HISTORY- Journey vs. Quest

Quest- A series of Journeys?

A quest is a journey towards a goal.  When someone sets out on a quest they have a end result in mind, they are looking to achieve something.  We have read about quests since young age through fairytales and literature where a hero or heroine is on a quest for something important to them.  The quest typically is difficult and offers up several obstacles along the way.  It challenges the hero or heroines strength, courage, and knowledge.  The figure is normally on a quest toward something they lack, something they want, or something they need.  They are in search of something they don't have so they embark on a quest to get that.  The end result, for most, is triumphant and successful because they have found what they are looking for.  In literature you will find the hero/heroine goes on a quest to achieve status in their homeland.  This was a common theme among old literature, making the quest a symbol of honor and strength.  In rare cases the hero is defeated and doesn't make it to their end, but this is only in some literature.  As I said before a quest is a journey this is so because in a quest there are several journeys that spawn off.  Along the quest the hero/heroine faces many unexpected obstacles hindering their success.  These obstacles create journeys because the hero/heroine is unaware of what is happening and this portion of the quest results in no knowledge of what the end will be.  When a hero faces an unexpected dragon below the princesses' castle (the end goal) battling that dragon becomes a journey within the quest.  The end result of a journey is unknown, it could hinder the result of the quest.  A journey is simply traveling or taking a trip.  There is no end goal just the simple fact of going somewhere.  Typically people taking a journey are looking for something, but that something is not tangible.  The journey has no direction or guidance it is free-willed without any rules.  There can be journeys that have end results, such as a foreigners journey to America.  Although, in a quest the end result is something that needs to be achieved or conquered whereas the end result of a journey is means to an end.  An example of a journey would be someone looking to find God.  This is a common journey for many everyday people because the journey to God is long and filled with unknowns.  Unknowns are a main component of a journey because this allows for spontaneity and the element of surprise.  Someone on a journey must be open to the unexpected and flexible with what might happen.  People on a quest are disgruntled by their obstacles because it prolongs the time between them and their desired end result.  In a journey there isn't a large stress on time like there is in a quest.  Characters on a quest are usually set with a deadline, in the story of Shrek he must beat the prince to the castle to rescue Fiona.  I personally have never experienced a quest in life, but I have been on a journey.  I see life as a journey, but one specific journey I am on is my journey of education.  I embarked on this journey when I was five and I started kindergarten.  The journey has contained several obstacles, such as difficult teachers, impossible classes, and even harder tests.  I have never known what the end result will be, besides graduation.  The journey of life is never ending and that is the beauty of a journey.  With a quest it is over at some point, but with a journey you choose the end.  A journey can go on forever or only take a short amount of time.  I think a journey is a blank piece of paper where you draw your own map and decide what way to go.  In a quest the path is clear and if you stray you will not meet your goal.  In a head-to-head of journey vs. a quest I would have to choose a journey.  The freedom and unknowing a journey provides is exciting and refreshing.  There is room for growth and adventure within a journey.  To sum it all up a a quest is a series of journeys, a quest having an end goal and a journey having a free path.