Journeys often involve choices being made when individuals encounter challenges.
A journey is an experience that every individual undergoes from the day they are born. A journey comes in a physical, inner and imaginative form, all of which lead a protagonist to new sights, cultures and perspectives. As the life of the protagonist changes, it leads them to making decisions which will ultimately alter their way of viewing themselves and the world around them.In the texts “The Colour Purple”, by Alice Walker and “The Road Not Taken”, by Robert Frost, the protagonists are forced to make significant choices which will feature as a catalyst to the change within themselves, and their perspectives of the surrounding world. The Color Purple explores the concept of Journeys through a protagonist, Celie. She is a poor, uneducated black woman who undergoes many hardships.
“He start to choke me, saying you better shut up and git used to it.But I don’t never git used to it. And now I feels sick every time I be the one to cook – page 3” The use of a high modality language ‘you better shut up’ is to reinforce and highlight limited freedom. This portrays that life is not always smooth-sailing and there are always obstacles and challenges in life that we must stumble upon.
The quote, “But I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive,” demonstrates Celie’s choice in life and her struggles for self-determination.In the Color Purple, the concept of journey can also be seen through the character, Sofia. She is a mentally and physically strong woman who encounters the challenge of survival in jail as a consequence to fighting with white-men. “When I see Sofia I don’t know why she still alive. They crack her skull, they crack her ribs.
They tear her nose loose on one side. They blind her in one eye. She swole from head to foot. Her tongue the size of my arm, it stick out tween her teef like a piece of rubber.
She can’t talk.And she just about the color of a eggplant – page 77” The use of various techniques such as a simile and a metaphor to describe her consequence was to work on our senses, strengthening the subject matter of the text, for example the challenge that Sofia had to face. This reflects on the choices we make in life as it can affect an individual’s journey. Firstly, the character, Celie from the novel “The Color Purple” can be compared to the persona in the poem the Road Not Taken as they both had to make a decision. At the end of the novel, Celie decides to stand up for herself “You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong, I say.It’s time to leave you and enter into Creation.
And your dead body just the welcome mat I need – page 170” This quote illustrates that you need to take risks in life to overcome the obstacles being faced. Similarly, the persona must take a risk according to the paths they will choose. “Two roads diverged – Stanza 1, Line 1” The poet shows the difficulty of the decision, through the quotes “just as fair – Stanza 2, Line 1”. The simile highlights the time spent in indecision. By saying “sorry – Stanza 1, Line 2” It indicates that a risk has been taken.
This demonstrates that journeys often involve decisions when an individual encounters a challenge. Secondly, in the Color Purple Celie has faced a positive ending. This reflects upon the significance of change and choices overcoming a challenge. “But I don’t think us feel old as all.
And us so happy. Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt – Page 244” This quote reveals that even though you think the journey has ended there with a positive conclusion, the quote ‘the youngest us ever felt’ portrays a deep meaning that the journey has only just began.This can be referred to the persona in the poem The Road Not Taken as by taking the least trodden path, the hint is that the experience will be broader in scope and opportunity. “And that has made all the difference – Stanza 4, Line 5” This symbolizes the essential principles of the way the persona has lived. This determines that journeys involve choices when individuals encounter challenges. Thirdly, choices being made are not always the right ones you choose.
In this case, the character Sofia, a physically and mentally strong woman in the Color Purple went to prison all her life. I already had bad luck; I had enough to keep me laughing the rest of my life – Page 171” This suggests a sense of regret as the path she has taken was not the one it turned out to be. In comparison to the poem ‘The Road Not Taken” the persona speaks about his experience and regrets the choices he made “I shall be telling this with a sigh – Stanza 4, Line 1” The use of the word ‘sigh’ is a powerful expression as it denotes colloquial language. The uses of this make the audience feels included and understand what phase; they are going through.This tells us that which ever path you took you can never go back to it as it is the past.
On the contrary, from the novel The Color Purple, Celie had more than one journey – a journey to survive, a journey to cook and clean. This differs to The Road Not Taken as the persona undertook one journey. “I took the one less travelled by – Stanza 4, Line 4” In conclusion, journeys often involve choices being made when individuals encounter challenges as individuals overcome more than one pathway.In conclusion, through the texts “The Colour Purple” and “The Road Not Taken”, it is clear that on a Journey new obstacles and challenges will arise and this will lead to choices having to be made to overcome them, and this can ultimately alter the way an individual thinks, and sees the world. (You need a stronger conclusion, sum up all your points, and refer back to the original thesis statement. Leave the reader of your essay with a powerful conclusion that concludes everything.
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