Hi everyone, I know there has been an recent influx of essays to be marked, but I would really appreciate some feedback on my essay! I find discovery the hardest (I don't know why) and it has taken me ages to write this essay
Thanks heaps in advance for any feedback
Question: ‘Discoveries inevitably lead to new perceptions of the world, new values, and new understanding of ourselves and others.’
To what extent is this view represented in your prescribed text and ONE text of your own choosing?
The confronting rediscovery of one’s past can challenge an individual’s fundamental sense of self and their perspective of the world and those around them. This can lead to unexpected discoveries which have far-reaching and transformative ramifications, including the formation of new values and understandings. William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy play “The Tempest” was written in the Jacobean Era, which was characterised by increasing awareness and exploration of the wider world, and Shakespeare explores how traditional values must be challenged to allow individuals to forgive and seek redemption. Sean Penn similarly explores the importance of the value of forgiveness in his docudrama “Into the Wild”, which challenges capitalistic values and examines the personal impacts of different relationships. Ultimately both texts highlight how an individual’s must accept and learn from the past in order to experience positive growth and develop new values in the future.
An individual’s rediscovery of their own past is often highly confronting as is challenges their identity, however acceptance of this discovery is vital to allow transformation and the discovery of new perspectives. Shakespeare immediately challenges traditional values as the opening stage direction, “a tempestuous noise of thunder and lightning heard” which creates a disruption of order, foreshadowing the upheaval and far-reaching ramifications of discovery. Initially Prospero doesn’t accept responsibility for his past actions, and is thus unable to experience the new perspectives offered by a rediscovery of the past. Shakespeare cleverly demonstrates this through present tense in, “Volumes I prize above my dukedom”, highlighting the difficulty individual’s face in accepting their own responsibility for past actions or distressing experiences. Meta-theatre such as, “I pray thee mark me” is used throughout Prospero’s story, compelling the audience to appreciate the confronting nature of rediscovery, but also encouraging them to question their own experiences in light of this newfound understanding. Shakespeare effectively demonstrates the positive ramifications of rediscovery in the final act when Prospero is forced to recognise his own humanity. The rhetorical question, “Dost thou think so, spirit?” shows the doubt arising from questioning one’s own identity, then Ariel’s response, “Mine would, sir, were I human,” symbolises the new values which will serve as a catalyst for Prospero’s transformation. Therefore Shakespeare effectively illustrate that although an Individual’s identity may be challenged, rediscovery is vital to allow for new values.
Similarly, Penn explores how individual’s may have difficulty in accepting confronting past discoveries which challenge their perception of self, as Chris struggles with the discovery of his parents “fraudulent marriage”. The voiceover, “this fact suddenly redefined me and Chris as bastard children,” is accompanied by closeups of old photographs, which are blurred to symbolise the confronting challenge to Chris’s fundamental identity. Thus the purpose of his journey is to escape the expectations and capitalistic values of his parents and society. Penn successfully illustrates this rebellion in the restaurant scene through an extreme close up of Chris’s face and his repetition of “things”, encouraging the audience to stand up for their core values in the face of confrontation. However, Chris’s own values and his perspective of his past actions are challenged by the father figure Ron, through the quote “When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines on you,” followed by an eye level shot of the sun shining on Chris’s face. Initially Chris seeks to escape his parents and the confronting experiences and memories associated with them, however Ron allows him to realise that what he really seeks are loving relationships to counter his own experiences of family. Thus Penn urges the audience to accept past mistakes and similarly discover forgiveness by reassessing their own relationships and values.
Although it can challenge an individual’s fundamental sense of self, the new values offered by the confronting rediscovery of one’s past must be accepted in order to allow positive transformations. Shakespeare uses first person to demonstrate Prospero’s personal recognition of both the benefits and dangers of his magic, “my so potent art. But this rough magic I here abjure,” and his resulting decision “I’ll drown my book” is symbolic of his acceptance of discovery. Thus Shakespeare masterfully conveys that personal transformation, in Prospero’s case his renunciation of magic and subsequent discovery of forgiveness, can only occur through an acceptance of new perspectives and values arising from rediscovery. Prospero’s discovery of forgiveness is shown through alliteration, “the rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance”, which shifts from his previous focus on revenge. The epilogue is written is rhyming couplets, for example “as you from crimes would pardoned be, let your indulgence set me free,” which Shakespeare cleverly uses to symbolise the return to order and emergence into a new world. Second person is also used in this quote to appeal directly to the audience, forcing them to assess Prospero’s transformation and allowing them to determine their own perspective of the importance of forgiveness. The discovery of new values such as forgiveness can lead to personal transformations.
Furthermore, new values and perspectives presented by discovery allow individuals to reassess the worth of their past discoveries, with transforming not only the individual but also those around them. The non-linear structure allows Penn to effectively highlight the unpredictability and chaos of Chris’s mind, however the film is structured with chapter titles “my own birth”, “adolescence”, “manhood” which represent the story in terms of his growth and discovery. Flashbacks are used to facilitate the audience’s discovery of the transformative impact of forgiveness, for example erratic camera shots show Chris’s father sitting on the road with no socks, which links to his father’s graduation where he also wore no socks as a symbol of rebellion. In the final scene, the camera cuts between shots of the sky Chris sees as he is dying, and his imagination for the future, with the rhetorical question, “what if I were smiling and running into your arms?” Together these flashbacks convey the far-reaching ramifications of discovery, as Penn shows the audience that Chris’s experiences have changed his father as well as himself. Penn powerfully encourages the audience to learn from Chris’s discovery, which ultimately cost him his life, by having compassion and forgiving others. Thus discovery can offer new perspectives and values such as forgiveness which have far-reaching and transformative consequences.
(I usually just wing my conclusion depending on how much time I have left in the exam)
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Topic: AOS essay feedback (prescribed - The Tempest) (Read 1370 times)