Journeys Essay Essay

English Journeys Essay

A Taoist quote, “the journey is the reward” sums up the reason we as humans go on journeys. People embark on journeys everyday from catching a bus to school to trekking through the Sahara. No matter what, when someone embarks on a journey they are changed from their experiences. This essay will discuss how the characters of my chosen texts have encountered new ideas, people, events and communities throughout their journeys.

Les Murray’s beautifully written poem, Away Bound Train, is clearly identified with the main character encountering new ideas. An assumption of a journey is that they bring change and this certainly holds true for Away Bound Train. Murray has used the train ride as an extended metaphor of travelling through life. Away Bound Train seems to be a reflection of Murray’s life as he has enlightenment at the end of the poem, after the imagined journey. ‘A man with no past has all too many futures’ is part of the extended metaphor of life in the poem. This also shows that Murray isn’t sure of where the journey can take him but it leaves him full of ideas. The use of enjambment highlights the continuity of the poem that is also linked to the extended metaphor. Personally, I reflect on the poem and see how it can relate to my life in various ways, the hills and bends in the poem representing the ups and downs of my life. The character in Away Bound Train is clearly absorbed in himself and thinking of life which is the same as the 48 Shades character, Dan. Like the character in the play, Dan is constantly meeting new ideas of what his life means on his journey. The character of Away Bound Train has encountered new ideas throughout his imagined journey.

Daniel Lapaines film version of Nick Earls 48 Shades novel links to the encounters of new ideas and communities. Lapaine, the director, made the novel into the character’s journey into adulthood. The use of camera angles...