Discovery Essay Feedback

[Jesmetha3]

Hey this is an AOS duscovery that I have completed. Iunderstand is quite long, but I'm there are several things I can cut down on, could you please read through it and offer any feedback
Thanks in advance!

Question:
Discoveries can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others. How is this perspective on discovery explored in your prescribed text and ONE other related text of your own choosing?

It is axiomatic that the complex journey of discovery is essential in the development of new understandings and renewed perceptions of themselves and others. Such discoveries are cleverly presented in the William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Tempest’ and Maya Angelou’s poem ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’. Both texts discuss the intrinsic process self discoveries, the uncovering of concealed truths as essential to the journey of discovery, and how the assumptions about aspects of the human experience are challenged.

The offering of new understandings resulting in renewed perceptions is reflective of the intrinsic process of self discovery in both texts. As seen in ‘The Tempest’ Prospero decides to take the path of forgiveness as new understandings are offered by his servant Ariel stating ‘Your charm so strongly works… if you now beheld them, your affections would become tender.’ High modality is used by Ariel to emphasise Prospero’s power and plan of vengeance, which is contrasted by soft imagery, evoking repentance and regret from Prospero. These new understandings offered by Ariel, are intrinsic for the nature of self-discoveries as this results in renewed perceptions such as the willingness for vindication. This notion is highlighted when Prospero states,‘the rarer action is In virtue than in vengeance’ where alliteration and juxtaposition is used to convey the growth of Prospero growth as his previous objectives of revenge have resulted in absolution. Thus, Prospero through his self-discovery has come to the a achieved a renewed perception of himself from the causation of the offering new understandings by others. Similarly, Maya Angelou expresses the how the offering of new understandings has caused renewed perceptions, particularly in regards to intrinsic self-discovery the power of forgiveness. This notion is illustrated by Angelou through the lines, ‘banners of the world tremble stoutly in the good, clean breeze’. Dual meaning is used in the term ‘banners’ as they have negative connotations in terms of warfare, they can also become symbols of peace and forgiveness which further emphasised by the personification of the breeze to be ‘good and clean’. This further demonstrates how an individual represented as ‘banner’, through the self-discovery of forgiveness is able to ‘stoutly tremble’ due to its new-found insight as impetus for renewed perceptions. Angelou continues to refer to this internal power of forgiveness as she states, ‘we let the rifles fall from our shoulders and children dress their dolls in flags of truce’ , where contrasts between imagery of war and peace has been used to portray an individual’s ability within themselves to develop their power to forgive, this new understanding has moulding in the renewal of perceptions. Furthermore, the personification of ‘rifles falling’ is representative of an individual accepting the power to forgive and is dressed in ‘flags of truce’ as their power to forgive amplifies. Thus, it is evident that ‘The Tempest’ and ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’ both discuss the intrinsic process of self-discovery and the power to forgive amplifies, this is results in new understandings and renewed perceptions for the individuals and others among broader society.



The uncovering of concealed truths is essential to the journey of discovery as this can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others. In ‘The Tempest’, Shakespeare uses the character Alonso, to demonstrate the ramifications of the uncovering of concealed truths. Ariel, Prospero’s servant reminds Alonso of his past involvement in the usurpation of Prospero as the Duke of Milan. The denouement occurring in the third act of the play, common to a Shakespearean drama-text This notion is demonstrated as ‘ARIEL enters, like a harpy… the banquet vanishes: the never-surfeited sea hath caused to belch up you’. The stage direction to showcase Ariel as a harpy due to the intertextuality of the harpy as bringers of death and the verisimilitude of the banquet vanishing, represents Alonso’s great loss due to the assumed death of his son, Ferdinand. Personification and natural world imagery are used to demonstrate that Alonso’s crimes are not natural and is deserved of the various ramifications for Alonso as planned by Prospero.
Harpy description



Alonso’s reaction to the uncovering of this concealed and confronting truth is conveyed as he states, ‘it is monstrous, monstrous: Methought the billows spoke The name of Prosper: it did bass my trespass’. Repetition and personification of wind has been used to demonstrate discoveries can remind people of their past and conjure up negative feelings of regret and dismay. Although Alonso does feel remorse, he is able to adopt his new-found understanding and undergoes a transformation of greater insight and renewed perceptions. This transformation of character as a result of greater insight is illustrated when he experience sincere remorse and repentance as using definite actions as he states, ‘Thy dukedom I resign and do entreat Thou pardon me my wrongs’. Therefore, through the character of Alonso, Shakespeare thoroughly explores how the uncovering of concealed truths is essential to the journey of discovery as this can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions. Correspondingly, in Maya Angelou’s ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’, the poet expresses the concealed truths as essential to the journey of discovery  as this can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions, especially in regards to the abilities and attributes of humankind such as forgiveness. This is exemplified in the poem through the lines, ‘It is possible and imperative that we learn A brave and startling truth’, where high modality is used to express the significance of the truth of forgiveness as a brave quality. The use of the term ‘brave’ also suggest how the process of discovering concealed truths can incorporate something that is confronting and provocative. The ramifications of discovering concealed truths regarding human abilities and attitudes are result in new understandings and renewed perceptions due to a new-found awareness. Furthermore, the poet continues to discuss the essentiality of uncovering the concealed truths of the human condition as she states, ‘Out of such chaos, of such contradiction We learn that we are neither devils nor divines’. The anaphora and antithesis used by the poet is to emphasise the truth of the contradictory nature of human existence and the need to gain insight through the process of uncovering this truth. Thus, transforming the ways in which an individual views himself in their personal, cultural, and social contexts. Therefore, both ‘The Tempest’ and ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’ thoroughly explore how the uncovering of concealed truths is essential to the journey of discovery as this can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions.

Both texts offer new understandings and renewed perceptions regarding the human experience and the world. In Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, the character Prospero is used to express this notion, as seen when Prospero states ‘this rough magic I here abjure I'll break my staff bury it certain fathoms in the earth… I'll drown my book.’ The use of high modality and definite actions demonstrate the change of values within Prospero due to new understandings and renewed perceptions regarding his humanity. During this cathartic moment of discovery, he has achieved great insight into the power of an individual’s humanity, rather than the power in unnatural incantation. Prospero’s acceptance of his own humane powers are sustained as he through a soliloquy expresses this quintessential discovery, where he states, ‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep’. The notion ‘dreams’ is used as a metaphor illustrate the ephemeral of the human experience. Alliteration and sleep imagery are used to offer new understandings regarding the transience of life and to create renewed perceptions on how each individual experiencing and interacting with the world is insignificant when all the different pieces of the world are considered as a unified whole. Ultimately, Prospero conveys the insight he gained regarding the power of his humanity as he states during the epilogue, ‘Now my charms are all o'erthrown, And what strength I have's mine own which is most faint’, where high modality and rhyming couplet has been used to reinforce the new understandings and renewed perceptions generated by Prospero.  Likewise in the poem ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’, Angelou also directs the reader to do discover the power of the human experience and its interaction with the world as she states, ‘When we release our fingers from fists of hostility And allow the pure air to cool our palms’. Alliteration and juxtaposition is used to reveal how the acquiescence of one’s humanity can offer new understanding regarding their ability to relinquish their hatred and act in a more human manner. The direction of from the poet to ‘release our fingers of fists of hostility’, corresponds to the insight Prospero gains as he revokes the use of his ‘rough magic’. Furthermore, as Shakespeare through Prospero comments on the ephemeral and insignificant nature the human experience in its relation to the world, Angelou also discusses this through line, ‘We, this people, on this minuscule and kithless globe… on this mote of matter . Alliteration and hyperbole has been used by the poet to offer new understandings to the audience regarding the transience and nugatory nature of the human experience. Thus, has caused renewed perceptions of the power one has with their humanity and the restrictions within the control they have upon the world around them. Therefore, it is aphoristic that both texts offer new understandings and renewed perceptions regarding the an individual’s discovery of the human experience and their world.

In essence, indubitable that the labyrinthine nature of discovery involves new understandings to be offered and renewed perceptions to be attained of individuals and others. These discoveries are judiciously present in both William Shakespeare’s play  ‘The Tempest’ and Maya Angelou’s poem ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’. Both texts examine the  intrinsic process self discoveries, the uncovering of concealed truths as essential to the journey of discovery, and how the assumptions about aspects of the human experience are challenged, in relation to how these discoveries can be a causation from the offering of new understandings and in result generate renewed perceptions of ourselves and others.

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey! Welcome to the forums! A few quick pointers on my reading:

- Your Thesis is essentially a restatement of the question - Try to add some depth or a new perspective. What are the new understandings? What are the renewed perceptions?
- Ensure you aren't just restating the plot and finding techniques in the dialogue - You need to analyse what the composer wants to show and how they show it. An easy way to tell you aren't doing this is that you are attributing techniques to characters - Never do this! Characters are puppets - It is always the composers use of techniques!
- Watch for expression - A lot of your sentences are perhaps a tad too long and should be cut down for clarity. Read your essay aloud to spot inconsistencies with syntax and word choice. This will help trim the essay length too because it is quite long!
- An easy way to improve flow: Put techniques in the same sentence as the quote! Putting them separate usually makes things a tad harder to follow.
- You do a good job linking your paragraph ideas to the question in the introduction and conclusion of each paragraph: Nice work there!