Changing self

The topic of change is a particularly broad one, hence many authors use it as the focus for their texts. Focusing on
the different concepts of “changing self” four such examples include Miroslav Holubs “The Door”, Gwen
Harwoods poems “prize Giving” and “At Mornington” and the film “the Talented Mr Ripley”. Each text takes the
theme of changing self, and by using a number of different literary and visual techniques broaden our understanding
of it and present us with different points of view.

Holubs “the Door” uses a simple and unregulated structure to contrast its deeper metaphoric meaning. The “door”
can be seen as a symbol of the barriers which deter and hold us back from instigating a change. Repetition of the
phrase “Go and open the door” at the beginning of each stanza creates an imperative tone. The poet is trying hard to
convince the responder to initiate a change, and urging the fact that change does not occur on its own; nothing is
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