Strory of Tom Brennan

‘Moving into the world involves different pathways to new experiences’ could be interpreted in many different ways. In The Story of Tom Brennan by JC Burke, Tom experiences different emotions and situations as he attempts to move into the world when his brother Daniel is involved in a tragic car accident. The image by Image Zoo also shows four different pathways leading into the one tree with branches that lead up into the sky. This picture shows the tree of life and how people can take different paths to experiences.

I Measure Every Greif I Meet is a poem by Emily Dickinson that shows the strength a person needs to overcome grief in their lives. The strength comes within the individual and their surroundings. All three of these texts show that moving into the world involves different pathways to new experiences shown through different circumstances, problems and views. The image by Image Zoo reflects the idea that moving into the world involves different pathways. This image uses the rule of thirds and symbolism to bring attention to the four different pathways to the centre tree trunk.

The rule of thirds draws central focus to the light coming from the tree. This light symbolises the light that is present through different pathways and journeys. Light symbolises the hope, possibilities that come with moving into the world. Even though each pathway comes to the same centre of light, it branches upwards into different pathways shown at the top of the tree trunk. The tree symbolises the “Tree of life” as the tree that brings possibility to the world, it gives life and experiences to everyone.

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This brings to the main point that moving into the world, shown metaphorically as the tree through the four different pathways to new experiences. Furthermore the position of characters on the four different pathways is used to highlight that anyone can move into a common circumstances in life, a similar experience as they are seen to be walking in the same direction. This shows the audience that people may encounter different situations in life, everyone is different. We are all heading in the same direction but we are all unique and will branch off into different directions.

Just as the characters are positioned at different heights people in life may rise in the tree or fall, just as we experience happy moments along with devastating moments. The position of characters also shows that just because someone is above another does not mean that they will experience more things than others as the tree only branches up into the sky. Everyone is involved with the one world as represented by the tree. However that involves different pathways to new experiences through different branches as in the picture the tree doesn’t move off into one branch, it moves into many.

The use of body language and choice of costume in the image shows the characters moving towards the tree as their goal. They are wearing business type clothing which may symbolise a desire for opportunity and success. The characters are shown with their arms thrusting forward towards the light at the centre they all strive to achieve. The characters have a wide appearance, a defensive stance. They are prepared for what is in store for them. The effect is of this is to imply that the characters are capable of getting through life’s experiences.

The characters in business clothes and standing broadly show the willingness for success, they have a firm grip on life. This links back to the main point that moving into the world, shown by the characters thrusting forward into the tree can experience many opportunities and “branch off” in a new direction to experience new circumstances. In the poem I Measure Every Grief I Meet, the main character struggles through the pain of grief. She searches for the strength to overcome it. She looks at others throughout the poem to see if they feel the same pain as she does. I wonder if it weighs like mine” this use of the rhetorical question that are involved with ‘moving into the world’, to ask ‘where am I at? ’. The idea of ‘universal suffering’, that everyone feels pain at one point in time. The character approaches it from the personal perspective in questioning whether people are suffering from grief. The pain she feels is eternal, “I could not tell the Date of Mine”. This shows the audience the experience she has with grief, which, inturn will help her overcome the problem.

Relating to the different pathways of life, her grief shows that life can involve many different challenges. We just need the strength to overcome it; this is the pathway to new experiences. The first person nature of the poem by Dickinson allows the poet to involve the audience to be in the main characters thoughts and feelings. The hurt that is within her shown through the opening title “I measure every grief I meet” she shows what feelings are going to be shown in the poem. The word “measure” means that she will be analysing the problems, “grief”, in her life.

She shows the extremes a person has when coping with grief with her questions to the audience “I wonder if it hurts to live”. The use of first person shows the emotion and experiences of the character. This links to moving into the world because the individual moves into situations that bring grief, different pathways include how the character interprets the grief. The character can turn to others; she has the burden of grief that she needs to overcome. What decision is made affects the experiences for the future. The poet uses diction to show the cruelness of what grief can give.

The choice of certain words in the poem shows the audience that the character is moving through different types of emotions. Depressing words such as “narrow, probing” in the second line of the poem show that the poet goes straight to the point. “narrow, probing” is interpreted as the character moving through a dark narrow passage, probing to find a way out of the grief in the characters life. The transition to soft and happy words in the middle of the poem such as “smile” and “Light” show the promise that is at the end of the narrow passage.

The “smile” is the first mention of happiness in the poem, a moment of transition, the “Light” that will guide the way to the characters happiness. This shows that moving into the world as the character moves into the world, sharing and exploring feelings it has. Once the character moves into the world the character has found the pathway to happiness. In the Story of Tom Brennan by JC Burke, Tom’s story is told where he changes mentally to cope with the tragic accident and consequences of his brother Daniel going to jail.

In the novel metaphors are used to reinforce the main change in Tom’s life after his brother is involved with the car accident. On page 76 of the novel as Tom bangs his head against the mirror in frustration for what has happened he says to himself “Thanks to Fin we thought we’d escaped sudden death. But we were wrong; instead we’d walked into it”. This metaphor symbolises the loss of loved ones, the football game was a sudden death game. The statement “we’d walked into it” implies that the night wasn’t a win for everyone, they had not escaped sudden death; they had walked right into it metaphorically.

This is the point where everything has turned, winning the football game, that all seem to care about, has turned into a new path for Tom Brennan. This is the moment where Tom has to step into the world for himself throughout the story. He needs to choose which path he will take to overcome his frustration and loss. In the novel the use of the non-linear structure and flashbacks present a contrast and juxtaposition to life before and after the accident. The contrast between he past and present in the novel highlights the impact of the car accident on the whole family especially Tom. Each family member has changed since the accident. Juxtapositions are used to show that they have a new identity when Tom has his ‘flashbacks’. For example, Tom’s mother before the car accident is the ‘typical’ loving caring mother but as soon as the accident occurs she moves into the dark, into a shell. Tom moves into the world and starts to spend less time thinking about the past, there are fewer flashbacks towards the end of the novel.

Tom is moving on in his life, he is becoming stronger than his family. He looks forward into the world and the different paths that he can take. Rather then dwelling on the past and the ‘road less travelled’. Throughout the novel, symbolism is used to reflect the emotional ride and extremes the family and Tom himself have to overcome due to the accident. ‘The ascent’ is a “mountain” or hill in the town where Tom lives, this is something that Tom can not climb or overcome, he makes it to the top but he doesn’t do it easily.

The hill reflects the feelings and emotion throughout the story as the hill is a steep emotional struggle. Characters in the book note the hill as “all the way to heaven”, “a mountain”. The symbolism behind heaven shows the character has to reach the top of his emotional struggle to be truly happy and ‘united with God’. Towards the end of the Novel Tom reaches the top of the ascent “without even realising”. This shows the natural progress Tom has made throughout the novel to overcome the horrors that have been in his life.

He has reached the top of the mountain, the top of his emotional struggle. All he has to do is take the easy run down the slope. Reference to mountains is also used as Tom and Brendan are taking a trip to the tallest mountain in the world, showing that Tom now has the ability to emotionally cope with all struggles in life ready to overcome the large mountain in life, Mount Everest. Burke shows that moving into the world can lead to new experiences through the emotional ride Tom had and overcame. He moves on with his life into new and better experiences.

In conclusion the statement moving into the world involves different pathways to new experiences is represented by these three texts through the use of versatile techniques and methods of bringing across a theme or common meaning. The image by Image Zoo expresses the different pathways people can take into the world. This along with the poem I Measure Every Greif I Meet by Emily Dickinson shows the emotional ride people take when moving into the world and experiencing different things. Lastly the author JC Burke show the emotional journey people take as they move on a different path in the novel The Story of Tom Brennan.

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