Changing Perspectives Between A Father And Son example essay topic

Everything is constantly changing; indeed, the world is so ephemeral that one may argue it is impossible to step into the same river twice. Given the inevitability of change, the inability to cope with and accept it will lead to a failure to deal with life. Change comes in many forms and has a range of effects on those who experience it. Changing perspective is defined as the change of how an individual sees something or someone. A close study of a variety of texts, allow for a greater understanding of change and its effects. The poems of Peter Skrzynecki, Felix Skrzynecki and 10 Mary Street, Text 1- The Door by Miroslav Holub and Text 3 Sky High by Hannah Roberts from the changing stimulus booklet, and the editorial 'Changing the shape we " re in' by Mike van Niekerk all present different changes that can be analysed to give a better understanding of change.

In Peter Skrzynecki's Felix Skrzynecki the poet examines the changing perspectives between a father and son. At first the son could not understand the physical nature of his father, the hardships that he has endured, or the Polish Culture that he hangs onto. As time passes and the child grows and matures, his perspective of his father changes. The quotes "I never once heard him complain about work, weather of pain" and "Happy as I have never been" shows that the child's alienated perceptions of his father have changed into a sense of admiration and realisation in a sense that his father has been through so much pain yet he is still happier than his son.

Another changing perspective is that of the father when looking at his son. He feels that his son is slowly detaching from him. As the father hangs onto his Polish culture, his son is slowly conforming to the new Australian way of life. The poet uses the adjective "Gentle" in line 1 to show his affection towards his father. Irony is also used when he tells the responder that his father is happier than he was ever though he has been through so much more pain.

The personal pronoun "my" also shows the son's intimacy towards the father. The "Hadrian Wall" metaphor further asserts the fact that the generation gap is growing. The poem Felix Skrzynecki presents change as an inevitable part of life. It shows how migrating into a different society and way of life can affect the individual and their family.

Similarly, 10 Mary Street is another poem written by Peter Skrzynecki that deals with changing perspectives. It addresses the different perspectives of a home as seen from the parents and the child. To the parents, the house represents their desire to retain their European culture that they have left behind. It allows them to forget that they ever left their homelands. The son however, does not share the same perspectives as his parents since he left his homeland at a very young age, and does not have the memories that his parents have. This is similar to Felix Skrzynecki, which also deals with the detachment between the parent and child as a result of migration.

As the son grows up and begins to mature, he becomes affectionate and understanding and begins to find his family rituals charming and endearing. The poet uses the simile "shut the house; like a well oiled lock" to create a sense of security within the house, much like the bond between Felix and his garden in Felix Skrzynecki. The simile "like adopted children" is used to describe the family's garden and how it seemed like no ordinary garden to the parents. 10 Mary Street can be compared with Skrzynecki's other poem Felix Skrzynecki because both poems deal with the changing perspectives of a child towards his parents as he matures. This reinforces the point that change is inevitable and it can have great effects on an individual. Another text which deals with Changing Perspectives is Text 1 from the Changing Stimulus booklet.

The poem the Door is somewhat different to the poems of Peter Skrzynecki Felix Skrzynecki and 10 Mary Street in terms of the changing perspectives presented. Both Felix Skrzynecki and 10 Mary Street describe change as an inevitable part of life that comes as one matures or grows older, whereas the Door by Miroslav Holub presents the point that change only occurs when one takes the risk of experiencing new things. 'The Door' a poem by Czech composer Miroslav Holub explores the process and nature of 'change'. Holub uses 'the door' as a metaphor to symbolism 'change' and the wealth of new possibilities arising from it. Moving through 'the door's suggests 'change' is a process of moving between two different realms.

Holub deliberately avoids poetic lyricism to present a laconic and semantically exact view of the notion of 'change'. The word 'maybe' utilises Italics to emphasise the fact 'change' brings many unknown possibilities. The verbs "go" and "open" are monosyllabic and in the imperative mood, and command the responder to open 'the door' and adopt 'change'. This is contrasted with the hesitant feeling of words such as 'maybe' in each stanza. The juxtaposition emphasises a change in tone, from imperative towards increasingly tentative. The effect of this is that the responder is given the impression 'the door' to 'change' has to be opened despite the fact what lies beyond it and the 'change' it brings is unknown.

Assonance is used in the line "Go and open the door", and the same line is used in patterning and repetition at the beginning of every stanza except for the last. These two techniques along with the caesuras in stanza two and four have the effect of forcing the responder to read the poem slowly and strongly and placing an emphasis on the line that contains the poet's main theme. The last stanza is a coda, and suggests the main theme of the poem. We must think of 'change' as a 'door' to new possibilities and become dynamic. Venturing beyond 'the door' into unknown realms will always bring something new. Here, 'change' is a process and it is up to the individual to alter their perspective in the way they see and understand things, by opening their rationale to embrace 'change' and ensure positive outcomes.

Whilst in The Door the change only occurs when one takes the risk of experiencing new things, the text Sky High by Hannah Roberts reflects the changes in a person's life that occur naturally as one ages (from child to adult.) This short story deals with the natural transition from childhood to adult, and the consequences associated with such change. It succeeds in creating interest by combining an important topic, change, with a seemingly ambivalent focus, that is, the washing line. Sky High contrasts the imagination of childhood imagination and the freedom of youth, with the responsibility of adulthood by giving the clothesline a metaphorical meaning. Not only does it represent childhood, as an object of childish imagination, but also the responsibilities of growing up. "Once a curious onlooker, I now write my own semaphore secrets in colourful t-shirts and mismatched socks". The story focuses on the clothes line, metaphorically the "best climbing tree in the backyard".

In the childhood imagination it is personified with "silver skeletal arms" and the bushes "surrounding the patchy lawn like spectators". This simile, combined with the fantasy "I am flying" illustrates how the child's imagination works. But this is severely contrasted with "Today however, it is bare" and "aged-warp", bringing the reader back to reality. The first half of the story is written in reflection, in order to create a mood of change and its consequences, once it is compared with "today".

The natural change from child to adult brings with it consequences. "It is unlikely the washing line could support me this time", despite "a pilot light, burning somewhere inside". The responsibility of adulthood is evident, and thus so is the consequence of change as "there are too many things tying me to the ground". The editorial 'Changing the shape we " re in', written by Mike van Niekerk for The Sydney Morning Herald (17/5/02), explores the comparable notion of 'change' as 'The Door', and Sky High. The editorial examines social, political, economic, and human kind changes from the 1920's to the present.

The editorial gives an insight into how people in the 1920's felt as though they were at the forefront of civilisation. "Is it reasonable to question whether our thought processes and inner value systems can change too?" The editorial then proceeds to compare the 1920's with the present and raises the question if anything can ever remain static and not experience 'change', including our thought processes and inner values. The piece uses a number of conventions common to the editorial genre to shape the responder's view on the notion of 'change'. The piece encompasses a persuasive purpose and is easily read as a result of its concise and flowing style. The headline of the piece "Changing the shape we " re in" immediately informs the responder what follows is an opinion that focuses on the notion of 'change'. The body of the editorial begins with an argument that differs from the writer's thesis that follows.

This neutral and objective position naturally flows into the writer's thesis, that is, his ideas about 'change'. These ideas are argued and strengthened using recent studies, facts and figures to explain the scope of 'change'. The overall picture the responder is given suggests contemporary society is constantly changing as time passes, and we have no choice but to accept it, by becoming dynamic and changing our perspective so we can embrace 'change' positively. After a close study of the poems Felix Skrzynecki, 10 Mary St, by Peter Skrzynecki, The Door by Miroslav Holub, Sky High by Hannah Roberts, and the editorial 'Changing the shape we " re in" by Mike van Niekerk, it can be said that changing perspectives are a result of many factors in life.

It can be an inevitable part of life that comes as one matures, or it can occur by taking risks. It is now evident that a close study of a variety of texts allow for a greater understanding of changing perspectives. The texts discussed make evident that 'change' is a process that can have valuable or futile outcomes. As stones thrown into ponds make ripples, all changes have consequences.

The type of outcome resulting from 'change' is closely associated with the dynamism of an individual or group in their ability to open their rationale to changes in perspective. 'Change' allows us to move forward, and brings with it a host of benefits..