Door Change example essay topic
Therefore it is important that we examine the following texts in order to fully comprehend its meaning. "Looking for Alibrandi" by Melina March etta is very much based on the concept of family. The novel sees life through the eyes of a seventeen year old girl by the name of Josephine Alibrandi who is in her final year at a wealthy Catholic School having received a scholarship. She feels intimidated by other people who look down on her family's social status and culture which drives her to take a long, hard look at who she really is and to live a life which is free from the stereotypes placed upon her by others. "So not being able to go out a lot is one of my many problems. My biggest though, is being stuck at a school dominated by rich people".
Throughout the course of the story, Josie explores what her "Alibrandi" name really means and discovers many skeletons hiding in the family closet including the real identity of her father. ".. for him to actually exist was mind boggling. Sometimes I think he is a myth" and the affair involving Nonna (Josie's grandmother). These revelations assist Josie to appreciate the efforts of her mother in bringing her up alone without moral, cultural, emotional or financial assistance as well as the sacrifices made by Nonna to protect her child to the best of her ability. At the end of the novel we see that Josie has sorted herself out from the others and worked out what is most important in life - family. "My emancipation didn't happen like I expected it to."It matters who I feel like I am - and I fell like Michael and Christina's daughter.
"The Door" uses repetition to create an imperative tone. The beginning of each stanza states "Go and open the door". This implies that the poet is intending for the reader to take action and do something with their life. The door itself can be seen as a metaphor for our minds and hearts, persuading us to open ourselves up and be courageous in making changes.
It provides the reader with a series of possibilities which change can result in "a tree, or a wood, a garden or a magic city". There is know way of knowing what change to expect when we open the door, however, once we open the door change is inevitable. The final stanza of the poem states "even if nothing is there... at least there " ll be a draught. This last statement places the impression on the reader that as long as we open the door, there will be always be a change whether it be big or small. Holub's conclusion strongly stresses the reader to take an action and discover that change is inevitable.
In linking this text with Alibrandi, "The Door" persuades the reader to escape from the square they live in. "Sturt's Dreaming" reveals an explorer's vision to conquer a new land, however, conversely he discovers that the Aboriginals' Dreaming reveals a land which has existed for thousands of years. The poem provides descriptive language and imagery to plant into our minds what the environment was like at the time with explicit detail - "Iron-shod wheels plough deep in hot red sand, rattle and jar over wicked gibber plains". To Sturt, this was an unexpected occurrence which led to the failure of the expedition. "Family Portrait" by Pink is a song which also concentrates on the concept of family. The song tells the story of a child who is begging her parents to stop fighting with each other over just about everything.
The element of change is very prominent in this piece of music as the entirety of the song concentrates on the desperateness of the child to restore peace among her family "You fight about money, bout me and my brother... ". The main chorus of the song expresses the thought of wanting to return to the way things used to be where everybody lived as one happy family. "Can we work it out? Can we be a family? ...
". Towards the end of the song, one of the verses states "In our family portrait, we look pretty happy, We look pretty normal, let's go back to that". This verse provides an image of a past family photo with everyone happy and smiling as if they were enjoying each other's company. The child just wants all the bickering to stop and for everything to return exactly back to the way everything was before, just like in the picture.
She even goes as far as to say "I'll be so much better, I'll tell my brother, Oh, I won't spill the milk at dinner... I'll do everything right, I'll be your little girl forever, I'll go to sleep at night. ". indicating her feelings of accountability for the situation beyond her control. It is obvious that this child portrayed in the song will resort to any lengths to restore peace in the family. All these texts have one thing in common - they are all about getting out into the world, taking risks, following your dreams and aspirations.
I have found that studying these texts has changed my perception of particular things in life someway. From examining the above texts, change is as I see it something which can result because of many different reasons whether it be family circumstances, personal beliefs, friends or even everyday events occurring the world. It is something that surrounds us every day, something we don't always have control over - the only thing we can do in most cases is gradually accept it Changing perspective is something which none of us are easily able to do. It requires for us to understand other people's opinions on a certain topic and then make a judgement from that statement. I believe that because everyone has different perspectives on varying subjects, changing someone's perspective on a subject can be difficult.
To me, change and changing perspective are things that are always going to be a part of our lives so it is important that we understand what these terms really mean to help us through life.