Imaginative Journey Notes: The Stimulus Booklet
1.The road not taken: - Robert Frost
o Imaginative Journeys allow us to explore future possibilities through
speculation
o Extended metaphor of the ‘road’ used to express both past and future decisions
and actions. Frost describes using the imagination in times of indecision to
explore the consequences of possible choices. – “…long I stood /And looked
down one as far as I could”
o Each of the four stanzas characterises one stage of this process of speculation
and decision. The first has an optimistic tones created by colour connotations
of ‘yellow wood’ and the suggestion of transience and movement through its
flowing structure with the repetition of ‘and’ - ‘And sorry I could not travel
both /And be one traveller, long I stood / And looked down one as far as I
could’.
o “Yellow wood also indicates that it may be the beginning of autumn, which
could symbolise the sense of change and possibility at the turning of the
season.
o The second stanza suggests indecision as the composer chooses a path that
‘wanted wear’ and therefore carries less clear consequences. Taking the path
that he knows or even imagines to understand less is a courageous decision,
but the composer appears uncertain, using low modality language such as
‘perhaps’ and ‘really about the same’.
o
The third stanza expresses regret at the opportunities lost by choosing one
path over the other. Imaginative journeys can conceive of multiple
possibilities at once, but in reality taking one path involves rejecting another,
as frost muses ‘Yet knowing how way leads on to way / I doubted I should
ever come back’
o The last stanza brings resolution to the speculative tone of the poem, with high
modality statements such as “ I shall be telling this …” and a clever segue
from future to past tense “somewhere ages and ages hence - /two roads
converged in a wood and I, I took the one less travelled by”
o After suggesting the power of ht imaginative journey to explore the future,
then rejecting the value of speculation, then mourning the malleability that an
imaginative journey loses when translated into a physical journey, Frost places
value in the entire process in his last line ‘And that has made all the
difference’
2.The Ivory Trail: Victor Kelleher
o Imaginative Journey is inspired by the unknown and exotic, constructing
fantasy world
o This book cover uses a montage of exotic imagery and colour to inspire
imaginative journey in the responder in an attempt to encourage them to
read the novel.
o A triangular reading path is established that leads the viewer’s eye from a
flood lit sphinx and pyramid to the silhouetted domed temples to a
human face superimposed against rippling desert sands. Deep oranges
and reds draw together the images with darker colours at the edges
emphasising the content and creating balance. This synthesises highly
charged images into an overall impression of excitement, thrills, mystery
and intrigue that the responder’s mind immediately begins to explore.
o The concept of journey is subtly built up by the rippling movement of the
sands, the anticipation in the expression and eyes of the face, and the
false perspective created by the layering of images. Also significant to
this meaning are the prominently placed title “The Ivory Trail” and the tag
“Not all journeys have and ending”. Short and simple, these two textual
interjections carry connotations of danger, excitement and the unknown.
o Using a variety of visual and textual features, this text carefully instils
fleeting impressions of exotic locations and cultures, and he concept of
journey, into the minds of responders in an attempt to encourage
imaginative journeys that will promote the novel.
3.The Wind in the Willows: -Kenneth Graeme
o Imaginative journeys may be inspired to persuade individuals to action
o The possibilities explored through imaginative journeys may be intimidating
to some yet inspiring to others
o The impact of the imaginative Journey depends on the individuals personality
and experience
o Bright cheerful colour is again used to suggest optimism and excitement –
“they saw a gypsy caravan, shining with newness, painted canary yellow
picked out in green with red wheels.” The symbolic value of this cart as a
vessel for journey both physical and imaginative is further established by
Toad’s statement “there real life for you, embodied in that little cart”
o Characterisation is used to express the different attitudes towards imaginative
journey. Toad is depicted as loud, verbose and exuberant through the flowing
structure of his dialogue, punctuated by exclamations and clichéd rhetoric. His
first words are “There you are!” and he launches into a spiel about “the open
road, the dusty highways, the heath, the common, the hedgerows, the rolling
downs”. His excitable and definite nature appears to complement his
extravagant and imaginative speculation about journey – “travel, change
interest, excitement! The whole world before you and a horizon that’s
always changing!” This is an endorsement of the potential of any kind of
journey to be a rewarding experience, but like The Ivory trail cover, Toad tries
to use imaginative journey to persuade Mole and Rat.
o
Mole seems impressionable and easily led. He is willing to join in Toad’s
imaginative journey, and is indeed ‘tremendously interested and excited’, but
his lack of dialogue suggests that he is a weak character without the necessary
spirit to initiate an imaginative journey on his own. However he is an eager
follower and is clearly sensitive to the imagery Toad lays before him. The
juxtaposition of these three vastly different characters, united by their response
to imaginative journey, highlights the role of personality in its appreciation
and value. Mole, without dialogue, may come to represent the responder,
absorbing the attitudes of the stronger Rat and Toad
o The character of Rat embodies all those who do not wish to engage with the
imagination at all, even when offered the chance by someone else. Everything
about Rat seems sedentary or slow. The Phrase “thrust his hands deep into
his pockets” suggests a heavy foundation in reality, in the here and now, and
Rat’s first dialogue is said “slowly”. Rat attempts to destabilise Toad’s
decisive “when we make our start this afternoon” by picking it apart “did I
overhear you say something about ‘we’ and ‘start’ and ‘this afternoon’?”
Both toad and rat are clearly vying for the support of the impressionable Mole,
each using different techniques of rhetoric to persuade him to their own
attitudes about imaginative journey.
o Toad’s jocular ‘ I want to show you the world. I’m going to make and animal
of you my boy!’ is rejected by Rat’s final high-modality statement “I am
going to stick to my old river, and live in a hole, and boat, as I’ve always
done” This emphatically defines him as conservative and unwilling to explore
the possibility of imaginative journey.
4.Journey to the interior: - Margaret Atwood
o The imaginative Journey allows us to conceptualise our lives or
experiences as journeys.
o In this text, this is done through a detailed extended metaphor that
compares the examination of one’s inner self with a physical journey
through a harsh landscape.
o The title “Journey to the Interior” is a play on words referring both to an
inner journey of self-discovery and a physical journey inland. This title
appeals to the Australian cultural connotations of ‘interior’, calling to mind
the often ill-fated expeditions of early explorers in the central desert.
o The composer imagines her own journey of introspection in terms of a trek
through difficult terrain. The initial tone is contemplative, as the composer
muses that ‘travel is not the easy going /from point to point’. The
hardship of the journey is suggested through imagery - “I move
surrounded by a tangle of branches; a net of air and alternate light and
dark”. The contrast and confusion evident here subside into the resigned
tone of ‘At all times …there are not destinations apart from this’
o The poem’s structure aids its construction of meaning, as the first two
stanzas simply examine similarities and differences – “There are
similarities I notice:” “There are differences of course:” between the
physical and emotional journeys, evaluating the ability of the imagination
to adequately express an inner journey. Yet even as the composer lists
differences, she continues the metaphor, referring to distraction as “A
sentence crossing my path, sodden as a fallen log I’m sure I passed
yesterday”.
o The third stanza comes to a conclusion about the validity of an imaginative
expression of this journey – “words here are as pointless /as calling out
in a vacant wilderness”
5. Blood on the Tracks: Renay Walker
o Imaginative journey is a manifestation of the cultural significance of the
Journey concept
o This is the basic argument of this text, which puts forward a number of
examples of imaginative journeys or imaginative representations of journey to
support its assertion in the first paragraph that the road metaphor is widely
significant to humanity. These examples include the Wizard of Oz, La Strada,
Mad Max, Ulysses Gaze and The Lord of the Rings. Particularly effective is
the juxtaposition of Homer’s Odyssey with Kubric’s 2001:A Space Odyssey
which simply communicates the scope of the journey’s cultural significance.
o This first paragraph explores various elements of the road metaphor through
the language of the journey concept. Words such as “cuts across” “intersect”
“movement” “freedom of motion” “parallel” and “signpost” not only
directly express the idea presented, but combine to build a system of ‘journey’
imagery intended to inspire interest in the concept.
o The significance of imagination to journey is introduced with the list of
fictional titles mentioned above, and the assertion that “it (journey) has found
its way into genres as varied as the musical, western, film noir and science
fiction”
o This article/review examines the power of the imagination in conceptualising,
depicting and sharing journeys, in this case through a metaphor with many
layers of meaning – the road. The deeply human nature of this metaphor is
communicated in the texts title – ‘Blood on the tracks’
o “The road metaphor has become so embedded in an understanding of
ourselves that is has even paved the way for its own film genre”
o “We encounter our travellers heading for the borders of their identity” –
continuation of texts own use of journey metaphor
6. Journey over land and sea: - Smithsonian Library
o Imaginative journeys are inspired by and inspire physical journeys
o This text suggests this through a discussion of early exploration of the
physical world. The text outlines an exhibition at the Smithsonian Library
that “documents the ever expanding world view of human kind” through
a collection of texts, artefacts and specimens.
o A cycle of exploration, narration, inspiration and more exploration
emerges that validates imaginative journeys as a way of synthesising and
explaining fragmentary understandings of the unknown and encouraging a
quest for greater knowledge.
o This cycle is suggested in the first paragraph, which says of early explorers
‘their tales of discovery…compelled others to pursue the unknown
farther from home’. This assertion is complemented by the two graphics,
which show detail from early maps and illustrated guides. The fantastic
imagery of monsters, storms, stars, suns and moons show the ‘author’s
wonder for the unusual, whether real or imagined’, indicating how
experiences of physical travellers were interpreted in imaginative ways
using icons of danger, magic, beauty and mystery.
o These images also force the responder to question their own worldview,
and how much of their reality is constructed from understandings gained
from imaginative journeys.
7. Excerpt from: The town where time stands still – Shirley Geok-lin Lim
o Imaginative Journeys may alter our lives and understandings.
o This text explores the motives behind imaginative journeys, using a
series of balanced sentences to compare action with reason. People,
states the composer ‘Have threaded their baser motives of profit and
pleasure with …the search for the genii loci”, and “seek an external
geography that will act on their internal psychology”. This balancing
of sentences roots the abstracted tone of the excerpt in a simple series
of revelations that culminate in the phrase ‘blessed and altered’. These
last words communicate a final, favourable impression of the journey
and point to its inherent value.