jessegraczyk
New Member
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- Oct 2, 2011
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- Male
- HSC
- 2011
just wondering if anyone can give me some tips on writing essays on belonging, should i try memorise them or just memorise the basic paragraph structures, heres an example ;
“Feelings of security and insecurity are closely linked to an individual’s sense of belonging”
When an individual experiences a sense of belonging they feel as though they are safe from threat and being misunderstood. Interactions with other individuals and the world around can give individuals feelings of security which lead to experiencing belonging. Conversely, negative or the absence of interactions cause insecure feelings leading to individuals having a limited sense of belonging. Steven Herrick’s free verse novel, “The Simple Gift”, Sean Tans picture book, “The Lost Thing” and Robert Frost’s poem “Acquainted through the night” are texts different in form, but are all effective in expressing how insecure and secure feelings can lead to an individual’s sense of Belonging. Steven Herrick’s use of verse novel creates intimacy as the characters are speaking directly to us and we are able to see different perceptions of belonging.
Brought up by an abusive father, Billy Lucket fails to feel secure at home and leaves to seek a new identity. Through bitter, sharp descriptions “Deadbeat No-hoper shithole”, Herrick emphasises Billy’s disconnection with his town “Nowheresville”. Wild wind and rain are used to symbolic reflect Billy’s abusive past through the quote “With the force of a fathers punch”. Billy’s negative relationship with his father makes him feel insecure and limits his sense of belonging. The anecdotal poem “Sport” portrays this. “Slammed the door on my sporting childhood” reflects Billy’s father’s barrier from letting billy belong as sport reflects a social event that develops lifelong relationships. Billy feels insecure in his home environment and doesn’t belong emphasising how feels of security are linked to an individual’s sense of belonging.
Interactions and relationships with individuals can help individuals feel secure and belong. Whilst seeking self-identity Billy encounters Ernie who offers compassion allowing billy to feel acceptance. This “Simple Gift” of kindness gives Billy hope symbolically reflected in the poem title “keep warm”. “There are other men, men like my dad” Billy gains understanding of the diversity of men as we see him effectively contrast his father to others. Herrick emphasises Billy’s growth in understanding by structurally placing references to Billy’s father on a separate line. Herrick’s structure techniques and contrasting reflects how Ernie has allowed Billy to feel more secure with his gain in knowledge and hope, enhancing his sense of belonging. The poem “green” also involves compassion from the jeweller. “I liked the Jeweller” effectively contrasts to Billy’s previous attitudes to reflect his feelings of security and acceptance in this town. His growth is symbolically reflected by the growing natural connotations of the poem title “Green”. Herrick uses symbolism and language to reflect how interactions with other people can give feelings of security and enhance ones belonging.
This can also be shown visually as seen in Tan’s “The Lost Thing”. The lost thing follows a boy who finds a unique creature on the beach and helps it seek self-identity. Tan uses bright illustrations of the creature contrasting to the dull uniformity of society to reflect a lack of belonging and isolation. The creatures’ insecurity is metaphorically projected in a particular illustration where Tan uses exaggerated distances between the creature on the beach and the city. Eventually the boy finds place consisting of unique creatures similar to the lost thing portrayed through Tans colour use. The illustration is bordered black to reflect a secure and safe place allowing the creature to experience belonging. This may reflect how belonging and secure environments may be hard on your own. Tan also uses dialogue to convey the boys effect on the creature. “It just stood there” contrasts to the pronoun “We left the tall building” to convey how the boys compassion allowed the creature to feel secure and seek belonging. Tan visually emphasises how interactions with others may lead to feelings of security nourishing ones sense of belonging.
Conversely, a lack of interactions may lead to insecure feelings. Frosts poem “Acquainted with the night” explores the loneliness and depression of the narrator as he walks the city streets at night. Repetition of “I” portrays Frosts loneliness along with the negative connotations associated with darkness. The watchman is the only other physically present person in the poem but significantly doesn’t play an emotional or mental role to emphasise Frost’s lack of interactions. Frosts inability to make eye contact “dropped my eyes” also conveys his isolation. “Acquainted with the night” reflects how a lack of interactions with others may lead to feelings of insecurity and a lack of belonging. We can see this through Frosts techniques giving the poem a negative nature, such as the lack of light, connotations of bad weather and the steady dull rhythm of the iambic pentameter used.
Feeling secure to a particular place leads to individuals experiencing a sense of belonging. “Westfield creek” consist of free flowing, positive language contrasting to previous bitter poems to express billy’s sense of belonging when with nature. “And the sunbaking lizards” uses the symbolism of warmth and sun to project Billy’s happiness and secure feelings. Herrick uses the purifying elements of water and its ability to “Wash the world away” as a motif throughout the effect to express how Billy’s connections with nature give him a sense of security allowing him to belong. This is reinforced as Herrick’s alliteration and assonance mimic the flowing nature of the water. “Billy’s cave” is another poem that symbolically expresses feelings of security felt at his carriage “a warm, safe little cave” causing Billy to feel a sense of belonging. Feeling secure to a place or nature allows individuals to grasp a sense of belonging as seen with Herrick’s change in language.
Belonging is a very subjective concept and relies heavily on personal experience and values. When people feel as though they belong they feel secure and safe from being misunderstood. Herrick’s “The Simple Gift”, Tans “The Lost Thing” and Frosts “Acquainted with the night” all effectively portray different aspects in which allow individuals to feel self-comfort. Relationships, interactions and places all develop ones feeling of security, enhancing their sense of belonging. However, belonging can be limited through feelings of insecurity due to a lack of interactions with others and places.
“Feelings of security and insecurity are closely linked to an individual’s sense of belonging”
When an individual experiences a sense of belonging they feel as though they are safe from threat and being misunderstood. Interactions with other individuals and the world around can give individuals feelings of security which lead to experiencing belonging. Conversely, negative or the absence of interactions cause insecure feelings leading to individuals having a limited sense of belonging. Steven Herrick’s free verse novel, “The Simple Gift”, Sean Tans picture book, “The Lost Thing” and Robert Frost’s poem “Acquainted through the night” are texts different in form, but are all effective in expressing how insecure and secure feelings can lead to an individual’s sense of Belonging. Steven Herrick’s use of verse novel creates intimacy as the characters are speaking directly to us and we are able to see different perceptions of belonging.
Brought up by an abusive father, Billy Lucket fails to feel secure at home and leaves to seek a new identity. Through bitter, sharp descriptions “Deadbeat No-hoper shithole”, Herrick emphasises Billy’s disconnection with his town “Nowheresville”. Wild wind and rain are used to symbolic reflect Billy’s abusive past through the quote “With the force of a fathers punch”. Billy’s negative relationship with his father makes him feel insecure and limits his sense of belonging. The anecdotal poem “Sport” portrays this. “Slammed the door on my sporting childhood” reflects Billy’s father’s barrier from letting billy belong as sport reflects a social event that develops lifelong relationships. Billy feels insecure in his home environment and doesn’t belong emphasising how feels of security are linked to an individual’s sense of belonging.
Interactions and relationships with individuals can help individuals feel secure and belong. Whilst seeking self-identity Billy encounters Ernie who offers compassion allowing billy to feel acceptance. This “Simple Gift” of kindness gives Billy hope symbolically reflected in the poem title “keep warm”. “There are other men, men like my dad” Billy gains understanding of the diversity of men as we see him effectively contrast his father to others. Herrick emphasises Billy’s growth in understanding by structurally placing references to Billy’s father on a separate line. Herrick’s structure techniques and contrasting reflects how Ernie has allowed Billy to feel more secure with his gain in knowledge and hope, enhancing his sense of belonging. The poem “green” also involves compassion from the jeweller. “I liked the Jeweller” effectively contrasts to Billy’s previous attitudes to reflect his feelings of security and acceptance in this town. His growth is symbolically reflected by the growing natural connotations of the poem title “Green”. Herrick uses symbolism and language to reflect how interactions with other people can give feelings of security and enhance ones belonging.
This can also be shown visually as seen in Tan’s “The Lost Thing”. The lost thing follows a boy who finds a unique creature on the beach and helps it seek self-identity. Tan uses bright illustrations of the creature contrasting to the dull uniformity of society to reflect a lack of belonging and isolation. The creatures’ insecurity is metaphorically projected in a particular illustration where Tan uses exaggerated distances between the creature on the beach and the city. Eventually the boy finds place consisting of unique creatures similar to the lost thing portrayed through Tans colour use. The illustration is bordered black to reflect a secure and safe place allowing the creature to experience belonging. This may reflect how belonging and secure environments may be hard on your own. Tan also uses dialogue to convey the boys effect on the creature. “It just stood there” contrasts to the pronoun “We left the tall building” to convey how the boys compassion allowed the creature to feel secure and seek belonging. Tan visually emphasises how interactions with others may lead to feelings of security nourishing ones sense of belonging.
Conversely, a lack of interactions may lead to insecure feelings. Frosts poem “Acquainted with the night” explores the loneliness and depression of the narrator as he walks the city streets at night. Repetition of “I” portrays Frosts loneliness along with the negative connotations associated with darkness. The watchman is the only other physically present person in the poem but significantly doesn’t play an emotional or mental role to emphasise Frost’s lack of interactions. Frosts inability to make eye contact “dropped my eyes” also conveys his isolation. “Acquainted with the night” reflects how a lack of interactions with others may lead to feelings of insecurity and a lack of belonging. We can see this through Frosts techniques giving the poem a negative nature, such as the lack of light, connotations of bad weather and the steady dull rhythm of the iambic pentameter used.
Feeling secure to a particular place leads to individuals experiencing a sense of belonging. “Westfield creek” consist of free flowing, positive language contrasting to previous bitter poems to express billy’s sense of belonging when with nature. “And the sunbaking lizards” uses the symbolism of warmth and sun to project Billy’s happiness and secure feelings. Herrick uses the purifying elements of water and its ability to “Wash the world away” as a motif throughout the effect to express how Billy’s connections with nature give him a sense of security allowing him to belong. This is reinforced as Herrick’s alliteration and assonance mimic the flowing nature of the water. “Billy’s cave” is another poem that symbolically expresses feelings of security felt at his carriage “a warm, safe little cave” causing Billy to feel a sense of belonging. Feeling secure to a place or nature allows individuals to grasp a sense of belonging as seen with Herrick’s change in language.
Belonging is a very subjective concept and relies heavily on personal experience and values. When people feel as though they belong they feel secure and safe from being misunderstood. Herrick’s “The Simple Gift”, Tans “The Lost Thing” and Frosts “Acquainted with the night” all effectively portray different aspects in which allow individuals to feel self-comfort. Relationships, interactions and places all develop ones feeling of security, enhancing their sense of belonging. However, belonging can be limited through feelings of insecurity due to a lack of interactions with others and places.
