The Theme of Jorneying in For A Journey by Alan Brownjohn and To The Virginian Voyage by Michael Drayton "The death of fear is in doing what you fear to do." 'Journey' is an encompassing word. The connotations of the word "journey" are:- trying to get from one place to another, going somewhere different to where you usually go, an adventure, a journey can be life itself. It is said that many people are afraid and prevented from life and they feel this because of fears they experience along the journey. The biggest fear of all can be the fear of change. My purpose in this assignment is to explore the theme of "journeying" in two poems of my choice, paying particular attention to how the poets choices of structure, language and content help convey his/her message. At least one poem should have been written before 1900 and at least one after 1900. These are the poems I have chosen: 'For a journey' by Alan Brownjohn (written after 1900) and 'To the Virginian voyage' by Michael Drayton (written before 1900). Brownjohn outlines and advocates the endurance of the simple, expedient names, these are stylistic devices, which farmers/individuals have allocated to the land they know in his poem 'For a Journey'. He is dismissive of the limitations of maps which he seems to feel don't fully capture the essence of these liveotin lands and he issues a very clear warning about the wisdom of exploring unchartered, remotely and as he suggests, uninviting, alien territory. The poem was written in the context of the twentieth century, an era of a phenomenally hepatic pace of life and of change. It was a time of turmoil, a time of great innovatio... ... middle of paper ... ...against venturing into the unknown; while 'To the Virginian Voyage' encourages us to know and learn more. 'For a Journey' advocates valuing the life and land that is known. 'To the Virginian Voyage' by Michael Drayton advocates change and "soil" literally promises here that the grass is greener on the other side. The challenge raised in 'For a Journey' is to stay with what is known and make changes where one is, rather than go to another place and try to change others. In 'For a Journey', the fear to be overcome is the fear of change, when one is content with what is "known". Both poems challenge their readers and both raise issues of confidence. I think Alan Brownjohn's 'For a Journey' is best as it appeals to me more than 'To the Virginian Voyage', as I don't like to go to foreign lands and journey too far from home.
Mark Wyman, the author of the brief essay known as Coming and Going: Round-Trip to America, had a different perspective about immigration to America from the various counties during the 1880’s through the 1930’s. A common belief, regarding the immigration to America, held that immigrates stayed in America during the massive shift of population, due to the enormous creation of factories and cities that erupted in America. The past day literature entices readers to believe that all immigrates came to America to work and eventually settled down to create their own families. It’s taught that all of these families stayed in America for their entire life span. Although despite the common belief, Wyman held to his own thoughts on the controversial debate and pioneered a new way of thinking. He believed that countless immigrates, which came from all over the world, actually only
American history is so much more interesting now than it was when I was growing up! I have just finished reading Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. First of all, I was surprised to see a book on this summers New York Times Best Seller List about a subject so long ago. I would have thought the story about the Pilgrims had been told enough times no one would bother writing another book. Philbrick has written an enlightening account of the 17th century events that shaped our country. It was a story that is well written and enjoyable to read.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer written by Mark Twain, is a story about a portion of a Tom Sawyer’s boyhood. Tom is a mischievous little boy, who lives with his Aunt Polly. He has a knack for getting into trouble, and has a very vivid imagination. He doesn’t seem to have respect for anyone, and tends to make bad choices. However, as he goes through tests and trials, both physically and emotionally, he begins to mature. Throughout the book, Tom’s behavior maturity level changes drastically.
“The Hero’s Journey.” Ariane Publications, 1997. Course handout. AS English I. Dept. of English, Woodside High School. 26 October 2013.
The archetypal stages in books have been used since the works and discoveries of psychologist, like Carl Jung. Carl Jung saw archetypal stages as recurring images or patterns of situations that come from the unconscious mind. Whereas, Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who wrote a book The Hero of a Thousand Faces, a book about hero’s journeys, demonstrated how characters in books go through a series of stages in order to get to their final destination. In the novels, Jane Eyre and Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main characters all went through their own archetypal stages to get to their final journey to realize or discover their true destiny. Both of the main characters in these novels went through the four stages of the archetypal journey.
Danny Kaye, famous actor and comedian, once said, "To travel is to take a journey into yourself". He is suggesting that by seeing a new part of the world, one is inevitably confronted with deeper realizations about one’s self. Thomas C. Foster, author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, would likely agree. In his book, he argues that every trip in literature is actually a quest. The word "quest" conjures images of knights in shining armor, princesses, and dragons, but Foster uses the word in a more archetypal sense. A journey, Foster says, needs only to fit five relatively simple criteria to be considered a quest (1-3). Quoyle, the protagonist of Annie Proulx's novel, The Shipping News, undergoes a life-changing journey that clearly meets all necessary criteria set forth by Foster to be regarded as a quest.
We all are heroes of our own story, and it is a quality seen in many movies and books. The hero's journey is about progress and passage. This journey involves a separation from the unknown, known world, and a series of phases the hero must go through . Each stage of the journey must be passed successfully if the person is to become a hero. In “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, the main character Amir faces a series of trials and goes through obstacles where the concept of his childhood dies. Amir's mother passes away during his birth, and his left with the suspicion that his father blames him for her death. Amir longes for his father's attention and approval, but does not receive any affection as a son. He grows up with his Hazara best friend, Hassan. In Afghanistan culture, Hazaras are considered lower class and inferiors in society. Amir describes his friendship with Hassan saying, “then he would remind us that there was a brotherhood between people who had fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break." (20). Amir first refuses the call of action due to being afraid of the adventure ahead of him. Call to action is the very first step of the hero's journey, where the hero is disrupted and the
Throughout life you encounter a numerous amount of obstacles. These obstacles don’t define you, how you handle them does. In the book “The Running Dream” by Wendelin Van Draanen, Jessica encounters the biggest obstacle that life could throw at her. Jessica has had to learn to adjust her life from what it was. Her life is changing and she has to decide if this accident defines who she is going to be while being surrounded by the love and comfort of her family.
Carry Your Own Skis by, Lian Dolan Arthur Ashe by John McPhee, and Dreams by Langston Hughes are three of my favorite texts from the textbook this semester because of all the messages they portray. The reason why these were my favorite’s texts is because I was able to relate to them one way or another. This is very important to do in literature. Connecting to the texts can help us understand them more. This is why some texts become more popular than others. For example, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Everyone who has ever been in love can relate to this story. The feelings expressed are ones often felt by people everywhere. The more a person can relate to a story, the more important it is to them.
A physical journey occurs as a direct result of travelling from one place to another over land, sea or even space. The physical journey can occur individually or collectively, but always involves more than mere movement. Instead physical journeys are accompanied by inner growth and development, catalysed by the experiences and the decisions that impact the outcome of the journey. These journey concepts and the interrelationship between physical and emotional journeys is exemplified in the text; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, the children’s book Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers and the film Stand By Me directed by Rob Reiner.
These timeless tales relate a message that readers throughout the ages can understand and relate to. While each of these tales is not exactly alike, they do share a common core of events. Some event and or character flaw necessitates a journey of some kind, whether it is an actual physical journey or a metaphorical one. The hardships and obstacles encountered on said journey lead to spiritual growth and build character. Rarely does a person find himself unchanged once the journey is over.
The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been called many things, over the years, by critics and scholars. Along with the plethora of criticism about its’ depiction of slavery and its’ use of the word “nigger”, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered by many to be the father of all American Literature. This high praise is puzzling, considering all its’ faults coupled with its’ unsatisfying ending. However upon a deeper examination of the text itself a parallel emerges among The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the classic Greek epics. In both novels an epic journey is employed by the author to provide a moral education to the main character, as well as shaping the plot and adding meaning to the story as a whole. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the physical journey is what makes the book a classic, it not only provides a moral schooling for Huck, and it is a safe sanctuary for Huck and Jim against the ills of 18th century America.
Welty, Eudora. “A Worn Path.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 4th Compact Ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2008, pp. 95-100.
This report is in regards to the book written by Maya Angelou and titled Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now. Bantam Books a division of Random House, Inc., published the book and copyrighted it in 1994.
Van Nortwick, Thomas. Somewhere I have travelled: the hero's journey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.