...Chosen related text – 10 Mary street- Peter Skrzynecki To form a true sense of belonging individuals must actively participate in the communities in which they exist, as understanding and consideration of societal culture and customs, have a strong bearing on one's ability to form relationships, and thus a true of sense of identity and belonging. This connection is apparent in Peter Skrzynecki Immigrant chronicles poems - '10 Mary Street' and 'St Patrick's college' where the persona experiences a sense of self and belonging through his relationships with his home and family, and conversely a feeling of spiritual alienation through lack of said connections. By employing a variety of literary techniques Skrzynecki has represented how relationships are a landscape for identity, and thus how they affect one's experiences of belonging or not belonging. Relationships significantly impact belonging and are shaped by an individual's participation within particular communities. In '10 Mary Street' and 'St Patrick's College' the persona forms bonds with his family and European migrants,and is conversely isolated at his school due to a lack of consideration for the social values and customs present. The persona's understanding of the set “pre war-europe” routines and customs within the home is enjambed “My parents watered plants - grew potatoes And rows of sweet corn: Home from school earlier I'd ravage the backyard garden” this reinforces the relationships formed with his parents...
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...Q. “An individual’s self-esteem is linked to their sense of belonging.” Discuss this view with detailed reference to your prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your choosing. In 1953 play by Arthur Miller, The Crucible, short story of 1973 by Ursula Le Guin, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and Lee Joon-ik’s 2005 film, The King and the Clown, through the exploration of identity, guilt and power, and integrity, these works have demonstrated an individual’s self-esteem and its link to belonging. In Miller’s play, self-esteem is linked to individuals’ senses of belonging in the form of power and integrity, where the tyrannical authority of the leaders of the Salem witch trials period use belonging as a force to control the community, while various individuals who will not bend to such authority establish a sense of integrity in their resistance. Such examples of figures portraying a forceful authority include Danforth, who states that the “Devil” is a “weapon” used to “whip men into surrender” into a “church-state”. This statement, as well as the following, stated in act three, are representations of this authority’s need for power: he asks if there “lurks” in the “mind” or “soul” of the individual a “desire to undermine [the] church”. The stark imagery in the first statement conveys the individual’s need for power and control of the community in a violent form, hence exemplifying his desperation and therefore lack of control and acceptance among the community...
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...Strictly Ballroom | Tea with Milk | Personal Context | * Perceptions of belonging and not belonging are shaped through an individuals personal context and they way they were brought up * Familial relationships significantly influence an individual’s sense of belonging * Belonging to a family does not necessarily always have positive impacts / provide a sense of belonging * Belonging is enriched by a positive interaction with others and the surrounding world but can also be limited in the sense that the wider community/world can provide barriers to limit the connection individuals need to develop their sense of belonging | | * Doug subjugated and represses his own sense of individuality in order to keep his and Shirley’s marriage steady despite the fact that he always feels isolate and alone * Due to Scott’s lack of inclusion and self-expression within his family, he yearns for cultural group that will accept him. His personal context restricted his feeling of acceptance. This is shown through the strict conformist rules that Shirley and Lez impose on Scott when he dances | * Generational difference – May’s parents have a different view of belonging to American culture. They feels as if they belong more strongly to the Japanese culture which is why they decided to move back to Japan and teach may about Japanese culture. * May and her parents have different perceptions of belonging due to generational difference. This is shown in the image of May outside the...
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...“A sense of belonging is closely associated with identity, and names are crucial to identity.” ------------------------------------------------- A sense of belonging is made up of various elements, a secure identity being of them. Lahiri questions where is one’s identity found? Is it in their name, their heritage and culture or in their past or present? The Namesake represents identity as one fluid concept and a sense of belonging is closely associated with identity because it is the meaning of the names that can shape the individual’s identity and the clash of cultures can influence the how the individual searches for identity within their name. When Ashima and Ashoke first move to America as immigrants, it is nothing but a learning curve for them as they try and settle into a foreign country where they are faced with cultural differences; and Gogol being the first born is faced with the difficulty of living almost like a test subject as his parents try to master juggling their Bengali heritage and American culture. “They’ve learned their lesson after Gogol…for their daughter, a good name and pet name are one and the same.” This affects Gogol’s sense of belonging and identity as the lesson Ashima and Ashoke have learned prepared them for the challenges of raising their second child, who finds more success in navigating America as a Bengali leading to her finding a secure identity; while Gogol is left with the initial confusions his parents experienced, causing him to feel...
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...Belonging Critical Essay “Belonging to a community or group has a significant impact on an individual’s sense of self” Introduction Individuals desire a sense of belonging within various groups in the community to engage with others in an enriching and meaningful way. Displacement from a community, culture or family can have a significant impact on individuals’ sense of self and where he truly belongs. Peter Skryzynecki’s poems, “Feliks Skrzynecki” and “Migrant Hostel” explore the effects of displacement due to migration and the consequential lack of identity and place. Bruce Dawe’s poem “Enter without so much as knocking” and an image from Shaun Tan’s book “The Arrival” explores various aspects of belonging suggesting that belonging to a place is central to an individual’s identity and sense of security. Feliks Skrzynecki ‘Feliks Skrzynecki” explores the hardships experienced by migrants growing up in Australia. Skrzynecki highlights the underlying idea of Peter’s difficulty in trying to accept his inherent Polish culture, which is evident in the third stanza “His polish friends always shook hands too violently…I never got used to” while at the same time unconsciously assimilating to a new civilized Western culture. Skrzynecki utilizes an extended metaphor of Hadrian’s Wall; “Watched me pegging my tents further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall” to epitomize the confusion and choice surrounding Peter in the ethics and values of each culture to which he must choose. Peter...
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...Belonging speech Good morning/Afternoon teachers and students today I will be showing you how a sense of belonging or not belonging greatly influences an individual’s identity. A change in identity occurs when belonging is found through meaningful, intimate relationships, with senses of place, community, safety and familiarity. The free verse novel, The Simple Gift, composed by Steven Herrick, the dramatic fairy tale film, Edward Scissor hands, directed and created by Tim Burton and the novel Matilda composed by Roald Dahl, all explore the concepts of belonging and relationships through the strong use of literary techniques; and focus on a changing Identity as a base for belonging. All texts have significantly different perspectives of belonging and identity. Edward yearns to belong and become part of society’s conformity and routine, whereas Billy aspires to a life of solitude and self-reliance and Matilda tries to belong somewhere in her life. Billy is a misfit in high school, having no significant relationships and a heartless abusive father, the ‘old bastard’. Before he embarks on journey for belonging, it is evident that he lacks a sense of belonging at home and in his community. Billy describes his home house as ‘Deadbeat no hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Long lands road, Nowheresville’. This string of informal negative description emphasizes Billy’s emotional isolation and dislocation within his community. His missing sense of belonging gives him the identity...
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...: A person’s sense of belonging is shaped by their connections within their physical and social environments. This representation of belonging is seen in Gaita’s memoir Romulus, my Father and the short story “neighbours” by Tim Wilton. Romulus,my Father is Raimond Gaita’s memoir to his father Romulus; focusing on exploring his father’s moral identity and their joint experiences living in Central Victoria as European immigrants arriving in the 1950’s. The main connections of belonging explored in the two texts are connections to place, in terms of landscape and community; as well as connections within relationships. These connections serve to enrich an individual’s sense of belonging to their community, environment and within their personal identity. One’s connection to the landscape can contribute to their sense of belonging to their environment as well as their sense of harmony and affirmation within their identity. In Romulus, m Father; Raimond’s deep emotional connection to the stark landscape of Central Victoria evinces his sense of belonging to the environment as well as within his identity. This is apparent in his description of the landscape: ‘The tall yellow burnt grass…gave colour to my freedom and also to my understanding of suffering. ‘ The lyrical passion which imbues his description conveys his strong emotional connection to the landscape, as does the descriptive imagery of the landscape e.g. ‘tall’ and burnt’. The depth of this emotional connection established...
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...An individual’s perceptions of belonging evolves in response to the passage of time and interaction with their world The continuation of time can morph an individual’s interaction in their world, changing their perceptions of their milieu that they associate themselves as a manner of response to life experiences. The dynamic nature of the primordial desire to belong is heavily explored by Raimond Gaita through the reflective memoir ‘Romulus My Father. Within it, Gaita seeks to discern the effects of establishing strong connections with the external environment over time in order to understand and ultimately belong to a new environment. From this, we are able to perceive how a personal sense of belonging can be attributed on experiences from those around us, and how their influence increase over the passage of time. The ability to gain an understanding and attachment with one’s changing environment creates an interminable bond with one’s adaptive identity. In Romulus My Father, Romulus was initially unable to accept his status as a “New Australian”, as he was initially unwilling to disassociate himself from his European lifestyle – “Romulus Gaita always considered himself a Romanian”. His description of the European foliage as “soft and generous” includes emotive language to resonate the resilient relationship between his origins. This lack of assimilation is corroborated through his detachment from the Australian landscape “His eyes looked directly at the foliage and turned...
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...‘How has studying the concept of Belonging expanded your understanding of yourself, and of your world?’ In the world today, there is a certain restless nature and desire that lives deep within the human heart. Eternal and overwhelming, this inner struggle is one that fuels our innate need to identify with a group. For any individual, a perception of acceptance and understanding is a fundamental element of the human sense of self. Throughout this journey of finding acceptance, our personal identity becomes intertwined, and a newly found sense of belonging is created. By developing relations and connections with people, places, groups and communities, we create a “source of love and belonging that makes living in a chaotic world easier.” Global societies in the modern world are filled with various beliefs regarding personal identity as well as belonging. It is these beliefs that influence the way we observe, interpret and behave throughout our daily lives. Because of this, and the various other cultures that form our communities, perceptions regarding acceptance and understanding of numerous individuals may clash. As a result of this, feelings of belonging, or not, are developed. Through exploration of this notion and related texts, we able to comprehend acceptance in both contemporary and past generations, and how it has developed throughout history. Charles Dickens’ nineteenth century novel ‘Great Expectations’, Anne Paton’s 1998 letter ‘Why I’m Fleeing South Africa’ printed...
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...striving. (Spencer-Oatey, 2012) Culture give an identity to a group ensures survival and increases the feeling of belonging. Identity development Identity is an individual's self-explanation that stresses the enduring personalities of the self. To understand identity, the individual can justify the origins of these personalities features and the impacts behind those origins. Inclusive identity includes an interpretation...
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...The idea of Belonging is a dynamic and essential aspect of life through an individual’s portrayal of identity, place, relationship and acceptance, it is also dependant on the person’s perception of what belonging is defined as. The free-verse novel ‘The Simple Gift’ written by Steven Herrick and picture book ‘Way Home’ composed by Libby Hathorn convey these different dimensions of belonging through characters and context. Both main characters of the texts share the same themes of homelessness and connections through people and even unusual materials consisting of personal things and places. The Simple Gift by Steven Herrick explores many aspects of how belonging is portrayed. Herrick composes the free verse novel through the perspectives of 3 main characters including Billy, Old Bill and Caitlin which gives the audience an insight of each person’s unique perspectives. The main protagonist Billy Luckett is illustrated as a 16 year old runaway who experiences abuse from his father and seeks to find his identity and form bonds with the other characters and unique places. Regarding this, Old Bill nicknames the freight carriages as The Bendarat Hilton in which Billy and him dwell in to create a sense of belonging which is not necessarily theirs and also creates a broader symbol of belonging through Billy’s quote “and I looked up into the sky, the deep blue sky that Old Bill and I shared” symbolising that belonging reaches beyond boundaries. Billy also explains through soliloquy how...
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...circumstances, usually measured by their incomes, wealth and occupation, are broadly similar. There are three major social classes in the United Kingdom which include; the working class, middle class and the upper class. Socialists emphasize that social class is essentially an economic concept and they determine individual’s class on the basis of wealth income and occupation. However it is also important to say that there are other factors to consider when determining a person’s social class such as; their family social background, standard of living, home ownership, leisure pursuits, circle of friends and social connections and education. Broadly speaking most of the factors listed above are closely connected with one’s wealth, income and occupation. One may define Identity as who or what a person or thing is. Identity also helps to define who a person is; it is a self representation of a person’s interests, relationships and leisure activities. On the other hand belonging can mean to feel a sense of welcome and acceptance to someone or some thing. As Maslow suggests in his hierarchy of needs, a psychological theory centred on humans shows a desire for self-actualization. Belonging is a need that we naturally seek in order to feel loved; however it is important for us to understand that there are people who do not belong or identify with a particular social class but in fact are liberated by their independence and are pleased to be...
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...AOS – Belonging Essay ‘St. Patricks College’, ‘Migrant Hostel’ and Starry Night – Vincent Van Gough Belonging is an abstract perception that evolves and changes depending on an individual’s context and situation. The tension between belonging to society and self is at the heart of the complexity of the concept. Peter Skrzynecki’s poems St. Patricks College and Migrant Hostel from the immigrant chronicles and Van Gogh’s Starry Night are different mediums that juxtapose the duality of belonging and portray the diverse links individuals have to universal perceptions of connection. Belonging is a complex and multifaceted concept. The need to connect with social frameworks as well as one’s own cultural identity is the reason for the tension and dichotomy of belonging. Migrant Host explores the tension and sense of alienation for both society and self that can result from the migrant experience. A lack of interaction between individuals and places limits an individual’s experience of belonging, this is explored through ‘comings and goings’ and ‘arrivals and departures’ reinforcing the idea of these momentary connections. Through the use of many poetic techniques, the concept of acceptance is shown; a simile “like a homing pigeon” is used to highlight the urgency and desire to gain a sense of connection with the current environment. The simile ‘like a homing pigeon/ circling to get its bearings’ reinforces the idea of a complex sense of separation in the hostel. The disconnection...
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...“I’m trying to make a case for people who don’t have the sense of belonging that they should have, that there is something really worthwhile in having a sense of belonging.” Imagine yourself in a foreign land. You have no idea where you are or who to turn to. Your new surroundings make you feel out of place. Imagine feeling like that for thirty days…or sixty days…or more. How are you coping? Are you sleeping well? What is your mood? My bet is that you are falling apart; That you are spiralling out of control. You want to be logical about all of this, but reason has taken a back seat to longing. “I’m trying to make a case for people who don’t have the sense of belonging that they should have, that there is something really worthwhile in having a sense of belonging.” An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can limit or enrich their experience of belonging. Belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, groups or community. It is something we all feel whether we mean to or not. This belonging gives us an attachment to other people or things and we can gain other certain feelings such as security, happiness, pride, sense of value and acceptance by others as social human beings. It gives us an awareness of identity and builds our self-confidence and self-esteem as we feel part of something bigger. There are also implications for not belonging, our inability to connect can lead to isolation, alienation, vulnerability and dislocated from society...
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...Belonging is considered to be a broad concept which can offer many individuals a sense of security, identity as well as connectivity. An individual’s viewpoints on belonging can be related to the interactions they have with others, as a positive view may enhance their sense of belonging, whereas, a negative view may limit their ability to do so. Through an individual’s inability to express their positive attitudes towards others, can often be the reason why one may reject the ideas of belonging through acts such as rebellion and self-alienation. This perception can be explored within Peter Skrzynecki’s poem St Patricks College, as it portrays the characters partial experiences of belonging through his relationships with others which lead to his self-alienation and rebellion. In contrast with this is Peter Skrzynecki’s poem 10 Mary Street which explores the positive attitudes of belonging through the relationships of family as well as culture. Similarly the film Little Miss Sunshine directed by Jonathan Dayton has incorporated both positive and negative attitudes of belonging and has incorporated the physical, emotional and social factors of belonging within a community and family. The negative attitudes and views within a group or community has reiterated a limited sense of belonging within Peter skrzynecki’s poem St Patricks College. The persona within the poem recalls his schooling years of sadness whilst using a dull tone to demonstrate his isolation from the school community...
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