AOS essay (2016 q), Hurley + Chapman's Homer

[horse9996]

To what extent do the texts you have studied reveal both the emotional and intellectual responses provoked by the experience of discovery?

In your response, refer to your prescribed text and ONE other related text of your own choosing.

Discovery encompasses a didactic experience where individuals respond by experiencing growth, maturity and new and renewed ways of thinking about others and the world. Through this, individuals experience emotional and intellectual aspects associated with discovery through a shift in views. Discoveries challenge perceptions, leading to new and renewed understandings emotionally and intellectually. They also have far reaching and transformative impacts as the undertaker is led to respond emotionally and intellectually. This is seen in the documentary Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History (Frank Hurley) by Simon Nasht and the Petrarchan sonnet ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’ (‘Chapman’s Homer’) by John Keats. These texts represent didactic discovery experiences where the undertaker experiences a shift in views emotionally and intellectually.

Frank Hurley is an investigation into the life of Australian adventurer and photographer Frank Hurley where responders gain insight into his life and the man behind the camera. Through his discoveries of photography, responders are challenged to reevaluate their perceptions of Hurley and his world as they experience renewed ways of thinking. Nasht invites viewers to discover the man behind the camera through a modern context, questioning perceptions of the legacy of his historical photographic contributions. This is seen through Hurley’s clash with Charles Bean who had a desire to record historical fact rather than the emotional aspects of the conditions and magnitude of Hurley’s discoveries which he thought was necessary. Thus this challenges responders to come to new understandings of Hurley’s values and experience renewed ways of thinking as the legitimacy of his historical photographs are challenged. The documentary is framed with the evaluating rhetorical question “was he a giant of photography or a conjurer with a camera?” challenging responders to come to their own conclusion of the worth of Hurley’s discoveries and thereby gain new insight into his values intellectually and emotionally. Reevaluation of worth is further seen in narration in “time has obscured what is real and what is not in Hurley’s photos” where responders are led to gain appreciation of Hurley’s legacy and thus reevaluate their perceptions of his photographic contributions. This is accompanied by modern footage of an art gallery where Hurley’s work is viewed today, leading responders to experience the magnitude of his discoveries through a modern context. They respond by gaining new insight into Hurley and his world, challenging perceptions as they discover the man behind the camera and question the legacy of his historical photographic contributions.

In 1816, Keats was introduced to George Chapman’s translation of Homer’s ‘The Illiad’ and ‘Odyssey.’ He keenly read the translation late into the night and in the early hours of the morning composed this sonnet. Through his literary discovery of the meaning of Homer’s poetry, Keats is similarly challenged to respond emotionally and intellectually by reevaluating his perceptions of others and the world. This is represented through careful manipulation of the sonnet form, where the epiphany moment resulting in growth and new ways of thinking is depicted through the octet, volta and sestet structure. The octet reveals that Keats is wise and well experienced in literature through language of heroism and grandeur, yet still finds wonder in reading Chapman’s Homer. Thus he is admitting that he can still learn as he responds by uncovering new ways of thinking about others and the world. ‘Wide expanse’ and ‘deep-browed Homer’ refers to the extent of Homer’s intellect and literary accomplishments as Keats gains new intellectual understanding through his literary discovery. Metaphors of travel in ancient lands, the ‘realms of gold,’ stands for Keats’ extensive reading in epic poetry and grandeur. However, this is contrasted with this his moment of epiphany where he experiences growth and new ways of thinking, challenging perceptions of others and the world through emotional and intellectual responses. Thus through form, sound and metaphor, Keats experiences a shift in understanding as his perceptions are challenged and he is confronted with new ways of thinking about others and the world.

Hurley’s discoveries incur far reaching and transformative implications for his daughters Toni and Adelie many years later as they recreate his adventures and sacrifices made. This leads to new ways of thinking as they are confronted emotionally by a renewed transformative understanding of their father and his heroic explorations many years later. Through recreating Hurley’s adventures and sacrifices made such as their voyage to Elephant Island, the daughters respond emotionally due to discovering a personal insight into their father’s physical pain and struggle experienced on his Antarctic expeditions. They therefore experience growth and renewed ways of thinking. This is seen through an emotional tearful embrace in “sad is the exact word. I mean he’s gone, and we can’t tell him…” where they physically and emotionally experience what Hurley went through when stranded on the Shackleton expedition and are confronted emotionally by a renewed understanding of their father many years later. This has far reaching and transformative implications as Hurley’s daughters discover that they have “become guardians of their father’s legacy” as “he’s not here to tell.” This depicts an emotional response to their discovery of Hurley on a personal level, thus representing far reaching and transformative impacts as the daughters gain renewed understanding about their father and his heroic explorations.

Keats’ literary discovery similarly incurs far reaching and transformative implications as he experiences renewed understanding of others and the world through Chapman’s Homer. The sonnet form represents the new perspective as liberating and transformative, thus encapsulating the emotional response to the discovery where the sestet uses metaphors to liken the experience to two moments of discovery. Keats likens himself to an astronomer identifying a planet for the first time that was previously unknown and unnamed in human existence as he experiences renewed understanding of the world through literature, such as him feeling like ‘some watcher of the skies’ through similie. He also likens himself to Spanish conquistador Cortez who ‘stood upon a peak in Darien’ in 1513 surveying the Pacific ocean for the first time. Similarly to Cortez, Keats represents himself as speechless due to his sudden transformative discovery as he responds emotionally and experiences renewed understanding of the world. Thus these comparisons with physical discoveries represent Keats’ emotional response as he is transformed and experiences a renewed perspective of others and the world.

Discoveries are didactic, leading individuals to experience growth, maturity and new and renewed ways of thinking about others and the world. The undertaker is challenged to respond emotionally and intellectually through a shift in views. Discoveries challenge perceptions and have far reaching and transformative impacts this is clearly seen in Nasht’s documentary Frank Hurley and the Petrarchan sonnet ‘Chapman’s Homer’ by John Keats. Both texts represent emotional and intellectual responses due to discoveries as individuals experience new and renewed ways of thinking.