Distinctivly_Visual

Distinctively visual is created by composes in a various ways, depending on the text type. Through successful representations, responders are engaged to empathise with not only the outer environment but also the inner world of these characters. Hence we learn more about ourselves through the finding inner peace by resolving inner and outer conflicts. Henry Lawson’s short stories The Drovers Wife and In a Dry Season and also Sean Penn’s direction of the film Into the Wild present powerful presentations of distinctly visual. In the short story ‘The Drover’s Wife” by Henry Lawson we are drawn into the harsh and monotonous outer world which the protagonist must face daily. The use of powerful imagery and compelling language techniques we confront the ‘bush all round- bush with no horizon’ conveying the powerful impression of monotony, repetition of ‘bush’ amplifies the loneliness of her lifestyle. Lawson’s negative use of visual imagery ‘stunted, rotten native...” sets us in her harsh environment where there is not much to entertain other than the dangerous confrontations of her external environment “Snake! Mother, here’s a snake!” exclaimed by one of her ‘dried up looking’ ‘urchin’ children, we are drawn to her quick attempts to protect her children, from any danger present. ‘The gaunt sun browned bush woman’ is presented to us as a strong woman who lives in the bus alone with several children to look after, her responsibilities are unlimited yet with Lawson’s successful use of descriptive writing and imagery we are taken by her content approach to her life in the bush, where we would have difficultly living. We also glimpse her inner world and heroism at battling a lonely life in the bush. This is conveyed through the use of reflection where Lawson inserts a personal voice drawing us into her past, we discover throughout her live she has had many personal battles. The statement ‘She is used to being alone’ in the matter of fact tone reflects her life and her loneliness in the desolate outback, she recounts on past events ‘she fought a bush fire once’ exposing us to the harsh truth of difficult situations she has faced, repetition of ‘fought’ and ‘fights’ shows us that she has had many battles while living in the bush. The melancholic text ‘thinks of…her life…as there is little else to think about’ creates the Drovers wife as complacent with her simple life yet makes sacrifices for her children to live happily in the bush by missing out on other opportunities ‘he had money…but had to sacrifice that…with the rest’, we empathise with the wife as we visualise how hard life alone in the bush must be, she is a heroine and we see this when brought into her world of not only exterior but also her mindset and personal battles. Christopher McCandless the protagonist in the film ‘Into the Wild’ by Sean Penn ventures alone to the great Alaskan wilderness, we empathise with him as he journeys for the search of truth and happiness. Through representations of panning images and verbal expressions throughout the film it is hard not to relate to Chris’s revelations and views on society. “I need a new name” graffitied “ALEXANDRER SUPERTRAMP –JULY 1990” on a public bathroom mirror in thick red lipstick when leaving his former life, the use of the mirror reflects Alex’s new identity, refocussing not only his reinvention of his name but also his freedom. In “I’m gonna be all the way out there- no watch just be out there in it- the wild” Alex’s enthusiasm of ‘no’ refers to his distaste for material items and his enthusiasm of the life he seeks in Alaska. The individuals he meets add to his search for happiness, eg the hippy lady Jan “Children can be pretty harsh when it comes to their parents” sharing her wisdom with Alex displays her caring, motherly aura. This juxtaposes between Alex’s distrust for his own parents “Dad’s arrogance made him conveniently oblivious to the pain he had caused” yet the ability Alex has in speaking to strangers “…rather than love and money and fame, give me truth”. We learn that Alex is happier away from his home environment disregarding all rules of society and seeks physical and emotional escape from his past. We are also delivered to Alex’s internal battles, learning about his character and individuality. Through the use of voice over’s attributing his personal thoughts and revelations carving the complexity of his inner battles we emphasise that his journey to the Alaskan wilderness is a search to find meaning to his life and happiness. “I don’t need…want…anything- these things, things…” we are drawn to Alex’s anger and conviction to his parent’s superficialness and his urge to escape society, whereas in ‘The Drovers Wife’ the protagonist “…they sit…together while the sickly daylight breaks” displays a strong family bond through survival in the bush. “I don’t understand why people are so bad to each other” flashbacks of past events describe to us the pain that Alex witnessed his parents obsessions of wealth and domestic abuse we are drawn to his frustration to his parent’s and his determination to find truth and happiness. “My days were more exciting penniless.” images of wide open spaces and his interaction with wild animals reveal Alex’s joy in nature similar in ‘The Drovers Wife’ he is content with the world, his tone is honest “Now I think I have found what is needed for happiness- rest, nature, books, music- what more can the heart of a man desire” the close up shots of reading Tolstoy in the ‘magic bus’ presents a pure discovery for Alex, representations of inner peace through close ups of camera shots on his happy face and slow motion panning of the Alaskan wilderness it is evident that his search is over and contentment is found in the wild. In comparison to Lawson’s “The Drovers Wife” the images in the short story “In a Dry Season” are primarily predictable pictures as if sketched by an artist. Through this we learn little about the characters he writes about with no inner thoughts or distinguishable characteristics aside from their clothing and physical appearance. He describes the town’s icons as “unpainted and generally leaning in-eight possible directions” creating the setting of a typical rundown country town, Lawson’s language in this short narrative is descriptive of sight, with little emphasis on inner emotions. We are drawn into this negative environment “Death is about the only cheerful in the bush” the ironic contradiction that ‘death’ is ‘cheerful’ displays us to the exigency of the bush, where there is little excitement in or current events. The use of imagery in “The Drovers Wife” and “In a Dry Season” is quite similar “animated mummy of a swagman” creates the image of a dried out preserved old bush man and “gaunt, sunbrowned bushwoman” who is also worn out through the harsh impacts from the bush. An entire paragraph is devoted to the appearance of town dwellers “Slop sac suits, red faces, and old fashioned flat brimmed hats.” Though never does Lawson use the word “people”, he describes the individuals being clothing, giving us a sense that the inhabitants have no internal thoughts or emotions. Making us contemplate that the bush drains personality.