'Real Reasons We Explore Space And The Journey'

A physical journey brings inner growth and development from the experiences a person encounters from a physical transition from one place to another. All physical journeys include obstacles and hardships however they also involve emotional and spiritual journeys along the way. Peter Skrzynecki’s poems “Postcard” and “Crossing The Red Sea” are both examples of an emotional journey within a physical journey. A feature article ‘A Desert Odyssey’ reported by Sue Williams and Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ also involve emotional journeys within a physical journey.

Even if someone goes through rough times, they are always more motivated to do what is best,in the end. In “ The Odyssey “ by Homer. Odysseus, who is the king of Ithaca and has heroic powers, is homesick and wants to see his family after 20 years but he is faced with many obstacles. “ The Odyssey “follows the hero’s journey archetype because odysseus is charged with a quest, he travels to a supernatural world and normal people are not allowed in and he resurrected to the people of Ithaca.

Journey’s have been important throughout the world and in history. Columbus’s journey is an example because if he didn't take the journey and step out of his comfort zone the Americas would not be a place that we call home. People who learn from a powerful experience become intelligent in many ways. In the “Odyssey” by Homer, the author uses Odysseus to show that people can overcome obstacles in their way to get to an important destination. With in the “Journey” by Mary Oliver, the author conveys that if people are struck with negativity and go outside their comfort zone, they use strength to gain more self positivity and strength.

Sometimes the destination of your journey matters and in other cases the destination is pointless. These characters go on journeys to to learn lessons or reach a destination. In “The Odyssey” by Homer and “The Cruelest Journey” by Kira Salak, goes through obstacles into their journey where they endure new things during their journey.

A journey is a path of personal struggles that can ultimately lead to a great achievement, leaving the adventurer strongly affected by the experience. The impact of struggle on an adventurer can be clearly seen in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, and Kira Salak’s travel narrative The Cruelest Journey: 600 Miles to Timbuktu as the protagonists undertake journeys of their own, changing their outlook for future events. The Odyssey’s protagonist, Odysseus, finds himself wandering across many islands after the Battle of Troy, facing various foes for twenty long years, returning home to Ithaca, and having to save his wife and son from suitors. Similarly, Kira Salak, an explorer, writer, and protagonist of The Cruelest Journey must endure the harsh environment of West Africa as she prepares and attempts to travel down the Niger River in a kayak

American novelist Ursula K. Le Guin, once said “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end” (Goodreads). Le Guin provides insight on the meaning of a quest, stressing the importance on the experience over the ending. Works of literature, whether created thousands of years ago like the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer or a memoir of a significant travel experience are centered around a character’s journey. In The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus embarks on a journey home to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. Kira Salak tells her story of the journey she took down the Niger River in her memoir, The Cruelest Journey.

The definition of a journey is: “A traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time.” (dictionary.com). However, most modern novels have characters that go through emotional or mental journeys that serve as the main plot for their story, thus contradicting the meaning of the word “journey”. In older works of literature such as The Odyssey by Homer and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, it is more common for the protagonists to step into physical journeys that are often made to signify an important lesson or meaning by the end of the novel. Factors such as symbols, themes, and character change plays a role in helping the characters along on their adventures and adds to the connotation of the whole story.

Journeys, although not the easiest task, are necessary. As the journey comes to a close, lessons are learned, as seen in most literature. This phenomena can be seen in the literature works of The Odyssey, The Cruelest Journey, and The Good Soldier. All are compelled for different reasons, including returning home, to explore, and to save someone. In all of these stories there is something learned by the quester also. They all complete these tasks for various reasons, but have the same end result; a valuable lesson learned. A journey is started by being compelled to go on one and at the end of it, they come out with something learned about themselves.

The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for

The author of the book, The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass, once wrote “Sometimes when you lose your way, you find yourself.”(Hale, Mandy) “The Odyssey” is an epic poem written by Homer depicting the adventures of a man named Odysseus who is traveling back to his home of Ithaka. The poem “The Journey” by Mary Oliver features a girl who finally realizes her purpose then journeys out into the world. Personification in each of the poems portrays how people undertake journeys to pursue goals based on greed but instead find themselves during the journey and come to realize that their original purpose was trivial.

Odyssey a long series of wanderings filled with notable experience and hardships, or in other words the journey of life. Homer's The Odyssey is an epic poem telling of one man's journey. Odysseus, the chosen traveler of this Odyssey, represents the will and perseverance of all humanity. Odysseus' journey symbolizes the true toils of mankind's development through, agility, doubt, and faith.

The concept of space exploration was first introduced to the American public in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy famously stood before congress and vowed that America would put a man on the moon “within the decade.” With hopes of defeating the Soviet Union in the “Space Race” and gaining a leg-up in the Cold War, NASA funding reached its all-time high in 1965-1966 when about four percent of the federal budget was devoted to exploring space. Since then however, funding dedicated to exploring space has nose-dived to about one-half of a percent of the federal budget (Tyson), with plans to cut that figure by an additional $260 million in 2017 (cite NASA funding cuts). Experts in the space-sciences field argue that increased funding in space exploration would re-ignite the American economy and return America to the scientific prominence it was once known for, while, on the other end of the spectrum, naysayers suggest that exploring space is an economic sink-hole that the United States can no longer afford to deposit to given its own earth-bound troubles.

Carl Sagan once said “every planetary civilization will be endangered by impacts from space, every surviving civilization is obliged to become spacefaring--not because of exploratory or romantic zeal, but for the most practical reason imaginable: staying alive... If our long-term survival is at stake, we have a basic responsibility to our species to venture to other worlds.” The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA, is executing Sagan’s words every day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower created NASA in 1958 with the purpose of peaceful rather than military space exploration and research to contribute to society. Just 11 years after the creation, NASA put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon, the first humans to

Mankind has always been fascinated with exploring the unknown. From sailing to distant lands to someday setting foot on other planets, the spirit of exploration is the same. Bur now with the current economic situation and the high cost of sending people to space, NASA is being looked at as a way to free up some much needed funds. Although, there is many problems here on planet Earth that need addressing, the benefits of space exploration far out weight the disadvantages. Space exploration has given us more advanced technology, advances in the medical field, and a boost to the economy and these facts cannot be disputed.

Throughout life everyone has their own journey that they are going to take. Some journeys are goal oriented such as a search for adventure, recognition or riches. Sometimes the journey is to get away and to understand more of what the world has to offer. We all take journeys of self-discovery from childhood to adulthood that reveals our experiences which has shaped us. However, the journey is not always an easy road to take¬ but it is worth taking. When people go through their journey they may experience internal struggles, anxiety from making decisions, loneliness and reflect on their choices. Robert Frost’s poems, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, “The Road Not Taken”, “Acquainted with the Night” and “The Gift Outright” are all