Introduction
Travel literature is a comprehensive genre that includes various categories, and one of the most popular is travel memoirs. Such works have been widely disseminated among readers who are interested in traveling to exotic countries. Two striking examples of this genre are presented in this work. They both describe journeys to African countries. They have different goals, and the reviews are made from different angles. There are several concepts in these works. These are Self, Other, Home and Place. They are closely interrelated and might seem to be vague. However, it is possible to separate them to give every single one careful consideration. The Self and Other concepts, which stand for self-awareness and otherness, are presented more clearly in these texts. Thus, it is more reasonable to discuss them. The main goal of this paper is to analyze two stories in order to compare the methods of representing the other concept and its connection with the self-concept.
The Comparison Analysis
In the first story, the author, Stanley Stewart, narrates a passionate account of his journey around Ethiopia. He describes its cities, villages, landscape, history and people. The second story by Kira Salak is about sailing down the Niger River in a kayak. It was a highly dangerous enterprise, and the author tells us about various obstacles that she had to overcome to arrive in the ancient city of Timbuktu.
Therefore, the difference between the purposes of the two stories appears to be obvious. The first author is an observer. He came there to immerse himself in the Ethiopian culture. On the other hand, the second author challenged herself and went for the adventure. Thus, they present absolutely different views. It might be seen throughout their works.
Stewart opens his work by highlighting the otherness of Ethiopia. He uses the metaphor “an atlas of the imagination,” referring to its exoticism. The absence of modern hotels and boutiques is presented as a distinguishing characteristic. However, he cheerfully describes the scenery and locals, underlying their peaceful and relaxed nature. The second story starts with a comment about the insanity of the whole enterprise. The beginning of the journey coincides with an “apocalyptic rain.” Salak stated that no one in the village was sure whether she would get to Timbuktu. These facts show the hostility the author was faced with, and it refers to another type of otherness. Everything is extremely different from her hometown, and this difference manifests itself in a negative manner.
Stewart continues his narration by describing the legendary isolation of Ethiopia that makes it different from any other country in Africa. He mentions that Ethiopia was never colonized and even won the famous Battle of Adwa against the Italian army in 1896. The author structures his story in a manner that develops the idea of the otherness of this country. Salak goes on to talk about the difficulties she was going to encounter. All people in the village considered her and her plan to be bizarre and unreasonably dangerous. She had to ignore such an attitude. Her description of the village also reveals her unhappy mood. The author called it “a maze of ancient homes” because it was too strange and alien. She mentioned another traveler who tried to sail along the river but died there. Salak expressed her attitude, which was caused by this unfriendly environment, through such brief comments.
Stewart visits the church of Medhane Alem in Lalibela. He is amazed by its atmosphere, “I seemed to step back a thousand years.” He describes the ancient rite, underlying its weirdness and majesty. That was a mix of Western and Middle Eastern cultures. The sacred sound was “a curious cross between Gregorian plainsong and a nasal Arabic call to prayer.” The author demonstrates the unique religion that unites and inspires the locals. Despite his being impressed by the mysterious contrast, the author feels spiritually satisfied. Salak has to sail in the heavy rain. She is alone and scared of people, wild animals and diseases. The author has to push herself through it to reach her destination. However then, the river has calmed, and Salak enjoys this moment. The scenery made her calm as well. She meets a fisherman with his son. They have never seen a white woman paddling alone down this dangerous river. They are shocked and ask impolite questions. These people make her feel excluded again.
Stewart comes to a stone-built guesthouse in a town named Erar. He highlights its humble, though comfortable, environment. The food is delicious and cannot be compared to Western cuisine. The author is not disappointed by the deprivation of appropriate facilities. Instead of a bathroom, there is just a bucket with water. Stewart enjoys the unique experience. He observes the locals on their own ground. He sees life in its traditional way, and again he is excited by the marvelous landscape. Salak is woken up in the middle of the night. Two thieves try to steal her boat. The author is scared stiff and does not know what to do. Suddenly, she realizes that they are not aware of her gender and her aloneness, and she screams, pretending a man’s voice, to drive them away. Although she succeeds, the feeling of alienation gets more intense. This is not a place fit for her. She is frustrated and depressed, but she has to move on and make the best of the situation.
Conclusion
Salak’s story develops in a harsh manner to highlight her concept of otherness. Finally, she gets to Timbuktu. She made it through hundreds of miles along the savage river. She underwent a debilitating and excruciating experience. After the trip, she concluded that it is a cruel and shocking place. During the whole journey, the author felt the unfriendly and dangerous otherness of this land, which was also emphasized by her sense of self-awareness. Salak positioned herself as an alien, and that perception made her focus on unpleasant moments. She had a desire to antagonize people and nature when she was warned about risks. The author admitted her stubborn character, irrationalism and other negative traits. Hence, it is logical to assume that such features affected her vision of the whole enterprise.
On the other hand, Steward was eager for new discoveries, disregarding their possible consequences. Hence, the otherness he was faced with excited and galvanized him. The connection between such a perception and the sense of self-awareness of the author might be seen in the description of the church on the top of a cliff. He stated that the way there was unbearable terrifying. However, when Steward climbed to the top, he admitted that the ominous uniquity of the church was emphasized by his personal fears not the real nature of this sacred place.
Therefore, the two authors present the other concept in opposite ways. Although they employ similar literary devices, the main ideas are totally different. However, expressing their views and structure of the texts help to develop the main concepts and reveal the connection between them.