Journeys Speech

To complete any Journey one must take risks and overcome obstacles. Inner or physiological Journeys are Journeys of the mind which when traveled can increase one’s knowledge and sense of fulfillment. This type of Journey is explored in both Robert Frost’s “The Road not Taken” and Gabriele Musician’s film “The Pursuit of Happiness. ” In Frost’s poem the idea of decision-making is explored through the use of the extended metaphor of the two roads, “Two roads diverge in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both.

Frost uses this extended metaphor to illustrate that Journeys involves choices we have to make and like the split path in the woods the choice we do end up making will shape the next part of our lives. The two road are also contrasted, one said to be “having better claim” and “wanting wear. “Frost indicates here that taking the path less traveled or the riskier path has “made all the difference” and therefore delineates the fact that although we face obstacles such as these difficult decisions in our own Journeys, when we overcome them we increase our knowledge and our self-worth.

Another technique used by Frost is that of first person, which enables the audience to be included in the decisions Just as he, himself was, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by. ” Here Frost shows his inner Journey Through his thoughts and thinks, at the caesura, about the path he has taken. Although Frost is happy with the path he took there is still a bit of regret as he will never know what would have happened if he took the other path. Musician’s film “The Pursuit of Happiness” portrays the concept of an inner Journey through its protagonist Chris Gardener.

A defining moment in Chrism’s Journey is when he passes by a stock broking firm and learns of an internship which he’d like. In this scene Nuncio uses calm uplifting music to symbolism the opportunity which has arrived Chrism’s Journey. A viceroy accompanies this scene where Chris says, “They all looked so damn happy, why couldn’t I look like that. ” Although over 500 applicants plied for the internship and only 20 get in Chris decides to take a risk by applying and in doing so misses the opportunity to sell his bone density scanner which would have been used to pay the rent.

When Chris takes the risk of becoming an intern and later becomes a stockbroker he had to overcome many problems such as homelessness, unemployment and being a single parent but in overcoming these obstacles, he gained a sense of identity and became fulfilled. Nuncio also uses the cinematic technique of close ups to show the difficulty of risks. When Chris finds out that his internship is unpaid the camera closes in straight onto Chrism’s face and all music suddenly stops.

This is very effective in showing an obstacle in Chrism’s Journey. Again, like Frost’s poem, this adds to the idea of decision making and risk taking and thereby enhances the audience’s perception of the characters’ Journey. Both of these texts are affective in their uses of techniques to express the concept of effective technique as it allowed the audience to see how difficult decisions in a Rooney are made and gives an insight to what and how the character feels about this decision.

Frost’s poem, I believe, is open to so many different readings that may add to a responder’s confusion. In studying the concepts of Journeys through my two chosen texts I have extended my knowledge and found out that Journeys involve risks and obstacles, however, if you overcome these aspects you become a better person. As David Viscose said, “If your life is ever going to get better, you’ll have to take risks. There is simply no way you can grow without taking chances. “