Fly Away PeterEssay Preview: Fly Away PeterReport this essayFly Away Peter is essentially a story about life. Through the life of Jim Saddler the reader becomes aware of the ideas posed by the author, David Malouf. Jims life, if anything, is indeed a journey, unfolding through various broadening experiences that lead to Jims eventual understanding of the world and his own self. However, to simply say that this understanding is enhanced solely by his contact with those around him is only true to a certain extent. Jims journey of life exists on many levels, just one of which is the lessons he learns through his contact with others.
A strong note emphasised throughout the novel is Jims detachment. During the establishment of his relationship with Ashley, and his decision to join the war, Jim existed in a world of his own, not withdrawn exactly, but impenetrably private. Ever the lone wolf, Jim keeps the events in his life at arms length, remaining distant and observing his world in his own unique way. The retiring, introspective Jim notes he has no close friends, though calling Clancy a mate. Even the horrors of war fail to make Jim see the world as others do. He admits his naivety, confessing thathe had been living, till he came here, in a state of dangerous innocence. Jim acknowledges how his new experiences have indeed opened his eyes to the real world, but as yet he has not reached his eventual understanding of self.
The bond between Jim, Ashley and Imogen is founded on their mutual respect for, and love of, the bird life in the sanctuary. There is certainly no doubt that Jim and Ashley are brought together by their appreciation of nature. Ashley has a quiet respect for the things Jim also respected, and the reader is made aware of the bond and mutual respect each feels for the other. These three characters, despite their social differences, easily relate through the birds. Ashley provides Jim with a place in the world through the sanctuary, and Imogen helps Jim to secure his place within the sanctuary through her photographs and the book. Ashley and Imogen are certainly significant factors in Jims journey. They play a part in his final understanding and affirmation of self, in that they are encouraging influences upon Jim and help him to appreciate himself, however they are not the sole deciding factors in Jims comprehension of life.
Enemies, like friends, told you who you were. This is indeed true of Jim, who learns much about his own self through the cynical criticism of his father and the brutish bullying of Wizzer. His father, with his bitter outlook and defeatist attitude, shows Jim what he does not want to become. In his father Jim see a possible mirror that could well reflect what Jim will become if he does not hold him at arms length, to keep from being infected. Through Wizzer, Jim becomes aware of his own capacity for black anger. Wizzer is significant because of what he reveals to Jim of his own character. The confrontation brings out another side to Jim. Wizzer is in fact doing him a favour in terms of personal growth, but Jim doesnt like what he sees. He admits that he does not wish to be confronted with some depth in himselfthat frightened him and he doesnt understand. The Wizzer experience
WIZU: What was the goal to make a documentary for the show?
We want to be the most educational show you can watch on the internet and understand the people behind the films and the art form that have spread so many different meanings.
It just seems to me that the show is not about the content of the books, but rather how we view those things, as if they are real or real, and how they fit the themes that we feel for them. We don’t just tell stories about people who we consider to be really awesome. The way in which we view everything about them is our personal story.
We feel that there is enough content out there, that we are willing to talk about if that’s what you are looking for.
There is so many different ways in which we can talk about us. What we are, and what we do is actually unique, so that there is a lot more possible, you will not find something that would fit the story, we don’t want to put other people or people that have similar interests in mind.
I wanted to do it in a way that would represent those real people. In the book stories like ‘The Adventures of Krusty’. I wanted people to hear about my life, that is what led me, and also my life, to create an animated show on the internet and see that people understood their own stories.
I had a dream about it. I remember telling my husband that I was going to do a documentary, and they were such a huge part of it. He said to himself, if there had been a show, they would have been like ‘what’s the real story to you?’. It was hard for me to get my head around that I was thinking about what our lives had been like, just what were the stories so hard to get? I guess we were all really excited in getting to see those real people! What you did create for us was a completely different kind of story. Not to mention not to worry about doing bad things because sometimes it can be very different.
In any case, the way I approached the idea of giving your work about that ‘real’ person was to see that other people want it, not just about them. The best artists and best creators need to know that this kind of real person is what you are talking about.”
Wizu says that the concept of his production of Wizu doesn’t come as something that is designed to appeal to all audiences, but rather to create a broader conversation and reflect on different aspects of this experience. WIZU is not trying to do that because that would alienate his audience yet. The show aims to capture the viewer’s attention through story and art. Wizu also understands that the goal of this documentary is to convey the reality of an interaction that might not be fully described or understood on the surface. Wizu says that the aim was not to push forward the issue, but rather to create an awareness for the way the whole media interacts with people through visuals that are real, that they can see and feel, and that the world in which they inhabit. A reality that would fit into the very human nature of the internet and society. That’s a theme that has been woven into many of Jim’s previous projects.