Journeys Stimulus Booklet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Journeys Stimulus Booklet is studied in through the compulsory HSC English Course in New South Wales, Australia. English is compulsory for the award of the Higher School Certificate at the end of secondary schooling. Marks gained in English must also be included in the calculation of the University Admission Index used to determine entry to university. Students must study one of the following courses:

• English (Advanced)
• English (Standard)
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• English (Life Skills)

The theme of Journeys is studied through the "Journeys Stimulus Booklet" provided by the NSW Board of Studies as well as through one other prescribed text.

Texts included in the Journeys Stimulus Booklet are

• The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
• The Ivory Trail (visual text) by Victor Kelleher
• The Wind in the Willows extract by Kenneth Grahame
• Journey to the Interior by Margaret Atwood
• Blood on the Tracks by Renay Walker
• Journeys over Land and Sea extract from Smitsonian Libraries website
• "The Town Where Time Stands Still" extract by Shirley Geok-lin Lim

The Journeys Stimulus booklet contains seven texts which can be analysed with respect to Physical Journeys, Inner Journeys or Imaginative Journeys. The critical points of these seven texts are outlined below, with respect to Physical Journeys

Contents 1 "The Road Not Taken" 2 "The Ivory Trail" 3 "The Wind in the Willows" 4 "Journey to the Interior" 5 "Blood on the Tracks" 6 "Journeys over Land and Sea" 7 "The Town Where Time Stands Still" 8 References

[edit] "The Road Not Taken"

poem by Robert Frost

The poem "The Road not Taken" by Robert Frost from the journeys stimulus booklet utilises an extended metaphor of the physical journey to explore ideas made about choices and their consequences in life. The Poem starts with the persona standing literally at a crossroad which metaphorically represents the choice that will affect the rest of his life.

The journey may place contradicting time constraints on the traveller, causing them to make life-long decisions in a short period of time. Time is represented in the opening line of the poem with the wood being described as a "yellow wood" (Autumn time). This would suggest that time is running out for the persona, although this idea is contradicted in the third stanza where the time setting is "that morning" suggesting that there is still far to travel. The persona must not sit and ponder the decision for too long, nor must it be too hasty, as the decision may have long lasting ramifications.

The journey may not reveal much about the future, so the traveller is left to simply guess which is the better path to take. The persona critically evaluates the merits of each road, by looking down the road until it bent in the undergrowth. While it is speculated that the first road may have "perhaps the better claim" in the final line of the second stanza it is admitted that the roads had worn "really about the same".

While the journey presents opportunities to the traveller, the choice of one, may simultaneously render something inaccessible, such as in 'blood on the tracks'. The persona made the decision to travel down the second of the two roads and "kept the first for another day", but it is soon revealed that the persona "knowing how way leads on way" "doubted if I should ever come back". His regret at this truth of physical journeys is expressed through the use of the sigh in "Oh, I kept the first for another day" and "sorry I could not travel both"

Throughout a journey where many choices must be made, future satisfaction may be achieved individually. In the final stanza Frost predicts the satisfaction of the persona "ages and ages hence" as they look back on the decision made that day. The persona chose to take "the road less travelled", and it was this non-conformity "that has made all the difference".

[edit] "The Ivory Trail"

book cover from the novel "The Ivory Trail" by Victor Kelleher

The book cover for “The Ivory Trail” contained in the 'Journeys' stimulus booklet uses a montage of images to convey a message about journeys, and specifically the journeys contained in the novel.

The Journeys may be dramatic and dangerous such as that alluded to in the front cover of “The Ivory Trail”. This is achieved through the orange/red colour wash which seems to come from the setting sun in the background and reminds the responder of heat and fire. The danger of the journey is alluded to through the use of the setting sun showing the imminence of nightfall and the dangers related to this.

The Journeys in this text could explore unknown and mysterious places. This is hinted at by the montage of exotic images that makes up the background of the book cover. The sphinx, which is a key image in the montage is the stereotypical image of past mystery, this alludes to the fact that the book explores places unfamiliar to the targeted western audience. This suggests that the journeys pertained to are mysterious in nature themselves.

The eyes in the bottom left corner of the cover seem wide in fear or wonder, precisely what at is not clear adding to the mysterious nature of the cover.

The Journey may also have spiritual aspects, as the images of the temples in the background would suggest. In this case they are especially relating to eastern religions and death, as setting sun represents.

Physical journeys may be carried on through the generations, and never explicately ending. The quote “Not all journeys have an ending” located in the top right corner at either the beginning or end of the responders reading path reveals more about the nature of journeys pertained to in the cover. The underlying assumption with any journey, physical especially, is that there will be a terminus at some point, even if this is at the point of death of the traveller. This quote challenges the underlying assumption that a journey must end, and suggests that some journeys may be carried on through generations.

[edit] "The Wind in the Willows"

Extract from "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame

The Extract from “The Wind In The Willows” by Kenneth Grahame in the Journeys stimulus booklet uses satirical characters to explore different individuals views on the Physical Journey.

A journey is not perceived the same way by different individuals. This is portrayed in the first paragraph with the individuals different reactions to the caravan portrayed here. The underlying assumption of physical journeys is that everyone who is given the opportunity to travel will take it. The Character of Toad seems to re-affirm this assumption with his endless enthusiasm. This is seen through the use of exclamation marks in his speech “Travel, change, interest, excitement!” and “the rolling downs!”. The character of Rat, however, challenges this assumption. Rat does not feel compelled to leave his “dull, fusty old river” and will not even try to make it sound better than it is.

Many good things can come out of the physical journey. Toad realises that the Journey into the “whole world” would be personally beneficial, this is summarised when he tells Rat that he’ll “make an animal out of you”. The anthropomorphism in this phrase is used to make a pun out of the common phrase “I’ll make a man out of you” to add to the gentle humour of the extract.

The extract also shows that to journey is to step out of the known into the unknown. For rat the journey out of the familiar into the unfamiliar presents huge possibilities for disaster. Toad, however finds this aspect of journeying exciting.

Journeys often need to be planned in detail so that the imminent disaster that rat sees can be avoided. Toad shows that he has taken on the initiative to have “Planned ‘em all my self, I did!”. The lockers have also been stocked so that “nothing whatever has been forgotten”. Ironically all that Toad has planned is only aimed at keeping himself in comfort as he travels, which partially defeats the purpose of going at all.

[edit] "Journey to the Interior"

poem by Margaret Atwood

The Poem “Journey to The Interior” by Margaret Atwood from the Journeys Stimulus booklet represents a stream of consciousness travelling through the persona’s mind. Through this stream of consciousness the persona explores the nature of a metaphysical journey using physical journey metaphors.

The persona’s perception of the metaphorical physical journey ahead changes throughout the poem. At first the hills are impassible being “welded together”, but as the persona journeys they “open…to let me through”. This change shows that the persona is learning as they travel.

The metaphorical physical journey contains many distractions which draw the persona away from nearing the final destination. The “small details” which are distracting the persona give hints as to the nature of the journey being undertaken which is being described metaphorically as a physical journey. “your shoe…under the chair where it shouldn’t be” conveys the notion that the journey is literally an inner journey where a disruption in the stream of thought would bring the journey to a halt. The idea of the physical journey is still kept here when the shoe is described as being “among the brambles”.

There are many obstacles that the persona must overcome to continue in their metaphorical journey. The recurring image of trees and brambles represent the obstacles. In the first stanza, the persona is "Surrounded by a tangle of branches" then in the second “Your shoe…under the chair” is described as being “among the brambles”. Likewise “A sentence crossing my path” is described as being as “sodden as a fallen log”. In this way the everyday household items which are literally hindering the progress of the inner journey, metaphorically become the objects which hinder a physical journey.

The physical journey may be dangerous if care is not taken. The final line of the poem outlines the dangers of the Inner journey using metaphorical physical journeys images. The persona must "keep my head" as it is "easier...to lose my way forever here, than in other landscapes".

[edit] "Blood on the Tracks"

extract from film review by Renay Walker

The extract from “Blood on the Tracks”-a film review by Renay Walker for the movie “Beneath Clouds” shows much about how the journey can be used to convey meaning; especially in films.

The Journey is a popular and diverse metaphor that can, and has been used across a range of films. Walker opens the review by simply stating “The road metaphor is significant in many ways”. The journey or “Road” is significant because of it ability to convey a wide varieties of meanings in films.

The journey is a concept that all understand. The culture or background of an individual are irrelevant in journeys, as it is a theme common to all mankind. This ability of a journey, to cut "across the divide between nature and culture” enables it to portray absolute meaning, something that will be interpreted the same by a wide variety of people.

The journey may be used in a wide variety of films. The list of films that make use of the journey metaphor shows the wide variety of texts (esp. films) that make use of the journey. Texts such as “Homers Odyssey” and “Where Eskimos Live” are listed to emphasise this diversity and show that the journey has created its own, diverse, genre, “that of the Road Movie”

More specifically, even an apparently simple journey can explore complex ideas about character. The specific review of the film “Beneath clouds” starts in the third and final paragraph of the extract after Walker has put forward their ideas about the journey. Although Walker believes the film “hardly ground breaking” in concept, it has a distinct place in “Australian cinema” because of its deeper meanings achieved through the use of the journey and declares that “there is nothing really straight forward about moving on a road”.

[edit] "Journeys over Land and Sea"

Extract from Smitsonian Libraries website

“Journeys over Land and Sea” an extract from the Smithsonian website explores the concept of journeys and its effects on our understanding of the world.

The quest for knowledge beyond ones own boundaries is a feeling common to all people from all times. The author notes how “In every age” man has tried to “push beyond their own boundaries” in order to gain an understanding of what lies beyond it. The journeys undertaken reflect mans ceaseless curiosity at the unknown. The author also notes how one voyager’s tales of discovery may inspire others to “pursue the unknown farther from home”, thus starting an endless cycle of the pursuit of discovery through the physical journey.

Journeys bring about discovery and change and help contribute to an ever expanding understanding of the world, even if this was not the original intention of the traveller. While the “Great Voyages of Exploration” undertaken were “primarily to expand…territories”, these were not the only outcomes of the journey. Despite their intentions “Scientific and Artistic discoveries abounded” as new things were discovered and new ways of looking at things were explored. These discoveries eventually brought a different kind of voyage, where “expeditions solely for scientific and commercial purposes” were undertaken.

The earliest voyages were often filled with fear as the travellers ventured out into the unknown. The Graphic on the top left shows an ancient perception of what lay beyond the boundaries. In this picture a large sea monster appears to be attacking a ship. The Monster, the dominant feature of the graphic, belittles the ship which is only a secondary in the image. This small size of the ship in this graphic emphasises the size of the monster and the vulnerability of the ship.

Journeys may not be physical, but can an imagined physical journey. The second graphic portrays a man utilising the four elements –earth, wind water and fire to reach into the heavens. The sun, and moon, which are given human faces are looking on. Their presence also hints that the journey that this imagined figure is embarking upon may be beyond this world. This picture represents the composers view of travel in the future.

[edit] "The Town Where Time Stands Still"

Extract from "The Town Where Time Stands Still" by Shirley Geok-lin Lim

The extract from the book “The Town where Time Stands Still” examines many of the motives behind physical journey, both conscious and unconscious.

While journeys may appear to be undertaken for simple reasons, there are often deeper, more subtle reasons. The “baser motives” of the journey are what appears to draw the traveller to the journey at the outset. These baser motives are described as things like “profit and pleasure”. However, the text argues that no matter how legitimate these ideas seem, the main cause is a “subtler and sometimes even unconscious, compulsion”. It is this search for the “genii loci”-which roughly translated is the places where genius’ are-that is the true reason for travel. It is this search for a deeper understanding, or a higher level of thinking that compels the traveller. This extract uses a paradoxical image of an “unconscious, compulsion” to help describe the complexities of human motives. It implies that the reasons behind travel are difficult, even near impossible to understand.

In their pure form, Physical Journeys are the pursuit of inner change rather than just an external [geographical] change. The text argues, using a structural link back to the “baser motives” of sentence one, that the “purer realm of travel, which has nothing to do with vacations” is what we should all desire. It is this change in “external geography” that is said to cause the more important change in the “internal psychology”. This change takes place “like an irresistible force” and it is what enables the traveller to return home “blessed and altered”. It is the physical journey that enables the travellers thinking to be changed.

[edit] References

"Area of Study: The Journey"-Cambridge University Press 2003

"Top Notes-Journeys: Stimulus Booklet"-Five Senses Education PTY LTD 2003