“In the absence of love and belonging, there will always be suffering.” In the novel “Divergent,” by Veronica Roth, Beatrice Prior faces the rather harsh truth not knowing where she belongs or if she even belongs at all. The test that she undergoes to determine where she belongs doesn’t help her choose where she belongs but may have confused her even more, deeming her divergent meaning that she should fit in multiple places but she doesn’t see it this way. She chooses the Dauntless faction to be what suits her best but she doesn’t fully believe in everything they do and this seems to become a problem. This proving that a lack of belonging or where you think that you belong in society can lead you closer to death. Tris is trying to make herself feel like she should belong in Dauntless, her newly chosen faction when really she belongs with the Divergents. “A new place, a new name. I can be remade here. “Tris, I say firmly.” (Roth 60). Tris says that after she was the first …show more content…
In chapter thirty five Tris is caught by the Erudite people and is about to become executed for not belonging in this world. Her mom comes in out of nowhere and kills off the guards. Then revealing that she is Divergent Mrs. Prior and Tris try to escape to find the other survivors. In the process Mrs. Prior is shot while covering Tris this proving that the ones who don’t belong usually end up dead. This part of the book reminds me of the minorities of the world. It does because minorities can be seen as not big enough to have their opinions heard resulting in absurd protests or the death of their opinions. In this case it would be more like the death part because we see Natalie Prior just like the ideas that society deems unworthy of a shot at life. Furthermore secreting the conclusion that even just the ideas of an unpopular group are seen as not to belong and end up
Similarly the picture book “The Red Tree” by Shaun Tan shows how understanding nourishes belonging while a lack of understanding can prevent people from belonging. The girl is portrayed as not understanding the world around her. She does not know where she belongs or who she is, and
Usually I would think people would chose the faction in which they grew up in, which was abnegation. Joining Dauntless gave Beatrice the opportunity to have a new life, as a result, she renamed herself Tris. Two quotes I found that coincide with what I have explained are “Beatrice…We should think of our family…But we must also think of ourselves.”, This quote was on page page 36 and was said by Caleb. The other quote was “ A new place, a new name. I can be remade here”. This was said by Tris on page
An individual’s sense of belonging stems from their notions of identity, personal context, and place. A lack in any of these areas may result in a thorough sense of alienation and pose as a barrier, which prevents belonging and facilitates an individual’s decision to exclude themselves from their surroundings. However, ironically, these barriers that present hardship can truly liberate an individual and help them in finding a more fulfilled state of belonging. These ideas are explored in Shakespeare’s play, As You Like It and Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner.
Throughout Shelley’s work, the creature struggles to conform to society, alone from his first moments - abandoned by his creator - he is given no proper upbringing, and abhorred by society. He grows up in hiding and fear, his only interactions with others ending in violence. Hence, seems only natural that his desperate need to conform would lead to violence. The need to “belong” is an essential “human” desire, however this sense of belonging his completely dependent on one’s upbringing.
As we grow as develop as individuals we begin to make choices about where we want to find belonging. This can be seen in choices as minor as belonging to a football club or friendship group, to more life-altering choices such as being a member of a political party or protest group such as Green peace. As individuals make such choices they do not sacrifice their identities, but rather work to increase and from their ever-changing sense of self. Such choices can also be made after life-altering circumstances, such as when people feel a need to join victim’s group or support groups when they or a loved one contract a chronic or terminal illness.
Yes, It IS an essential human need, but…. then…. What happens when an individual doesn’t feel like they belong. What if… this same “essential” sense of belonging, the same “need” to belong, is what barricades and imprisons us? What effects can not belong have on individuals?
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.
"It wasn't a practical thing, so it became obsolete when we went to the Sameness.” (84) The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is from the perspective of a twelve year old boy named Jonas growing up in a Utopia. At the Ceremony of Twelve, where every person that turns twelve receives their life-long “job”, Jonas finds out he has been selected to be the Receiver of Memory, the most honored of elders. The current Receiver of memory, who Jonas calls the Giver, transfers memories of color and feelings like pain and joy to him. As he receives each memory, he learns of a life outside of the utopia. This book proves that being perfect and the same as everyone else is not as great as it sounds. The Utopian society of sameness in
To belong is to be, or have the feeling of being accepted or included by a certain group, person, place or community. While initially an individual may belong to a community or group, speaking their opinion can seclude them, and cause them to become an outsider. Belonging to a community or group can be very beneficial, and not belonging can cause an individual to face consequences. Hysteria and fear can be caused throughout a community by outsiders who don’t belong. We are able to view these experiences of belonging and not belonging through the use of characters and events throughout a variety of texts. Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” and Armin Geder’s picture book “The Island” display how an individual can belong and not belong at
An individual’s sense of belonging is determined not only by their own choices but also by the attitudes of others.
In conclusion, the 3 main similiarities between both the books and real life society are discrimination, fear and killing of the minority. So the book’s
Moving around can be difficult for many people with new neighborhoods, new people, and new atmospheres. Alienation is an unavoidable aspect of modern life. There are a variety of ways to accommodate people in new places such as community gatherings and public events such as parades, festivities, and nearby school events. However, it becomes complicated when there are language barriers, cultural differences and internal belonging. Many immigrants are haunted by the sense of alienation when arriving in a new country, no matter how many obstacles they happen to overcome. Not only does it take a toll on relationships, but on internal struggles on what it means to come from, call home, and belong. To this present day, many people looking for new life in America have to face an overwhelming amount of difficulties in an attempt to create a comfortable life. Yet their sense of belonging will ultimately never feel real, and that struggle and last more than one lifetime.
The sense of belonging humans naturally seek in life reflects the feeling of security and being accepted. They struggle with their identity as they make the choice whether to reject the individuality and belong to a community or group. When individuals seek to belong and rigidly follow society’s norms and practices, they must adhere to the strict rules of their society. In doing do, the desire to belong comes into conflict with the need to be an individual. These ideas are powerfully evident in Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible”, “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger and the Gurinder Chadha film “Bend it like Beckham.” In each of these texts, most desire to belong but need to restore the balance between the need to belong and the
Instead of showing characteristics from just her new faction (Dauntless) or her old faction (Abnegation), Tris tends to show characteristics from other factions too such as Erudite. Her response to the dog in her aptitude test was considered intelligent and courageous because of the fact that she did not run in fear of getting attacked. Instead, she leaned down and was nice to the dog. In the Dauntless manifesto it states; “We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another” and that is exactly what Tris did in two situations throughout the book. (Roth pg. 47) The Abnegation inside her shined through when she chose to jump on the visious dog to save the inoccent little girl who's intention was only to pet the dog. The second situation was when she stood up for Al and took his place in front of the target while Four threw knives. She did this because she believed that anyone can stand in front of a target and that it does not prove anything. After all, she did reveal this
The struggle to belong and find one’s place is significant in the lives of some people.