is through diction and structure. At
the surface this poem only addresses what this “day” will do to the public, but as the poem
progresses, Acquah conveys the idea that the world is becoming a place with superficial
emotion. This message, can be seen in the later lines of the poem with key words like
“conscience” and “greed”. Acwuah is using this poem as a hint for our generation, to beware of
the fact that simple manners are crucial for our society.
11. The final line of the poem redirects the meaning of the poem into a warning to the reader. By
ending the poem in this way Acquah shows the importance of simple, yet meaningful hellos to a
community.
12. “A man must show cause.” The poet says this within the poem Hello Day—Worldwide, and it
tells us that we cannot just pass by others without reason. This quote exemplifies the message
that the author was trying to convey of the necessity of making connections with others.