English Essay Example

Through new experiences individuals acquire a sense of identity, growth and transformation broadening their perspective on the world. Throughout an individual’s journeys a sense of naivety is overcome and maturity becomes evident embarking onto new phases of life. J.C Burke’s The Story of Tom Brennan, P.J Hogan’s Muriel’s wedding and Ian Mudie’s My Father Began as a God all exemplify this concept of moving into the world.
At the beginning prior to moving into the world an individual possess a sense of naivety and ignorance of the world which must be overcome through life experiences in order to gain a broader perspective of the world. Tom Brennan is naive as his life is untouched by tragedy until Daniel’s accident which subsequently leads to a sense of growth, maturity and transformation. This is particularly evident through the relationship with his grandma; initially his resentment towards her passionate religious beliefs is evident in the sarcastic hyperbole ‘self appointed messenger of God.’. However his empathy increases with his own maturity and he realises ‘it was like suddenly understanding something about who she was... her faith had become her armour as she weathered years in a marriage that’d card little for her.’ Tom’s brush with tragedy, whilst in itself a negative experience leads to a deeper understanding and appreciation of others around him.
The protagonist in My Father Began as a God experiences a similar sense of naivety within his youth experience, deifying his father through the biblical allusion ‘his laws were as immutable as if brought down from Sinai’. This depicts his exaggerated idolisation of his father, furthermore portraying his sense of naivety and childlike admiration. This concept is also demonstrated through his adolescence experience as he grows out of perceiving his father as a god like figure to a decreasing view of significance and respect for him depicting his immaturity. This is exemplified through the repetition ‘Strange