stuff

People exploring new experiences will have to overcome many challenges, and will undergo personal growth. ‘Into the World’ can be interpreted as outlooks of growing up and adjustment into new stages of a person’s life. It can mean changing normally, or having to change without any choice in the matter. In either case, any person exploring new experiences will encounter challenges, but along the way they will undergo personal growth. This is apparent in the prescribed text, ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ by JC Burke, as well as my chosen text, ‘The Arrival’ by Shaun Tan. The idea of ‘new experiences’ may not always begin positively. For instance, in Burke’s novel, ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’, one disastrous accident made him and his family to leave their hometown of Mumbilli, forcing every character to go through an emotional release. This provokes Tom to become very reserved and distant as he grows resentful and bitter of the whole predicament and progressively being pushed “back into that big, black hole”. He becomes very depressed, reclusive and alienated as he attempts to deal with the situation that his brother, Daniel, has caused. The author projects Tom’s thoughts, emotions, perceptions and opinions through a large range of techniques. The audience is aware of Tom’s growing guilt through the technique of first person writing (on page 124). “Like I said, that was a low point.” The believable, grammatical, impressionistic voice of the teenage narrator creates a confidential relationship with the readers, as well as keeping them engaged. It also gives us insight into Tom’s inner most thoughts. As Tom plunges into intense feelings of guilt and animosity, he becomes numb to the struggles the other members of his family are facing. One of the most effective and engaging techniques used by the author to capture the reader’s attention, is the use of flashbacks. The Story of Tom Brennan is a nonlinear narrative, and this is first evident in the prologue, which has a