The ramifications of particular discoveries may differ for individuals and their worlds’ because one’s own personal context influences the extent to which any type of discovery is possible. This is due to the fact that a diverse range of experiences shapes an individual’s perception which impacts on their ability to connect with the values of their worlds’. In addition, discoveries can be highly personalised, affecting the individual both positively and negatively and as such, the consequences of discovery may substantially alter the individual and the world. The implication of Robert Gray’s poem “ Journey the North Coast” and “The Meatworks” and the related text “ A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens presents an insight into this idea.
Journey the North Coast highlights how an individual’s experience can promote a reassessment about one’s own identity due to the differentiating perceptions in comparison with the world. This is evident in the media res opening phrase “The next thing” which delineates the broader journey of discovery, which the responders are plunged by the nostalgic mood. However, the place functions as a catalyst for his reconnection to identity as “Country bursts open on the sea”. The persona’s appreciation of the landscape is exemplified through Gray’s utilisation of figurative language as the physical journey prompts older memories of home in examining his connection with the constraining nature of civilisation. Thus, through the use of first person, it enables the audience to vicariously exert this reconnection due to the rediscovery of
Journey the North Coast highlights how an individual’s experience can promote a reassessment about one’s own identity due to the differentiating perceptions in comparison with the world. This is evident in the media res opening phrase “The next thing” which delineates the broader journey of discovery, which the responders are plunged by the nostalgic mood. However, the place functions as a catalyst for his reconnection to identity as “Country bursts open on the sea”. The persona’s appreciation of the landscape is exemplified through Gray’s utilisation of figurative language as the physical journey prompts older memories of home in examining his connection with the constraining nature of civilisation. Thus, through the use of first person, it enables the audience to vicariously exert this reconnection due to the rediscovery of