Belonging-_Romulus_and_Edward_Scissor_Hands

“The concept of belonging is far more complex than it first appears”- Discuss with relation to TWO texts (prescribed and one other) The concept of belonging is indeed more complex than it first appears. It can be defined as acceptance as a natural part or member. Although a personal sense, belonging is influenced by personal, social, historical, cultural and place conditions, it is therefore a dynamic process through which responders engage and familiarize with as belonging is a universal feeling. Through the study of the texts ‘Romulus, My father’- By Raimond Gaita and ‘Edward Scissorhands’ by Tim Burton, the complexities of this concept become unraveled through a range of literary and film techniques, revealing the causes and failings of belonging. ‘Romulus, My father’ is the biography that entails the trials and tribulations of a migrant family finding comfort with in a new home country. The strong use of landscape imagery conveys Raimond’s eventual acceptance of his new home and isolation from his father’s views. This complex concept is apparent when Raimond says “though the landscape is on of rare beauty, to a European or English eye it seems desolate, and even after more than 40 years, my father could not become reconciled to it”.  This identification with the landscape, opposed to his fathers complicates there strong father-son relationship which traditionally included their shared values and morals. This acceptance of the Australian landscape is initiated when he becomes appreciative of the “special beauty, disguised until (he) was ready for it”. Vivid figurative language is employed to demonstrate his strong feelings of belonging. Through the composer’s reflection of the land, they are able to share their personal values about belonging to the land and heritage. The analogy of “God taking me to the back of his workshop” describes Gaita’s philosophical awakening, where he becomes “alive to the beauty” of Frogmore.  This religious allusion is representative of his spiritual ties to the land, which is complicated as it is an adopted land and not his home land and is far more complex as he strays from his father’s narrow-minded comparison of Australia to the “beautiful trees of Europe”. Similarly, in Edward Scissorhands, the adaptation to the new surroundings is shown visually by strong contrasts of Edward to the critically exaggerated homogeneity of suburbia. The nosey housewives that neighbour with in the pastel coloured suburb are disturbed when one of the fellow women, Peg, brings Edward, “the strange guy pegs with” down from his dark, un kept Gothicized castle that looks over the shimmering pink, blue and green houses in the fairy tale depicted suburbia. His attempted adaptation to belong in this new place is complex in that he has never known anything normal, including human interaction. This is portrayed by Burton, through a range of slapstick comedy; Edward is confused with the idea of a mirror and is intrigued into who is copying him so vividly. Burton also creates a sense of sympathetic humour towards Edward through depicting his first experience with a water bed as he wobbles on the layer of water frightened of what is happening, Also his struggle at his first meal with his new family as he strains to scrape the peas from his plate to his mouth. This new sense of family is also confusing to Edward, and as Edward is “incomplete and all alone”, as mentioned in the opening dialogue he strives for acceptance and love from this alienated new world he has stumbled across. He fits in quickly as the house wives find his “mysterious” ways intriguingly different from the uniformity of their lives. Judged at first as being “different, completely different”, Edward soon finds his place as he shares his skill of bush shaping around the town and eventually dog grooming and cutting the women’s hair in what can only be explained as, “the single most thrillin’ experience of my whole life” by neighbour, Joyce. This acceptance is complicated by the “town loony”, who is out to convince the women that Edward is from the “stinking flames of hell”. Raimond’s adaptation to his new country is helped by the friendship of both his father and his father’s friend Hora. Both of which Raimond admired for their strong morality and guidance. Raimond is thankful towards Hora as he was responsible for giving him intellectual interests, counteracting his “delinquent tendency”. This guidance is also portrayed within his father. Raimond learnt “what a workman is, I know what an honest man is, I know what friendship is, I know because I saw these in the person of my father” this admiration of his father Is highly representative of their strong father-son bond. The moral of working hard and honestly is also shown here also teaching the responder these important lessons. These morals and their relationship become complicated and are heavily strained by mental illness of his mother Christina and eventually Romulus himself, “My father’s insanity cast its shadow over everything I did or thought”. Conclusively, belonging is in fact a very complex concept than it first appears it is influenced by ones values morals and prior experience. This complication is evident in both texts ‘Romulus my father by Raimond Gaita’ and ‘Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton’. The vivid imagery of the Australian landscape and the value Romulus holds for his fathers moral help him connect with his new home, and Edwards special skills and difference is what helps him belong. Both texts display this concept through many techniques and are successful in doing so.