From reading the first chapter, I have come to realize that there is a lot more meaning behind just the plain text that you think you are reading. You must think and look at the situation from more than just one perspective.
It’s true that at a first time reading that the story seems to be just about Kip going to the store to pick up bread for his mother and also seeing the girl of his dreams with some other guy. Although it might seem merely as a trip to the store, if you just tap into your creative, adventurous side you could also think of it as a journey, or even a “quest”.
I never, at first glance, would have thought that his trip to the store could also be considered a quest. The quester is Kip, due to the fact that he has an errand to run. The place to go is the store. The stated reasoning of him going is to get bread for his mother. The challenges and trials he faces are seeing the girl of his dreams laughing with some other guy, and I’m pretty sure Kip wishes he was in the other guy’s position at the time. His real reason for going was to recruit to the Marines.
Now, I would’ve also thought that Kip’s main reasoning was to just get bread for his mother, but it turns out to be otherwise. What I’m confused about is why, if the real reason for him going to the store was to recruit to the Marines, why didn’t the author just say that? Maybe, when the author said “the real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge”, he was most likely implying that Kip was trying to find himself.
An example of someone trying to find their way, but in a literal sense, is Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She was somehow placed into the World of Oz due, to a tornado that happened in Kansas, which is where she lived. Dorothy is the quester, since she is trying to find her way back home. Her place to go is first to see the Wizard of Oz so he can help her get back to Kansas. Her stated reason to go there is to find the Wizard and ask him if he can get her back to Kansas. Her challenges and trials were that she met a few characters and helped them and they helped her. First, she runs into a scarecrow that has no brain and takes him along with her in hopes that the Wizard can give him a brain. She met a lion who had no courage, and took him along to see if the Wizard could give him courage. Lastly, she met a tin-man who was heartless, and took him with her to see if the Wizard could give him a heart.
Dorothy’s journey was not just a quest only to get back home. She also made friends along the way and learned a little more. The scarecrow had no brain, so it pushed her to have to make smarter decisions. The lion was scared so she had to be fearless, and the tin-man had no heart so she also learned to care. So, for Dorothy, this wasn’t just a journey to get home, but a journey to also help others with their problems and have a better understanding.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Reflection of Thy Quest
From reading the first chapter, I have come to realize that there is a lot more meaning behind just the plain text that you think you are reading. You must think and look at the situation from more than just one perspective.
It’s true that at a first time reading that the story seems to be just about Kip going to the store to pick up bread for his mother and also seeing the girl of his dreams with some other guy. Although it might seem merely as a trip to the store, if you just tap into your creative, adventurous side you could also think of it as a journey, or even a “quest”.
I never, at first glance, would have thought that his trip to the store could also be considered a quest. The quester is Kip, due to the fact that he has an errand to run. The place to go is the store. The stated reasoning of him going is to get bread for his mother. The challenges and trials he faces are seeing the girl of his dreams laughing with some other guy, and I’m pretty sure Kip wishes he was in the other guy’s position at the time. His real reason for going was to recruit to the Marines.
Now, I would’ve also thought that Kip’s main reasoning was to just get bread for his mother, but it turns out to be otherwise. What I’m confused about is why, if the real reason for him going to the store was to recruit to the Marines, why didn’t the author just say that? Maybe, when the author said “the real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge”, he was most likely implying that Kip was trying to find himself.
An example of someone trying to find their way, but in a literal sense, is Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She was somehow placed into the World of Oz due, to a tornado that happened in Kansas, which is where she lived. Dorothy is the quester, since she is trying to find her way back home. Her place to go is first to see the Wizard of Oz so he can help her get back to Kansas. Her stated reason to go there is to find the Wizard and ask him if he can get her back to Kansas. Her challenges and trials were that she met a few characters and helped them and they helped her. First, she runs into a scarecrow that has no brain and takes him along with her in hopes that the Wizard can give him a brain. She met a lion who had no courage, and took him along to see if the Wizard could give him courage. Lastly, she met a tin-man who was heartless, and took him with her to see if the Wizard could give him a heart.
Dorothy’s journey was not just a quest only to get back home. She also made friends along the way and learned a little more. The scarecrow had no brain, so it pushed her to have to make smarter decisions. The lion was scared so she had to be fearless, and the tin-man had no heart so she also learned to care. So, for Dorothy, this wasn’t just a journey to get home, but a journey to also help others with their problems and have a better understanding.
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