Belonging - Short Story

Belonging means different things to different people. The most common definition is feeling a sense of connectedness to a person, place or thing. Understanding nourishes belonging while a lack of understanding can prevent people from belonging. This is shown through Peter Skrzynecki’s poem ‘Migrant hostel’ which is about the challenges faced by travelers on their journey, and the hardships they have to overcome by exchanging their old world for the unfamiliar and unwelcoming new world in which they don’t understand anything. Skrzynecki’s poem ‘Feliks Skryznecki’ explores a relationship between father and son, and their contrasting experiences of belonging to a new place. The related text, ‘The Red Tree,’ by Shaun Tan also shows that a lack

In the sessions to follow, they met at a church, because she was under a form of witness protection to keep her safe from her perpetrator’s fellow gang members. Dr. Perry allowed her to guide the “play” during their sessions and she chose to reenact the night of her mother’s murder, using him as the dummy. She forced him on the ground and had him lay as though he were hog-tied. She would then walk around the room and bring various toys to him. Dr. Perry determined that she was choosing to relive her horrible experience, but this time, she was the one who had control. This allowed her to come to better terms with what happened and begin to heal. Slowly, Sandy began to change Dr. Perry’s position to laying on his side. Then, one day, after months of work, she chose to lead him to a rocking chair instead. She then handed him a book and sat in his lap. Sandy spent the rest of her sessions sitting in his lap, as he rocked her and read to her.

David was taken into the woods and was handcuffed to a tree while Loretta was taken a short distant away and was raped. The two were later forced to lie face down, side by side, and were each shot three times in the back of the head.

Explore how this is evident in you prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing.

Mrs.Bibbit, Billy’s mother, and friends with Nurse Ratched, is another authoritative figure in the novel. Mrs. Bibbit gains her power by preventing Billy, from becoming an adult. At first Mrs. Bibbit does realize that Billy is an adult and is able to function in society, When his mother tells him he has plenty of time to accomplish things such as going to college, and Billy reminds his mother that he is thirty-one years old, she replies, "'Sweetheart, do I look like the mother of a middle-aged man?'" (Kesey 247). This shows that Billy’s mom does not seem to understand that Billy is an adult that is able to live in the outside world. This Results in him feeling Insecure and he chooses to remain in the ward. “Sure! It’s Billy, turned from the screen... If I had the guts.” (168). This takes place after McMurphy realizes that the men are there voluntary, Billy explains to McMurphy that he could leave at any time if he wanted to but he believes he doesn’t have the guts to go out in society. Unfortunately in the end it is just the fear of his own mother, and Nurse Ratched’s manipulative ways that causes him to take his own life. Another family member who manipulates her "loved one" is Vera Harding, whose control over her husband is similar to that of Billy and his mother.

“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.

During a hunting dare with Ruben Pritchard, the night to a dark turn as Ruben fell upon his own axe, killing him. The horror this scene caused distraught among Billy. For some time Billy had to fight the scenes in his mind replaying the night. Billy soon begins to feel better and get over the terrible night. After time Billy was healed of his psychological pain, however this night sharpened his maturity for the rest of his

The trauma Billy has experienced is shown in an absurd light. He believes himself to be time traveling. He believes that he has been abducted by aliens who look like toilet plungers, and that they are keeping him in a

In the first place,in the book Ranie had a ax and he fell and the ax went into him and Billy had to pull the ax out of Ranie. Also when they entered the hunting competition they had Little Ann enter a contest and she won the silver cup. Then he won the hunting competition which lead to a 300 dollar cash prize and a gold cup. When Billy got home he kept his promise and gave his little sister the gold cup and the other sisters fought over

BILLY BIBBIT: He was a man who was really attached to his mother and could be easily swayed by any mention of his mother just like a child. Later on he managed to get a girlfriend named Candy Starr. He went on many adventures with McMurphy and Bromden and was able to experience life a little more when he let his mother slip out of his mind. She wasn’t completely gone though; this was shown when Big Nurse threatened to tell his mom about what he has done and Billy goes into straight panic mode and kills himself by slitting his throat. It seemed as though he had some sort of deep psychological fear about what would happen if he disobeyed his mother.

For example, after discovering that Billy has had sexual intercourse with Candy, Nurse Ratched shames him for doing so. When her reprimanding receives little reaction from the still drowsy patient, the Nurse then says, “‘What worries me Billy...is how your poor mother is going to take this.’... Billy flinched and put his hand to his cheek like he’d been burned with acid”(314). At the mention of his mother, Billy immediately becomes alert and anxious and his stutter returns. The thought of his mother’s disapproval is so emotionally and physically distressing that Billy chooses to kill himself, rather than confront her.

Law enforcement described Billy as slim, blond hair, and blue eyes. The one thing that was so recognizable about Billy was his signature sugar-loaf sombrero hat with a wide decorative band. Someone in the gang that Billy was in, would not leave Billy alone and fought him all the time. One day, Billy snapped and shot the person who he described as his bully. This was the first person Billy killed, by the time Billy was twenty one, he had taken twenty one lives. One for every year of his life. On the run from law enforcement both Billy and Joseph moved to Arizona hoping the authorities would not recognize them. The brothers only lived in Arizona for a short period of time and then they joined a gang of gunfighters. The gang of gunfighters was called The Boys to Fight In The Lincoln County War. After a short period of time, Billy, also known as “The Kid” at this point in time decided to switch to the opposing gang. This gang was called “The Regulators”, John Install was the leader of the

While constantly aware of Miss Drew’s situation, Billy can’t escape the realization of his position’s possible transiency and the fact that his life depends on his usefulness in the gang: “all I had to remember was how small of a mistake was sufficient to change my fortune, maybe even without knowing it. I was an habitual accomplice to murder. I could be arrested, tried, and sentenced, to death”(123). From this, Billy is impressed with one of the fundamental rules that accompanies inclusion in gang life—absolute loyalty to the gang’s interests. Billy observes the consequences of breaking this rule of loyalty when he hops onto the boat and into the scene of Bo’s sinking figure, and later, when Schulz’s personal life becomes complicated with a pending courtcase. The gang loyally relocates to the rural small town of Onondaga to help ensure the boss avoids jailtime. After painstakingly building an amiable reputation in the town for the Boss, Schultz’s temperament leads to “the president” Julie Martin’s murder in the hotel. The entire gang dutifully cleans the room and removes the body with cover up concluding with and unprepared Billy being punched in the face. After the fact, Billy comes to see the necessity of his subsequent broken nose yet is internally insulted and cannot shake the urge to “get revenge” (159). This affront to his own ego caused a shift

It was Raoul, and I wished for him to go away. He knocked again then stuck his head around the door. ‘How are you?’ he asked with concern. Anger overcame me.

The need to belong in an integral part of the human psyche. All people, on some level, desire to feel a sense of belonging that will emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world. Belonging cannot be achieved without an understanding of oneself and their surroundings.