Belonging

When an individual interacts with other and the world around them they can enrich and limit their experience of belonging. A text that highlights how interaction can boost someone’s sense of belonging is The Simple Gift, a free verse novel by Steven Herrick. A contrasting text that looks at the negatives of interaction is The Island, a picture book by Armin Greder. Both texts explore these ideas through the concepts of physicality, human connection and the necessity to belong. An individual’s interactions are based in some sort of environment, where they grasp a sense of belonging. In the Simple Gift, Billy finds belonging in a ‘key’. He receives the key from his close friend with whom he shares a close bond. This is symbolic of opening up choices and making decisions. ‘I knew that Old Bill was giving me more than these keys I held’. This quote is a representation of the meaning of the key. The use of it shows the responder that through Billy having close friends he is given a window of opportunity that will enrich his sense of belonging. This contrasts with the other text to say that individual’s surroundings can limit their experience of belonging. In the Island we are given a visual image on the front page of the dark and isolated place. On the island, the ‘alien’ interacts with the people on the island and is a very negative experience. On a double page spread the ‘islanders’ have huge weapons and look angry walking being this helpless man. This interaction in the surrounding of the island, limit the mans sense of belonging. The images let responder see how emotionally hurt this alien is. Comparing how an individual’s environment can ignite interactions it demonstrates how it can be positive or negative. Knowing people and having connections leads to interactions, which can be good or bad, experience. In the Simple Gift, it is a good experience as all the main characters are connected. The author uses first person narration to let the responder get inside the character’s head. We see how they feel each other and the inner workings of the relationships. The shifting voices orientated around Billy let the responder relate to the belonging he is experiencing through his interaction with other characters. Looking at the enriching part of interaction through human connection it can also be a bad experience of belonging. In the Island, the islanders have a connection and sense of belonging but it reflects badly on them. The characters are mean and ugly while they have lost the capacity to enrich their lives. They all become so similar with poor qualities that in the end they turn on their own. The human connection that involves connection can have a positive or negative effect on the individual. An individual’s necessity to belong can push or hold their interactions with others affecting their sense of belonging. In the Simple Gift, the Billy has a strong need to belong because of his horrific past and he is looking for something better. His massive motivation leads to him interacting with others around him. As he grasps a sense of belonging it becomes a positive experience for him. As the necessity to belong can motivate someone on a large scale, it can lead to a negative experience of belonging. In the Island, the ‘alien’ tries to belong, which leads to a negative experience when he interacts with others. It leads to a series of bad event, which lead to him being lonely and lost and tortured. This experience through the interaction with others because of his necessity to belong will limit his experience to belong. Both texts, the simple gift and the island demonstrate how building relationships and networking can have a positive and negative effect. Thus resulting in an individual experiencing an enrich or limited sense of belonging.