True, because you can have three things in a line and the one in the middle can be east or west depending which of the two outer objects you're comparing it to
Answer:
life or helping out, power
Most likely irony. Paradise is usually instilled in peoples' minds as somewhere refreshing and heavenly, and the next couple of words say "ahead of them is an empty oil-covered beach" which clearly objects with the paradise statement.
Who is Martin? and what are you talking about?
