ipl-logo

Journey To The Interior Margaret Atwood Analysis

328 Words2 Pages

The discovery of new things and the self-reflection that an individual must endure gives the concept of journey its true meaning. There are multiple layers of depth to a journey and everyone undertakes more than one in their lifetimes. It is a period of physical, emotional and psychological change for the individual who takes it, but more than anything, it is the process by which a person undergoes the difficult task of seeking out unknown parts of themselves. Though a journey can manifest itself in many different ways, the end result is ultimately a newfound understanding of one’s self, and wisdom gained from accepting and learning from past experiences. This can be observed through the following texts: Journey to the Interior by Margaret Atwood, The Death of the Bird by A.D Hope and third related text by some author These texts, through use of language and context, thoroughly explore how journeys are ultimately about the challenge of self-reflection. …show more content…

The poem discusses how, as one moves deeper and deeper into the human mind, it seems to branch out into many different directions, each direction as equally daunting and inscrutable as the next. Atwood also manipulates the atmosphere projected by the poem to communicate the state of the persona’s mind and the peril associated with the journey. This is evidenced by the simile “words here are as pointless as calling in a vacant wilderness”, which informs the reader that journeys can be unpleasant and unpredictable. Journey to the Interior, through the plot of the persona navigating a geographical manifestation of their mind, demonstrates how journeys are more than just tracing the dots on a map; they are also an introspective process that comes naturally in the journey of

Show More
Related

  • Book Analysis: Leading With Soul

    1183 Words  | 5 Pages

    The main character in the narrative had ceased to find meaning in his work. He undertook a spiritual journey consisting of successes and failures over a long period of time, leading him to find meaning in his work. His story provided insight into how to help others during their difficult times. First, it is important to assist the individual in identifying the reason for their struggle.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Middle Passage Rutherford's Life

    1410 Words  | 6 Pages

    Experiences Changes Lives Life is like a rollercoaster, life goes up to extreme heights, introduces fear and it can come down crashing in a matter of seconds. Life consists of many experiences and lessons. Life’s outcomes occur due to lessons learned by different experiences. In Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage Rutherford Calhoun the main character goes through a life changing experience when he runs away and steps onto the Republic, a ship where he believes will be the solution to his problems but it later turns out to be a nightmare and an absolute life changer. Life is lived in different ways and it is due to the different experiences and the different lessons learned.

    Read More

  • Chris Mccandless Transcendentalism Essay

    554 Words  | 3 Pages

    The words of many authors, poets, and songwriters can influence certain aspects of a person’s life. One may simply admire the work because of the inspiration or beauty behind the piece, but others take the words to heart and live their lives by it. A fan of many transcendentalism authors Chris McCandless wanted to live his life with the same simplicity they did. After finding the inspiration in the works of Jack London and Henry David Thoreau McCandless ventured out into a two-year-long journey to find happiness in the Alaskan Wilderness. McCandless had the bravery to follow his own dream and was willing to risk his life for true happiness.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Odyssey And The Cruelest Journey

    815 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kira Salak once said “ If a journey doesn't have something to teach you about yourself then what kind of journey is that.” Expeditions place one in very uncanny situations to test their capabilities. While being put through their ordeals they improve their competence in the areas of that require refinement. These changes help them with their ability to accomplish their initial goal that caused them to expedite and give a deeper insight into themselves. A journey has many reasons to take place but the longing for home and the conquest for the truth about oneself spearhead such expeditions,often improving the rational, physical and metaphysical makeup of a person to be more synchronized and poised, as seen in Kira Salak the author and protagonist in the “The Cruelest Journey” and in the epic poem

    Read More

  • Duckling In The Odyssey

    888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Truth of a Journey Jose Rizal, an ophthalmologist back at the end of the Spanish colonial period, stated, “He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.” If never reflecting on the journey, the goal a person is working toward will not ever be achieved, which makes the journey matter more than the destination. When reflecting on a trip a person can learn lessons to improve situations outside a journey which, can help develop traits within a person, and helping one identify and work on our weaknesses. Lessons are a constant in life, especially when traveling along a journey.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Migrant Hostel And The Pursuit Of Happyness

    1190 Words  | 5 Pages

    As we journey, both literally and vicariously, our exploration and heightened understanding of individuals and their experiences in the surrounding world allows individuals to undergo transformations and develop new perceptions, which can engender both negative and positive outcomes. Through this, our lifestyle and the paths we choose are influenced. In the texts Migrant Hostel and The Pursuit of Happyness, the concept of journey, physical and emotional, is effectively explored through a wide range of visual and literary techniques. Although the texts both encourage the consideration of journey, they differ as the Migrant Hostel portrays the understanding that not all journeys incur positive outcomes whilst the Pursuit of Happyness presents the idea of positive change through journey. Both the poem and film involve phases of disjointedness, feelings of disconnection and the concept of emotionally and physically challenging journeys.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Crossing The Mangrove

    1474 Words  | 6 Pages

    “Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be” (Buckmaster, Heath). This quote portrays how humans need to go through a process of self realization in order to change, or at least acknowledge their faults. As seen in the novel Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Condé, Francis Sancher, the protagonist, is found dead, and each supporting character recounts his/her experience with him through vignettes. As a result, Maryse Condé explores the idea that foreign and unfamiliar influences can overcome personal blindness and result in the self realization of the necessity for personal growth through the use of personification, similes, and questions within vignettes

    Read More

  • Strength In Margaret Atwood's Weaknesses

    205 Words  | 1 Pages

    Every book and everything in general has it’s weaknesses, sometimes there is a tremendous amount of weaknesses. In this book in particular the amount of weaknesses wasn’t as much as people would think. As for the first weakness, the amount of inappropriate words that were used was uncalled for. Not everyone reading wants to read about the characters fantasies on another character, in this case Ed and his fantasies with Audrey. The way Ed describes Audrey with her long legs and beautiful body is a little odd and quite creepy at times as well.

    Read More

  • Margaret Atwood's Evil Women Analysis

    777 Words  | 4 Pages

    Once her family moves to Toronto after the war to settle down, she was approximately eight years old. At that time, circumstances changes for Elaine who feels unhappy, helpless and yearns for female friends as she has no female friends yet (Vijay Singh Mehta 179). As Pavla Chudějová (34) has suggested in “Exploring the women’s experience”, Elaine become conscious of the society’s gender restrictions for the first time when she starts going to school. At school, Elaine follows the rules where she has to wear skirts to school and “the girls hold hands; the boys don’t” (CE 50-51), as well as to enter the building through the “grandiose entranceways with carvings around them and ornate insets above the doors, inscribed in curvy, solemn lettering: GIRLS and BOYS.” (CE 51) which confuses her and

    Read More

  • Traveling Through The Dark Analysis

    700 Words  | 3 Pages

    The analogy of life, along with the obstacles that one must overcome in order to advance and to succeed is portrayed through the narrator’s experience with a dead deer in “Traveling through the Dark” by William Stafford. An interpretation of the title “Traveling through the Dark” is one’s outlook of life. Ultimately, humans are incapable of being all-knowing; living day by day without the ability to predict tomorrow. The dead deer on the edge of the road symbolizes unexpectancies in life, the speaker 's ability to make a critical decision when no one is watching allows the speaker to progress in the journey of life.

    Read More

  • Self-Discovery In V For Vendetta

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    This is effectively communicated in Robert Frost’s ‘Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening’ through its use of imagery and dark sensory associations, portraying a pessimistic life of an individual. The catalyst of the reflective lake extrapolates that discovery does not need to be momentous, but merely reflective, allowing him to renew and re-engage with his own sense of reality. Furthermore this is efficaciously demonstrated in James McTeigue’s ‘V for Vendetta’ through high camera shots and low lighting to convey vulnerability and isolation. The hellish torture and the brutality of the government Evey endured behaved as a platform upon which she discovered and renewed her perception of herself and the world around her. Thus both texts are effectual in communicating that discovery and a change of perspective is made possible when we remove ourselves to a place of solace and reflection.

    Read More

  • Tornado Child Poem Analysis

    786 Words  | 4 Pages

    This poem is intriguing because of its ability to draw different ideas of the theme based on the reader’s experiences and influences. What is the intended interpretation, and what could be interpreted? Dawes writes the poem, alternating between comparing the first person mentioned to a storm with the baby leaving the mother’s womb and the experiences between the first person and external individuals. Dawes writes this poem using his own experiences and other influencing factors in his

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Epiphany In Raymond Carver's Cathedral

    860 Words  | 4 Pages

    The narrator begins to change as Robert taught him to see beyond the surface of looking. The narrator feels enlightened and opens up to a new world of vision and imagination. This brief experience has a long lasting effect on the narrator. Being able to shut out everything around us allows an individual the ability to become focused on their relationships, intrapersonal well-being, and

    Read More

  • Margaret Atwood The Edible Woman Analysis

    3192 Words  | 13 Pages

    The purpose of my paper is to scrutinize closely the concept of social satire, revealing and thereby amending the society’s blight in relation to the novel, The Edible Woman by the Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The novel is unambiguously interested in the complex body truths in the Consumerist Society. In The Edible Woman, Atwood furnish a critique of North American consumer society in the 1960s from a feminist point of view. As a feminist social satire, it takes specific bend at the way society has customised the methods of marginalizing and preventing women from having power, authority and influence.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Road Not Taken

    1777 Words  | 8 Pages

    In “The Road Not Taken” a traveler goes to the woods to find himself and make a decision based on self-reliance. The setting of the poem relays this overall message. Providing the mood of the poem, the setting of nature brings a tense feeling to “The Road Not Taken”. With yellow woods in the midst of the forest, the setting “combines a sense of wonder at the beauty of the natural world with a sense of frustration as the individual tries to find a place for himself within nature’s complexity” (“The Road Not Taken”). The setting is further evidence signifying the tense and meditative mood of the poem as well as in making choices.

    Read More

More about Journey To The Interior Margaret Atwood Analysis

Open Document