Into the World Essay

â€Å"Individuals venturing into new experiences may encounter obstacles, but may also experience personal growth. † ‘Into the World’ is can be defined as aspects of growing up and transitions into new phases of an individual’s life. It can mean transitioning naturally, or change being thrust upon a person. In either case, any individual venturing into new experiences will encounter obstacles, but they will also experience personal growth. This is evident in the prescribed text, The Story of Tom Brennan by JC Burke, as well as my chosen text, I Was Only 19 by Redgum. The concept of ‘new experiences’ may not always start off positively. For example, in Burke’s novel, the protagonist, Tom Brennan, one fatal accident forced him and his family to flee their hometown of Mumbilli, forcing every character to undergo a catharsis. This causes Tom to become very withdrawn and introverted as he grows bitter and resentful of the whole situation and slowly getting pushed ‘back into that big, black hole’. He becomes very depressed, antisocial and isolated as he attempts to deal with the situation that his brother, Daniel, has caused. The author conveys the protagonist’s thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs through a variety of techniques. The audience is aware of Tom’s growing guilt through the technique of first person writing. ‘Like I said, that was a low point. ’ (p124) The convincing, idiomatic, subjective 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 reflective tone, when it changes from past tense to present tense. ‘†¦ so as not to remind them of their pain and what our family now meant to this town. My name is Tom Brennan, and this is my story. ’ However, these flashbacks finish after chapter 9, which is when Tom finally begins to accept the situation. As Tom and his family are forced to make a shameful and hasty departure from their once-loved, parochial hometown, they flee to Toms’ Gran’s house in Coghill. Tom hates living in his Gran’s house, and his subjectiveness creates a bias and negative image of her, as he promptly denigrates her efforts, particularly her ‘culinary disasters,’ claiming that her food looked like ‘a charred slab of cow’s shit. ’ He can’t understand why she copes with the situation is a stoic manner and she becomes somewhat like a ‘punching bag’ for Tom, as he releases all his anger on her. Their relationship is strained, hostile and lacks mutual tolerance and respect as he refers to her as ‘The Grandmother. ’ As Tom re-establishes a connection with ‘The Grandmother,’ he learns empathy, and this is evident in chapter 12 when Tom first realises that she cares for him more than he realises –‘Do you think I couldn’t see you fading away those first few weeks? ’ Their developing relationship is then strengthened as Tom decides to build her a chook pen. Rugby is the lynchpin that holds the novel together. Tom is placed as half-back on the St Bennies team that ‘couldn’t catch a cold. The team provides him with a solid ground to stand on and his teammates give him new relationships and ties to Coghill. Football symbolises the prestige of the ‘legend of the Brennan brothers,’ and Tom unknowingly uses football as a measure of what he had and what he’d lost, of what he can and can’t do. When Tom goes on the St. Bennies footy camp, he learns humility. After Tom speaks with his dad at camp, he realises that ‘winning had been everything at St John’s, but now I was confused, because I think Dad was trying to tell me that it wasn’t enough. ’ He then uses his skills to teach and lead St Bennies. Tom’s uncle, Brendan, has a therapeutic effect on Tom, and as he starts running with him in the mornings, he grows and matures as he tries to get fit enough to travel to Nepal, and this is evident in Brendan’s statement: ‘He was lucky to have you there, Tom. Even if he doesn’t remember it. ’ At first, Tom is hesitant to start running, ‘†¦ contemplating whether a ‘piss off’ was in order. ’ They run up the hill near Carmel’s property, ‘The Ascent,’ which she ‘reckoned it lead all the way to heaven,’ and this becomes symbolic of Tom’s struggle and his journey. The Ascent is an obstacle Tom must face, with the help of Brendan, in order to grow and bloom as he accepts the situation. Another factor that helps Tom heal is his friendship-turned-relationship with Chrissie, who also has a therapeutic effect on him. Chrissie is Tom’s confidante –‘I started talking. That’s what she did to me’, as she acts as a panacea to his pain, which he describes as ‘feeling bad all the time. ’ The concept of individuals venturing into new experiences is also explored in my chosen text, I Was Only 19 by Redgum. I as only nineteen presents the protest against conscription during the Vietnam War. It displays all the difficult experiences of a young man as well as his perspective towards the Vietnam War and the loss of his friend due to the war. The poem portrays war as a living hell and tells the audience the unseen, brutal ways of battle. It reflects on the horror and traumatising warfare that the young men had to go through. â€Å"I was only nineteen† is repeated in a sad, dull context as the lyrics are mostly describing the downside of the whole war concept. Through the themes, use of emotive language and vivid description, this repetition can easily be identified as setting a depressing and sympathetic tone. The use of rhetorical questions place emphasis on how the poet feels this experience has effected him â€Å"And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet? And what’s this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? † â€Å"And can you tell me doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep? † gives an example of repletion which has been used to emphasise the fact that the young men that have been taken to war and all the horrific experiences they’ve been through. The rhyming of the words of each line have been included to give a feel towards the song/poem and give a link towards each line and that there is a connection between the two lines – â€Å"And there’s me in my slouch hat with my SLR and greens. God help me, I was only nineteen. † The use of other poetic techniques, such as metaphors, are also used to emphasise the obstacles faced by young soldiers in warfare- â€Å"Was a war within yourself/ It was a long march from cadets/ And night time’s just a jungle dark and a barking M16. Another metaphor evident is â€Å"But you wouldn’t let your mates down til they had you dusted off. † This is used to represent the camaraderie and friendship instilled in the soldiers. In conclusion, individuals venturing into new experiences may encounter obstacles, but may also experience personal growth. In The Story of Tom Brennan, as well as I was only nineteen by Redgum, the concept of personal growth is explored. Both the soldier in I was only nineteen, as well as the Brennans, face multiple obstacles whilst telling their story.