PRACTICE ESSAY

How has your understanding of The Journey been shaped by your study of the set text, ONE text from the Stimulus Booklet and at least ONE text of your own choosing?

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, …show more content…

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