Belonging Essay Example for Free

Belonging EssayBelonging is ab disclose how atomic number 53 views their self and how one interacts with those around them. It colours who and what we ar and how we cash in ones chips into the world around us. masses seek belonging for identity, relationships, acceptance, and arrangement. Steven Herricks free-verse youthfulness, The ingenuous Gift, effectively explores the nonions of belonging by dint of the protagonists move. In a correspondent way, David Michods film Animal Kingdom and Tim Wintons short story Neighbours twain present protagonists that go by means of long journeys to puzzle belonging through developing meaningful relationships and discoveringa maven of flummox. Steven Herricks free-verse novel The Simple Gift clearly renders that alienation and a lack of connection with people will stretch forth to a lack of belonging. Immediately Herrick introduces the contributors to billy club, a sixteen-year-old runaway who is alienated and isolated. Herrick implicitly displays that billys male parent has ab apply him, which is the cause of his alienation. This is evident as Billy recounts how his sky pilot gave me one hard backhander across the face, so hard I fell down. And slammed the door on my sporting childhood.This metaphor in allows readers to understand that his fathers abuse led to Billys disconnection to from normal childhood experiences, on that pointby not allowing him to fit in and belong to fiat. Billys isolation from the community is reinforced as he leaves the neighbourhood throwing one rock on the roof of individually deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands Road, Nowheresville. Colloquial adjectives and expletives make evident Billys feelings of disconnection and resentment towards his home township, suitably named Nowheresville by Billy.It is from this place that Billy seeks escape, and so chapter one ends as he begins his journey towards belonging on a speedboat out of town h eading to the Waggawang Coalfields. Herrick portrays that Finding a sense of place and meaningful relationships leads to belonging with Billys arrival in Bendarat where he is metaphorically and literally destroying a hot life-time. Although at runner Billy is anxious, upon entering the town, he feels it brings a sense of hope for his future as he walks late into Bendaratwith the sun finally lifting. finished this use of weather motifs and personification of the sun lifting the fog, hope and positivity are unveiled for Billy after a life of negativity and uncertainty. He finds Bendarat is the perfect town and he makes carriage 1864 home. Billy begins his proceeding as he finds a physical sense of place. While the town of Bendarat Billy begins to move towards belonging through meaningful relationships, when he meets Caitlin a representative from the other society from which Billy and older Bill are hiding.Ironically, Caitlin has everything she wants, but is still discontent. She represents her familys wealth, acknowledging that her Dad is too generative for his own good. Caitlin and Billy develop an immediate bond, as they are able to talk and listen to each other without judgment or prejudice. As they meet, the narrative perspectives begins to overlap, and the reader gains insight into Caitlin through her strong verbalise, suggested through the use of personal pronouns I felt good I kept mopping. As their relationship develops, Billy finds meaning and purpose for his life as seen through this extended metaphor that Billys life has become a circuit of plans with Caitlin at the centre, and me a badly-dressed satellite spinning crazily in her orbit. With Caitlin in his life, Billy is centered and feels connectedness she is someone to whom he can belong. Similarly, Billy begins to find belonging through a relationship with Old Bill a homeless alcoholic with a sad past.Through the use of superlative in Billys description of Old Bill as the saddest uni verse in the world the reader understands that Billy and Old Bill confuse the chance to change each others lives through meaningful relationships. Old Bill is the catalyst for Billys movement towards belonging, just as Billy is able to help Old Bill re-entre society. Billys journey from alienation to belonging is screwd as he enters with Caitlin into his new home, the tangible address that Old Bill offers them for their simple gift.The key to his home that Old Bill offers Billy is the most truly gift in the novel. This key is a motif symbolizing Caitlin and Billys link together and entering a new life I insert the key and push the door. They enter this new life together. Ironically, Old Bill finally belongs again through moving away and experiencing license. For Billy and Caitlin, the ultimate connectedness comes through love fashioning. The reader understands the significance of this snatch through Billys use of a simile it was standardized falling headlong into clear wat ers of the Bendarat River.Billy finds a place to call home, a place to which he can belong, in Bendarat, where he forms his own family and in turn gives simple gifts to and helps other find their own sense of belonging. Like The Simple Gift, David Michods film Animal Kingdom effectively explores the concept of belonging through its protagonist Joshua J Cody, a teenage boy thrown into a world of crime after his mother dies of a diacetylmorphine overdose. Similar to Billy, J is alienated due to family circumstances.It is Js first person narrative voice over that draws us into the world of the Cody family. He speaks to us After my mum died this was just the world I was thrown into. This way of having him speak to the audience, allows us to be a part of his search for belonging end-to-end the film. Michod also utilizes the fleshly motif throughout the entire film. It is established in the opening credits through the artwork that is shown through extreme close ups. The Cody family is a den of lions and J walks in as a cub The weak survive when they are protected by the strong.From the informant of the film there are a number of times this motif recurs, but mayhap the most significant moment is the conversation where Detective Leckie tells J all about the bush and the creatures in it and says youve gotta work out where you fit. Js journey throughout the film is a search for belonging within this tool kingdom. Although J needs to choose where he belongs, we see he does not really have a choice due to the Cody family constantly dragging him into their problems.Viewers clearly observe this when J is having dinner away from the Cody family and at his girlfriend Nickys house. The diagetic sound of the family having dinner fades out and the eerie and ominous music comes in, suggesting something negative and frightening. The camera shows a close up Js face as he views the news on the tv, emphasizing Js fear of his family. Js eyes are now glued to the television and the medium shot of him having dinner loses focus forcing the viewer to watch the television just like J.Camera shots are used in manhoody other significant separate of the movie to display Js slow journey to belonging. Long and medium shots often used to show Smurf kissing her sons, significant because the final shot of the film is a long shot of J holding Smurf in a position of authority over her because he has killed Pope. This symbolizes him becoming one of them and perhaps even suggests that within the animal kingdom he has taken his position as leader like Craig encouraged him to be at the start.J has finally found belonging with the Cody family as leader of the animal kingdom. Similar to the previous two texts, Wintons short story Neighbours begins with a young gallus that is in a state of alienation like sojourners in a foreign land. Like the Simple Gift, the lack of understanding prevents meaningful relationships and therefore leads to alienation. Neighbours opens with th e young rival having just arrived in their new suburb. Winton chooses to tell the story in third person, creating a distanced and simplistic quality throughout.Leaving all characters nameless only to be referred to by generalized titles such as the Macedonians, the Polish widower and the young play off enhances the texts impersonal nature. This opens the story up so that anyone can see themselves in each of the roles allowing them to connect with the characters and storyline in a unique and powerful way resulting in Winton being able to effectively portray his message of belonging. Another element to the piece is The 20th Century Novel a project the man is working on for what could be a university extra honors degree, that soon becomes a reoccurring motif.The novel is a exemplary tool used to represent the abstract world of intellectuals however its presentation becomes a contrast with the real world that the couple discovers within this suburb. As the story progresses Winton u ses the seasons as the structure of the story and the young couples journey to belong. In Autumn the young couple plant vegetables to live on, by beginning this common activity to their neighbours the Macedonians feel comfortable enough to begin to bond and also offer the young couple help and give them a gift of garlic cloves.Like The Simple Gift, through small gifts and acts of kindness come understanding, building of relationships and belonging. This significant event marks the beginning of the couples path to belonging the neighbours come to the fence and offer advice about spacing, hilling, mulching. As winter began the young couple smile in return to their neighbours and receive a visit from their parents who they were once like. The juxtaposition of the parents and their children show how ofttimes the young couple have changed and begun to belong They felt superior and proud when their parents came to visit.Their parents are in complete shock of the neighbours demeanour as they do not understand the beauty behind their lifestyle, this juxtaposes the young couples behaviour as they have accepted their neighbours behaviour and have begun to understand their lifestyle and see the beauty and freedom of it. The final significant experience for the couple is the unexpected pregnancy of the woman, followed by her natural home birth. end-to-end the pregnancy the couple are constantly approached by well- wishers in the neighbourhood, presenting the ommunities acceptance of them despite any differences and joining them in the celebration of this impending birth.During the home birth of their child the couple unexpectedly experience both interest and support from their new neighbours, displaying their final connection as a community. The birth process is profuse with descriptive language, highlighting not only the beauty and power of this moment but the final trample in claiming their place in this community with this new life.Each of the moments experienced above are all highly natural, reflective of the traditional European culture they are now living amongst, forever making The 20th century novel more redundant as the story progresses. The man is developing his understanding of the 20th century world however the one he really needed to understand to find his sense of belonging was the one surrounding him, The twentieth century novel had not prepared him for this. People seek belonging for identity, relationships, acceptance, and understanding.Steven Herricks free-verse novel, The Simple Gift, effectively explores these notions of belonging. Through Billys character, the reader sees that belonging comes when there is acceptance and understanding, especially through meaningful relationships and human connectedness. In a similar way, David Michods film Animal Kingdom and Tim Wintons short story Neighbours both present protagonists that go through long journeys to find meaningful relationships and a sense of place to discover their own sense of belonging.