The prose provides a thought-provoking insight into the process of discovering existential meaning for the first time. The two dimensions in the prose revealed the multifarious nature of discovery that can be intensely meaningful in ways that may be physical and intellectual. Literally it is a physical discovery arises from the exploration of the Canadian interior, emphasising the obstacles and impediments involved, applied especially to the unfamiliar ones. While the physical discovery of the untamed terrain is utilised as a metaphor of the intellectual discovery with wider spectrum of searching existential meaning, which can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves. Hence the unpredictability and the diversity of discovery …show more content…
Being the meat in the sandwich of the rivalry between her mother and grandmother, Pung’s bewilderment is evident in her confession “I have no sense of royalty”. The evolution of time allows Pung to accumulate new understandings of her “word-spreader” status and transitions from naivety to maturation. Pung’s introspection upon the burden as a “word-spreader” which is indeed a spiteful weapon that impairs the spiritual bond between her mother and grandmother, evokes her dynamic inner turmoil and exacerbates her sense of compunction. While the juxtaposes physical and figurative level in “Journey to the Interior” create an antithesis of the accompanied adversities in not merely the physical discovery, but also the intellectual discovery. “A sentence...I’m sure I passed yesterday.” connotes a state of Dejavu experienced by the narrator which in essence is a reminiscence of her mediocre life “sodden as a fallen log” that seems to be playing cyclically. Clinging onto life, the coda conveyed towards the end of the prose illustrates the narrator’s intellectual speculation that she must have firm faith to discern the unseen perils, demonstrating that discovery from blindness to insights are undertaken for self-development and
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon. (Krakauer 57)” McCandless felt the trip was necessary to fill a void in him. He became so infatuated with adventure that he encouraged others to venture out and explore the world. Unfortunately for McCandless he was very stubborn.
In conclusion, the experience of main characters, Norman and Vicente, from Cathy Jewison’s The Prospector’s Trail and Eva Lis Wuorio’s The Singing Silence respectively, prove that, in order for one to attain a fulfilled and content life, one needs to be open to new things and try a new way of living. At first, the main characters are both unsatisfied with their old lives; as the stories progress, they try to embrace new ways of living; finally, by experiencing what they have never done before, the main characters find their true interest and become contented with life. Both of the stories convey the idea that, one should not be afraid to try new things, because these attempts may help one find one’s true interest and bring one a gratified life.
Throughout all texts discussed, there is a pervasive and unmistakable sense of journey in its unmeasurable and intangible form. The journeys undertaken, are not physically transformative ones but are journeys which usher in an emotional and spiritual alteration. They are all life changing anomaly’s that alter the course and outlook each individual has on their life. Indeed, through the exploitation of knowledge in both a positive and negative context, the canvassed texts accommodate the notion that journeys bear the greatest magnitude when they change your life in some fashion.
This essay will argue that the statement “Cordwainer Smith’s story, ‘Alpha Ralpha Boulevard’, is an existentialist text,” is incorrect because Alpha Ralpha Boulevard exhibits elements that do not correlate with existentialist philosophy.
Guignon, B. C. and Pereboom, D. (eds). (2001). Existentialism: Basic Writings. Indianapolis, IN: Hacket Publishing.
Existentialists believe that “to live is to suffer; to survive is to find meaning in the suffering”. Despite all the horrific experiences in the concentration, Viktor Frankl is determined to not lose the significance of his life and succumb to the cruelty of his situation. With the use of three literary techniques- argumentation, rhetoric, and style- Frankl gives his proposition warrant that a man will not find meaning in his life by searching for it; he must give his life significance by answering questions life asks him.
Discoveries can be unexpected and sudden or they can transform from a process of careful and calculated planning evoked by curiosity, and wonder. These discoveries can lead individuals to search for meaning through a series of experiences. Simon Nasht’s documentary Frank Hurley - The Man Who Made History (2004) captures the experiences of adventurer, Frank Hurley as he explores the importance of discovery through the challenges that evoke individuals to transform through a process of journeys of discovery and exploration. John Keats’ poem ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’ (1816) portrays the persona discovering Chapman’s translation of Homer’s epic poems evoking a transformative process from a passive reader of literature to be stimulated
The initial two lines of this poem present the recollections that the primary individual storyteller will be transferring. The speaker, when she ponders the importance of her life, "… what I'm like, underneath (1)" she considers her initial two
The reader recognizes the coda’s acutely self-conscious voice, “I’ve always like to make a tidy finish” as one similar to our own, leading us to the question: are the interpretations that we come to from the events that constitute our own lives necessarily explicitly reality. This compounds the idea that reality is an abstract concept, dependent on the individual and the
Ross, Kelly L. "Existentialism." The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series. Kelly L. Ross, Ph.D., 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Even with his prayer, and his wine-induced courage, the speaker still despairs. He compares himself to “the poor jerk who wanders out on air and then looks down” and “below his feet, he sees eternity,” when he realizes that “suddenly his shoes no longer work on nothingness” (5.12-15). It is as though he is submitting to the reality that, if he steps beyond the safe borders of the proven approaches to writing, there is no magic potion that will guarantee his success. Nevertheless, he appears to be willing to take his chances, and, ironically, he does so with this prayer, which is stylistically unconventional. In a desperate attempt to remind his readers that he was once considered a good writer in the event that this poem does not meet their traditional standards, he makes one final request: “As I fall past, remember me” (5.16).
Due to the innate nature of discovery, it becomes an intrinsic urge for one to explore and to be enlightened and transformed by an intense event that can change or challenge ones’ understandings and perceptions of ourselves and others. Discoveries are usually confronting; it is a transformative process for the individual and for broader society, creating renewed understandings and perceptions on society. This is reflected through the SBS hybrid Reality TV/Documentary composed by Ivan O’Mahoney “Go Back To Where You Came From [2011] (GB)”, which presents the spiritual change of the individuals involved as they embark on a physical journey living as a refugee. Whereas in Homer’s novel (translated by Robert Fagles) “The Odyssey [2006]”, the characters were transformed deeply through the multiple challenges that they were presented with, which created the theme of self-discovery.
In the end, the journey the speaker embarked on throughout the poem was one of learning, especially as the reader was taken through the evolution of the speakers thoughts, demonstrated by the tone, and experienced the images that were seen in the speaker’s nightmare of the personified fear. As the journey commenced, the reader learned how the speaker dealt with the terrors and fears that were accompanied by some experience in the speaker’s life, and optimistically the reader learned just how they themselves deal with the consequences and troubles that are a result of the various situations they face in their
Journal Of The Society For Existential Analysis 21.1 (2010): 76-88. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
Interior design is a complicated profession. It is sometimes referred to as interior architecture and often confused with interior decorating. It involves the design, organization and planning of an interior structure rather than just refinishing and furnishing existing interior spaces. It involves managing a business, hopefully meeting the desires of the client and delivering to them an interior environment that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. There is a lot more to interior design than first meets the eye.