Tylah Roberts AOS Two Related Texts

Discoveries may be sudden and unexpected or evoked by a deliberate process. They can offer renewed
perceptions of ourselves, others and the world around us or uncover intensely meaningful emotions. Ang
Lees film Life of Pi and William Ernest Henleys Invictus, along with Kjersti Skomsvold's novella The Faster I
Walk, The Smaller I Am convey these concepts through self and spiritual revelation. These discoveries are
largely found due to external pressures, such as relationships and loss, that allow for renewed or changed
perspectives.

One aspect of self discovery seen throughout Ang Lee's Life of Pi is the sudden and unexpected but inevitable
process of maturity. The discovery of Pi's newfound adulthood is brought upon primarily by an external force,
and for Pi himself, it is a discovery into a new world, which stimulates new ideas. A prominent factor that
contributes to Pi's maturity is the relationship with his father. The two characters have conflicting beliefs of
religion portrayed as the difference between adult and child perspectives. Their intense argument in the
scene where Richard Parker kills the goat highlights this concept as Pi insists, "Animals have souls, I have seen
it in their eyes." His father replies aggressively, "When you look into his eyes, you are seeing your own
emotions reflected back at you! The contrast in the soft tone of Pi and the aggressive tone of his father is
representative of the chasm between the harsh truth of a logical world and the naivety of a religious one. The
responder can relate to the struggle between differing mindsets during an unexpected revelation. The
revelation of maturity is further explored through Pis changed relationship with his mother. A jump cut from
Richard Parker attacking the goat to Pis mother holding Pi out of view demonstrates his mothers attempt to
protect his innocence. The responder can relate to the intense change after a traumatic experience whilst
sympathising with the pain that is felt. This renewed perception of the world is illustrated through the sudden
and unexpected but inevitable process of moving into maturity in Life of Pi.

William Ernest Henleys Invictus also explores the concept of self discovery as the realisation of inner strength
and the ability to survive, allowing for renewed perceptions of oneself. The atrocity of the circumstances of
the persona is conveyed in, Out of the night that covers me, / Black as the pit from pole to pole,. The simile
demonstrates the personas bleak outlook on life that began his need to realise inner strength, allowing the
responder to imagine the magnitude of their suffering and thus evoking sympathy. Despite this, the
realisation the persona makes to survive against terrible suffering is illustrated in, In the fell clutch of
circumstance / I have not winced nor cried aloud. Personification of circumstance portrays the tight grasp
that their misfortunes have upon them, yet emotive language demonstrates how they find the strength to
carry on. Invictus explores renewed perceptions of oneself through the self discovery of inner strength and
the ability to survive.

Kjersti Skomsvolds novella The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am also explores the concept of the sudden and
unexpected process of dealing with loss. The loss of the protagonist Matheas husband Epsilon brings upon
intensely meaningful emotions for her. Her loneliness is expressed through the simile in, Hamsun said that
nothing is like being breathed on by a life, and I wish someone would ring my doorbell, even if they just ran
away. This comparison reveals to the responder the deep emotions that can arise after an unexpected loss.
Furthermore, the abrupt loss of her husband also brought Mathea to greatly consider her own mortality. Her
emotional turmoil is illustrated through, "Whats the point of having neighbors anyway? Youve earned your
heavenly sleep, though our earthly sorrows deep. The symbolism of heavenly sleep demonstrates to the
responder Matheas unrest and how dealing with loss can lead to drastically different emotional states. The
discovery of intensely meaningful emotions is explored in The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am through the
Tylah Roberts AOS Two Related Texts
sudden and unexpected experience of loss.

Ang Lees Life of Pi illustrates spiritual revelations as a deliberate process occurring through necessity. This is
demonstrated during Pis visit to the island where he arrives feeling defeated and unmotivated to continue on
his journey. The close-up on Pis relieved face as he rushes to eat the algae ground portrays the comfort that
Pi finds amongst the life-saving land. The responder also feels a sense of relief for Pi and can relate to the
small comforts that can come from anything during times of need. The lustre of the island is short-lived
though, as during the night the island becomes carnivorous. This brings Pi to realise that he must continue on
and finish his journey. This spiritual discovery to take control of his life is illustrated when Pi finds a human
tooth in a lotus flower. This moment symbolises Pis changing mindset towards leaving the island and
continuing on, which is similar to his earlier search for religion and faith as a child as he tried to discover all
the possibilities the world had to offer. The responder can feel his emotional change brought upon through
hardship. Ang Lees Life of Pi explores the concept of spiritual revelations of the ability to take control of ones
life as a deliberate process that can be found through necessity.

Likewise, Henleys Invictus also explores spiritual discovery as a deliberate process triggered by necessity. This
is portrayed through the personas realisation that one must control their own lives rather than wait to see
what is dealt to them. This is first demonstrated through the metaphor, It matters not how strait the gate, /
How charged with punishments the scroll, illustrating that it does not matter how great the injustice, the
persona will prevail. This challenges the responder to envision themselves taking complete control over their
own life. The personas discovery of awareness of ones ability to control their own fate is further illustrated
in, I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul. The positive connotation of master and
captain demonstrates the personas newfound revelation of being in control. The responder empathises with
the personas changing emotions and can relate to this sense of freedom and control after overcoming a
hardship. Invictus explores spiritual discoveries triggered through necessity as a deliberate process.

Similarly, Kjersti Skomsvolds novella The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am also explores the spiritual discoveries
that encompass taking control of ones own life through a deliberate process. Initially, Mathea was stuck and
unable to see herself joining the world after a life of loneliness and losing her husband. This inability to move
forward is illustrated through the abrupt, short sentences in, "Live life. Seize the day. I'm standing next to my
bed, but I don't know how to seize my day. This allows the responder to sympathise with Matheas feeling of
loss and uncertainty of her place in the world. It is after this that she finally realises that she truly does want
to be a part of the wider world and take control of her own life. The small steps towards this are illustrated
in, Epsilon says that, statistically speaking, a given person will probably die in bed. Maybe I should get up
now. The imperative tone demonstrates to the responder that it does not take one leap to become control of
ones life, but the initial steps to make the change are crucial. Kjersti Skomsvolds The Faster I Walk, The
Smaller I Am utilises the concept of spiritual discoveries involved in taking control of ones own destiny as a
deliberate process found through necessity to change.

Overall, both Ang Lees Life of Pi and William Ernest Henleys Invictus, as well as Kjersti Skomsvold's The Faster
I Walk, The Smaller I Am explore the possibilities of discoveries being sudden and unexpected or evoked by a
deliberate process. These revelations allow for renewed perceptions of oneself, others and the world around
us. External factors such as relationships and loss allow for the greatest revelations of changed perceptions.