JuliaGulia07
New Member
Hi everyone, I probably won't get any feedback on this before my exam tomorrow, but I just finished an analysis on Journey to the Interior and i was hoping to get some opinions on it. I'm using it for imaginative journeys.
Journey to the interior is a representation of the complexities of one’s brain and its inconsistent series of thoughts which can be easily perceived through the structure of the poem as well as various language techniques. In this poem, Margaret Atwood presents us with an imaginative journey taking place deep into the mind the persona, by juxtaposing it against physical realms, as to portray the difficulties one can encounter while undertaking such a journey.
We notice that the first stanza is significantly longer than the others, which achieves the accurate portrayal of introspection by starting out with a calm quality of uninterrupted thoughts leading up to shorter stanzas which represent the splitting of thoughts into many forks, thus representing the rapid stream of distractions of one’s brain activity. The use of enjambment and lack of distinct punctuation patterns is a way of adapting the structure of the poem to match the persona’s perpetual string of thoughts.
There are a few references to the misperception of the senses which are portrayed through the comparison between the physical realms and the imaginative realms of one’s mind –“the hills which the eyes make flat as a wall …open as I move”. The persona feels mistrust towards her visual senses as they turn out to be different from what she had initially expected. The simile is a comparison of different encounters in life which may deceive at first sight, thus proving that nothing is ever as simple as it may seem. Another example of mixed senses can be seen through the personification of “a sentence crossing my path”.
The use of mathematical jargon in the first stanza shows that the persona is trying to rationalise or simplify the complexity of the imaginative journey –“location plotted on a square map”, but later as she explores the differences between physical and imaginative journeys, her thoughts scramble in many different directions, getting entangled in the “small details” which is reflected in the structure of the stanzas.
The allegory of the imaginative journey is portrayed through the frequent contrast between the imaginary realms and the physical realms –“the lack of reliable charts”, and through the use of physical metaphors –“there are no destinations apart from this”, as the persona is trying to come to terms with the differences between these binary realms. The beginnings of the first two stanzas are also juxtaposed –“There are similarities/There are differences” as to represent a sequence of thoughts during reflection.
“Your shoe among the brambles under the chair” represents the inconsistencies of brain activity and the daily trivial distractions the persona is faced with, which interrupt the smooth course of her introspection “lucent white mushrooms and a pairing knife on the kitchen table”, these routines causing her to constantly lose the grasp of a new concept or progress in relation to her journey, leading her to the rhetorical question of whether she has “been walking in circles again”.
The idea that “a compass is useless” means that for a compass to work there has to be a clear perspective of orientation, which can’t be achieved in the mind’s conflicting thoughts and opinions. The erratic movements of the sun represent these irregular conflicting thoughts.
We see a sudden change of tone –“Whatever I do I must keep my head” which perhaps suggests the persona has just awoken from her intermittent reveries, and having had a burst of rationality, she reminds herself that she must try her best to remain sane. The placement of this phrase towards the end of the poem is significant because it suggests that the poem is a representation of her thoughts which are possibly driving her into insanity.
The conclusion of the poem has the same collected quality as the beginning, and the lack of punctuation indicates that it won’t be the last introspection. In these last two stanzas the persona is acknowledging the dangers of her imaginative journey as is evoked by the use of imagery – “calling in a vacant wilderness”. She knows that once she is lost to this introspection – “it is easier for me to lose my way forever here, than in other landscapes”, there is no one who can penetrate her mind to save her.
Journey to the Interior
Journey to the interior is a representation of the complexities of one’s brain and its inconsistent series of thoughts which can be easily perceived through the structure of the poem as well as various language techniques. In this poem, Margaret Atwood presents us with an imaginative journey taking place deep into the mind the persona, by juxtaposing it against physical realms, as to portray the difficulties one can encounter while undertaking such a journey.
We notice that the first stanza is significantly longer than the others, which achieves the accurate portrayal of introspection by starting out with a calm quality of uninterrupted thoughts leading up to shorter stanzas which represent the splitting of thoughts into many forks, thus representing the rapid stream of distractions of one’s brain activity. The use of enjambment and lack of distinct punctuation patterns is a way of adapting the structure of the poem to match the persona’s perpetual string of thoughts.
There are a few references to the misperception of the senses which are portrayed through the comparison between the physical realms and the imaginative realms of one’s mind –“the hills which the eyes make flat as a wall …open as I move”. The persona feels mistrust towards her visual senses as they turn out to be different from what she had initially expected. The simile is a comparison of different encounters in life which may deceive at first sight, thus proving that nothing is ever as simple as it may seem. Another example of mixed senses can be seen through the personification of “a sentence crossing my path”.
The use of mathematical jargon in the first stanza shows that the persona is trying to rationalise or simplify the complexity of the imaginative journey –“location plotted on a square map”, but later as she explores the differences between physical and imaginative journeys, her thoughts scramble in many different directions, getting entangled in the “small details” which is reflected in the structure of the stanzas.
The allegory of the imaginative journey is portrayed through the frequent contrast between the imaginary realms and the physical realms –“the lack of reliable charts”, and through the use of physical metaphors –“there are no destinations apart from this”, as the persona is trying to come to terms with the differences between these binary realms. The beginnings of the first two stanzas are also juxtaposed –“There are similarities/There are differences” as to represent a sequence of thoughts during reflection.
“Your shoe among the brambles under the chair” represents the inconsistencies of brain activity and the daily trivial distractions the persona is faced with, which interrupt the smooth course of her introspection “lucent white mushrooms and a pairing knife on the kitchen table”, these routines causing her to constantly lose the grasp of a new concept or progress in relation to her journey, leading her to the rhetorical question of whether she has “been walking in circles again”.
The idea that “a compass is useless” means that for a compass to work there has to be a clear perspective of orientation, which can’t be achieved in the mind’s conflicting thoughts and opinions. The erratic movements of the sun represent these irregular conflicting thoughts.
We see a sudden change of tone –“Whatever I do I must keep my head” which perhaps suggests the persona has just awoken from her intermittent reveries, and having had a burst of rationality, she reminds herself that she must try her best to remain sane. The placement of this phrase towards the end of the poem is significant because it suggests that the poem is a representation of her thoughts which are possibly driving her into insanity.
The conclusion of the poem has the same collected quality as the beginning, and the lack of punctuation indicates that it won’t be the last introspection. In these last two stanzas the persona is acknowledging the dangers of her imaginative journey as is evoked by the use of imagery – “calling in a vacant wilderness”. She knows that once she is lost to this introspection – “it is easier for me to lose my way forever here, than in other landscapes”, there is no one who can penetrate her mind to save her.
