Journeys are the foundations of our lives. Just like everything has a beginning and an end, Journeys constitute of all things in between. It is the process of getting from one point to another. Physical Journeys involve a definite movement and provides challenges for a traveller to extend himself physically and intellectually. It has allowed us (mankind) to learn more about ourselves and the world around us, and it continues to do so. In promotion of our special edition of "Physical Journeys" designed for high school teachers under the new syllabus, we will discuss the concept of the physical journey and examine the ways in which composers convey meaning using ideas and techniques. Text 6 from the stimulus booklet, Crossing the Red Sea, A drive in the country from the Immigrant Chronicle by Peter Skrzynecki and Long March into Space by Tim Johnson provide us with an opportunity to see how Physical Journeys have affected our lives and the journey of mankind and how it will continue to do so.
             Fear of the unknown experienced by voyagers in Text 6 is a major theme in the text Crossing the Red Sea by Peter Skrzynecki in the Immigrant Chronicle. This text describes an overseas journey taken by refugees from a war-torn Europe. Amongst these refugees is Peter Skrynecki, who uses the biblical image of the Israelites' journey of liberation from slavery and oppression to describe his own journey. The opening stanza introduces the responder to a crowded and disordered image of "a landscape/ Of milk-white flesh". The hyphen in conjunction with the harsh sounds of "flesh" slows the overall movement of the poem to emphasise the frustration of slow moving time on this long journey. This acts as an obstacle in terms of the long distance and the intolerable boredom. This boredom is also shown by dialogue between refugees, which is only possible in "patches and shreds." This term also indicates the state of ...