1.1 Written Text Essay: “Touching the Void”

1.) Describe at least one important technique used in the written text. Explain how this technique helped you to understand one or more key ideas.

What if you were given a story that drastically changed your life. Would words be justice to explain what you have been through. How would you portray your story. For Joe Simpson the author of “Touching the void” he was able to utilize  language techniques: foreshadowing, personification and symbolism to drastically influenced my perspective on the emotions, the events, survival and relationships within this text. The use of these language techniques have taught me determination and sacrifice is what separates those who do and do not accomplish their ambitious, human nature stands inferior against nature and human nature possesses this inner conscious acts on our decisions.  

 The repeated use of foreshadowing first occurs at the beginning of the text before the story was even told. “…but the dreamers of day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible”. This quote  help the reader understand that the ambitions of the men has lead to a problematic event or ending. Suspense is created  as the reader is now anticipating a horrific event somewhere throughout the text. It teaches me that determination and sacrifice is what separates those who do and do not accomplish their ambitious. However those with the will power to accomplish their ambitious must go out their comfort zone and undertake a high risk for a high reward. Is it worth the risk? For some the risk is taken and success is the final outcome but tragically for others the risk is taken and failure can only be the true outcome. Foreshadowing also occurs when Simon lowers Joe when descending from Siula Grande. “Hes trying to be quick… that’s all. I knew it to be true, but there was still something wrong”, “It was the slope. Of course! I should have thought of it earlier. It was much steeper, and that could mean one thing – I was approaching another drop” and “A sense of great danger washed over me. I had to stop”. These quotes have been placed relatively close to each other to emphasise that a tragic event is about to take place as it constantly indicates something is wrong. The reader understand that human nature must either trust their ‘gut instinct’ or logical brain to make decisions about their safety. So which would you choose? Its hard to argue against your logical brain but science proves that your gut instinct should always be trusted. Foreshadowing shown in the quotes enables the reader to connect with the characters anxiety with some of their own experiences. Due to my knowledge I can relate this use of foreshadowing to another text named “Into thin air” written by Jon Krakauer…

The first significance use of personification is at the event of Joe Simpson  breaking his leg. “It obeyed no commands…caused every sort of agony…gave myself up to the pain.” The reader understand that Joe perceives his leg to be detached almost if it was not his. The reader understand that human nature may associate inanimate objects with human like actions which is why we can feel emotion towards this inanimate objects. I can relate this experience to when I had sleep paralysis where body would not obey my commands to move. Joe must be feeling panic and shock as those were the emotions I felt. Personification also occurs when Simon Yates comments on the mountain while descending Siula Grande. “I felt watched. Something in the crescent summits and ridges looked down on me and waited…I was about to die; I knew it and they knew it.” The reader understand that Simon perceives the mountain to be superior,  ready to take his life in revenge of leaving Joe to die. The reader also understand  that no matter how prepared or strong you may be, human nature stands inferior against the brutality of what nature beholds. Ambitious adventurers like the men often disregard this which is why tragedies occur due to the cockyness of human nature.  It also teaches me that human nature feel guilt after doing a sin which is why we believe in the superstition of karma.

Symbolism first occurs with the rope, being most significant Simon cuts the rope. “If I hadn’t cut the rope, I would have certainly have died”. 

“I couldn’t bring myself to dispense with the comforting reassurance of the rope”. The rope symbolizes the connection and accountability of Joe and Simon. This is shown because Joe was reluctant to untether from the rope even though he knew the rope was not going to save him if he were to fall again. The quote teaches the reader that as humans we perceive that survival is most likely when staying with the pack which is why when put it in isolation or stressful situations when tend to rely on our group/individuals for guidance and support. Symbolism also occurs with the light when Joe falls into a crevasse.  “…It had me so fixated that I forgot about the uncertain floor below and let myself down the rest of the rope. I was going to reach that sun beam. I knew it then with absolute certainty”. The reader understand that the light beaming through the crevasse symbolizes motivation and hope for Joe. This is shown because after glimpses of the light Joe no longer focuses on the odds of getting out but instead concentrates his attention to getting out. The light is motivation for Joe as I can imagine Joe seeing the light from the outside world reminding himself that this beautiful life of his is worth fighting for. This also teaches the reader motivation and hope is needed to accomplish any goal you may wish to achieve. This is why human nature often give up as they perceive their goals to be impossible. However with the belief and determination any ambition is possible. The voice is also another use of symbolism in text when Joe decides to fight for his survival after falling into a crevasse. “The voice was clean and sharp and commanding. It was always right, and I listened to it when it spoke and acted on its decisions”. The the reader understand that voice symbolizes a logical, commanding and responsible mind which commands Joe’s actions and decisions in moments of need. The voice also symbolizes a higher ranked, trusted second opinion almost if it were a resemblance of Simon. I perceive the voice to be like Simon because Joe had a very low self esteem perceiving Simon as his idol acting on his decisions, but also Simon was very commanding with his short syntax commands such as “No more fluting’s” and “Come up”. The voice also teachers the reader that humans possess this voice which helps them in different aspects of their lives. So what does the voice mean to you? For me the voice symbolizes company when alone which is why I find myself talking to myself in isolation. 

Joe Simpson the author of “Touching the void” has integrated the language techniques of foreshadowing, personification and symbolism to help the reader understand key ideas. It teaches the reader that determination and sacrifice is what separates those who do and do not accomplish their ambitious, human nature stands inferior against nature and human nature possesses this inner conscious which acts on our decisions.  

This essay is still not finished. I still need to extend my points on what the reader learns but also could thin it down more. 🙂

Significant Connections

Self Sacrifice To Save Others

Touching the void – Joe Simpson

Story line:

Scene where it shows self sacrifice: When descending from Siula after Joe Simpson and Simon Yates summit assault of Siula Grande (year), Joe breaks his leg and Simon has to make conscious decision whether he should either sacrifice the risk of his life in order to save his long time compatriot or descend down the mountain alone. In the beginning Simon decides to stick with Joe lowering him by 2 ropes as a belay. With Simon doing this he sacrificing to save a crippled Joe by undertaking physical pain such as dehydration, muscular pain, hypothermia and frostbite due to it taking longer to descend with Joe. However as the sight of death proceeds to come nearer as Simon’s legs can no longer hold Joe’s weight who has fallen of a crevasse and a storm beginning to condense Simon makes the decision to no longer sacrifice the risk of his life to save Joe by cutting the rope losing the connection and accountability of each other to instead put his life before Joe’s.

Into thin air – Jon Krakauer

Story line:

Alive –

Story line:

Into the wild – Jon Krakauer

Story line:

 

 

1.1 Written Text Essay: “Touching the Void”

Techniques:
1.)Symbolism:
Mountain, Rope, Voice

2.)Narrative Voice:
1st Person, 2nd Person, 3rd Person, Eye of God, different perspectives, Joe and Simon

3.)Figurative Language
Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Hyperbole

4.)Imagery
The combination of descriptive language and techniques for certain effects

5.)Conflict
Tension filled moments-Created through word choice and syntax

6.)Syntax
Sentence structures different types have different effects

7.)Climax
Syntax, Word Choice, Dialogue

8.) Dialogue
Different speaker traits

Question 1 – Describe at least one important technique in the written text.

Question 3 – Describe a place or time where a main character felt very comfortable or uncomfortable in the written text. Explain how techniques helped you to understand the character’s reaction.

 

Significant Connections Plan:

Touching The Void
Connections

Main Characters
Joe Simpson
Simon Yates
Richard Hawking

Narrative perspective
1st person narrative

Setting
Base Camp
Siula Grande, West Face, 1985

Special uses of language
Symbolism
Foreshadowing

Ideas/Themes
Self sacrifice for saving others
The power of the inner contions
The nature of survival

Not without my daughter, Into thin air, Children of the silk road,

Speech Part 2: Drafting

Intro: We’ve all experienced bad days. Whether it’s a traumatizing event like a death of loved one, to just something minor like forgetting your p.e gear that carries out throughout your entire day or maybe just an unpleasant event like being rejected by your crush…luckily that has never happened to me. We’ve all had bad days. Where we just feel like giving up. We internally ask questions like Why do I even try? Whats the point? Why am I even here? I just wanna go home. We’ve all experienced this throughout our entire lives and we will continue to for the rest of it. It is inhuman to enjoy the disappointing feeling of taking part in a bad day, where no matter what you do, things just don’t go your way. And that’s life. Nobodies perfect. But what if we could change that invalidating attitude towards that bad day and stay positive for once, to turn that terrible day into a better day, or a life lesson experience. Which outlines my topic of how to stay positive during a bad day. On the 4th of May 2018, I had perceived that I had hit the rock bottom of life, where I felt stuck in an endless loop of negativity. However during these tough times I had established 3 main points that turned my experience around.  The ability to see situations in a different perspective, the influence of music and the ability to smile. And what you are going to learn today, that can be used throughout your entire life is…that you can always be positive in a bad day.

Main Points:  

Perspective: 

Perspective is the most crucial lesson to be learnt when experiencing a bad day. Perspective is an individuals particular attitude towards  regarding something or known as a point of view.  Every individual living organism in this planet has a perspective of whats in front of them. But why is perspective so important in staying positive in a bad day? Well, perspective is like taking yourself thousands of feet into the sky and realizing things could be a lot worse. It’s like the quote ‘I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet’. We will live in this big wide world where sometimes we forget that the world doesn’t revolve around us. Where we feel that when something goes wrong the world’s going to end. Well let me tell you something. You are not the only one living in this world that is struggling! Your not. So get that illusion out of your head that you are the only one out there struggling because there is bound to be someone else in this big scary planet that could be severally struggling way more than you are. Especially in first world countries like the beautiful New Zealand we live in today we tend to forget that most of our difficulties in life may be nowhere near the portions of a third world country like an African in Uganda. Let me demonstrate an example of this.  Last week I couldn’t over hear this girl in my geography class failing her math’s test saying “I’m so dumb” “I’m going to fail the year” “You know what I’m just gonna give up and drop out of school”. This girl perceived that her whole education had been thrown out the window by failing one math’s test. However if this girl looked through the eyes of another perspective she would’ve realized that she only failed one math’s test out of how many throughout the year. She could’ve realized she should be grateful that she isn’t according to UNESCO the 101 million African children that doesn’t even have the option for education. She could’ve realized she was extremely fortunate to not be born with a cognitive brain disorder such as autism which gives a massive disability in understanding subjects like math’s.  If I had I told this girl to look at her problems in a different perspective, and told her information like this, she would’ve then realized she is immensely lucky to be the situation she is currently in, and maybe instead of complaining she could’ve learnt that she isn’t dumb and maybe to just pay more attention in class or work a little bit harder. So before negative thoughts arise in a disappointing event, look at it at a different perspective and ask yourself this What could’ve been worse? and What did I learn from it?

Humour,

Music: 

The second point to staying positive in a bad day is the use of music. Music is much more powerful than you think it is. Its much more that its definition of written or printed signs representing the vocal or instrumental sounds. No, music is a art that can instantly change that negative mood no matter what circumstance your in. The first way it does this is because everyone loves music.  Humans naturally love listening or playing music. This is because music releases the chemical of dopamine which is the sensation of reward. Music does this by triggering blood flow to the brain that activates regions linked to the euphoric stimuli which is the area dopamine is released.  So just by listening to a 3 minute song like ‘I’m sexy and I know it’ can instantly make you feel better, and what’s not positive about feeling good. The second reason how music helps you get through a bad day is that music brings out your emotions. It does this by the lyrics, tempo or the sounds connecting with your mood. Music in this sense is a way to release all your concentrated emotions that you hide, in way we can enjoy so the only thing left in our system is motivation to get through the day. A specific example of this is by the greatest perceived by many rappers of all time, Eminem. Eminem lived through tough struggles like being bullied, dropping out, suicidal however Eminem was able to write songs to release all the negativity and emotions to get through the struggles of life. His specific song ‘Going Through Changes’ talks about his dear friend Proof who was shot outside a club on April 2009. The song remenises his struggles such as overeating, daytime napping, pill addiction and sorrow when Proof dies. Eminem was able to utilize music in this situation  to express his stressful emotions in a positive manner to gain motivation during these tough times. The final point of the use of music keeping you positive is by picking a song with a happy memory attached to it. The reason why this works is when listening to a song with a good memory attached to it, your mind automatically switches your train of thought to that memory and distracts you from the bad day you just had. Your mind can only consciously directly focus on one thing at a time. So for example I might choose the song…  And what’s cool about this is, after the song has finished and your confronted by your horrific day again, your mind is calm enough to realize, Hey this is not as bad as I thought it was before, and your now able to confront that bad day in controlled state. So just by singing or listening to a short segment of music during a bad day, can make you feel happier, release all your congested emotions and relax you enough to confront that bad day.

Humour

Smiling: 

The third and final point to staying positive during a bad day is the ability to smile and laugh. Simple as it sounds, however not so easy to do when your having a bad day. We tend to forget the universal indicator of happiness the smile can be used throughout any situation. Instead, you naturally frown, shrug your shoulders, shake your head, or sometimes do silly gestures, or some people even choose to hit themselves like … Or what I do is, i’m not sure anyone can relate but is get annoyed at any small thing that could possible annoy me, like for instance if someone tells me to push in my chair I would be like… “Wowww, wowww, why don’t you push in the chair.  Your just lazy you big forehead!” Or if my pencil lead snaps I would be like “Oh great, now you snap. Watch me disown you for a pen…  These are all natural reactions to when something has gone wrong, but what if instead of creating these embedded negative gesture we choose to smile or laugh. The reason for this is, when you smile your brain releases the reward/happy chemical of dopamine like in music which for one keeps you positive, but second of all it releases serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical which is responsible to reducing stress levels. This is vitally important  because your mood towards a situation is elevated by your stress levels. This chemical released in our brains is very crucial as enduring low amounts of serotonin leads to aggression and depression. So just by smiling for 30 seconds , slowly erases depression.  Even if you have to fake it like “Oh my gosh i’m having such a bad day”, the effect remains the same. Studies show that participates who were instructed to smile recover on average 20% quicker than participates instructed to hold a neutral expression. So when enduring a bad day, do something that will make you smile. Like go out and play just dance with your friends, go watch a hilarious movie like grown ups, or play Minecraft and die a bunch of times… Well that’s what I do anyway. Whatever it may be, do an activity that will make you smile, because it will lower your blood pressure, release dopamine that will make you happier, release serotonin that reduce your stress levels and overall make you feel a lot more positive during or after a bad day.

Conclusion: 

It is part of the human journey to experience bad days. We all have bad days. And there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it because like I said before, nobodies perfect. However what we can change is our attitude towards a bad day that can make us more positive and motivated to get through the struggles of life. We can all do this by changing our perspective which we ultimately learn that we should be grateful that it could’ve been worse, we learn that through the struggles of bad days there’s always a lesson learn’t  and finally it’s okay to have bad days because you know what happy people know, is that happy people know there gonna have bad days. We can also do this by using the power of music where we learn that it makes you happy as it releases dopamine, we learn that it can release your bundle up emotions which can motivate you and we also learn that songs with memories can calm you enough to confront your bad day again. The final way we can also stay positive throughout a bad day is the ability to smile where we learn that it releases dopamine so you stay happy, it releases serotonin which reduces your stress levels and we learn that when having a bad day do something that will ultimately make you smile because that could well change your bad day to a not so bad of a day. I challenge you when confronting a bad day to not react so quickly and negatively. But instead take a deep breath and smile, look at it at a different perspective and confront your day instead of running away from it. 

Stuff left to include: remove repetition,

Speech Part 1: Planning

Topic: How to stay positive in a bad day

Intro: State the topic, Rhetorical Question, State main points, Listing, Grab the attention of the audience

Main Points: 

Perspective: Other world wide problem, People in Africa, Questioning yourself, how perspective changes mood, chain reaction, perspective determines your thoughts,

Music: upbeat music, emotive words, high notes makes happier people, a song with a happy memory attached to it, songs you like, evidence, experience

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-listening-to-music-lifts-or-reinforces-mood-051713#4

http://www.science20.com/positive_psychology_digest/what_type_music_makes_people_happiest

https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/upbeat-music-make-you-happier/1845133

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110427101606.htm

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=why+humans+love+music&oq=why+humans+like+mus&aqs=chrome.2.0j69i57j0l4.13643j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Smile/Laugh: stimulates areas in brain cognition and emotional processes, activates area in brain stimulates brain reward system of dopamine, lowers heart rate, blood pressure and other stress indicators, your mood is elevated by stress levels, evidence, smiling is contagious, fake it

“Dopamine increases our feelings of happiness. Serotonin release is associated with reduced stress. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and aggression,” says Dr. Gupta. “Low levels of dopamine are also associated with depression.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2013/02/26/fake-smile/#7968553f3676

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/smiling-can-trick-your-brain-happiness-boost-your-health-ncna822591

Conclusion: Sum up points, Its alright to have a bad day, quote, rhetorical question

Speech Part 2: Drafting

Intro: 

1st Point: Why do we try to fit in? The way we were made .

The way we were made and constructed plays a instrumental part in why we desperately try so hard to fit in. We live in this big scary world where we perceive that bad things our going to happen to us. And it’s not our fault that we perceive it this way. At the end of the day, you have to realize that were human, and we only have one life. So it’s not the worst thing taking precocious measures around life threatening situations that could possibility end the only life that you have. We were born for a purpose…survival. But for some reason, due to evolution of our brain development, us humans are hot wired to believe that not being social acceptance or not “fitting in” is a possible threat that could kill us.  No wonder we try so hard. Are mind and our bodies are only trying to keep us safe. 

 

 

 

2nd Point: The Fear of Society 

 

 

3rd Point: The Fear of being alone and being loved

Conclusion:

 

Speech Stage 1: Planning

Topic: Why do we try so hard to fit in and why we shouldn’t?

Intro:

Statement, Rhetorical question, Outline points

Main Points:

  • The Fear of Society Self consciousness, obese, experiences, emotive language, Being accepted, evolution, how easy it is to judge people, statistics, stereotypes
  •  The Fear of Being alone and Loved Evolution, Popularity ladder, experiences,
  • Why we shouldn’t try?  Everybody is different, dangers, famous people

 

Conclusion:

Sum it up. Rhetorical question.

 

References:

https://thoughtcatalog.com/angelo-caerlang/2017/04/to-everyone-who-finds-it-hard-to-fit-in-you-are-not-alone/
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-need-to-belong-2795393

https://public.wsu.edu/~taflinge/socself.html

https://news.utexas.edu/2011/04/04/sociology_crosnoe_teens

http://time.com/3083667/brain-trustworthiness/ 

https://www.quora.com/Why-does-everybody-try-so-hard-just-to-fit-in-a-group-maybe-at-work-or-at-home-even-if-they-do-not-truly-enjoy-it-Why-cannot-anyone-be-their-own-self

In the Far Distance – Chapter 9

1.) Symbolism is a language technique that is significant to the text in chapter 9 – In the Far Distance.

In literature symbolism is a object, person or situation that has more than its literal definition. Joe utilizes this symbolic technique of symbolism with the word selection of ‘light’ which is very important to the text as it portrays hows Joe perceives the ‘light’ in his current situation.

The text “A pillar of gold light beamed diagonally from a small hole in the roof, spraying bright reflections off the far wall of the crevasse. I was mesmerized by this beam of sunlight burning through the vaulted ceiling from the real world outside. It had me so fixated that I forgot about the uncertain floor below and let myself down the rest of the rope. I was going to reach that sun beam. I knew it then with absolute certainty” demonstrates the symbolism of the ‘light’ perceived by Joe.

Being the reader I understand from this text that the symbol of the ‘light’ does not only mean the literal meaning, but for Joe the light gives a sense of hope, life and optimism that there is a chance for him to escape the death defying  situation he is currently in.  Evidence in the passage that convinces me of this second meaning is the current positive tone of Joe when describing the light. He uses a variety of positive words and phrases such as ‘A pillar of gold light beamed’ and ‘spraying bright reflections off the far wall of the crevasse’. Emotive language is also implemented to describe the positive tone of how Joe perceives the light with the selected text of “I was mesmerized by this beam of sunlight”. As the current reader with my knowledge, experiences and biases, the selected word of mesmerized creates and imagery in my mind of my past experiences when confronted with a never before seen beautiful environment such as the Milford Sound creating a disbelief in my mind. Sentence structure/syntax also presents to me the second meaning of the ‘light’ because Joe uses complex sentences to portray the positive tone such as  “A pillar of gold light beamed diagonally from a small hole in the roof, spraying bright reflections off the far wall of the crevasse’. Also I perceive that the symbol of ‘light’ presents a significant feature which is that hope/optimism presents motivation. I gain this sense of feeling because of the short, sharp and statement simple sentences of  “I was going to reach that sun beam” and “I knew it then with absolute certainty”.

2.) Another use of the language technique of symbolism is with the consistent back chat between Joe and the ‘voice’. This is again significant to the text in chapter 9 – In the Far Distance.

The symbolic meaning of the ‘voice’ has a big role in presenting Joe’s mental and emotional state currently in this section of his journey.

It is revealed in the text “A voice in my head told me that this was true, cutting through the jumble in my mind with its coldly rational sound. If was as if there were two minds within me arguing the toss. The voice was clean and sharp and commanding. It was always right, and I listened to it when it spoke and acted on its decisions. The other mind rambled out a disconnected series of images, and memories and hopes, which I attended to in a daydream state as I set about obeying the orders of the voice. ” the symbolic meaning of the voice and conflicting between Joe’s ‘two minds’.

The symbolism used in the passage of the ‘voice’ presents to me as the reader that the ‘voice’ is the logical, calming and responsible mind commanding Joe’s actions and decisions when in moments of need.  As the reader I interpret this by the descriptions, statements and word selection of the voice such as “The voice was clean and sharp and commanding” “It was always right” and I listened to it when it spoke and acted on its decisions”. Personification is also used to show that the voice in Joe’s mind acts like a higher ranked, trusted second opinion almost as if the voice was Simon. Being the reader I perceive the ‘voice’ in Joe’s mind to be like Simon as at the beginning stages of the climb Joe has a very low self esteem perceiving Simon to be his idol but also Simon barely varies his syntax and only uses commanding statements of simple sentences and minor sentences such as “Done it” “No more fluting” and “Come up.” Also as the reader with my experiences I perceive this voice to also be a companion who influences my decisions as I self talk to myself when alone and confronted with a situation of a high amount of stress or failure.  The personification used in the text to portray to readers that the voice is commanding is with the phrase ” I listened to it when it spoke” even though the voice could not speak. Revealed in the text I also am able to see a conflict between the ‘voice’ and the other mind. I perceive this as the other mind fixates on memories/experiences that relate to the situation he is in or concludes to finding the likely outcome of the situation. Evidence that supports my understanding is with the sentence of”The other mind rambled out a disconnected series of images, and memories and hopes, which I attended to in a daydream state as I set about obeying the orders of the voice.”