Belonging_Essay

An individual’s sense of belonging is largely derived from familial stability, the acknowledgement that some groups hold more value for an individual than others and the potential for an individual to enhance their community. In the text Romulus My Father, Raimond’s life is largely a reflection of his father’s staunch values and morals, and hence his family life plays a profound role in his sense of belonging. Similarly in Home Song Stories, a movie directed by Tony Ayres, the life experiences and more importantly desires of Rose, the mother, are largely reflected through the functioning of her family. A major issue in Home Song Stories is the lack of familial stability, which gravely impacts on both Rose and her children’s feelings of acceptance. This is portrayed when she says “this is our home now”, after moving to Australia from China to live with an ex-lover. Tom, her son replies “yeah but that’s what you always say.” The close shot of the family on the bed presents the new society in which they’ve relocated irrelevant, as the shot could be from anywhere. This suggests that the sense of belonging felt by Rose and her kids is challenged to a greater extent by the instability of their family, rather than the xenophobic, homogenous society of 1950’s Australia. This idea is reinforced in a more subtle way as Rose shouts at her Chinese lover Joe, “You’re just like the rest.”, comparing him to Bill. The frantic camera movement’s show Rose’s feeling of abandonment and through the comparison of two culturally opposite lovers, it suggests that this feeling of betrayal is not dependant on race or culture, but is a universal concept. As a result of the constant displacement of her family and her numerous relationship failures, the stability and familial acceptance of her family is jeopardised. One of the major consequences of finding acceptance within a group is the potential for an individual to enrich this community. In Home Song Stories, Rose’s views are expressed when she says “when a woman gets too old, no one wants her anymore, she becomes useless.” The hyperbole regarding the extent to which a woman becomes disowned with age suggests that Rose herself has little more to offer to the community than her looks. As a result, she fails to contribute to her newfound community and hence fails to achieve a sense of belonging in the larger community. The effect that an individual’s contribution to a group can have is reinforced when Tom marks the ball in AFL and exclaims “I did it!” The use of a mid-shot presenting Tom with the other boys on the team shows that by contributing to the team, he was able to achieve a sense of acceptance. Like Tom, Romulus enriches his community through his trade and hence begins to be accepted. This is shown as Raimond says “He was so at ease with his materials and always so respectful of their nature that they seemed in friendship with him.” The use of personification and metaphoric language emphasises Romulus’ skill and passion in his work. As a result, as his business grows, he begins to be accepted more widely within the community as he used his previous experiences in his profession from his life before Australia. Similarly, when Christine cooked she “burnt the meat but so rare was the experience of her preparing a meal that I have since had a fondness for burnt meat.” The reminiscent tone shows that Raimond and his family were delighted by the mere attempt of Christine providing for the family. This shows that while in the past her actions had distanced her from her family, she was finally beginning to contribute and gain a sense of familial belonging. Individuals often have certain affinities towards some groups, as these particular groups have some sentimental meaning to them. In Home Song Stories, this is exemplified as for Tom, belonging to his family was far more important than acceptance within the larger community. This is shown as he is walking home with the first friend he had made. The two boys were having a mundane conversation which made no reference to their vastly different cultures. However, when Tom’s friend saw his mother he said she “looks like a zombie” and walked away. The use of crude and simplistic language reinforces the fact that it wasn’t his mother’s race that deterred the boy, but it was rather her revealing clothes and sleazy looks. The emphasis by the composer on this aspect of Tom’s mother suggests that Tom is not worried about the judgement of society, but rather concerned about the behaviour of his mother and her ability to provide him with a stable home life.