Journey Essay

"The Journey is the reward": Discuss the truth of this statement using the core text, with one piece of text from the BOS booklet together with two pieces of related material. All issues are to speak in relation to Sally Morgan's inner journey.

The inner journey is a concept that has always been debated, and so has its meaning. The word 'inner' has the alternative meaning of personal. Moreover, the word journey has an alternative meaning of movement. So, the concept of the inner journey, customarily, has the meaning of a personal movement. Inner journeys have often been described as the metaphor behind a physical journey. The statement 'Journey is the reward' and the idea of a personal movement are depicted in the texts, My Place by Sally Morgan, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, The Transall Saga and Pay it Forward. 'My Place' is the autobiographical story, in which Sally Morgan's family refuses to accept their aboriginality. It was the persistent attitudes of the family which prompted Sally to commence on her journey of self discovery. The poem 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost also revolves around the theme of the inner journey. The poem is based of a man's recollection of decision that he once made and its ramifications. The novel 'The Transall Saga' by Gary Paulson, is the fictional survival story about 'Mark' and his adventure after he was transported to a foreign world by a mysterious blue light. Finally, the film, 'Pay It Forward', is about a boy named Trevor McKinney and new found thoughts about the world after having been given a social studies assessment. This essay will highlight how all four texts portray the truth in the statement 'The Journey is the reward.'

My Place is an autobiographical story by Sally Morgan. Sally was raised in an Aboriginal family which always denied their Aboriginality. Sally is the one who goes on a physical journey in order to discover her true family heritage and identity, which leads to a much more intricate inner journey. The road to enlightenment was not easy. She came across many obstacles and most of those came from her own family. Throughout the story the respondent is left wondering the reason behind the family's silence towards each other. This statement only reinforces the idea that the core text, My Place, clearly depicts how the journey is the reward.

Sally Morgan uses a wide range of different techniques to convey her physical and internal movement to disclose her family heritage and her own identity. The book itself is structured in a completely original format. Sally has managed to make her story stand out by separating each individual story, thus, the book is separated into her own story, her Uncle Arthur's story, her mother's story and finally, her grandmother's story.

It must be noted that inner journeys are plagued with choices, and this is a truth and reality that no one can escape. As Robert Frost says in 'The Road Not Taken', 'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.'

In Sally's quest for information, she met a lady called 'Elsie' who gave her a great depth and insight into her Grandmother and the past. In Sally's mind, her journey was definitely rewarded and this made her feel 'full inside'. Sally's mother, Gladys, had also found an new sense of fulfillment which completed her as a whole, because she was previously only 'half a person'. For Sally, it was her determination and 'stubborn' nature which meant that she was rewarded, because in her heart she realized that unless the family went on such an epic journey 'we never would have known our place'. Sally said 'What had begun as a tentative search for knowledge had grown into a spiritual and emotional pilgrimage'. This journey of self discovery, enlightenment and acceptance, were all key discerning factors in how, for Sally, the journey was a rewarding experience.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, is another text which represents how the journey, alone, can be a rewarding experience. The Road Not Taken, is the poem about a man who is exploring the choices that he once had, as he made his journey through lfe. It is the brevity of the poem which represents the complexity of the decision that had to be made.

In the composers inner journey, he speakes with an element of regret, which is represented in the line, 'sorry I could not travel both'.

The line 'and looked down one as far as I could' shows that the traveller was weighing up his choices. Just as in My Place, Sally, was also faced with the task of weighing up her choices and the certain ramifications that would follow. Sally, on her journey for the truth, and Robert Frost, on his life's journey, both took the road 'less traveled'. It was by taking the road less travled, that gave both parties the knowledge that their choices had 'made all the difference'. In summation, The Road Not Taken is another example of how 'the journey is the reward'.

The Transall Saga by Gary Paulson, is the