Eden Robinson Belonging

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.

Our identity is comprised of inner qualities and outer representations of self. It consists of innumerable defining characteristics that make up the whole of who we are in any given moment. These fragments of self include our sexuality, gender, and sense of belonging to a particular culture, nation, religion, family, or some other group. Our identity includes our looks, personality, beliefs and fears. Each individual in society assigns themselves a particular role, whether it be as a mother, brother, retiree, performer, sportsman or as a part of their occupation, a doctor or lawyer. Often one’s entire sense of self is consumed by

Imagine being separated into two different groups based on what side of town one lives on and what one wears, then imagine having to act a certain way when one feels a whole different way. In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, there are two groups, Socs and the Greasers, they have a rivalry with each other; the Greasers are known for having bad reputations that will never go anywhere in life and are poor, while the Socs can be disrespectful to the community, but an asset to the community the next day, and with a lot of money. In the novel, S.E. Hinton includes Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” to focus on the poem’s deeper meaning. When examining Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay” and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, one can analyze the usage of color, lost of innocence, and identity change.

These two characters showed significant psychological work in hopes of changing their “problematic” social identity. Both of these characters were conscious of the stigmas that surrounded their identities, each, however, had distinct ways in which they dealt with those stigmas and changing their meanings as they grew older. Many would say that the way in which they were able to transform their identities meant either embracing it or denying one’s own identity fully as the film progressed and new societal pressures arose.

Identity is something each person uniquely has. As a person matures and experiences new parts of life, their identity also grows and develops along with them. However, a person’s identity is comprised of all of their experiences. The way someone views themselves may also be very different than the way others view them as well. In dramatic literature, the way a character’s identity is portrayed is essential to the events in the play. Four characters in three works of drama convey how vastly different each person’s identity can be from others as well as how their own sense of identity differs from others views about them. These characters include the Duke in My Last Duchess by Robert Browning, Big Eight in Rodeo by Jane Martin, and Benjamin Wong

“Compare what the two stories (from Joyful Strains) suggest about gaining a sense of belonging and/or establishing an identity.”

When an individual’s sense of identity is corrupted through prejudicial attitudes they are left exposed and vulnerable allowing a sense of isolation and displacement in society. An individual’s ability to promote change within is largely influenced by the hardships they experience in their struggle to conform and the connectedness of identity that stems from acceptance. Tara June Winch’s novel Swallow the air, adapts the core concept that the perceptions and ideas of belonging are shaped within personal, cultural, historical and social contexts defining who we are resulting in a true understanding and

An individual’s identity is an ever changing composition of a person’s aspirations, beliefs and morality. Identity change is often influenced by many aspects of an individual’s life, but individuals must always return to their roots in order to stay true to their morality. This internal struggle over one’s identity is successfully illustrated in the characters of Three Day Road. In the novel, Joseph Boyden vividly recounts the journey of two Native Canadian soldiers, Xavier and Elijah, who struggle with identity loss from the adversity of the Great War. Through their harrowing experiences from the battlefield, they experience a dissipation of morals which is only recovered in Xavier, the sole survivor, through Niska’s stories of her past, his own past, and of the

Identity is difficult to obtain and even more so to keep, when it comes to knowing who we are it is often easy to attach ourselves to something bigger than ourselves, some call it God, some call it a sorority, some call it a street gang and sometimes that identity is not having one. Understanding who we are is a key to happiness, knowing where we fit in is an entirely different from who we are. Based on the readings, it’s very easy to see where these wildly different people fit in based on their histories, but who they are as people is unclear.

Relationships and experiences shape an individual’s sense of belonging only to a certain extent as an individual’s sense of belonging is greatly influenced by their own beliefs and self-perception. This can be predominantly understood in Redfern Now: Stand Up (RN), directed by Rachel Perkins, and Going Home (GH) written by Archie Weller. Redfern Now demonstrates how protagonist, Joel Shields, though studying in an elite school like Clifton Grammar, he chooses to not belong and differentiate himself from the values of the school and assert his own beliefs. Similarly, Going Home explores how even though Billy Woodward, born an Aboriginal, perceives the entire Aboriginal society as “rowdy, brawling, drunk people” and therefore chooses to not belong.

False identity can become so inherent to a person’s character, they can begin to forget where it stops and their true self begins. In Tobias Wolff’s novel Old School, the narrator and the literary review the Troubadour both are hiding behind a persona that is placed onto them by themselves or others. An aspirational vision of the characters is the basis of their personas. Wanting to be more then they already are, the characters end up believing in the lies told to persuade others of their importance. Placing the personas on themselves is a way to divert people from the true nature of their identity, which might not live up to their expectations. The identities taken on by the narrator and the Troubadour convey that what they are and what they want to be are not yet the same.

Belonging is shaped by the experiences he or she encounters with others, and within the two poems ‘Migrant Hostel’ and ’10 Mary Street’ by Peter Skrzynecki, and the film ‘Looking For Alibrandi’ directed by Kate Woods, the characters’ personas are moulded by their endurances of alienation and barriers from mainstream society due to their personal and cultural differences.

Despite being a very diverse literature genre in terms of influence and inspiration, North American literature encompasses many works that share some very common thematic elements. Though there are several themes shared, one in particular can be found in most any work – the importance of identity. Particularly in some selected pieces yet to be named, identity is a very important element, not only because it is a necessity for a main character in any work of literature, but because these works express ideas about identity as being very individualistic – as opposed to being a mere result of cultural surroundings. Zora Neal Hurtson’s Their

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

An individuals sense of belonging relies on a sense of character and stability in their environment. Stability is built upon the way people connect with themselves and others while still holding onto their social identity. The play ‘Cosi’ by Louis Nowra and and Bruce Dawe’s poem ‘drifters’ both present a similar ‘no belonging’ type relationship with society. They show a lacking ability to develop relationships, connect within their community and build upon a healthy social