Journeys Unit EUs/EQs May 31, 2010
Posted by ivory01pd2014 in Humanities.trackback
What prompts a journey?
Journeys can be made by choice or by force. In this quarter, we learned about this Enduring Understanding through various medias.
One of these medias includes a movie we watched called “Rabbit Proof Fence.” At the beginning of this movie, a journey was made by force. These aboriginal girls were kidnapped and transported to Moore River Settlement. Molly, Gracie, and Daisy, the three half-caste girls that were abducted by white settlers, were fiercely removed from their families despite their piercing cries and protests. After being transferred to the settlement, these three girls underwent yet another journey. However, this journey was made by choice. They chose to escape from MRS with the determination to return home and reunite with their families. Another prominent journey that was made in the movie was when Gracie chooses to depart from her friends. She had heard from a passerby on their escape back to Jigalong that her mother was waiting for her at the train station and had decided on her own will to head towards there to meet up with her mother. Sadly, this was just a trap, and Gracie ended up being brought back to the settlement.
This Enduring Understanding was also communicated through a short story that we read in this quarter. Sound-Shadows of a New World is a short story that talks about a journey that a young boy takes from India to America. Ved Mehta, the Indian boy, had taken on this journey by choice, as he was pursuing a better and finer education. However, at the beginning of his journey to America, he was forced to alter his plans and start another trip. New York City was Ved Mehta’s first destination in America. He was forced to fly to Washington after reaching New York, because he was informed that he needed his visa changed to a student visa before he was permitted to enter any school. This new journey was not part of his original plan and was forced upon him.
By examining the cases of this engrossing movie and this short story, you can see that every one of the journeys in our lives are made by either force or choice. Decisions that we make by ourselves usually prompt journeys that are made by choice. However, as we don’t have complete control of our lives, situations spontaneously occur, causing us to participate in journeys made by force as well.
What constitutes a journey?
A journey is composed of a variety of forms. While most people envision a physical trip, like a vacation, when they think of a journey, a journey does not necessarily have to mean you’re actually getting up and going somewhere.
In the short story Spirits of a Railway, three different types of journey are shown. The first one, which is the most evident, is the physical journey in which young Chu travels across the Pacific Ocean from China to America. His physical journey concludes when Chu eventually proceeds to North America for his railway job. However, this physical journey prompted another journey that Chu engages in. This journey is a societal journey, where Chu goes from living in a society where he didn’t need to worry about his ethnicity to a North American culture. In North America, Chu is faced with a new white boss that doesn’t care about him whatsoever and gets looked down upon. Lastly, Chu also participates in an emotional journey. In China, Chu had felt exceedingly worried for his father after his extended absence. Chu’s save arrival to America to search for his father had made him feel relieved, but was soon discouraged by the negative comments he heard from other workers. When Chu meets his father’s spirit in the tunnel, he is terrified. His fright soon transformed to distress, as he realized that his beloved father had in fact passed away. Chu’s emotional journey terminates when he is finally at peace after burying his father.
In my personal journey I had written for my iWeb, I exemplified this Enduring Understanding by presenting an emotional journey I had personally taken a part of. I had started this emotional journey with exuberance from finally owning a dog. However, when my dog went missing, I went through a long period of anxiety. This anxiety was soon developed into dejection and guilt, as I discovered my dog’s death and blamed myself for it. My emotional journey eventually ended when I accepted his death at last. I no longer felt accountable for his decease and moved on with my life.
From this short story and my own personal journey, it is evident that a journey is constituted by a variety of forms. Whether physical, emotional, or societal, journeys are a greatly valued aspect of our lives.
Fantastic response with supporting examples/details! 20/20