"The journey, not the arrival matters" Frankenstein and On Giants' Shoulders

The first 200 words of this essay...

"The journey, not the arrival matters"

Journey is a multilayered process which is inevitable in ones lifetime. Whilst journeys can be inner or physical it is our imagination that enables us to escape into new worlds and visualise new possibilities. These imaginative journeys occur in the realm of the mind where fantasy is created and reality is considered. The human capacity to dream and transcend actual existence often opens amazing possibilities. It is through imagination, speculation and inspiration that the exploration of new worlds, possibilities and human potential is achieved. In their own ways imaginative journeys often have a connection with our lives and the practical world. In some cases journeys are even used as parallels to reality and to comment on social and human traits. However in all texts, one element prevails; that is that the journey is of greater significance than the arrival.

It is those journeys that transcend reality, inspire an intellectual quest, challenge previously held conceptions and comment on society that are explored in texts such as Melvyn Bragg's On Giant's Shoulders, The Jaguar by Ted Hughes, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Journeys Over Land and Sea from the Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition. In all