My understanding of The Journey is that journeys are essentially the only way to find what one is searching for and this will eventually lead to self discovery. Journeys allow individuals to extend themselves physically, mentally or emotionally as they face challenges. This understanding of mine has been shaped by the novel Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, ‘Journey to the Interior’, a poem by Margaret Atwood and The Red Tree, a picture book by Shaun Tan.Yann Martel, Margaret Atwood and Shaun Tan use various techniques such as extended metaphors, symbolism, imagery and figurative language to show how journeys lead to self discovery and they are the only way one will find what they are searching for and also allow travellers to extend themselves in different aspects. One must go on a journey in order to way to find what one is looking for and achieve self discovery. Journeys lead to the discovery of knowledge about the world around oneself and discover answers to questions about life.
In Life of Pi, Pi learns to understand that reality is merely an interpretation of our faith. Pi’s journey of finding his faith was, in the most part, conducted whilst at sea with Richard Parker. This can be seen in Part 3 of the novel, where Pi is interviewed by officials from the Japanese ship company. “The world isn’t just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no… which is the better story? ” His tone of voice conveys maturity and general understanding of life, unlike the rest of the novel.The change in the type of language used implies that Pi has gained knowledge about his faith and how he’d rather believe his story about Richard Parker than what may be the actual truth of his physical journey at sea.
My understanding of The Journey has also been shaped by the poem, ‘Journey to the Interior’ which describes a journey as an experience in which one searches for something inside oneself and achieves self discovery. Through the use of an extended metaphor Margaret Atwood describes her inner journey as a physical one.It is possible that she is going through depression as she describes her mind as a “poor country”. Margaret Atwood does not use any rhyming pattern in her poem. This anti-technique symbolises the lack of rhythm in her journey, hence making it strenuous and often treacherous.
She talks about the dangers of taking this inner journey as she finds it easy to lose herself in her mind, “I know it is easier for me to lose my way forever here, than in other landscapes”. She has learnt that she needs to keep herself sane in order to achieve a greater sense of self and find a way out of her depression.This is how my understanding, that journeys are essential to find something within oneself and lead to the discovery of oneself, has been shaped by Margaret Atwood’s poem, ‘Journey to the Interior’. Similarly, in Shaun Tan’s picture book The Red Tree, the understanding that the discovery of what one is searching for results in a greater sense of self is conveyed convincingly. Shaun Tan uses metaphorical images, colour and symbolism to show how the little girl develops a greater sense of self by embarking on this journey.The girl’s journey begins with a very depressing tone, “Sometime the day begins with nothing to look forward to” and this is reinforced with the girl’s body language showing her head drooping down.
The symbolic presence of the leaf within every scene conveys that there is always a faint glimmer of hope and a possibility for something better to occur. The positive last frame of the book, which features a tree full of vibrant red leaves and the smiling figure of the girl, implies that the persona has found the hope that she was looking for and developed a greater sense of self.Journeys also allow individuals to extend themselves physically, mentally or emotionally as they face challenges that they come across. Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi, Pi faces the challenge of survival. Imagery and figurative language are used throughout the novel to indicate the Pi’s anguish.
“The ship sank. It made a sound like a monstrous metallic burp. Things bubbled at the surface and then vanished. Everything was screaming: the sea, the wind, my heart. ” The author uses personification to reveal the strength of the sea and the panic that Pi was feeling.Richard Parker represents the vicious side of Pi, the side that is violent but necessary for survival.
In Part 2 of the novel, Pi’s tone of voice is manipulated as Pi is forced to confront with the death of his loved ones and the foreign surroundings of the ocean. Yann Martel the relationship of Pi and Richard Parker which defies reality yet illustrates idea of humanity overcoming adversity to coexist together. “It was not a question of him or me, but him and me. We were, literally and figuratively, in the same boat.We would live – or we would die – together.
” Here, it is obvious that this journey has lead to Pi having to physically mentally and emotionally extend himself to survive in this situation. This understanding of The Journey has also been shaped by Margaret Atwood’s poem, ‘Journey to the Interior’. In the poem, Margaret Atwood has to mentally and emotionally extend herself to find a way out of her depression. There is a hint of irony in the poem as she is trying to find herself but she is too scared of what she might find on her inner journey in her head.She is faced with the difficulty of navigating herself without the use of instruments, “A compass is useless;”. Her extensive use of metaphors convey how arduous her journey is, “Mostly the travel is not the easy going from point to point, a dotted line on a map,”.
She also talks about the anguish of this journey and how not everyone is able to get out of their depression, “many have been here, but only some have returned safely. ” This conveys that many other people take journeys into their own minds and often lose themselves in the fear of finding something they do not want to.This is how Margaret Atwood’s poem shaped my understanding that journeys allow travellers to mentally and emotionally extend themselves. Correspondingly, the picture book, The Red Tree, has also helped to shape my understanding of The Journey. In this picture book, the little girl has to mentally and emotionally extend herself to get through the day.
Shaun Tan’s depiction of the girl as a small, lone figure is highly juxtaposed to the large environment she exists within, emphasising the overwhelming and isolating aspects involved within the journey. This is portrayed within the frame featuring the gigantic fish.The large fish, symbolising the girl’s sadness and despair, looms over the small girl and the accompanying text to the frame – “darkness overcomes you” with the word “darkness” being larger in size reflects the persona’s depressed state. Shaun Tan’s constant use of bleak monochrome colours, such as grey and black throughout the book convey a sense of emptiness and further emphasise the emotional state of the persona and the overwhelming and difficult nature of the journey.
Shaun Tan’s picture book, The Red Tree convincingly conveys how journeys allow individuals to mentally and emotionally extend themselves.Therefore, my understanding of The Journey is that journeys are essentially the only way to find what one is searching for and this will eventually lead to self discovery. Journeys allow individuals to extend themselves physically, mentally or emotionally as they face challenges. This understanding of mine has been shaped by the novel Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, ‘Journey to the Interior’, a poem by Margaret Atwood and The Red Tree, a picture book by Shaun Tan.
Yann Martel’s use of metaphors, tone of voice, imagery and figurative language helps to convey this understanding of The Journey.Margaret Atwood uses symbolism, anti-technique and extended metaphor to communicate the idea that journeys lead to self discovery and are often arduous. Likewise, Shaun Tan also uses various techniques such as symbolism, use of colour and juxtaposition to express the understanding that one must go on a journey to find what one is searching for and achieve self discovery. Therefore, I understand that journeys are essentially the only way to find what one is searching for and they will eventually lead to self discovery, and journeys also allow individuals to extend themselves physically, mentally or emotionally as they face challenges.
