discvery
The impact of discovery can be transformative; the understanding of other people’s experiences can influence the views of an individual. People’s beliefs and values are usually a product of their environment, however, when they go out of that environment their beliefs and ideas are challenged. The Motorcycle Diaries, a memoir written by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Sweet Phoebe, a play by Michael Gow and Isnis, a short story composed by Tim Richards are three texts that support the concept of naturalised ideas and beliefs being challenged and the protagonists’ values and beliefs being transformed as a result.

The Motorcycle Diaries composed by Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara is a memoir of his journey through South America during the 1950’s. “So we understand each other” is a self-reflexive, proleptic opening, written by Guevara after the journey. This prologue acknowledges the changes and discoveries Che experienced. The use of prolepsis focuses the reader’s attention on the character development of the protagonist throughout the text. Guevara discusses how he constantly changed throughout the journey and now he is not the same person as he was when he set of on this journey, “The person who wrote these notes passed away the moment his feet touched Argentine soil again” “Our America with a capital A has changed me more than anything.” Guevara makes a strong line between the man in the diaries and the man he had now become “But ill leave you now, with myself, the man I used to be” Guevara addresses his former self, the man who had not yet ventured on a transformative discovery. Initially Che is a young medical student from middle class bourgeois society, with “the spirit of a dreamer”. He and his friend Alberto are impulsive and decide to go on an adventure around South America, “the trip was decided just like that” “ the enormity of our endeavour escaped us in those moments; all we could see was the dust ahead and ourselves on the bike.” This reckless, carefree attitude encapsulates the protagonists’ views and values prior to the journey. In “La Poderosa II’s final tour” Che and Alberto find accommodation with some Germans “who treated us very well.” During the night Che needs to use the bathroom and instead of using the provided facilities he chooses to use the window, when he awakes in the morning he finds that the previous nights actions have damaged a tarpaulin full of drying peaches, “ the added spectacle was impressive.” Che’s actions highlight his middle class irresponsibility, the disregard for the Germans who had be generous in their actions of providing shelter to the pair, shows the lack of understanding Che has of the lives of others. The turning point for the pair begins when ‘La Poderosa’ breaks down. Losing the motorbike symbolically takes away the superiority the pair had, without it they were just “two hitchhikers with backpacks, and with all the grime of the road stuck to our overalls.” The previous separation of classes the motorcycle had given them is now gone, the pair begin to realise the inferiority they possess, their previous middle class statuses no longer grant them authority over the people. This realisation provides example of their values becoming challenged.
Che’s reaction to the sick women in “la Giaconda’s smile” shows a compassion Che is beginning to develop. He sees the inability to really help this woman and yet tries his best. He begins to question what he as a doctor could actually do. “It’s at times like this, when a doctor is conscious of his complete powerlessness, that he longs for change: a change to prevent the injustice of a system in which only a month ago… the profound tragedy circumscribing the life of the proletariat the world over…” Che’s character development is seen in this quotation, he begins to understand the powerlessness he alone as a doctor possesses and realises to achieve results he has to change more than just this individual woman’s condition, he has to change the whole society.
In “The dominions of Pachamama” Che and Alberto talk to a school teacher who had been fired due to his association with American Popular Revolutionary Alliance. Guevara learns of customs that had been forcibly removed from the indigenous culture and the evangelising by the Spanish. He also speaks of the shame that the people feel about their heritage because the education system rejects the native culture and prominently focuses on European perspectives. “He spoke of the need to build schools that would orient individuals in their own world... and the need to fundamentally change the present system of education.” The treatment of the indigenous people challenges the views Che has. He experiences the injustice the people are subject to and begins to further see a need for change.

The appendix along with the prologue further focuses the reader’s attention on the character development to which Che is subjected. In “A child of my environment” the speech presented to medical students 8 years later, “The majority of the concepts hold today as a revolutionary were absent from the storehouse of my ideals.” Che reflects on his transition from a carefree, adventuring, irresponsible medical student to the political revolutionary. “ I wanted to succeed, as everybody wants to succeed. I dreamed about being a famous researcher. I dreamed of working tirelessly to achieve something that could really be put at the disposal of humanity, but that, at the same time, would be a personal triumph. I was, as we all are, a child of my environment.
Guevara wanted to be able to create change and make a difference, which would also bring fame or admiration from others. Guevara inevitably accomplishes this but in a different way. When Che’s naturalised beliefs and values are challenged he begins to transform from the naïve ‘dreamer’ to the person who would lead a revolution. These changes were influenced by the experiences and lives of others.

Sweet Phoebe is a play about a strongly work orientated couple who reluctantly take care of their friends dog (Phoebe). The absence of the dog augments their understandings of their own values in life as well as others. Frazer and Helen unearth that the other people they find in their community have differing values and morals to their own.

The couple’s lives revolve around the wealth and success in their professional lives, “Frazer: They have a lot of money to spend, Frank wants me to handle the account.
Helen: Your first big account.”
When the couple first get ‘Phoebe’ they show disdain “we can deal with it not a problem we just make it very clean and simple we feed it give it water keep it out of the house very easy we can do that we’re stuck with it but we can do that.” Frazer refers to Phoebe as ‘it’ the intentional use of pronouns to describe the dog show the detachment Frazer creates between himself and Phoebe. When both Frazer and Helen begin to attach themselves to the dog they leave their environment and begin to experience the lives of others from the community, the couples bourgeoisie values are challenged.

The loss of the dog ensues confusion in the couple, in the search to find Phoebe the couple venture out of the neighborhood they meet different people who change their perceptions of life and broaden their understanding of different social class. “Coogee was this young girl deathly pale she only opened the door this far there was some one else in the back of the house calling questions at her the whole time her husband boyfriend who is it who are they what do they want do you know her he kept calling the whole time I was there finally she shouted back at him shut your mouth you fuck’n maggot… and there was a baby upstairs crying she could only have been.” Helen starts to notice the finer details of these people’s lives. “ …but did they have the dog?” “No she didn’t” “Thankyou” this conversation between Frazer and Helen reflects the ‘confusion’ which is the result of challenging views.

After Helen finds out Frazer cheated on her she ends up at a house In Kellyville. Still holding on to some of classism, Helen judges the family on their lower class appearance “Helen: this big room bring light ten twelve chairs all around, the walls, family sitting in them watching me, old women rocking, two tiny other huge huge eyes watching, me, twins serious staring at me, three really old men, and a boy chewed off haircut filthy clothes wonderful face, watching me, woman smoking watching me behind long dirty hair, man with gut hanging down sunglasses tattoos, I’m in the middle of the room, the mother leaves, everyone else is watching me”.
The dog in this situation much like Phoebe creates the connection between the two classes, “shed been hit by a car they’d nursed her.” When Helen sees the kindness the family shows towards the dog her prejudice towards this family is challenged. She begins to change her values. The family who unlike her and Frazer had little in terms of money yet valued family and relationships greater, Helen’s character experiences development when she accepts the challenging values, the division between the proletariat and bourgeoisie become inapplicable.

Frazer’s character displays development when he chooses to leave Phoebe with the old man, this choice shows the previous selfish and less considerate Frazer as a man who understand that the best life for Phoebe is with this man. “Frazer: He threw the stick again and smiled at her, she raced out into the middle of the yard, and my mouth was open and her name was here in my throat; and nothing” “just stood there peering over the fence and watched them playing for a while.”

The short story Isnis (Tim Richards) presents the concept of naturalised ideas and beliefs being challenged. Despite his mother and grandparents incorporate of the Azark culture throughout his life, Memim only grudgingly learns the language from his grandparents after his sister tragically dies. The division between his ideas and beliefs and that of his mother encapsulates the character’s former ideals “that’s how Heduts are”… “Your not Hedut. You’re an Australian. Try to behave like one!” his disregard for his mother’s culture highlights him before his discovery. Sparked by his mother’s death, Memim travels to the Hedut Valley, to research the beheading of Tazir Ali’ as part of his doctoral History thesis. The town that his family had described as a beautiful place, Memim finds the town grimy, “the frequently romanced river”, a trickle, the streets swarming with wild dogs and the Hezchuck, the dish his grandparents made, “sinewy”. In researching Tazir Ali, Memim discovers that “Heduts use irony in much the same way as Australians do” the small similarities that Memim notice’s in the two cultures represent his ideas being challenged, his small acceptance of the previously rejected culture displays the transformation of the protagonist. Alice “voluptuous middle-age redhead” is a researcher like Memim, when dealing with old books Alice tells Memim “You’ll need gloves. Scorpions breed in this room” Alice’s action of Physically separating her self from this culture shows her belief of her superiority over the Azark people. Alice’s flout for the hijab further projects her disdain. Alice is representative of the rejection of the culture. Memim falls for Mira. Mira the women he hears signing in the hotel is an American born Azark who is interested in Memim’s Australian culture. Memim makes note of Mira’s eyes this is a connection to his parent’s relationship and ties his blended cultures together,
Mira helps him develop as a character, he accepts the two cultures and the translating of the songs in to Azark is a metaphor for this.
Memim is able to also accept his mother more after discovering her culture and sees why she is how she is. The acceptance of the ‘blended culture’ shows Memim’s transformative character development.

People’s beliefs and values are usually a product of their environment, however, when they go out of that environment their beliefs and ideas are challenged. The three texts support this ideology, the transformative discovery faced by all the characters in the texts is seen through character development. These discoveries offer new understanding and perception of lives of other. These ideas are expressed through forms and features used by the composers throughout the 3 texts.

Total: 2075

Quotes: 549

- Caitlin Mclauchlan