Belonging Essay Free Essays

Generic Essay: For individuals to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging to place, people around them need to accept them as they are. Belonging to a place occurs through our interactions with people around us. The failure to understand or accept an individual’s uniqueness prevents this sense of belonging from developing. We will write a custom essay sample on Belonging Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Texts that explore belonging to a place through connections to people are Peter Skrzynecki’s poems, â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki†, â€Å"10 Mary Street† and â€Å"Migrant Hostel†, the short film, â€Å"Be My Brother† directed by Genevieve Clay and from the website, http://www. yronbodyandsoul. com, the online article, â€Å"Making sense of this place† by Susanna Freymark. Each of these texts encourages the responder to reflect not only upon the importance of belonging to a place, but also on the way in which understanding and acceptance by others impacts on one’s ability to form this connection. In the poem, â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki†, Peter Skrzynecki describes the sense of belonging achieved by his father through his attachment to his Polish friends. Feliks’s friends are a source of understanding as they share common memories, experiences and traditions. Together they â€Å"reminisced about farms where paddocks flowered†¦Horses they bred, pigs they were skilled in slaughtering. † The positive connotations expressed in these lines allude to the immigrants’ shared experiences and heritage, and the solace which Feliks derives from the connection with his Polish friends further nourishes his sense of cultural belonging. Peter, however, does not feel this same sense of inclusion as he does not understand the Polish culture or the behaviour of his father’s friends. This is demonstrated in his reference to how they, â€Å"Always shook hands too violently† and the â€Å"formal address /I never got used to†. This same sense of lack of understanding and alienation also exists between father and son. Peter’s allusion to â€Å"Hadrian’s Wall† in the lines, â€Å"Watched me pegging my tents/ Further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall† and his admission that, â€Å"I forgot my first Polish word†, are indicative of the widening gap between them as both father and son find it increasingly difficult to share a common understanding or a sense of cultural community . Feliks’s garden, to which he has a great affinity, is yet another place where he feels secure and blissful. From the talks he has with his friends it is evident that he is used to hard physical labour and that he understands and has a close bond with the land. The poet writes that Feliks loved his garden, â€Å"like an only child†. This simile emphasizes the love and devotion that his father lavishes upon the garden, and the hyperbole, â€Å"swept its paths Ten times around the world† suggests his connection with it and the way in which he has created for himself a world which he understands and with which he can identify and belong. Peter describes his father sitting in the evening â€Å"With his dog, smoking† and reflects that he was, â€Å"Happy as I have never been†. This last statement further emphasizes Peter’s feeling of alienation and dislocation from a place in which his father is completely content. Developing a sense of belonging through understanding can also be seen in the poem â€Å"10 Mary Street†. This poem describes the emotions of an immigrant family through their process of integration into the Australian society and their understanding of the Polish culture. The house is a place where, after having lived there for nineteen years†, they feel they belong. Understanding â€Å"the whole block† gives an indication of their connection to the house and their familiarity with their local neighbourhood. The statement that,â€Å"Each morning the house was shut like a well-oiled lock†, illustrates their routine movements and the reference to the ‘lock’ represents the security they feel living in the house. Their home is warm and inviting, illustrated by the description of it painted â€Å"in its china-blue coat†. The color suggests vibrancy and life and is described as â€Å"standing† as if it, too, is a member of the family. The use of personification stresses the ties forged with this house over the years. In a similar fashion to â€Å"Feliks†, the garden in â€Å"10 Mary Street† provides a sanctuary and a special place of belonging for Peter and his family where they spend their happy moments together. The cumulative listing, â€Å"My parents watered plants-grew potatoes, And rows of sweet corn† is used to good effect to create a strong connection to the garden which reinforces the sense of belonging to place. The simile, â€Å"tended roses and camellias like adopted children† is reminiscent of a similar comparison used in the poem, â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki†, reinforces the love and devotion lavished on the garden and exemplifies the family’s strong attachment to place. Peter would share this joy by ravaging the garden for strawberries and peas â€Å"like a hungry bird†. The final stanza of the poem evokes a powerful image of belonging to the Australian land in the lines, â€Å"We became citizens of the soil/That was feeding us† and the last lines, â€Å"Inheritors of a key /That’ll open no house/ When this one is pulled down†, signifies the importance of their ties to 10 Mary Street as a place connecting them to their new adopted country. In contrast to the security, understanding and connection to place engendered by 10 Mary Street, the poem, â€Å"Migrant Hostel† presents an image of rejection and alienation resulting from physical and mental barriers. In this poem, Skrzynecki describes the hostel as a busy place where â€Å"No one kept count of all the comings and goings†. The poem’s depressing tone evokes a feeling of disorientation with the inference that the migrants have no control over their lives; their existence is characterized by a mood of disappointment and captivity as they are in a state of confusion not belonging to their surroundings. . The fourth stanza opens with strong use of imagery, â€Å"a barrier at the main gate sealed off the highway†¦As it rose and fell like a finger, pointed in reprimand or shame. This suggests a physical impediment that implies entrapment and prevents the migrants from understanding the Australian culture and having their own place in Australia. Additionally, the use of the simile in this quote would seem to imply that alienation is due to some fault of the migrants, themselves. Because of this lack of understanding, the migrants do not want to belong to the hostel whe re they are ‘sealed off’ as they do not know what is going to happen to them, as it brings back memories of the past. The simile, â€Å"like a homing pigeon circling to get its bearings† presents a powerful image of the migrants desperately trying to find something or somewhere to which to belong but â€Å"like birds of passage – always sensing a change†, they are unsure of their future and continue to search for a better place where they can at last feel a sense of attachment. When understanding and acceptance does not occur, people risk either being alienated or alienating others. This is conveyed through the short film, â€Å"Be My Brother†, which was the Tropfest winner in 2009. It characterizes Richard, a ‘Down’s Syndrome’ sufferer, who because of his mental disability, walks and talks differently from the others. Richard feels isolated and alone especially when the two other characters in the film, Amanda and his brother, Damien, ignore him. These two are representative of the â€Å"normal† community and because they perceive Richard to be ‘abnormal’, they deprive him of the sense of belonging. In the opening panoramic scene, the metaphorical belonging to place is depicted through the medium shot of Richard walking on the below Amanda, while she is sitting on the bench at the bus stop above him. These ‘rocks’ are the symbolic representation of the hardships and troubles that he faces in his life and which are the cause of his disaffection and alienation. The director conveys this notion through the Amanda and Damien’s lack of eye contact and their monosyllabic responses, which is symbolic of the community’s lack of understanding of his disability, which results in his sense of exclusion from the rest of society. The director has effectively uses Damien’s hoodie as a symbol of his lack of understanding, it symbolizing the barrier and subsequent isolation Richard feels. However, when he removes his hoodie and sits next to Richard, the responder recognizes that a real understanding has taken place between the two characters. This change in relationship is further emphasized through the mid shot, which represents equality. This is a strongly comforting scene as it is apparent that Damien at last is starting to understand and accept his disadvantaged brother thus encouraging his sense of belonging. . The article â€Å"Making sense of this place† written by Susana Freymark details the strong sense of attachment that the composer feels for â€Å"Byron Bay†. She writes that, â€Å"Your name, address and family ties you to a place and helps define who you are and your place in the world. † Through the use of imagery in ‘ties you to a place’ the composer infers that a personal identity bonds the individual to a place where he or she feels accepted and comfortable and for her, â€Å"No other place evokes my sense of self more†. Freymark states that the external world reflects the inner sense of where we belong and to this end, she feels, â€Å"passionately about this land, the weather that shapes it, the ocean and the asymmetrical mountains that edge the coastline. This listing of the region’s physical attributes is, however, only one reason why Freymark has such a great affinity for Byron Bay. She writes also of living within a community of like-minded people who are welcoming, share the place and â€Å"look for where the connections are between us†. Together they hold a deep respect for the land a nd its original aboriginal inhabitants, they are accepting of individual identity and are â€Å"mindful of exclusion†. This understanding and acceptance fosters a strong sense of belonging to a place where Freymark â€Å"feels complete† and can see herself living â€Å"†¦ until the day I die. Conclusion for belonging through understanding: It is evident that communication is a means of understanding and that it is through communication and acceptance that belonging is nourished and developed. These ideas are represented in the texts â€Å"Immigrant Chronicle† and â€Å"Be My Brother†. An in-depth study of the anthology â€Å"Immigrant Chronicle† and the short movie â€Å"Be My Brother†, highlights the way in which a sense of belonging can either be enhanced or restricted through the interactions that people have with others and the degree to which they feel understood and accepted for who they are – culturally or even intellectu ally. Conclusion for belonging to places: Through the examination of the chosen texts, it can be seen that belonging to a place is fostered by either a sense of familiarity or based on common similarities and our interactions with each other. Because of his attachment to his Polish friends and the love and familiarity he has for his home and garden, Feliks is able to create a place within which he feels happy and secure. In â€Å"Making sense of this place†, Susannah Freymark experiences a strong attachment and sense of belonging to Byron Bay not only because of the affinity she feels for the physical beauty of the region itself, but also because of the inclusive and welcoming attitude of the community and the likenesses she shares with the other residents of the town. However, Richard in â€Å"Be My Brother†, is denied this sense of belonging to place as both his own brother and the community at large, reject him because of his individuality and his mental disability. This negative interaction and exclusion results in his dislocation and detachment. How to cite Belonging Essay, Essays Belonging Essay Free Essays How do your texts explore the nature of true belonging? Many texts convey the true nature of belonging as bringing repercussions, resulting in consequence. Also suggested in many texts is the idea of a strong sense of identity leads to the attainment of true belonging. Selected poems from Peter Skzrynecki’s â€Å"Immigrant Chronicle,† Noel Gay’s play â€Å"Me and My Girl† and Michael Radford’s film interpretation of Shakespeare’s â€Å"Merchant of Venice† all portray the idea of belonging requiring sacrifice and necessitating a strong sense of identity. We will write a custom essay sample on Belonging Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Peter Skzrynecki’s poems depict the idea that one individuals belonging may be at the expense of another’s. Peter conveys his parents’ sacrifice of his belonging in order for them to attain true belonging. His father is portrayed as truly belonging to his culture and being content, in a way the poet feels he has never experienced. This is clearly demonstrated in Feliks Skzrynecki, where the poet suggests envy of his father. Happy as I have never been† suggests while Peter may have a level of belonging to Australia, he never had the same level of belonging or contentment as his father who, through the creation of his polish enclave, among other things, has attained true belonging. This true belonging is achieved through what the poet perceives a sacrifice of his own chance of belonging. St Patrick’s College also illustrates the poet’s belief that his mother’s actions had resulted in negative consequences for him. The poet conveys his cynical view of his mother’s actions, when he says â€Å"wanting only ‘what was best’† clearly portraying the differences in the two generations ideas of true belonging. Skzrynecki also conveys his lack of belonging in the poem, contrasting the routine with which he undertook every school day â€Å"for eight years† against his true feelings about it, â€Å"†¦ like a foreign tourist. † This comparison portrays his overall feelings of the lack of belonging to Australia. The portrayal that an individual’s true belonging may come at the expense of another’s effectively conveys the nature of true belonging requiring sacrifice. Skzrynecki’s text and Noel Gay’s play Me and My Girl both convey the idea of inherited belonging to culture. Both portray belonging as innate from birth. The poem Migrant Hostel indicates a sense of belonging as a group, one which Peter has been born into. â€Å"We lived like birds of passage† indicates this sense of belonging together. The use of â€Å"we,† the first person plural as a contrast with some of his other poems where he is portrayed as an outsider, signifies his membership to this group. Peter Skzrynecki’s poems illustrates the desire for ‘true belonging’ comes at a price, as he must conform to Australia or belong nowhere. The poem Feliks Skzrynecki’s highlights the author’s link to his Polish culture and homeland, a link his father shares. This is evident in the lines â€Å"I inherited unknowingly† demonstrating the supposed true belonging that succeeds from birth. The decision to separate from the ‘inherited’ belonging however is emphasised in the final allusion of the poem â€Å"further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall. † This suggests a natural drifting as a result of the generational gap between Peter and his parents, illustrating the idea children will drift from their parents. Peter chooses to separate himself from his family in the hope of attaining ‘true belonging’ in Australia. Similarly, Sally does the same thing. Me and My Girl portrays the idea that true belonging is contingent on what you are, however modifications can result in belonging elsewhere. Sally finds her true place of belonging with the love of her life – Bill. She sacrifices her inherited belonging to Lambeth, illustrated in her exchange with Sir John where he suggests they make her â€Å"fit and proper† and she agrees to go to Mayfair. The exchange between Sally and Sir John suggests Sally’s sacrifice in an attempt to find true belonging for herself and Bill in Mayfair. Peter Skzrynecki’s poems and Me and My Girl both convey ideas of inherited belonging being sacrificed in order to attain belonging elsewhere. Me and My Girl clearly portrays the idea a strong sense of identity leads to belonging. Bill and Sally belong truly to Lambeth shown chiefly through the song â€Å"The Lambeth Walk. † The upbeat rhythm and invitational language suggests an ease of belonging, outlining Bill’s identity as a Lambeth man. The musical fanfare combined with the inclusive language â€Å"You’ll find us all doing the Lambeth walk† emphasises the identity of the Lambeth community. The sense of familiarity, unity and consistency throughout the song, illustrated in the line â€Å"every night and every day† highlights there is nothing sporadic about Lambeth – it is the way things are and you can count on it, suggesting a strong sense of true belonging as a community. The play, however also conveys Bill’s sacrifice of parts of his cultural identity in order to receive social and financial gain. Sally truly belongs with Bill, so although more reluctant to sacrifice aspects of her identity, she sacrifices it for Bill. She is willing, as demonstrated in the denouement of the play. The play highlights that for Bill and Sally, it might not be true and total belonging, but it is a sense of place in Mayfair society that they’ve earned, with some sacrifice, however also insisting on compromise on the part of the Mayfair crowd. Through the portrayal of identity as necessary to truly belong, Me and My Girl clearly demonstrates the nature of true belonging. The Merchant of Venice conveys the idea that although people may sacrifice everything in the hope of truly belonging, this sense of belonging is not always attained. The scene portraying Jessica’s escape emphasises the numerous sacrifices she makes in order to belong to another ‘group. ’ Due to her disillusionment with her father, who seems to have her locked away, she begins seeking something more liberal. Her escape first and foremost symbolises her sacrifice of identity, of the bond with her father and her religion, in order to gain a new love and most importantly, a new place to belong, a new cultural identity. Significant in the escape is her male attire, which further emphasises her willingness to ‘shed’ her true identity and assume another. The casket she passes down symbolises her giving away of her religious identity, in stark contrast to her father’s words later â€Å"I would not have given it for a wilderness of monkey’s† highlighting his cherishing of the ring as a symbol he shared with his wife. The robbery of the ducats further emphasises she is robbing her father of herself and their bond. In the final scene, however, Jessica is alone, fingering the ring which symbolises a lost bond and the temple she no longer belongs to. The look of despair in the close shot of her face, combined with the pan out to the taller, greater surroundings suggests an unfamiliarity; her ‘smallness’ in this setting indicating her sense of not belonging although she sacrificed so much. Ironically, Jessica has traded her father, religion and identity where she truly belonged for a ‘true belonging’ which seems absent in this final scene. Therefore, it is evident that although one may sacrifice aspects of their life to gain true belonging, they may never attain it. Selected poems from Peter Skzrynecki’s â€Å"Immigrant Chronicle,† Noel Gay’s play â€Å"Me and My Girl† and Michael Radford’s film interpretation of Shakespeare’s â€Å"Merchant of Venice† all portray the idea true belonging requires a strong sense of identity and in some cases sacrifice. All of these texts explore elements of what it means to truly belong and the sacrifices that may lead to this belonging, or in some cases, an inability to belong after sacrifice. How to cite Belonging Essay, Essay examples Belonging Essay Free Essays Connection is the restorative force by which individuals reaffirm or transform their identities. Ultimately, it is the ability to form meaningful and sustaining relationships that allows individuals to assess and affirm their values. Raimond Gaita’s memoir, â€Å"Romulus, My Father† (RMF), Evan Hunters short story â€Å"On the Sidewalk Bleeding’ (OTSB), and â€Å"The Oasis†, a Shark Island Documentary, explore this notion through employing the universal themes of compassion, alienation and love as they enrich characters sense of hope, significance, comfort and security- fundamental to a sense of belonging, or paradoxically lead to a sense of isolation and exclusion. We will write a custom essay sample on Belonging Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now RMF explores the catalytic nature of relationships in constructing an imperative sense of significance, comfort and security, through examining the themes of love, compassion and alienation. This is reflected through the contrast between Romulus’ â€Å"life, his values, his friendship with Hora and marriage to Milka†, and his relationship with his first wife, Christine. Romulus and Christine’s relationship is based on an â€Å"unrealistic hope†, and a tremulous love, recognised and expressed by Raimond in his narration as â€Å"naive†. This is supported by his description of Christine as â€Å"a troubled city girl†¦[who] couldn’t settle in a.. landscape that highlighted her isolation†, the contrast of which emphasises her destructive inability to form satisfying relationships, alienating her from Romulus, Raimond and the sense of security and comfort implicated by the notion of a united family. This is emphasised as Christine â€Å"stood separately, weeping bitterly† at Mitru’s funeral, with use of emotive language to craft an image of isolation, conveying the impacts of alienation and loss on her temperament. By contrast, Raimond, Romulus and Hora come to share an ingrained sense of idealistic congruency, â€Å"I learnt from them the connection between individuality and†¦Otherness†. Here, â€Å"Otherness† – an allusion to 20th Century European philosophy – is paired with the connotations of â€Å"individuality† to highlight the fact that Romulus and Hora’s relationship is based upon an analogous self-conception, which acts to reaffirm Romulus’s values and beliefs. Most importantly these shared ideals, spawning from their â€Å"unqualified sense of common humanity†, help shape young Raimond’s perception of acceptance, as well as their aphoristic belief that â€Å"only†¦rigorous truthfulness could give†¦strength of character† – the universality of which transcends all three men’s subjective experiences to confirm their identities as part of a significant, secure relationship. Romulus also extends this to his relationship with Milka, which is centred upon a common appreciation of honesty and compassion. This is shown through his description of her as, â€Å"not too tall†¦short†¦fat†¦thin†, whose accumulative juxtaposition of negations stresses his attraction to her both in appearance and â€Å"in personality† – a notion which is developed by Milka’s frank admission, â€Å"She told him she couldn’t cook†¦he replied it didn’t matter†. Here, along with the qualification, â€Å"his respect†¦was unusual in husbands of his vintage†, Milka’s assertion in â€Å"couldn’t cook† emphasises the contextual differences their relationship has from both Romulus’ previous marriage to Christine and mainstream society through the altruistic strength of its values. Ultimately accentuating the deep satisfaction and sense of comfort that they share, this is affirmed by Romulus’ assertion, â€Å"Nothing could compromise the intrinsic good of†¦having found each other†. Similarly OTSB explores the value of relationships in restructuring and corroborating ideals and self perceptions, by providing console and a sanctuary for hope and growth of character. The protagonist’s affectionate relationship with his girlfriend Laura, who shares a bond with Andy centred on love and compassion, acts as the equilibrium between Andy’s gang related life and his true self. The relationship provides Andy with the inner-unity required for strength or character, allowing him to challenge his mediocre life with dreams that give him purpose, and a hope that â€Å"Someday he would marry her, and they would have a lot of kids, and then they would get out of the neighbourhood†. The connotations of ‘marriage’, paired with the symbolic reference of children highlights Andy’s devotion to the notion of family and the sense of security and worth it provides. The strength of their attachment and the significance their compassionate relationship engenders, fashions a sense of emancipation for Andy, sanctioning the removal of his gang jacket â€Å"which had only one meaning.. a very simple meaning†¦the meaning of nothing†. The accumulative repetition and personification of the jacket ubstantiates it as a tangible image, symbolic of Andy’s internal conflict, and his ability to exonerate himself of it is metaphorical for the value Andy places on their relationship, further emphasising its significance in restructuring Andy’s identity and providing the sense of worth, console and hope, fundamental to a sense of belonging. Likewise ‘The Oasis’ examines the significance of relationships in shaping our identity t hrough the assessment and confirmation of values. These relationships are often structured on reliance and support which allow an individual to achieve security, significance and his/her true potential. The audience is first introduced to the protagonist Paul, a Salvation Army worker, through an establishing shot of him walking down a main road against the flow of traffic. A visual metaphor for his desperate struggle to reinstate and sense of purpose and moral integrity in the disadvantaged youth, reinforced by the vectors of his downcast gaze. The metaphor â€Å"Paul is their lifeline† juxtaposed with the dramatic image of Paul holding children’s hands on the edge of a cliff, reinforces the significance of youth connection to the Salvation Army’s centre and exemplifies the danger of â€Å"children slipping through societies safety nets†. Paul’s intention to revolutionise the self conceptions of homeless youth becomes symbolic of the metaphorical safety nets of society. This is evident as he attempts to connect youth with Religion, to give them a sense of metaphysical importance, emphasised through a montage of baptisms highlighting the amalgamation of the Bibles morals with youth identity. Therefore†¦. Hence, â€Å"RMF†, â€Å"OTSW† and â€Å"The Oasis† each support the notion of connection as a restorative force by which individuals assess and affirm their values, and thus reform their identities. By employing common universal themes such as love, hope, alienation and compassion, each text effectively demonstrates the necessity of security, comfort and significance in achieving a sense of belonging, and how these may be attained through relationships. How to cite Belonging Essay, Essays