Year 12 Physical Journeys

“Analyse how TWO texts of your own choosing have developed an understanding of the concept of physical journeys.”

�Journey” is a term that implies travel which can offer new insights, experiences, cultures and perspective. The passage between places or circumstances can be positive or negative in nature, physical or emotional, tactile or intellectual. Regardless of the form this journey may take, it tends to consist of many challenges or barriers that have to be met before a final goal is reached. Some journeys have repercussions that last long after the journey itself has been completed. This can provide a benchmark for what life was like before the journey and what it was like after it, some journeys, especially if they are spiritual or intellectual in nature, may last a very long time, if not a lifetime. The concept therefore often denotes and alteration or transitions of some kind, process or event that can it mark in the traveler. The Song titled “Son Of Man” by Phil Collins shows a vast amount of signs pointing towards journeys. Showing that a journey is travelling in some form or another. The “Japanese story” by Sue Brooks also shows us a physical journey of a cultural indifference.

The song “Son of man” contains all the elements of a physical journey. The song is written by Phil Collins and is about the journey of the main character, growing up from an insignificant child to a fully-grown man. “On this journey that you’re making, there’ll be answers that you seek.” Tarzan though at this period of time is physically full-grown, still has a need to discover, advance and resolve issues within himself before he is truly a man. The physical journey, in this song it uses a physical journey to describe the journey Tarzan undertook, “And it’s you who climb the mountain, It’s you who reach the peak.” It uses the physical image of climbing a mountain, to compare to the journey he is undertaking within himself. Only he can go on the journey to discover himself, no one can go with him it’s only “(him) who (can) reach the peak.”

The song вЂ?Son of Man’ is about the main character вЂ?Tarzan’ and his want to become a man, an individual вЂ" it is his search within himself for purpose and meaning in his life. The song is almost written by an elder or someone of age and wisdom, and can be seen as advice given to Tarzan.

As it was stated earlier, he has to go on the journey alone, only he can reach the destination, no one can travel with him on this journey because “It’s (only) you who reach the peak,” and “There’s no one there to guide you, no one to take your hand.”

The song talks about the qualities he will have when he becomes a man. “…power to be strong, and the wisdom to be wise.” And the learning he is undertaking now will one day equip him to teach, but the song also reminds Tarzan: “in teaching he will (still) learn.”

It talks about living your dreams, the advice given is: you own them, no one else can dream them or live them, so accomplish them, pull it off. The main chorus talks of lifting your spirit and setting it free. It’s the call to adventure and personal discovery. Becoming a man will take time, but when that time comes you’ll “walk tall with pride.” There are many techniques used to display journeys. Imagery is used to create a picture in the readers mind, it is an easy way of explaining an critical theme or idea. In this song Phil Collins has used imagery in the phrase “And it’s you who climb the mountain, It’s you who reach the peak.” In this first stanza in the song he is explaining to the listeners that the journey to become a man is a journey where you can only take yourself. Repetition is a technique used to great effect to convey