Belonging_Plus_Related

Belonging is a multilayered universal concept that all humans experience individually through many different ways, it can come in forms such as duality and it can be seen as a way of connecting to others and a way to avoid alienation. A sense of belonging can emerge from connections with a group, culture, experience and the larger world. The idea of belonging is that we must meet a certain criteria or fit a particular mould. However, as oppose to belonging we must take into account the idea of not belonging as the consequence of the choice to not belong or- non acceptance prevent belonging. There are many barriers in the concept of belonging which is explored in the poems “Migrant Hostel and “10 Mary Street” and in the film ‘Fight Club’. In Peter Skrzynecki’s “Migrant Hostel” the theme of belonging is portrayed in a sense that for some people, in this case immigrants, have the strong desire to congregate with people from the same community-this notion can be justified in “like a homing pigeon circling to get its bearings”. The simile in ‘Like’ and the idea of a pigeon circling to get its bearings represents people’s constant need to find ones kind or home. Also, “Recognised by accents” states a sense of belonging with the same people as they are able to identify their culture from their accents. In stanza one, “No one kept count” and “Arrivals of newcomers in busloads” imply the vast population of immigrants brought to an unfamiliar society. This also implies the disorganised chaotic experience. “That left us wondering/who will be coming next” also shows they remain powerless and directionless as the ambiguity grows upon them. Also the use of first person plural “us” positions the reader as a confidant. Throughout the analysis of ’10 Mary St’ it can be compiled that the family in the poem is struggling to fit in new land and at same time experiencing dilemma‘s which violates their urge to keep their Polish heritage, evident in finding a connection with heritage in a new place in “kept pre-war Europe alive”. The family’s sense of security is hinted in “Each morning, shut the house like a well-oiled lock”. The use of the aggressive verb ‘shut’ emphasises the notion of exclusive familial belonging which implies the idea to welcome people from their kind and not so much the ‘natives’ of the new land. In stanza 2, the juxtaposition of the world of industrial work with the organic description of the garden in “laying sewerage pipes, my parents watered Plants” shows the invasion of belonging indirectly caused by industrial organisations which shows that their boundaries of belonging is being attacked. Finally, “inheritors of a key that’ll open no house”, in the last stanza creates a metaphor of a key which can open no door demonstrates the poet’s sense of not belonging to the world outside the Polish one they’ve created within their Australian house. In the multifaceted 1999 film directed by David Fincher ‘Fight Club’ the main character, the ‘narrator’ suffering from insomnia creates a fight club which unintentionally turns into a support group for men lost, without purpose, without identity in order to feel a sense of belonging to be a man which they are all searching for. The terror created by ‘project mayhem’ (expansion of fight club) was the result of resentment and alienation of the members from fight club. Personal and social belonging is presented in “what kind of dining set defines me...I had it all a stereo that was very decent, wardrobe that was very respectable...I was close, close to being complete”. The panning shot used in this scene shows the wide variety of household items the narrator purchased which he does not need, this shows ones constant urge to meet the criteria of a social status and to be looked as high class in order to be looked as a superior in society. Later in the film the narrator creates the character Tyler Durden a figment of his imagination representing the alpha male fitting into society freely while the narrator does not. At the beginning of the film subliminal shots of Tyler Durden in single frames hints the narrator’s insomniac hallucinations of him and his breaking point. The idea of corporate belonging is also a frequent theme in the film evident in “we are by-products of the lifestyle obsession. Murder crime poverty these things don’t concern me, what concerns me is celebrity magazines, television with 500 channels, some guy’s name on my underwear, Rogain, Viagra, Olestra”. The focus shot on Tyler Durden expressing his philosophy in short terms describes the materialistic lifestyle that’s defined by things you do not need. The inclusion of the tracking shot in the scene with the quote “we’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires and movie gods and rock stars but we won’t and we’re slowly learning the fact” suggests that some people will go to great lengths in order to be accepted and feel approved by others and if they don’t achieve that goal they may feel destroyed and question if their sense of ‘self’ would’ve been defined by what they were going to do in life. As a result, belonging is a intrinsic human need as all people need to feel connected with others so they feel accepted and confident. The aspect of belonging is part of civilization because humans would mostly like give up anything in order to belong to a group. When we cease to belong we feel a sense of loss and displacement from others.