journeys
Its good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. To what extent do the texts you have studied support of challenge the above assertion?It is not so much the destination that matters, but it is the journey itself which matters as this is where understanding and development is gained. J.G. Ballard's Empire of the sun, Gus van Sant's Finding Forrester, T.S. Eliot's Journey of the Magi and Margaret Atwood's Journey to the Interior, all show how the journey itself is what matters in the end, as it involves and exploration of the self, as individuals review their growth and development in the light of experiences which challenge and inspire them. For Jim, the protagonist of the quest narrative, Empire of the Sun, the journey is much more important than his reunion with his parents at the end, as on this journey Ballard shows how the war changes Jim from a naive and arrogant young boy to a mature and very different young adult at the end. Ballard does this by highlighting very explicitly his naivety at the beginning of the novel. While discussing with Mr Maxted the vastness of the Chinese population triggered by Chinese women weeding the grass, Jim asks "they could weed the whole world?"
an urchin half his previous size, and twice his previous age. He realises that to each person, the world, and in this case, the war, is a completely different and personal ordeal. Journey to the Interior is essentially only a journey, in the sense that it has no definite beginning, nor does it have a definite end (which is highlighted by the lack of punctuation ending the poem) and by being 'only a journey' Atwood highlights the importance of the journey itself to gain the understanding and growth. Ballard does this through the symbolism of mirrors in the novel, which continually force Jim to reflect on himself throughout his solitary journey. "Margaret Atwood's Journey to the Interior is a multi-dimensional exploration of the concept of journey, where the persona's mental wanderings take her on a quest to discover the meanings associated with identity and nationhood. The cyclical nature and the lack of definite ending to the poem, highlight that the journey here is the important part, not the destination. William has abandoned the world at the beginning of the text, and Jamal reunites him with it. Ballard's Empire of the sun, Gus van Sant's Finding Forrester, T. Once they reach their destination, there is a doubtful tone as they begin to question "were they led all that way for birth or death?" Once they return to their old kingdoms, they realise "they are no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, with an alien people clutching at their gods", however, this helps them realise that the unclear nature of conversion and the difficulties that must be encounter to reach true faith. Atwood describes life, and the experiences during the journey of life, as "a tangle of branches, a net of air and alternate light and dark', which highlights that there is no final point in life. The journey begins once William corrects some of Jamal's work, where the camera is fixed on the pages of a notebook being flicked through rapidly by Jamal, only to stop and centre on a bold red marking "Where are you taking me?" the reference to poor structure of Jamal's essay is a metaphor for the journey they are about to begin. In the shattered mirror in his mother's bedroom, Jim notices "pieces of himself seemed to fly across the room, scattered through the empty house. Although the understanding can be gained in retrospect (i.
Common topics in this essay:
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Amah Don't,
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Packard's Firestone,
William Forrester,
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Journey Interior,
William Jamal,
Finding Forrester,
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Acceptance Essays
