S ome young students from Scholarism started a hunger strike last week to fight for genuine democracy. But the hunger strikes of Scholarism leader Joshua Wong Chi-fung and a few others were short-lived (brief, lasted a short time) because the students did not have the willpower to go on a prolonged (lengthy, very long) hunger strike. To have willpower means to have the strength or determination to do difficult things, such as to stop smoking. History has a long list of people who had the willpower to go on prolonged hunger strikes. India has a long history of people going on hunger strikes to oppose British rule. The most famous was Gandhi, who went on 17 hunger strikes. Three of his hunger strikes each lasted for 21 days.
Although Gandhi was India's most famous hunger striker, the hunger strikes of Bhagat Singh and B.K. Dutt in September 1929 lasted for 116 days, far longer than Gandhi's 21 days. Another Indian freedom fighter, Jatin Das, went on hunger strike in 1929 while in prison. He died from his fast, which lasted 63 days. Other famous hunger strikers include Bobby Sands, who belonged to an organization called the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The IRA wanted Ireland to be independent from the United Kingdom and used violence against British rule. The United Kingdom declared the IRA a terrorist organization. While in prison, Bobby Sands died from a hunger strike which lasted 66 days. After his death, nine other IRA prisoners also died from hunger strikes.
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人以絕食（hunger strikes）作為非暴力的政治抗爭，已經有很長的歷史。絕食者（hunger strikers）因着某個政治緣故，會禁食（fast）上數天、數星期甚至數月。雖然絕食者（hunger strikers）單單傷害自己的身體，目的最終卻是要損害其敵對一方的良知。習語hunger strike就是以絕食作為抗爭。Fast則解作禁食，這也是"breakfast"這個字的出處，將break和fast這兩個字合拼起來。當禁食（fasting）了一整晚過後，人們便會吃個早餐以終止（break）他們的禁食（fast）。
有些學民思潮的年輕學生，上星期開始了絕食（hunger strike）以爭取真正的民主。但學民思潮的領袖黃之鋒和另外幾個人的絕食（hunger strikes）都很短暫（short-lived），因為學生沒有足夠的意志力（willpower）去堅持一個漫長的（prolonged）絕食（hunger strike）。To have willpower就是有毅力和決心去做困難的事，例如戒煙。歷史上，有無數的人擁有堅毅的意志（willpower）去維持長久的（prolonged）絕食（hunger strikes）。在印度，人們以絕食（hunger strikes）對抗英國統治，就具有悠長的歷史。最著名的是甘地，曾經進行過十七次絕食（hunger strikes），其中三次的絕食，每次更持續了二十一天。
雖然甘地是印度最著名的絕食者（hunger striker），但一九二九年九月巴格特辛格與B.K.杜特的絕食（hunger strikes），卻長達一百一十六天，比甘地的二十一天要長得多。另一位印度的自由戰士渣甸達斯，一九二九年在獄中進行絕食（hunger strike），他的禁食（fast）維持了六十三天，最終絕食而死。其他著名的絕食者（hunger strikers）包括鮑比桑茲，他隸屬一個名為愛爾蘭共和軍的組織。愛爾蘭共和軍希望愛爾蘭脫離英國獨立，並使用武力對抗英國統治。英國當時亦宣佈愛爾蘭共和軍為恐怖組織。在獄中，鮑比桑茲絕食（hunger strike）六十六天至死。他死後，另外九位愛爾蘭共和軍的囚犯亦死於絕食（hunger strikes）。
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=312153§ion_name=wtt&kw=126