"The impact of journeys is felt by both individuals and the group. No-one can escape the impact of a journey". Discuss

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The arrival was rewarding but the journey was transforming

An individual embarks upon a journey felt by the world

An individual reflects, the world journeys and is impacted

Achievement v. transformation        

The arrival is merely a destination, the journey if a lifetime

Physical Journey:                                                Belinda Aspinall

“The impact of journeys is felt by both individuals and the group. No-one can escape the impact of a journey”.

Discuss with reference to your prescribed text (3 poems), one text from the stimulus booklet and other related material (2 pieces).

Physical journeys are presented within the prescribed text as a means of achieving fulfilment and of actively embracing life. A journey can be a concept. A journey can be an epic. A journey can be based on historical or legendary material. Physical journeys usually take on a heroic dimension. These journeys are enabling and ennobling. However, no matter what the journey is or how it is portrayed it does provide opportunities and challenges, which impact the traveller and their surroundings. Hence, “The impact of journeys is felt by both individuals and the group. No-one can escape the impact of a journey”.

Peter Skrzynecki’s Postcard, A Drive in the Country and Leaving Home are all examples of a physical journey, that are illustrated through poems and which help shape our perception of challenges and movement in relation to the immigrant experience post WWII. Robert Frost’s The road not taken is a poem questioning the reasons for which we make life choices whilst also embracing the physical journey of an individual through lifes obstacles. Castaway directed by Robert Zemeckis is an inspiring film that utilises vivid visual imagery to portray a physical journey involving self-discovery and survival. The man from Snowy River composed by Banjo Paterson is a poem encapsulating the significance and untameable nature of the Australian high country through a physical journey .

Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle (containing the three poems Postcard, Leaving Home, A Drive in the Country) is an autobiographical exploration of the impacts Skrzynecki’s polish and Ukrainian heritage and the immigrant experience had on him and the migrants as a whole. The representation of the Skrzynecki family in the poems in Immigrant chronicle is both specific to them and, to a large extent, to migrants in general. It examines the migrant experience as a physical journey. Skrzynecki reflects on his life and its impacts, whilst in many circumstances showing how these challenges have altered his attitudes. He exposes the irony underlying the Australian migrant experience, that people fled injustice and sought freedom in Australia. Only to find themselves victims of a more insidious form of injustice, government policies lacking in compassion and a system that denied them their liberty. However, more importantly Skrzynecki through the teachings of his journey has been able to change many personal perspectives, and the social context of the migrant experience. Skrzynecki is a representative of millions of migrants who have been through the same harrowing physical journey to the other side of the world. This is a clear demonstration of the impact journeys can have on the individual and the group.

Postcard by Peter Skrzynecki is the last poem in the immigrant chronicle. It outlines the turbulence of the physical journey in relation to the immigrant experience as a whole. Being the  last poem in a chronicle of experiences, it tends to give a complete reflection on the impact of the journey and the relative insignificance of the arrival. The sinister tone depicts the uncertainty yet describes the maturity in the post’s feelings. The poem is based on a postcard, which is displayed in the title and denotes the idea of temporary residence. The scene that is depicted in the poem, which is the picture on the postcard, is a powerful resonance to the families background and a link to the past. Through which we are able to witness the impact of the physical journey upon the group as they journey away from their cultural heritage. The setting in the town of “Warsaw” where “bombs destroyed” and “its people massacred” are direct images associated with war. Later it appears that the immigrants have been severed from the past and a new phase of the physical and emotional journey will begin. Skrzynecki begins to describe the fight against the pull of cultural heritage which emphasises his insecurity. The rhetorical question “What’s my choice/To be?” is used to show the undeniable strength of cultural heritage. This metaphorical battle is an emotional response to the demands of the physical journey. The power of the physical journey and cultural heritage on the group is reinforced through the use of direct speech “We will meet/Before you die”.  The limited experience of never knowing or living in the city is felt by the persona. He experiences a unique journey, one in which the limited perspective is his own. The poems imagery and language techniques such as rhetorical questions heighten the idea of instability, which portray the significance of cultural identity and the emotional impact on the immigrants as they deny their past.

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Leaving Home by Peter Skrzynecki is an unhappy journey of disorientation and separation. It shows how such things as leaving home can impact a group (family) beyond repair. This poem chronicles how the poet responded to the news about his “first country appointment” as a teacher. It was a shock to himself and the family, “last thing we expected”. Anger, frustration and impotent rage are predominant emotions that escalate throughout the poem. It is the insensitivity, anonymous and militaristic feelings towards the migrant character that emphasise the impact of the journey to the individual. It is also the insignificance of common ...

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