Belonging: Perception and St Patrick Essay

A common human characteristic is the yearning to feel a sense of belonging through connections and different forms of relationships made in life. A sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from feeling connected to people and places, whether they have been freely cast there or not. An individual will only feel a true sense of belonging through the understanding of those connections, which are created by experiences and can only come within.

Belonging is a complex, multi-faceted concept encompassing a wide range of different aspects. The need to belong to family and culture is a universal human need which provides a sense of value and emotional stability, and in many respects forges one’s identity. Alienation and disconnection often creates feelings of isolation, depression and loss of identity. A struggle with cultural identity is evident in Peter Skrzynecki’s poems ‘Migrant Hostel’ and ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, where he examines a division between his pre-war Polish heritage and his newfound Australian way of life. The movement away from his European cultural heritage towards a more Australian identity created disorientation for Skrzynecki, and these feelings of disconnection

“Home is where the heart is.” In The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros develops this famous statement to depict what a “home” really represents. What is a home? Is it a house with four walls and a roof, the neighborhood of kids while growing up, or a unique Cleaver household where everything is perfect and no problems arise? According to Cisneros, we all have our own home with which we identify; however, we cannot always go back to the environment we once considered our dwelling place. The home, which is characterized by who we are, and determined by how we view ourselves, is what makes every individual unique. A home is a personality, a depiction of who we are inside and

Good Afternoon teachers and students, The following texts express how an individuals understanding of belonging can quickly be changed by the people and place around them. “Jasper Jones a novel written by Craig Silvey”, it is a short story of a boy named Charles Butkins and the events that occurred because he helped Jasper Jones mask the death of Laura Wishart. “Australia by Ania Walwicz”, is attacking the people of Australia in the form of a poem, because of their point of views and attitudes in life. She also hates Australia itself because the people are not welcoming, this is the main point of this poem.

People’s perceptions of belonging can change over time, but this isn’t the case for all. When people experience moments of crisis in their lives they sometimes force a change within themselves and that is what helps them find an individual sense of belonging. This is highlighted in many texts and even composers life works. Texts that support this statement include Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle poems, of which I have chosen St Patricks College and Feliks Skrzynecki. Skrzynecki’s poetry expresses the difficulties he faces when change doesn’t occur throughout time, as time alone isn’t a factor and that your sense of belonging is something that comes from within, with or without anyone.

An individual’s sense of belonging is determined not only by their own choices but also by the attitudes of others.

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

Belonging comes from an understanding, or the knowledge that an external sense of being comes from an internal sense of connection and safety. This critical analysis will portray how the text “Stolen” by Jane Harrison relates to the concept of belonging. Stolen is a play that tells the stories of 5 Aboriginal children that were stolen away from their families and were forced to grow up in institutions, following the European way of life. The children were segregated from their communities and treated as inferiorly. Their worth was seen as minimal and only useful to Europeans as slaves. “Stolen” is an example of not belonging to the environment that one is living in. The children are stolen from their parents, their culture and traditions,

The feeling of belonging is not a necessity that everybody needs but is a common feeling that most people believe to be important in their lives if they want to be happy. People believe the feeling to belong helps them to be happy because if they feel like they belong somewhere they will feel safer and more confident when in that place. The place people feel like they belong in does not have to be a physical place like a house or a town/city but can also be a social place or in some ways an emotional place. An example of these would be a group of close friends or a person's home although a home is also a physical place it varies depending on the person because of the emotional feelings attached to that place are different so it could be considered an emotional place for someone to

“A sense of belonging requires an understanding of one’s past.” Although the main aspect of this quote is referring to the past; in other words time, it could also mean features of the past, such as people, places, past experience etc. These aspects of belonging are extensively shown within Peter Skrzynecki’s ‘Immigrant Chronicle’; in particular the poems ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ‘in the folk museum’. Belonging and all of its aspects are also shown through the movie ‘Dead Poets society’ and particularly through the characterisation of Mr Keating and Todd Anderson. Although they all have belonging placed within their storyline; they all have different aspects of connection whether it is positive or negative.

The need to belong is the need to give, and receive thoughtfulness regarding, and from others. Belonging is a strong and unavoidable feeling which exists in human instinct. In other words, to belong or not to belong can come about because of decisions of one’s self, or the decisions of others. Not everybody belongs to the same thing or individual; without belonging, one will not be able to distinguish themselves as clearly, therefore experiencing issues communicating with as well as identifying with their surroundings. I believe belonging is the human emotional which should be recognized by individuals from within a group. Whether it is family, companion, associate or team, people have a need to have an acquired desire to have a place and

Is there more to the concept of belonging than the superficial meaning of the ownership of one’s possessions? Is there a constant need for human beings to feel as though they are a part of something? Do the pressures of belonging lead to conformity? What are the negative and positive effects of conformity? Is there such thing as a nonconformist? All of theses questions stem from the perplexing topic of belonging. Many famous philosophers have spent ages analyzing and discussing this concept. I was first exposed to this topic in my reading of famous philosopher Gabriel Marcel’s work titled, “Belonging and Disposability,” as assigned for my theology course. After being exposed to the topic in class I set out to discover the true meaning of

Discuss this view with detailed reference to your prescribed text & at least ONE other related text of your own choosing.

Our behaviour and attitudes are shaped by the need to belong. When someone faces different relationships and experiences in life, the sense of belonging is strengthen. This can be seen through the texts Alice Pung’s ‘Unpolished Gem’, ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ directed by Phillip Noyce. Katrin Figge’s ‘Third Culture Kids Live Life on a Global Stage.

Where do we belong? Whom do we love? We do not meet these two questions very often, because we have always known the answer. We belong with our loved ones, we belong at home, and we love our friends and family. However, is it possible that we can forget things like that, that we forget where we belong and whom we love? Maybe if you travel your entire life without coming home it might be possible to forget where it is you belong or even the people you once loved. Ryan O’Neill has written the novel “The Traveller”, where this comes to focus. A man who doesn’t belong the place he once called home and who has forgotten his loved ones.