AOF Section 3 Essay (1 Viewer)

[SnkinLikeAStone]

‘Journeys Lead To Greater Understanding’​

Discuss​

Journey’s lead to a greater understanding of life and the world we live in. Journeys allow us to experience the world in different ways, which leads to a greater understanding of life. Everyone gains some sort of knowledge from each journey they take part in. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s ‘This Lime Tree Bower, My Prison’ and ‘Kubla Khan’ as well as Margaret Atwood’s ‘Journey To The Interior’ and The Pagemaster directed by Joe Johnston and Maurice Hunt demonstrate through use of language how journey’s lead to greater understanding.

Coleridge, in ‘This Lime Tree Bower, My Prison’ goes exploring on an imaginary journey, which reflects a physical journey that he was unable to experience due to an injury he endured. This journey that Coleridge undertakes helps him to appreciate what we have in the world and gives greater understanding to ones place in nature. He uses a paradox in the title to show how he refers to the Lime-Tree as a prison yet it is seen as something beautiful in nature, this view sets the ironic mood as the imprisonment of the bower also helps to liberate his imagination. Each stanza in the poem is used to create stepping-stones throughout the journey as each stanza represents a different stage in the journey as the mood builds up to change throughout the poem. In the line, “Well, they are gone, and here I must remain”, Coleridge demonstrates exaggerated despair, feeling sorry for himself and the fact he couldn’t join his friends for their walk. This quote also demonstrates how his imaginary journey is one of growth as the language used escalades from monosyllabic words to more refined language. Here, the concept of greater understanding can be seen when Coleridge shows he learns to make the most of the situation and stop looking so down on himself. He learns that whilst his friends are having a journey he also can experience a different kind of journey without even physically going anywhere.

The language in ‘Kubla Khan’ gives an understanding of what it means to be creative as the poem is based on ‘a paradise of imagination’. Coleridge speaks of a pleasure dome that represents harmony, safety and beauty and continues to use imagery to describe the scenery and certain elements of the landscape. The journey that Coleridge is describing and creating for the audience is one to try and regain his former glory by using the metaphor of Kubla Khan as he is referred to ‘the greatest man ever lived.’

Margaret Atwood’s ‘Journey To The Interior’ represents the exploration of one’s self to gain a better understanding on where her life is heading and where her past experiences have brought her. Atwood begins by describing the physical terrain of a landscape and as the poem develops it’s visible the landscape is a metaphor for the psychological exploration of the self. The first line, ‘There are similarities’, clarifies the landscape as the extended metaphor and included a repetition of clauses beginning with ‘that’. Atwood identifies the reluctance to explore and uses imagery to represent it. ‘I move surrounded by a tangle of branches, a net of air and alternate light and dark, at all times’. The branches representing not only reluctance to explore, but one’s fears and limitations of our consciousness without being able to break away from it. Atwood ruins any thoughts that may be had of self-discovery with her self-mocking tone in the aside “(have I been walking in circles?)” With this her journey is shown it may lead to a greater understanding of herself, yet not a discovery of herself as she has also claimed it is almost impossible to know exactly who you are as we are constantly being shaped in different contexts that arise in life. The end of the poem consciously states Atwood knows it would be easy to lose her way in this landscape and enforces the need to keep her head. These techniques used by Atwood demonstrate how her journey leads to a greater understanding of herself. She knows what she must not do and talks of her life in a metaphorical manner.

In Joe Johnston’s ‘The Pagemaster’ explores the imaginative journey of a young boy who discovers her has more courage than he realises. Along his journey he gains friends who represent characteristics of him that he doesn’t yet know about and learns to discover about himself. There is imagery in the film that represents the journey ahead. There is one scene where the boy and his characters of imagination are looking towards a mountain with and ‘exit’sign above it. The scene shows the difficult journey that lies ahead of him. A number of events that occur force Richard to show certain qualities of bravery. Allusion in the film appear quite frequently as some of them are apart of the journey and obstacles Richard must face. The novel ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ by Jules Verne is opened to reveal a huge squid; this forces Richard to climb a ladder despite his fear of heights. This adventure forces Richard to face his fears in order to gain a better perspective on life.

Each of these texts demonstates how journey’s lead to greater understanding. Journey’s lead to a greater understanding of life, the world we live in and how we live in it. Journey’s can better your knowledge of yourself and help to embrace who you are through experiences along the way. They can help you to explore your imagination and further your understanding of life in general.


I understand that it's not very complex, but your comments would be much appreciated!! Also if you have any other info on Kubla Khan that would be a great help. Thanks.

 

[Monkeylord]

As a rule in terms of length it is better to write more on the main text and other related text and less on the stimulus booklet text. The markers are going to read hundreds of different analysis of journey to the interior, so it's not worth spending too much effot on it. The other related material however will most likely unique and therefore you can show the marker something new.