The Emperor

This small passage of The Emperor has left me speechless. When one starts reading for some reason you see it coming. "In the thick night, a crowd of barefoot beggars stood huddled together. The dishwashers working in the building threw leftovers to them. I watched the crowd devour the scraps, bones, and fish heads with laborious concentration. In the meticulous absorption of this eating there was an almost violent biological abandon -- the satisfaction of hunger in anxiety and ecstasy." I'd love to say that such an act is pathetic, monstrous and disgusting. How come some the Emperor have this huge banquet were people steal the silverware, eat until there stomachs are about to explode and have a great time with the countries money when others are dying of hunger and most probably disease. In a smaller version, I myself can relate to this fraction of the book. The whole world suffers this problem, but I won't go so far. Sadly Colombia is tormented by these kind of actions. The beginning of this passage reminds me of Christmas in Bogotá. "When the guests had been seated at tables in the great hall, fanfares rang out and the Emperor walked in with President Nasser of Egypt at his right hand. They formed an extraordinary pair. Nasser, a tall, stocky, imperious man, his head thrust forward with his wide jaws set into a smile, and next to him the diminutive silhouette - frail, one could almost say - of Haile Selassie, worn by the years, with his thin, expressive face, his glistening, penetrating eyes. Behind them the remaining leaders entered in pairs. The audience rose; everyone was applauding. Ovations sounded for unity and the Emperor. Then the feast began. There was one dark-skinned waiter for every four guests. Out of excitement and nervousness, things were falling from the waiters' hands. The table setting was silver, in the old Harar style. Several tons of priceless antique silver lay on those tables. Some people slipped pieces of silverware into their pockets. One sneaked a fork, the next one a spoon.Mountains of meat, fruit, fish, and cheese rose on the tables. Many-layered cakes dripped with sweet, colored icing. Distinguished wines spread reflected colors and invigorating aromas. The music played on, and costumed clowns did somersaults to the delight of the carefree revelers. Time passed in conversation, laughter, consumption." In Christmas, one goes to visit the family, have lunch at your mother's family and dinner at your father's. During this transition, you see various beggars on the street, most of them with children so they are pitied, others just showing the awful truth. Every time they ask for a present or food and usually one looks them with disgust. Most of the times it's unconsciously, but it doesn't justify the fact that one does it. This came to mind when reading the small fraction from The Emperor. This is an everyday reality that is seen in Bogotá, but when you most experience it, is in Christmas.