Josie Perspective Of Her Grandmother Changes example essay topic

LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI: Change creates awakenings The journey we take trough life necessitates change for without it we cannot grow, and therefore not gain new awakenings. The process of change is an inevitable part of life and occurs as a result of maturity, gain knowledge or discovering one self. Through a number of texts we can see the concept of change in perspective clearly demonstrated and how they create awakenings. Texts including "Looking for Alibrandi:" by Marchetta, "My Father as a God" by Ian Mudie, "From 'beached whale' to 'beach babe' " and Remarques "All Quiet on the Western Front" all have themes and underlying meanings relating to change in perspective. Changing perspective is a dominant theme in LFA.

The novel focuses on Josephine Alibrandi and her journey of discovery and new awakenings through her senior year of high school. It is a year that marks many changes in her life, herself and her family. A key event in the novel where Josie has a change in perspective which creates awakenings is the meeting of her father, Michael Andretti. Initially before Josie has met her father she resents him for abandoning her mother while she was pregnant. Josie has an angry confrontation with her father in chapter six where she denies any need of him. However, the incidence with Ron Bishop alters this and Josie gains a new awakening.

As she walks alongside her father she says she "likes the feeling of having a fatherly figure". Their relationship continues to grow as Josie matures and changes her views about life. As a result, Josie gains a new awakening and her view towards life and people changes. This is clearly shown where she considers to move in with her father and change her name to Andretti. However, Josie comes to realize that she would be a hypocrite if she were to do this, as then she too would be 'abandoning' her mother like she had thought her father had done. Much like "Looking for Alibrandi" (hereafter LFA), the poem "My father as a God" by Ian Mudie, shows a similar change where as a young boy matures and grows up, his perspectives of his father change and he therefore gains new awakenings.

The quote. ".. and made me a god ling" shows the perspective the young boy had of his father. He thinks of him like a god who no-one dare to argue with. However, as the boy matures his perspective changes and his new thoughts about his father change. The son describes him by saying "How he shrank and shrank", which shows how the father is becoming less significant.

The language that Mudie uses further portrays the sons change in perspective towards his father. The first line shows the exaggerated view of the father when Mudie uses "God" as a hyperbole. The repetition of the word "shrank" in the third stanza shows how the sons views of his father were disintegrating. "LFA" and "My father as a God" both deal with the change in perspective which results from maturity which in turn creates awakenings. A major theme in "LFA" is identity. Josephine has a change in perspective of her own identity.

Initially she believed that her appearance and ethnic background was the determining factor in her social acceptance. However, when Sister Louis informs Josie that she had been selected school captain by her peers and that her and hr friends were the trendsetters in the school, she has a change in perspective in herself. At that moment Josie says "I knew deep down that I was wrong and I think that my emancipation began at that moment". This clearly shows that as a result of Josie gaining a new perspective she gains a new awakening and as a result views herself in new light.

This correlates directly with Angela Cerretto's view of herself in the article "From 'beached whale' to 'beach babe' " (Womens Day March 2003). When Angela weighed 84 kg she was ashamed of herself and would 'hate summer'. She was not happy with herself and was often 'reduced to tears'. However, when she took Fat Blaster and lost 20 kg, her view on herself and life changed. She said 'it's the first summer in years that I am really going to look forward to... I feel so happy.

My whole life is different' It is also through experiences that Josie gains a new perspective which creates awakenings. However, this time she has a change in perspective of her culture. After experiencing John Barton's death, Josie comes to realize that her life really is not that bad. As a result of this change in perspective she gains a new awakening where she understands that while she is poor, she us also free to pursue any sort of life that she wants. John's life however, was pre-ordained and he had to die in order to achieve his emancipation. Eventually Josie decides "you can't hate what you are apart of".

At first she thought that her background stopped her from being herself but later realizes that her culture makes up who she really is and that she cannot break free of it. The poem "The Door" by Holux is similar to LFA because it is through experiences that peoples perspectives can change which in turn create awakenings. To the composer the door is a symbol of change. Opening the door allows changes to occur.

If the door is not opened new experiences will not be met and perspectives cannot therefore change. The composer uses the door as an extended metaphor throughout the poem to establish the need for change. Repetition of the imperative "Go and open the door" further asserts the need to open the door, to take risks and to leave the comfort zone, to take on the world outside and gain a change in perspective and possibly create an awakening. Yet, at the same time, the poem reminds us that there are no certainties when we open the door, just varied opportunities which are then listed from the common and ordinary "dog's rummaging" to the fantastic and abstract "magical city". But all encompasses the notation of change: that which may alter us, our world or give us a new perspective. Marchetta also demonstrates through Josie, that having increased knowledge and knowing all the facts can bring about a change in perspective.

Josie perspective of her grandmother changes from viewing her as a nagging old women to having a caring, caring, respectful relationship with her. The episodic narrative which is written in first person enables the reader to see the stages in which her perspective changes as she gains knowledge about her grandmother and also how it is her own actions that allow the change to occur. Initially Josie dreads having to spend time with her Nonna, as she states "my main objective in life at the moment is to get on my grandmothers nerves". But as the novel progresses Josie learns more about her Nonna's life and about her affair with Marcus Sandford. She finds out that her grandmother "Hadn't lived life the way she thought, she hadn't played by all the rules". By the end of the novel, it is seen that Josie has a new awakening and is able to see her Nonna's full worth and she cries as she realizes "I'm loved by the two strongest women I'd ever meet in a life time".

Remarques "All Quiet on the Western Front" also demonstrates that through increased knowledge (i.e. change in knowledge) ones perspective can change and create new awakenings. In the novel as time passes and Paul experiences new events, he gradually awakens to the idea that the enemy is really no different to himself. The Frenchman he kills looks like the kind of man whose friendship he would have enjoyed. As his friends are slowly killed his whole perspective changes and he can only cling to his new found beliefs in the brother hood of all men. After a close study of the texts mentioned, it can be concluded that change is an inevitable part of ones life that is caused by factors such as maturity, sudden events in ones life or even just an increase in knowledge. However, it is through these changing perspectives that create awakenings, where one comes to learn more about themselves and those around them..