Journeys
Essay Preview: Journeys
Report this essay
Ursula K Le Guin stated; It is good to have an end to journey towards but its the journey that matters in the end. This statement reflects the attitudes of composers of texts such as Shakespeares The Tempest, Geok Lin Lims extract from The Town Where Time Stands Still and Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland. These texts examine the imaginative journey in depth and highlight the journeying process and its necessity to achieving a result of any kind.
Shakespeares fantastical play The Tempest illuminates the journeying process of speculation and imagination in a similar way to Carrolls Alice in Wonderland. Shakespeare and Carroll both use the device of the suspension of disbelief; Shakespeare separates the imaginary from reality with the island used as a tool of the imaginary while the mainland is the reality, similarly Alice in Wonderland has dreaming as to awake as imaginary is to reality.
Clumsy – change to:
While in Alice in Wonderland, the state of being awake is reality in the context of a wonderlandworld and the state of dreaming is imaginative – something like this.The technique of the suspension of disbelief is vital to the imaginative journey process as it assists the audience to identify with the text. The use of this device in these texts illustrates the significance of the process involved in the journey of the imagination.
The imaginative journey could be described as the exploration of the fictional or possible but not as yet existing circumstance, that can, however, be created though the manipulation of the subconscious mind. Lin Lim and Shakespeares texts both demonstrate the importance of the journey in attaining our destination. Lin Lims lines, written in the passive voice tosuggest a destination over which we have little control perhaps- “return to the place from which you came blessed and altered” encompasses the paradigm that suggests that without the journey one would never be blessed and altered. To usurp the journey would result in a modified destination and affect the outcome. Shakespeares character of Prospero is a depiction of the journeys effect on the destination. Prospero, in The Tempest, embarks on a journey, unintentionally, of maturation. As Lin Lim outlines, Prosperos maturation is a result of a journey in which he grows and is altered and blessed. Prospero, in the opening scene of The Tempest creates a storm, a theatrical coup, in which he shipwrecks those which he seeks revenge against. This tempest is a device which Shakespeare uses to illustrate Prosperos deceptive nature and evil intent as well as his power and perceived ability to control the events around him. This is in contrast to the fact that regardless of Prosperos magic, he ultimately cannot control his journey and its destination. Act 5 Scene 1 shows Prospero at the conclusion of this vengeful journey in which he says he forgive thee to brother Antonio for his wrong doing, and this contrast with his original plan, illuminating his paradigm shift, and demonstrating the importance of the process in regards to the destination, in that one cannot determine a journeys destination without the onset of a journey. Often the journey itself will alter the intended destination and thus the focus should not be too heavily placed on the destination as the journey can and often will be more productive and worthwhile than the original intended destination.
You need to link this clearly with textual evidence so say: This is seen in Prosperos forgiveness of his brother which ultimately profited him more than revenge ever could, also if Prosperos magic could truly control the journey than the destination would have produced the intended less fruitful outcome.
It is, in fact, important not to focus too intently on the destination as it is precarious and dependent
on the journey and the outcomes it produces. The unpredictable nature of the journey can and will often alter the destination and one cannot estimate where the alterations will ultimately lead. This element of the unseen and unpredictable provides a post-modern responder with the element of speculative journey into the underlying assumptions that can be made such as that Shakespeare thrives on the element of the unknown mystery and excitement involved with the journey of self.
Again – link this with clear textual evidence- you could refer to the magic, the masque, the disappearing banquet- all adding to the element of mystery and unpredicatability- This speculation, too, may be derived from the changed course of Prosperos journey “bountiful fortunehath mine, enemies brought to this shore”- where he originally sought vengeance, to “the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance” forgiveness instead. This concept of being changed is similar to Lin Lim humans hope to be moved rather than to move this quote shows the baser motives for a journey and demonstrates the belief that its not the place one arrives at, but its the process that you learn from and are changed by that matters,