Snow Falling On Cedars And David Guterson Shire's Poem Home

Journeys are acts of travelling from one place to another, though inner journeys are journeys of the mind ultimately exploring the self and spirit with an objective of improving one’s self. Such journeys arise from the decisions an individual makes of the circumstances in which they are encountered with, it has the power to heal and strengthen the self with the knowledge attained within the duration of that journey. Through a variety of literary and poetic techniques, both David Guterson’s book ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ and Warson Shire’s poem ‘Home’ clearly explores these ideas. These journeys are portrayed through several characters encountering new and baffling situations, and the overcoming of their dilemmas.
Determining whether the journey

While in a war zone Ishmael overcomes a conflicting decision of whether to save his own life or to help another soldier out, “He was not going to run down the beach again to drag a wounded man to safety… He could not even offer Eric Bledsoe a bandage, much less save his life.” The high modality in this scene reveals the decision he came to with difficulty and portrays his helplessness when talking about how little he could help the wounded man. Regardless of this morally wrong decision being made under immense pressure, it still shapes him to become stronger during his presence in the war. Additionally, Ishmael held a vital piece of evidence that would save Kabuo’s life and prove him innocent although that would mean his opportunity with Hatsue will vanish, it takes some self-convincing and deep thoughts for him to subsequently transfer this information, “He reached into his pocket and unfolded the notes Philip Milholland had written on September 16, and Ishamel explained what the shorthand meant and why he had come at ten-thirty in the night to speak to

Similarly to ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’, Warson Shire’s, ‘Home’ reveals the struggles of undergoing an inner journey. With the use of repetition in his poem, Shire is able to emphasize on what would be important to anyone and the value of it. “Home,” is being repeated to prompt the idea of what was lost to these refugees and the price they had to pay. The poem mentions, “Home is the mouth of a shark,” the personification of their home reveals the danger their own safe haven holds, vivid imagery in the poem assists to create an understanding of refugees being forced out of their own comfort. “No one skin would be tough enough…. I don’t know what I’ve become but I know that anywhere is safer than here.” With this line, Warson apprises the dilemmas refugees go through as a result of being forced out of their mundane and adequate life. Through the use of assonance in ‘no one skin would be tough enough’ the poet manages to intrigue the reader and remind them of the catastrophes that shape refugees forcefully. The poem describes the various obstacles refugees have to overcome to reach a point of somewhat comfort with their now destroyed lives, moreover this journey was not beneficial for their inner self but strengthened their inner self which help cope with the hardships thrown at them