The Ivory Trail (1 Viewer)

meLoncoLLie

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on the top of the book cover it says "Not all journeys have an ending"

what does it imply? that the process of the journey is most important? or (i'm just guessing here)...that the journey is so dangerous that there won't be an ending?
 

thejosiekiller

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heres a related blurb that kind of answer ur question "the journey itself is more important than the destination itself"...
 

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"Not all journeys have an ending" implies that the journey is more important than a destination.
 

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or that a journey is a neverending search for personal development.
 

meLoncoLLie

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okay this is something a friend gave me - (thanks jason)

“Not all journeys have an ending”
Implied that death isn’t the end of a journey – afterlife


i think this interpretation is pretty good. but we're not supposed to know the plot of the novel, so is this a valid one to use? can one argue that the sentence is related to psychic realms by purely looking at the book cover?
 

physician

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meLoncoLLie said:
on the top of the book cover it says "Not all journeys have an ending"

what does it imply? that the process of the journey is most important? or (i'm just guessing here)...that the journey is so dangerous that there won't be an ending?
"Not all journeys have an ending"...

well infact... there is such a deep meaning to it...

If u go on a journey.. one which may be physical... it does not simply end when u return back home to ur normal mundane (or exciting)... life...

what it implies or what it means is that a specific journey does not have an ending.. and that is an imaginative journey.. one which stimulates ur approach to life and which shapes ur internal psychology ... a trip in the mind...

for example... when u would visit Egypt ( as u would notice that the cover is indicative of a journey to Egypt... pyramids.. )... ur trip will never end... its a spiritual journey as well as a physical... but the physical has an ending... the mental does not...

as u stated: the journey being so dangerous that there won't be an ending.... thats a unique way of looking at it... to extend on ur interpretation... if u were to go to Egypt or visit any place in the world.. or maybe even go on a journey under the sea (for example go scuba diving).. and u were attacked by a shark... and u swam for 10000 km until u reached an incoming fisherman's boat whose owner being so kind and worried drags u into their boat with the rest of the fish he's just driven out of the sea... now yes! it was a dangerous journey... and yes! it won't have an ending... but it also will have an ending...

the physical part will end when u recover from hospital and the physical torment and the imaginative... mental.. and psychological influence of the journey will last a life time in ur mind... the memories... the experience.. and the lessons learnt from that specific journey will all withstand the deterioration of the physical aspects.... and live on in ur mind...

that is the difference between an ending journey and one which "does not have an edning"...
this is merely one of my views... i have many others.. but let's stick to this for now...

i hope i've helped u.. and if u'r in need of more emphasis i'd be more than happy to help... just as soon as i get all these annoying exams out of the way
 
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physician

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meLoncoLLie said:
okay this is something a friend gave me - (thanks jason)

“Not all journeys have an ending”
Implied that death isn’t the end of a journey – afterlife


i think this interpretation is pretty good. but we're not supposed to know the plot of the novel, so is this a valid one to use? can one argue that the sentence is related to psychic realms by purely looking at the book cover?

Well that is another inetersting interpretation... ( so ur looking at it - or ur friend is - from a religous perspective)...

In relation to the above... when people built the pyramids.. their physical work , pain, and suffering that went into building the pyramids did not merely stop at the instant when they finally completed the spectacular man made structure... rather it was carried onto later generations where people like u and me learn about the history of Egypt and the pyramids in our history lessons or even english...

u can argue that the sentence is related to aything.. especailly if ur main focus is imaginative journeys.... it is open for individual interpretation... but of course u must also make close reference to the structure of the cover the lay out.. the positioning of the words.. the position of the astonishsed eyes glancing at something spectacular..

if u observe in the distnace u can clearly see a type of bird... a bird can symbolise many things... it can symbolise peace, harmony, advanced technology even (influence on the devlopment of modern science and tehnological advancemnets such as rockets... planes)...

don't limit ur interpretation...
 
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ameh

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hmm, not all journeys have an ending.

I think it's the process you're looking at and the aspect of self-reflexivity on the process which brings you to a greater understanding than if it wasn't spontaneous and had to be a start - middle and - end. Better to be spontaneous, fits pretty well with imaginative journeys too.

So it doesnt require a destination or any closure because the process is mroe significant. comment on the process. the question is pretty much open-ended and ucan attack it from any angle, so if youré doing imaginative journeys then you would throw in ur BOS and related material, drawing common links between the concept of the journey and its process. btw go back to the rubric if u dont get it!

if ur doing ogs i can help u =), bcos thats an intellectual journey and there's always learning, expansion of knowledge blah blah reflection etc.
 

Miss-K-Lee-2007

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" Not all journeys have an ending"
These are some notes I made on this..I hope it helps
  • since most journeys do have an ending the readers is challenged to wonder why this one does not.
  • This phrase is also in a different font. This statement invites the reader to wonder what this might mean.
  • rather than this novel being about elephant hunting that could be suggested by the novel's title, it may suggest a journey where something more is discovered and these will stay with the protagonist always, constantly being challenged and rethought.
 

SlickY49

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physician said:
"Not all journeys have an ending"...

well infact... there is such a deep meaning to it...

If u go on a journey.. one which may be physical... it does not simply end when u return back home to ur normal mundane (or exciting)... life...

what it implies or what it means is that a specific journey does not have an ending.. and that is an imaginative journey.. one which stimulates ur approach to life and which shapes ur internal psychology ... a trip in the mind...

for example... when u would visit Egypt ( as u would notice that the cover is indicative of a journey to Egypt... pyramids.. )... ur trip will never end... its a spiritual journey as well as a physical... but the physical has an ending... the mental does not...

as u stated: the journey being so dangerous that there won't be an ending.... thats a unique way of looking at it... to extend on ur interpretation... if u were to go to Egypt or visit any place in the world.. or maybe even go on a journey under the sea (for example go scuba diving).. and u were attacked by a shark... and u swam for 10000 km until u reached an incoming fisherman's boat whose owner being so kind and worried drags u into their boat with the rest of the fish he's just driven out of the sea... now yes! it was a dangerous journey... and yes! it won't have an ending... but it also will have an ending...

the physical part will end when u recover from hospital and the physical torment and the imaginative... mental.. and psychological influence of the journey will last a life time in ur mind... the memories... the experience.. and the lessons learnt from that specific journey will all withstand the deterioration of the physical aspects.... and live on in ur mind...

that is the difference between an ending journey and one which "does not have an edning"...
this is merely one of my views... i have many others.. but let's stick to this for now...

i hope i've helped u.. and if u'r in need of more emphasis i'd be more than happy to help... just as soon as i get all these annoying exams out of the way

dude i must say UR A GENIOUS saved me with this practice assignment. :p just started yr 12 this term. thanx
 
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buddha89

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the quote " not all journeys have an ending" implys that the physical journey is futher carried on in the spiritual side and is proved by the use of the spinx and pyramid in the picture:santa: ps i enjoy this man
 

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meLoncoLLie said:
amoz_lilo: what's ogs? :confused:
i'm guessing it stands for On Giants' Shoulders by Melvyn Bragg- a non fiction prescribed text written in interview format about the scientific journeys of 12 scientists. i THINK thats wat it stands for but not 100%...
 
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elle148

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doesn't "not all journeys have an ending" imply that the journey in the book may not end??

as well as that people are always on journeys
 

lost_istari

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The idea that the boy is Caucasian is ridiculous. Jamie Hassan has grown up in westernised culture, but he is of Islamic heritage, a little research goes a long way.
The major revelation of the story occurs in Egypt, this is fairly damn obvious. The sphinx and the great pyramid of Giza. The pillars are called minarets (traditionally the call to prayer for Muslims comes from these towers, they are part of the Mosque).

The basic back story to Kelleher's story is that Jamie comes from a long line of 'channellers', who are able to travel through time. Jamie receives a small elephant carved from ivory on his fifteenth birthday. This object holds magical property, acting as a conductor between past and present. From this point Jamie begins a life changing journey into the past.



Jamie first becomes ('channelling' a certain persona) an African Elephant Trader called Louis, an unusually cruel man. Louis alters through the process of journey with a group of slaves, whom he comes to respect and care for. Louis take only a small piece of ivory from an elephant he had slain, realising the error of his ways.

Then Jamie becomes John, an English man. John must retrieve a small ivory elephant, which his dying brother threw away in an act of jealously. John successfully does so, and the brothers are reconciled.

Next Jamie assumes the persona of Paul Sahib, an Englishman living in India. Paul possesses a small ivory elephant, which he uses as a source of courage when facing the wilds of the Indian jungle with his friend Raj.


After that Jamie becomes a Depression-era orphan called Jack. This facet of the story is set in Australia. In his travels, Jack encounters a girl called Milly, who's only remaining reminder of her father has been stolen. Jack and Milly set off to recover a small ivory elephant.

Finally Jamie assumes the persona of Yusef, an apprentice Egyptian craftsman. Yusef is given a small piece of ivory from a man called Louis. He must make something beautiful to impress his master. He craves a perfect elephant from the ivory. When this task has been completed he meets a man called Ali, a Sufi prophet. Ali informs Jamie that he has completed the tasks that lead him on paths of
wonder, selflessness, faith and innocence. Jamie is now worthy to be a great spirit guide.

So there we have it. This text is aimed at 12-16 yr olds, so don't expect anything too fancy. Now, pretend you don't know all of this, pretend you are only reacting to a visual stimulus. Talk about:

  • Vectors - The author's name draws immediate attention, the size of the text is quite large, and the contrast of white against red also helps to gain the attention of responders. The proximity of the author's name to the title leads responders to fluidly go from one to the next. The words are of varying size, placing emphasis on 'trail' (path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country) thus on the process of Journey.
    The foregrounded eyes of the adolescent boy are turned towards the middle-grounded Sphinx, which leads on the back-grounded pyramid, which points skywards to the similarly back-grounded minarets. The minarets lead attention to the phrase 'not all journeys have an ending'.
  • Colours - Red to black. Limited spectrum, implying danger, passion and intrigue.
  • Image motif - Exotic, religious allusion, rippled sand implies the passing of time.
This is an easy text to talk about, and demonstrates a broad understanding, if one is able to talk about say poetry, film and visual.

The book cover- “The Ivory Trail” from the stimulus booklet represents that the individual may encounter new horizons by realising the limitless power of the imagination. The text provides an imaginative journey for responders as they are drawn to speculate upon the text and visuals provided. The text type’s purpose is to appeal to readers to purchase/read the book, however the references made to reality challenges responders to question the erratic, mysterious and obscure nature of the journey itself. This is communicated through the ambiguous, photographic montage of the sphinx, face close-up and minarets. An exotic setting is portrayed through the back drop of the eastern minarets and the sphinx’s Egyptian associations. The idea of a rare journey is evoked in the title: “The Ivory Trail”. Ivory is symbolic of the rare material from tusks of elephants and is known for its illegal trade. This exotic and rare allusion also evokes feelings of intrigue and mystery which gives an impression for the responders that this text is an imaginative journey.

The caption: “Not all journeys have an ending” is used by the composer to encourage the actualisation responders come to after exploring the possibilities presented to them. It expresses an idea of continuum by suggesting that imagination itself does not have an end and that only through imagination continuum can be achieved. The dominant colours of red, black and orange and the use of shadows depict an atmosphere of fear, passion and threat. Subsequently responders do not reach a resolution or a nirvana in this imaginative journey. Through the use of techniques constructed by the composer there is an acceptance by the responders of the imagination to present infinite possibilities as they encounter this journey.


That's it - Over and Out
 
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ebbjade

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physician said:
Well that is another inetersting interpretation... ( so ur looking at it - or ur friend is - from a religous perspective)...

In relation to the above... when people built the pyramids.. their physical work , pain, and suffering that went into building the pyramids did not merely stop at the instant when they finally completed the spectacular man made structure... rather it was carried onto later generations where people like u and me learn about the history of Egypt and the pyramids in our history lessons or even english...

u can argue that the sentence is related to aything.. especailly if ur main focus is imaginative journeys.... it is open for individual interpretation...
don't limit ur interpretation...
so interpretations change depending on the person... because i was thinking, would it be wrong of me to include that the sphinxes nose has been chipped off, because in ancient times when a nose of a statue of a king or queen is "mutilated" it was so that the human couldn't breath in the afterlife. correct me if this has no significance whatsoever, but i guess context is important... right? :) please dont judge me if i am totally wrong, but afterlife is definately a form of a journey....
 

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