Eamon Grennan Itinerary Summary

“Itinerary” by Eamon Grennan depicts that humanities’ progression is dependant upon their ability to experience fulfillment by breaking through the iron bars of their own insecurities and fears, thus seizing control of their ultimate outcome and in turn, their happiness. “The child in the corner with his eyes clenched” shutting out the world filled with fear and insecurity “like a dog going round and round” “trying to find some comfort, something that says [they are] at home now”, evokes pathos as deep down every person is at times afraid of the world, searching for belonging. Too often, trapped by their own anxieties, a person doesn’t realize the need to “pray for the enlarging hush of the owl’s ear, the hawk’s high wide-angle lens

reading the world like a map” which is shown through imagery that helps a person learn from the other creatures of the earth to embark on an adventure enabling them to find the beauty lying within. Perspective is what decides a person’s identity and therefore disposition as noted in, “the sun has been shining for days and days, It’s a gift” [the narrator's friend] suggests. Awareness of the world can be fruitless without appreciation; humans can either view the sun as relentless or as “a gift”. Additionally, humanity is drawn to routine and structure, unwittingly limiting interaction and the probability of new experiences, which build a person’s confidence and sense of self that one does not otherwise develop, leaving them in a constant state of despondency - “a solitary thrush, with his heart in his mouth, performs a dozen songs at dusk, none finished.” “Dependent on nothing”, each having learnt it is an individual’s responsibility to appreciate the world around them and “pussyfoot no longer”, further releasing them and allowing freedom from their fears. Juxtaposition from the beginning of this literary piece to the conclusion shows the stages of life we must all progress through. Having gained confidence “[they] must travel at the speed of light, not looking back”, soaring fearlessly into the world to experience all life has to offer.