“An individual’s identity is shaped by the way they perceive their connection with others and the world around them.”. This concept is shown in both my prescribed texts, “She Ain’t Going Nowhere”, by Guy Clark, and “Ode to Autumn”, by John Keats, and in my related text, a strip from the webcomic “Garfield Minus Garfield”, by Dan Walsh. Belonging is defined by Merriam Webster as “to be attached or bound by birth, allegiance, or dependency”, and this definition emphasises the idea that we are moulded by our connections with others- that is, how we belong to the world, and to other people.

My first prescribed text, She Ain’t Going Nowhere, is a song about a woman, and her lack of belonging to a specific town or location, but rather to the idea of travel, and the road. Clark talks not of where the vagabond is going, but rather …show more content…
She doesn’t admit her feelings of doubt or regret, even rephrasing her feelings, changing them from what she deems “weak” to “stronger” feelings that could even be viewed as “romantic” or “poetic”, as if she’s trying to prove to someone (possibly the listener) that she is much stronger than she feels.

Overall, John Keat’s song reinforces the idea that one’s identity depends on their connections with others. The protagonist lacks any connections, and this is shown in her identity- she is headstrong, arrogant, a ‘lone wolf’ to others, however, she has a weak interior she tries to hide from others, one that is desperate for support and