Extract from An Age of License by Lucy Knisley

1. Provide a summary of the text

The extract is from a graphic novel called An Age of License by Lucy Knisley. The graphic
novels purpose is to inform and entertain the audience about her trip to Europe. In order to
entertain, personification is used on the cat when he tells the author Time to stop
obsessing and feed me!!. The uses of personification here making the story more
entertaining and humorous. Before going on the trips, Knisley was heartbroken. However,
through coincidence, work and luck, she was offered opportunities to take trips. She says I
was determined to spend my travels having adventures and being a free agent. The
metaphor being a free agent indicates that she is now free and she is able to take as many
trips as she wants. Hyperbole used in Being unlettered, I could flood away, lifted to a great
height. also helped to emphasised the point. This makes up the context of the story. The
audience of the graphic novel would be people who are interested in her discoveries and
want to have a laugh while reading the stories. The reason for it is the graphic novel is
written in colloquial language and the author uses a lot of slangs like unhome. As a
graphic novel, it also visualises the ideas into images which makes them easier to
understand for the audience. Lastly, the tone of the story is quite relaxing and humorous so
the audience will not feel boring when reading through it. The extract describe the feeling
Knisley had one week before the Europe trip. On one hand, she was excited. This is
revealed through her inner monologue Its GOING TO BE AMAZING. But on the other hand,
Knisley was worried about leaving home. She was nervous and jittery.
2. What is the discovery? Who is making the discovery?
The discovery is about Knisley exploring different places, cultures and values in Europe. The
author of the book, Lucy Knisley is making the discovery.
3. What is the nature of the discovery?
The nature of the discovery is discovering something for the first time.
4. What did the process of discovery involve? What motivated the discovery?
The process of Knisleys discovery around Europe involved deliberate and careful planning.
In the extract, her preparation for the trip is shown in the sentence I thought Id check my
itinerary quickly before bed3 HOURS and a lot of nervousness later.... The preparation is
also revealed in the image where she sits in front of a computer looking at the maps and
there is a notebook beside her. Both necessity and curiosity evoked the discovery. It was
necessary because the author says she was recovering from heartbreak. But overall,
curiosity was the more important factor that motivated the discovery as she was looking
forward to explore new places and generate new ideas.
5. What was the reaction or response to the discovery?
For Knisley, the discovery was fresh and intensely meaningful in emotional, creative,
intellectual, physical and spiritual ways. She thinks the discovery enriched herself. The
description from her is What I really have about travel is that it takes us outside ourselves.
However, the discovery may also be provocative and confronting for Knisley as she is
leaving home and going to places with different cultures and values, place that she is not
familiar with. Since it was a personal discovery, it did not have any reaction or response
from the society.
6. What were the effects of the discovery?
The discovery would offer Knisley new understandings and renewed perceptions of herself
which is shown through her inner monologue I could look back on my life with new
perspective and go, Oh!. While traveling, the discovery she made may also help her
stimulate new ideas and lead her to new worlds and values. This is revealed through her
visualisation of the FUNNEL of NEW EXPERIENCE. When reassessed over time, because of
the renewed perceptions of herself and the new ideas that had been generated during the
trip, the discovery could be far-reaching and transformative for Knisley. The discovery made
by Knisley was mainly a personal discovery so it had limited impact on the society.
7. To what extent was the experience of discovery shaped by context and values?

The experience of discovery was shaped by context and values to a limited extent. Since
the discovery was a personal discovery, it was only experienced by the discoverer herself
and there were no other views on it which made it hard to be shaped by context and values.