Michael Gow Themes

Set in the Australian summer of 1967, Michael Gow’s Away is an elaborate play which explores the ideas of self- discovery and change. Through the war affected nation, three families, each from different social classes, depart on an iconic Australian holiday to the beach. In the play, Gow utilises the characters to demonstrate that going away physically is intrinsically linked to their mental developments. With the help of references to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer night’s Dream, Away uses Gwen and Coral to show the significant psychological changes made by the characters during holidays to the coast. Tom throughout the play acts as a catalyst for the change in other characters and is associated with Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As a result of discovery, individuals are opened to the opportunity to transform and in doing so, renew perceptions of themselves and those around them. In having renewed perceptions, individuals are automatically exposed to new experiences and perspectives, and as a result undergo personal growth. Change is an aspect of discovery that is enabled by past experiences and in this, transformation is achieved. Through Jane Harrison’s Rainbow’s End, a 1950’s play about three generations of an Aboriginal family, and Gwen Harwood’s Father and Child, a poem exploring the transformation of a child we are able to explore the way change is inflicted through experiences of discovery and the responses we find as a result of this. Maturation and

“To discover is to gain sight or knowledge of something.” How have ideas about discovery been shown in Away and The Book Thief

The term ‘discovery’ can be explored and interpreted in many different ways, the meaning is created by an individual’s perception, opinion and experiences of discovery. In the book Swallow the Air by Tara June Winch and the film, Titanic by James Cameron explores the concept of discovery as an idea that discoveries can be challenging as they allow for the transformation of an individual’s perspective, and they allow for an individual to discover their true identity and the identity of others around them.

Discovery inhibits the ability to embrace new beginnings and accept a sense of change whether it is found or forced upon an individual. The places you travel and the people you meet can emotionally revolutionize a self-discovery through unexpected but anticipated terms evoked from curiosity. ‘Swallow The Air’ written by Tara June Winch and ‘The Thing Around Your Neck’ written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie break the inhibitions of vulnerability, as their ideas represented through cultural contexts and values, lead to an overall self-discovery.

The process of discovery is often, a rigid and gruelling journey which leads an individual or group to formulate new perspectives as new truths are uncovered. Ivan O’Mahoney thorugh the T.V. mini-series Go Back To where You Came From utilises a myriad of film and narrative techniques to convey how the provocative and the transformative power of emotional and physical discoveries triggers an epiphany. Leading to the development of an individual’s ability to appreciate the complexity and severity of Australia’s asylum seeker crisis.

There is so much incredible joy in learning. To stop learning is to settle, something I hope to never do. I know there will always be more beauty to uncover, more experiences to have, and more souls to connect with. To stop discovering is to think I have sucked this life dry of all possible joy. The day I believe I have learned enough about myself or the world around me is the day I have failed myself. There is so much magic and mystery in this incomprehensibly vast universe; I’m going to seek all that I can until my very last day in this body. There is so much mystery inside of myself that I will never be able to know all of it, let alone the world around me. To me, discovery boils down to two crucial elements. The first: wonderment. I believe this is the most critical trait a person can lose. Without wonder, life would be very dull. There aren’t words to adequately express just how magnificent life is. There is beauty in everything, no matter how large or small. The crinkles in the smile of someone you love. The details in the curve of the bark on a branch. Golden sunlight, just before sunset. The stillness of morning. Eyes with love in them. The intricate veins of a leaf. Though society tries to squeeze this sense of awe out of us early on, I think it’s so important to never stop looking at anything or anyone with fresh eyes and a curious mind. When we lose this sense of wonderment, this is when joy begins to slip from our

Discovery can bring about many new factors, which can be both provocative and confronting. Although, these seemingly negative experiences can alter an individual’s perceptions as well as their own identity and their view of others around them. Robert Gray explores the many elements of discovery, and shows the remarkable victories as well as the flaws and setbacks. His poem ‘Meatworks’ is a shining example of how a confronting discovery can alter the personas view of their own identity as well as the identity of those around them. Margret Atwood’s piece ‘Journey to the interior’ further reinforces the statement that although a discovery can be provocative it can still lead to new insight and different views.

This is an essay about three themes of life from the book nightjohn. I think these 3 themes are important because you really can’t get anywhere in life without them. The first theme is prejudice which means to be biased towards a certain person or thing. The second theme is Freedom which just means to be free of oppression. The third and final theme is bravery which means to be strong and to stand up for what you believe in.

Discovering something for the first time can be meaningful and can help initiate the process of change that can shape and impact life. The combination of themes that Michael Gow’s play Away, Seamus Heaney’s poem Mid-term Break, and Dane Clark’s short film Margo Lily, highlight includes coming to terms with a person’s mortality, death as a means of bringing people together regardless of social status, and the importance of reconciliation. Death is inevitable and one must accept this in order to progress in life. Michael Gow’s play ‘Away’ opens with the final scene from Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespearean allusions come into play with Tom as the character of Puck, an immortal fairy, symbolising a whole life ahead for Tom.

"Open your eyes and see what you can with them, before they close forever. " Imagine living in the 20th century, in Paris, France during the second World War; being blind and having to flee your own home to try to find a safer place to live, only having spared yourself some time before they arrived. And then, have all the people you love slowly get taken away from you, leaving you alone to survive a war you never asked for. What about living in Germany, where you are forced to join the military. You were being lead to thought you were fulfilling your dreams, but you really became a part of the people who destroys them.

The three themes that stand out to me in Nightjohn are Leadership, Freedom, and Prejudice. These themes stand out to me, because I enjoy stories that feature these themes. They show triumph is an unexpected way, and who can hate that? The three themes put together equal a fascinating story. A group of people who’re suppressed by prejudice desire freedom, and extraordianry leadership leads them to freedom.

The process of discovery has been explored through a wide range of texts as it involves uncovering what is hidden and reconsidering what is known. This concept is represented in Ang Lee’s film Life of Pi and the short story Let’s go to Golgotha by Garry Kilworth, through which the audience develops their own understanding of the process of discovery.

Discoveries are defined as new understanding that alter our lives and add richness and value through contemplation of others and ourselves. This helps underpin the concept that ourselves and others around us are constantly changing, and while through these discoveries occurs. Realistic poet Robert Frost through his poems “mending wall” and “stopping by the woods on a snowy evening” contract traditional standpoints between the contempary film “ life of pi” by Ang Lee conveying the capacity for discovery to be universal. These are explored through the themes of nature, companionship and death, which develop upon our new understanding to alter life’s perceptions.

The film Mr. Nobody directed by Jaco Van Dormael is unlike most movies showed in hollywood today. It is a beautiful film that reflects the postmodernist era by its use of techniques to depict the life and choices made of the movies protagonist Nemo Nobody. Postmodernism is a cultural movement that is drifting away from its former art, literature, cinema, and architecture once used in a modernist era. One of the main themes portrayed in this film is that of fragmentation. Fragmentation is constantly shown throughout this film by the anarchy and chaos the director chose to display. The meaning of fragmentation is being able to pull away information in order to connect it to a bigger story. In order to understand the film information must be