English Discovery Essay

Discovery Essay

An individual’s sense of self-discovery broadens their views and perception upon life and this may be achieved through experiences. Experiences may come about through emotionally strenuous and physically abusing journeys which allow one to revaluate their perception upon reality. All perceive the world in a unique way and this is generally determined by the things one has discovered throughout life. This concept is cleverly evaluated throughout the documentary ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’ produced by Rich McPhee in which the experiences undertaken by refugees is illustrated through a vast combination of visual techniques. These factors are similarly explored within WH Auden’s poem ‘Refugee Blues’ and Malala yousafzai memoir ‘I am Malala’.

Differing revelations of truth transpire through unexpected physical and emotional experiences that either redefine ideas not previously considered, trusted or solidify the truths that suit each individual’s perspective. The documentary ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’ further exemplifies the concept of revelation being a fundamental source of discovery when host DR David Corlett states “You will see many things that are very confronting, and you’ll get a taste of what it’s like to be a refugee”. Through the use of distinct music, along with non-diegetic sound draws emphasis upon the empathetic perspective the participants employ to discover. Participants explore the questioning of oneself when asked upon their outlook of life and how they are about to rediscover their inner self and beliefs through withstanding the hardships faced by less fortunate others. The utilization of rhetorical questioning in the statement by DR David Corlett “Refugees, asylum seekers, boat people – issues that divide the nation but what do we know of those who risk life and limb to reach these shores?” illustrates how the participants are to not underestimate the physical conditions they are to endure amongst their journey through allowing them to visualize the physical conditions faced by refugee’s. It is also illustrated through the use of close-up shots upon the individual’s faces highlighting the emotional distress and general discomfort felt by the participants as they are leaving their so-called comfort zones. To further complement this, it is said by Darren “I wasn’t quite prepared for this”, after coming to the realization that he is leaving family and friends behind.  Similarly, throughout the documentary Raquel is illustrated as an open racist when she states with an enraged tone of voice, upon the thought of African immigration, “if it was up to me id send them back to where they came from”. To further apply emphasis upon Raquel’s disdain toward illegal immigration by Africans, close up shots portray her aggressive body language and disgust through facial expressions. Moreover, ‘GBTWYCF’ vastly conveys the differing revelations of truth transpired by self-inducing desires and how the desire to learn can lead to changing perceptions and views and redefine the ways in which an indivudal goes about through his/her daily life.

This is similarly explored throughout ‘Refugee Blues’ through the illustration of anti-Semitism toward Jewish refugees upon the attempt to gain refuge in England. The composer illustrates refugee experiences and how they attempted to discovery their true selves. Throughout the poem is depicted that as a result of the holocaust the persona is seen evacuating her home land and in turn had been known as a displaced person. Through the use of repetition in the line “Yet there is no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place for us” the composer is illustrating the sense of hopelessness the persona is currently undergoing as they have a genuine belief that any hopes or form of the ability to integrate within a society have diminished. Hence, the persona is undergoing an experience in which she is discovering the truth beneath how her people are viewed by society. The line where the characters are stated to be located within “the village churchyard” the composer depicts the consul is depicted to be utilizing punitive language and this illustrates another hardship experienced by the refugees as these indivudal are capable of providing a safer environment for all refugees however choose to abuse their power and dismiss the refugees in a hard and unpleasant manner. This in turn destroys the belief each refugee has upon themselves as they are now believing in a revelation of truth that belittles them and induces weakness and fear within the hearts of each individual. The use of hyperbolic language in “if you’ve got no passport you’re officially dead” clearly outlines the seriousness of this situation as the refugees are now instilled with the perception that they are politically non-existent. Moreover, the poem is displaying the revelation of truth toward the refugees at the time through a harsh and endeavouring experience. This illustrates how inner discoveries can be both positive and negative in the sense that one may discover he is great and one may discover he is born in a place where mistreatment is a norm and hatred toward his kind is merely an act of kindness as at times they can be treated in a much harsher manner.

The process by which ones existing knowledge is either rebuilt or challenged through the encounter of differing experiences which convey differing revelations of truth can be referred to as discovery. Throughout the documentary ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’ the sense of self reflection is vastly portrayed as characters are faced with challenges that alter an initial belief thought never to be changed. This aspect is evident in the scene where it is stated by Adam “I wouldn’t call them criminals, I think that’s a harsh title to give someone… I won’t be as selfish with my own problems, there’s so much heartbreak in the world”. The use of juxtaposition in “wouldn’t call them criminals” highlights the effectiveness the journey has had upon Adam and how it has led to an altered perception upon the refugee crisis as he had initially believed that they are deserving of what they endure when arriving on boats, however he now believes they should be treated equally thus he does not view them as “criminals” as he once did.  This is similarly explored in the scene where Raquel she becomes aware of the horrific lives endured by so called illegal immigrants. The scene where Butiani reveals her past, Raquel states “you don’t deserve anything that happened to you” which illustrates the use of juxtaposition as she is contradicting her initial statement at the beginning of the documentary which was “I don’t like black people”. The use of an anecdote is also evident, and it illustrates that the experiences Britani had gone through led to Raquel’s discovery of her inner self, hence her changing attitudes toward immigrants along with the development of a greater connection between her and the experiences of refugees. To further emphasize this, the composer utilizes sorrow music within the background along with mid angled shots that depicts Raquel’s body language and facial expressions of empathy.  The sense that Raquel has matured, and endured discovery is further complimented in episode 3 when she states, “I have been narrow minded, and unaccepting of their reasons, but I realized that to better my family’s life id take the risk and go on the boat.” The use of sympathetic tone in Raquel’s voice depict her change in mindset as she has now altered her initial belief as a result of the experiences encountered on her ‘said’ refugee experience, implying she has moved to a point where she agrees with the actions performed by “boat people”. Thus, her renewed perception upon the aspect of refugees has taken place to an inner discovery of herself. moreover, the characters in ‘GBTWYCF’ are seen to alter their initial views and beliefs upon the refugee crisis as the experiences endured have led to the individual self-reflection of all. Thus, self-reflection can lead to the discovery of things one may have thought preposterous at a certain time.