Essay on Belonging

‘An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich or limit their experience of belonging.’ This statement can be readily depicted through various texts which include Raimond Gaita’s memoir, Romulus My Father and Universal Studio’s 2004 film, Hating Alison Ashley. Both of these texts involve various techniques that assist in portraying the concept of belonging to both an environment and to relationships. Belonging is a concept that is more complex than it first appears. It may be experienced on many levels between belonging and not belonging, be it to a family, a friendship, a place or a surrounding environment. It is a perception that is shaped within personal, cultural, historical and social contexts. Belonging

The understanding of belonging is not a concrete block, but a dynamic plain fertilised by interaction with an individual’s context. This allows equilibrium to form between beliefs of identity, and uncovering the true meaning of belonging. Both nineteenth century poet Emily Dickinson and Modernist author Margery Williams explore this complex state of acceptance through their works, ‘The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson’ and ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’. Paradox in ‘What mystery pervades a well’, and mechanical metaphor in the microcosmic short story detail that differentiating truth and imagination is integral to cultivate an understanding of belonging. Stichomythia in ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’, and economic discourse in ‘I had been hungry all the years’ depict that acceptance can only be achieved through overcoming the struggle between yearning to belong and facing societal barriers. Finally, it is discovered that personal notions of identity are formed through experiences in the larger world, which creates a cemented understanding of belonging. This is portrayed through an extended weather metaphor by Margery Williams and inclusive language in ‘I died for beauty’. Together, the composers create texts which bring the audience on a journey of acceptance and identity, in turn enriching their understandings of belonging.

However, the comparison between these two masterpieces shows two different aspects of society and community life. It shows how one community can manipulate other as well as how the society misjudges an individual on the basis of his/her appearance. Although each of these masterpieces shares distinctive emotions, yet both these poems seem interconnected and interrelated. Dickinson shares with the reader her thoughts about affected fame and fake glamour that people love so much; on the contrary she loves being “nobody”. On the other hand, there is sensitive and frustrating poem of Dunbar who communicates bigoted and biased behaviors that an entire community thrashes on another community. In Dunbar’s work, there are cultural conflict, ethnocentrism, group loyalty, dismay and too many other

‘An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich or limit their experience of belonging.’

This provokes the readers' psyche of a lonesome, fragile individual, standing isolated at the end of an dark, treacherous road. This imagery is successfully used to illustrate a portrait of Dickinson, or even the individual reading the piece themselves, as they’re yearning for their new life, which right now is filled with darkness and sorrow. The poem is comprised of five stanzas, each consisting of four lines. The monotonous nature of the poem is nothing gleaming or eye catching, and this is purposely done for the conspicuous fact that sometimes, precious values and things you love are vaporized. With the abandonment of something important, the world does not stop revolving around you and seemingly mold itself for you. It will continue to revolve in the same way it always has for four and half billion years, but now only seeming to be filled with darkness, difficulty and

“We belong … like fish in water. We’re in our environment.” This quote from the New York Times shows the perception of belonging as the idea about connecting to a place, person, group or a community. 'Feliks Skrzynecki' by Peter Skrzynecki, 'I'm nobody! Who are you?' by Emily Dickinson and 'The Rabbits' by John Marsden & Shaun Tan show the concept of belonging as being contrasted towards the New York Times quote, showing the alienation and non-existent connection towards it. These texts have furthered my understanding on the perceptions of belonging by recognising the different concepts of connection to people, places and things.

Dickinson’s poem unfolds truth to society’s power over a woman’s identity. The poem has an angry tone read from the first line, “I’m ceded- I’ve stopped being Their’s-” (1). A defiant and condemning voice aimed at an ambiguous, authoritative figure who is embodied by the capitalized, plural pronoun “Their.” Dickinson’s refusal to exactly specify who “Their” is, demonstrates the power and relationship “Their” has over the speaker. Dickinson interchanges this pronoun with “They” (2) as the poem progresses on, and this larger entity is associated as the church, family, society, etc. because of Dickinson’s references to “church” (3) and “childhood” (6) within the opening stanza. Dickinson’s narrator is tired of being put aside or controlled by others. This angry tone begins to grow louder as Dickinson beings conveying this message and while the poem moves through stanzas uncovering the narrator’s identity.

* ” three things fed my father’s anger: his knowledge that I was lying, his fear for my character and his dismay that he had lost something precious” - accumulative listing - piles emphasis on Romulus’ strong beliefs in honesty and morals which he fears Raimond might lack to form a good character. A sense of belonging is presented in the fact that father and son are attached by social values of honesty and reputable character.

This is because of the possibility of false connections between people which are derived from the false promotion of one’s identity in order to ‘fit’ in. As identity behaves as a bridge between connections and a sense of belonging, if it is concealed, the ability of attaining a sense of belonging is concealed also. In these relationships, it is more likely that individuals find themselves not belonging, isolated and disaffected, although being apart of a certain group, there exists an inability of attaining a true sense of belonging. The poem “In My Place” exemplifies that some connections made with others are demeaning and lack affection as they deteriorate an individual’s sense of identity. The narrator in the poem experiences suppression of his identity as a result of the conform nature of society he is apart of. The narrator states “I have been put in my place many times”. Lamoureux tries to indicate, through his use of metaphor in ‘in my place’, that the narrator is constantly overshadowed. His identity is concealed in order for him to make false connections with others. Due to the alteration and suppression of his identity, he begins to lose self-satisfaction and consequently feels dejected. This is evident in the poem’s dull nature through which Lamoureux

Belonging is a crucial basic human emotional need and is defined as the desire to connect and bond with others. Many individuals find that belonging can provide various rewards, whilst individuals that struggle with belonging may result in a self-destructive behaviour. The picture book “I am Thomas” by Libby Gleeson and the tragic play “King Lear” by Shakespeare are texts that have identified this concept and reveal how belonging can be influenced and provide feelings of fulfilment and self-destruction. As demonstrated in “I am Thomas”, the nature of belonging can be seen as fulfilling as it provides satisfaction through opportunities and contentment throughout the lives of various characters.

Emily Dickinson’s poetry confirms belonging is a yearning, which most humans seek to satisfy simply because we are social beings. The statement “What mystery pervades a well!” from the poem of the same name, expresses the yearning for belonging by implying an empathic question and a longing for the “water”, which is a symbol for the epitome of life. Since

Belonging as defined by the Oxford dictionary is a multifaceted concept, yet being every individual’s inherent desire to belong. Belonging is a universal concept. Those who don’t find a sense of belonging are certain to find themselves under the destructive cycle of isolation and self-alienation. Peter Skrzynecki’s “Immigrant Chronicles” serves to highlight the basic fundamental desire to belong and the importance it holds on each individual. This notion is further explored with Skrzynecki’s poems “St Patrick’s College”, “Feliks Skrzynecki” and Gabrielle Muccino’s 21st century film “Pursuit of Happyness”. The notion of belonging being an inherent part of human nature is extensively

Emily Dickinson’s poem, “The Soul Selects Her Own Society”, is an examination of her own life and how her reclusiveness was due in part to her soul. Dickinson allows herself to examine exactly how little conscious control one has over their own life, no matter how hard one tries. Around the time her father pulled Dickinson out of school and brought her back home, Emily secluded herself to her house (Crumbley). Here, she lived out her days with her sister (College), seldom leaving except for trips to the doctor (Crumbley). During 1862, a few years after leaving school, Dickinson is said to have written over 300 poems, including “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” (Cengage).

Emily Dickinson was a poet of the 19th century. Failure to fit in is expressed in the poem “I’m Nobody! Who are You?”. The theme of being a misfit is seen throughout the poem. The theme is similar to Paul Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask”. Dunbar’s poem gives a voice to those who try to fit in but cannot. The theme of both poems is similar, but the tone of the poems is completely different due to the different perspectives of the speakers.

At first Glance, “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” by Emily Dickinson is puzzling, even meaningless. However, upon further analysis it is clear that the poet has made several deliberate choices to assist the reader in discerning the poems meaning. Her deployment of poetic devices correlates to the narrative she is writing, allowing the reader to deeply perceive the poems message. Emily Dickinson’s “The Soul Selects Her Own Society” provides commentary on an individual’s ability to decide who can enter the most intimate parts of her life, which the reader can empathize with through figurative language, repetitive sounds, and enjambment.