A Journey is More than a Movement from One Place to Another

Journeys are a valuable thing. Without journeys every single person in this world would not know what they know today, they would not be here today and without journeys the world would not be as we know it. A thorough study of the text ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare, the painting ‘Entre le trous de la Memoire’ by Domenique Appia and the song Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, reveals that a journey is much more then just a movement from one place to another. There are three types of journeys, imaginative, physical and inner. An imaginative journey is one in which the individual doesn’t in fact have to go anywhere in the physical sense. The journey is replaced by an expedition that is fuelled by the human capacity to imagine. Imaginative journeys create endless possibilities. They can offer an escape from the realities of life, and are frequently used to comment on social or human traits and characteristics. The three studied texts are each great example of the three different types of journeys.

The play ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare’s is a great example of inner and imaginative journeys. Shakespeare’s characters embark on their own inner journeys. All of which are initiated and controlled by Prospero’s vision. It is clear that most of the action and character development is carried out according to Shakespeare’s character Prospero’s decisions. He is the grand conductor, and leads the other characters through development experiences. At the beginning of the play Prospero conjures the tempest, aligning the characters and creating the accidents, plans, fate and fortune that take place. Once on the island Prospero manages every move and thought of all of the characters. With the help of Ari...

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...ting imaginative and physical journey that a person has gone through whilst under the influence of drugs. This is suggested by the chorus as the first letters of the words Lucy Sky and Diamonds, create the symbol for the drug LSD. Lennon and McCartney’s use of second person in context with reality and fantasy, successfully takes the listener on an imaginative journey, while also conveying the physical journey partaken by drug user.

‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare, Entre les trous de la Memoire’ by Domenique Appia and ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ by John Lennon and Paul McCartney are all representative of the three different types of journeys, imaginative, physical and inner. These three texts have influenced the way I look at and understand journeys and have expanded my knowledge of journeys and what I believe to be the value of journeys.