Belonging

Question: “Although Belonging may demand compromise, it can also be nourishing” Explain and discuss how this statement about belonging is represented in your prescribed text and in two related texts. The statement, “Although belonging, may demand compromise it can also be nourishing” is reflected in the many concepts of belonging presented in As you like it and two related texts, Freedom in Exile and Empire of the Sun. Each of these texts present a situation in which characters experience a change from one aspect of belonging to another, whether this is geographic, cultural or class. This highlights the price one has to pay to belong and the rewards one is offered. Though all have different contexts and are set in different historical periods they all have universal themes related to belonging. They demonstrate and support the idea that though belonging may require compromise, it can also be nourishing. The concept of belonging to a location or place is presented in all three texts. Changes in location or place also result in changes to class and culture. In each case this is contrasted against another location in which the characters voluntarily or forcefully come to dwell. They must adapt to their new surroundings, and leave behind family, friends, lifestyles and traditions. But in all cases despite these compromises are able to find nourishment in many areas of their lives. As you like it shows this concept through the contrasting environments of the court, which is presented, as a place of corruption and deceitfulness and the Forest of Arden, a place that is perceived to offer freedom and escape, idealising nature and rural life. The forest is introduced as an idyllic world free of the worries of city life. In Act 1 Scene 1, Charles shares his view of Arden with Oliver calling it “the golden world”. Shakespeare refers to the classical allusion of the golden world linking this to the lifestyle the Duke and his company are living in Arden. This is a view shared by many characters in the beginning of the play. In Act 1 Scene 3, Celia describes Arden as a place of freedom. “Now we go in content, To liberty, and not to banishment”. The play opens with this view of the forest, which is contrasted against the views presented later on as the characters begin to belong and discover life in the forest may not be as romantic and ideal as it first seemed. The characters that have followed the promise of freedom discover they must compromise in order to belong in the forest. These compromises come about through Duke Senior’s wish to preserve the court hierarchy and keep class distinctions in order, as well the need to kill animals for food and the isolation that comes with living in a forest. In Act 2 Scene 5 for example, Jacques’ comments on the foolishness of leaving behind wealth and ease in exchange for the tough environment of the forest. Out of these compromises comes nourishment for many of the characters as these compromises are dealt with. The positive ending of the play reinforces the nourishment and enrichment brought about through the belonging experienced by each of the characters. They return to the court after the marriages, a reminder of the compromises and sacrifices they had to make in the forest. Freedom in Exile presents a similar view to As you like it, with belonging to place, culture and class, demonstrating both the compromising and nourishing aspects of belonging. The threat of communist China forces the Dalai Lama to exile to India in Freedom in Exile. As the title suggests the huge amount of compromises the Dalai Lama faces, can be over come and nourishment can be found through his determination to teach and educate the world. The compromises he has overcome only strengthen his desire to promote world peace. Though he is faced with hardship, he has found nourishment through the good will of the Indian people and a religion which gives him strength to remain optimistic for both himself and the people of Tibet. The book begins with an overview of Tibetan Buddhism, which establishes the peaceful and good nature of the Tibetan people through this religion and the deep connection the Dalai Lama has with his people and homeland. As the threat of communist China grows, the need to leave causes great pain to the Dalai Lama. The compromises he must make in order to leave behind the place to which he belongs so deeply and find a new homeland where he must try to belong is related to on a personal level. Compromises that the Dalia Lama faces in belonging in a new country with different traditions and culture include the difficulty in leading a country from abroad. This is represented through the use of continued news reports throughout the book, which are the only form of communication the Dalai Lama has with Tibet. These oppressed communications highlight the difficulty and sacrifice the Dalai Lama has made and huge compromise he has to deal with in leading the continued fight for freedom for the Tibetan people. Nourishment comes from what at first seems a tragic situation. This is shown through the personal accounts of the day-to-day life of the Dalai Lama, which are written with humour and always an optimistic view: “From the start, I was very happy in my new home.” Nourishment can also be found through the wide range of people the Dalai Lama is able to meet and discuss areas that interest him. “To me, one of the most important aspects of my thirty one years in exile has been meetings with people from all walks of life”. This is one of the most important aspects of nourishment the Dalai Lama has found in his forced belonging, represented through a paragraph dedicated to each of the people who had the most profound effect on his life and in which he describes what he learnt while talking to them. Freedom in Exile provides many examples of belonging demanding compromise, such as being physically and spiritually separated from ones homeland, but also describes the nourishment and enrichment found within this belonging such as meeting people, educating and learning. The compromises and nourishment that belonging to a place brings is represented through many techniques in the film Empire of the Sun. The opening scene introduces the small community of British expats living in Shanghai. The class divisions that exist between them and the Chinese are shown through a montage, juxtaposing the locals with the upper class British expats. The film tells the story of Jim, a British boy who gets caught up in the conflict between the Chinese and Japanese. Through this he must make compromises in order to survive the tough environment of the labour camp he is forced to work in. The film represents the transformation Jim must take from educated, well mannered, but dependent, to independent and self-supporting youth in order to survive. The compromises Jim must overcome in the belonging forced upon him by the conflict, are highlighted by the contrast between the beginning of the film, which emphasises the luxurious life Jim had before his capture. Later in the film, in the labour camp, fast tracking shots are used to create tension and edginess, the environment Jim now must belong to. Nourishment comes in the form of various friendships, through the breaking down of class divisions in the camp, and a new cultural understanding through Jim’s relationship with a Japanese boy who shares Jim’s passion for flying. By juxtaposing elements of belonging found in two distinct locations, all three texts show that though belonging requires some compromise; nourishment can be found in the end. In As you like it, the court is contrasted against the Forest of Arden, and what at first seemed an idyllic, romantic setting presents many compromises for the characters who are forced to go there. However as the play progresses, the forest does provide nourishment, through love, marriage and the return of rightful order within the court as harmony is restored in the end. In Freedom in Exile, the threat of China forces the Dalai Lama to leave his homeland, and take up residence in India. Again this text shows the compromise that comes from leading a country from abroad, which include limited communications. But again nourishment is found with this forced belonging, represented through the many inspirational people the Dalai Lama has had the opportunity to meet. As India is a relatively free country, the Dalai Lama has been able to travel extensively, teaching and spreading the message of oppression and cruelty that the Tibetan people have suffered. The journey of self-discovery that Jim undertakes in Empire of the Sun, when forced from his privileged lifestyle into a labour camp provides the final example of belonging demanding compromises but also nourishing. Jim finds nourishment in the many relationships he establishes while in the camp. Class and culture prove no boundary once the location shifts from Shanghai to the labour camp, with Jim befriending a Japanese boy, and a group of American soldiers. Belonging is shown to contain compromise and nourishment, represented in each of the three texts, with each group of characters able to find nourishment in some form even when faced with huge compromises. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Pg. 203 Freedom in Exile, Dalai Lama, First published 1990, Abacus, revised edition 2009, [ 2 ]. Pg. 206 Freedom in Exile [ 3 ]. Empire of the Sun, 1987, Directed by Steven Spielberg, Produced by Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Robert Shapiro.