"Journeys often lead to a greater sense of self and understanding of the world".Journeys are processes whereby travellers undergo inner growth, changes of perspective, and overcome challenges and obstacles. These changes ultimately result in the travellers gaining a greater sense of self, and a broadened understanding of the world.Aspects of physical journeys and the aforementioned changes that they initiate are reflected through a range of visual and literary techniques in Peter Skrzynecki's poems - "Crossing the Red Sea" and "Immigrants at Central Station, 1951", an extract of Kenneth Grahame's "The W ...view middle of the document...
The title of the work, "Crossing the Red Sea", suggests that the journey that the migrants are making is one of danger yet liberation - just as the Israelites made the perilous journey across the Red Sea to escape slavery, the immigrants are making their journey to leave behind their war-torn country, and to escape persecution and oppression. In "Immigrants at Central Station, 1951", vivid visual and aural imagery is used to portray the migrants' journey as one of discomfort, humiliation and uncertainty. Firstly, the paradoxical title of the work, "Memorise the Future" suggests that a journey both delves into the past - the realm of "memory", and also progresses onwards into the "future". In the extract from "The Wind in the Willows", differing perspectives of a journey are presented, and various obstacles and challenges that may present themselves throughout the course of a journey are alluded through the dialogue that takes place. The contrast between Toad and Rat's characters presents the perspectives at the initial stage of a journey, and suggests the potential for the journey to initiate change and growth, in a similar way that the migrants in Skrzynecki's poems were able to overcome the obstacles they were faced with to undergo an emotional catharsis, and Mee Ping Leung's installation that even a freeze-frame of a journey can be seen as progressing towards the future.
