discovery essay

Discovery can be concisely defined as the recognition of new forms of knowledge that have the potential to challenge our perception of ourselves and the surrounding world. Discovery is a multifaceted concept that takes many forms such as familial, social and physical and influences our personal experiences. Robert Gray’s poems ‘Journey: The North Coast’ and ‘Late Ferry’ explore how physical discoveries can result in a profound impact on an individual’s emotional state. In contrast, Kate Woods’ film ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ discusses how personal discovery shapes our familial and social understandings. Ultimately, the analysis of these two texts enables us to gain an appreciation of the complexity of discovery.
Journeys function as a catalyst for discovery and consequently shape our experiences, challenging our perceptions of the world around us. They have the opportunity to completely change our perception of both the individual and surrounding environment. Gray’s poem ‘Journey: The North Coast’ uses the persona’s physical journey on a train as a framework to highlight how discoveries help change our perception of the world. Gray argues that city life can have a detrimental impact on our emotional state, due to its focus on materialism and commercialization. The persona feels that city life confines people and results in a feeling of claustrophobia. This concept is depicted through the metaphorical nature of the statement “everything done, press down the latches into the case”, “everything done…” portrays the finality of the moment that the persona is experience. The case is a symbol of the restrictive conformity of City life. By shutting the latches, it outlines how the persona is ready to move on and settle down. The poet highlights the persona’s dismissive attitude of the relevance of materialism and city life. Gray illustrates that self-discovery transforms personal experience and our understanding of the world. New journeys have the ability to challenge and