To belong is usually to fit in, or be appropriately placed in a particular position or environment. The concept of belonging is actually a dynamic and an essential part of human existence which can come through, due to the links made with the concepts of identity, place, relationships, popularity and understanding to one self and other persons. These areas of belonging will be demonstrated through the free verse novel, ‘The Simple Gift’ by Steven Herrick, and the fairy tale of ‘The Unpleasant Duckling’ by simply Hans Christian Anderson.
In the extremely early stages of , The simple gift’, Herrick displays of sixteen year old, Billy Luckett’s, sense of furor by using his first person personality to highlight social issues just like hostility inside his family members, leading that to break straight down, and his a sense of loneliness and worthlessness of identity. This can be conveyed in the poem ‘Long lands Road’, where billy’s internal issue is shown through his un-satisfaction of his original community through which he lived in and was a part of, giving him disappointed and also a feeling of shame towards his identity.
This individual states this kind of clearly with the words, ‘My Street. My Suburb. ‘, showing conditions of control of the put in place which his identity at the moment belongs as well, but would not like, supplying us a feeling of in closure and displacement. This carries on as he explains his road, as he tosses rocks on the top “of every single deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden property in Long lands Road, Nowheresville. The use of colloquialism of Billy’s vulgar dialect, further shows Billy’s shift, dislike and disappointment towards long gets road, symbolising a decaying and gloomy environment.
Billy then ultimately ends up taking control of him self and moving out of house. Billy after that finds himself on a shipping train, searching for a new place to go to, in an attempt to gather a sensation of belonging. After travelling “two kilometres throughout the track, he finds him self freezing frosty. The harshness of the frosty on the train indicates billy’s insecurity regarding belonging which indicates that Billy desires to feel warm and needed instead of cold and isolated. Then he encounters the train driver, Ernie. Ernie see’s billy and has a chat with him.
He explains to him to “make a cuppa if you would like, and here’s some casse-cro?te, too much greens for my own liking¦ Continue to keep warm, I have got a train to drive. This kind of making Billy feeling recognized and belonging, and being created feel at home by Ernie and a sense of warmth. Herrick has used accommodement to demonstrate just how Billy has gone from being cold, to feeling a feeling of warmth that he is now being encouraged with Ernie to the town of Bendarat. Herrick also creates a distinction between billy’s dad and Ernie, “There are males like Ernie and there are different men, men like my father. emphasizing Billy’s like pertaining to Ernie’s persona, as Ernie makes Billy feel like he belongs. In the chapter of ‘Locks and Keys’ Outdated Bill gives the keys for the old house to Billy and Caitlin. This scene symbolises Old Bill supplying over ‘the simple gift’ to Billy. It also gives Billy the feeling of being approved by Old Bill and belonging. This individual also learns not only to understand himself but for also understand Old Bill and Caitlin. Billy also understands tips on how to identify his identity and sense of placement simply by realising “I can make a decision what I actually want to do throughout Bendarat.
In the last chapter, Denouements have been built, and loose ends have already been tied up, where the relationships between Caitlin and Old bill are now better and reconnected. The relationship is symbolised through the motif of Old Invoice and Bill sharing the Weet-Bix breakfast every day. The words “and I looked up into the skies, the profound blue sky that Old Expenses and I shared, demonstrate that belonging can go far, plus the relationship among Old bill and Billy can develop together more powerful, as well as the details of both characters are enabled to grow additional, to enrich the self-worth, self-esteem and self-growth of the individuals.
Similarly, In ‘The Unattractive Duckling’, when the last sweet was hatched, the other ducks took a look at him and stereotyped and evaluated the sweet, “It is incredibly large but not at all just like the others. My spouse and i wonder if it is actually a turkey. The duckling was omitted of contemporary society, with the same sense of loneliness and displacement, as it was not the same as the rest of society. The mom duckling after that took her ducklings into the moat, to provide evidence that the unattractive duckling was a normal duckling. Despite all the judgment of the others, the mother required pride of her son, “see how nicely this individual uses his legs, and exactly how straight this individual holds him self. The mom then tried to include her son into the community, “I’ll lead you out into the world and introduce you to the duck yard.
Although there too, the sweet got laughed at and taunted, “what and ugly seeking fellow, She has too big and strange, reducing the ducklings self-esteem and self-worthiness. And again the mother stuck up for her son, “let him exclusively, He isn’t doing any kind of harm. The unsightly duckling that, “looked therefore ugly was pecked and pushed regarding and made fun of. Anderson has created a sense of sympathy in the audience from using emotive anguage and unnecessary repetition. It acquired so bad, the ugly sweet got “chased and buffeted by everybody including his brothers, siblings and even his own mom. He was “nipped, “pecked, and “kicked by girl who also fed him. “So he ran aside, and flew over the fencing. The utilization of action verbs create the scene in the duckling becoming a defenceless creature being forced to flee, because of the social rejection in all fronts. Similarly to Billy, as he kept home when he was mistreated by his drunken father as well.
After running through a great quest, the unpleasant duckling had encountered a flock of birds that appeared out of your reeds. “The duckling had never noticed birds and so beautiful. They were dazzling white with long elegant necks. They were swans. They will uttered an extremely strange cry as they unfurled their magnificent wings to fly using this cold property, away to warmer countries and to wide open waters The application of bucolic dialect used by the composer to explain the swans triggers us to gain a tip of how very much love the unpleasant duckling features for the creatures.
Just like the change in temperature Billy experiences on the educate, the magnificent birds take flight from the frosty land that the ugly duckling is caught up on since it experiences unacceptance by other folks and not having the capacity to belong in society, because the swans move into an even more accepted, that belong environment jointly. He then were required to go through “the hardships and wretchedness from the cruel winter months, to make this into the “beautiful springtime. He swept throughout the air very much strongly than before. He flew over the drinking water and lso are encountered the “splendid swans.
Bowing his head, pondering he would end up being attacked and killed, finding his mirrored self. And was “no longer the reflection of the clumsy, grubby, grey bird, ugly and offensive. He himself was a swan! The composer has shown us that after every one of the hardships the ugly duckling had experienced that, this individual finally discovered where he belonged. It was a place of popularity amongst the other swans. After a life time of torcher and alienation he could be happy, because he belonged in which he was cherished.
Belonging is not a collection list that have to include a connection to people, spots, objects and to the wider world, yet everyone’s idea of belonging is unique but it consists of a more deeply emotional perception of fulfilment and interconnection made with your self, the human relationships you have, device wider universe, but this really is different for every single person according to their needs and life experiences, thus creating the foundation associated with an individual’s self-image, self-worthiness, self-pride and self-growth.