Romulus_My_Father_-_Belonging

Notes: Romulus My Father In Romulus My Father, the connection between Raimond and his father Romulus ensures that both of them can establish a sense of belonging. The strength of Raimond’s bond with his father, established during the son’s formative years, contributes to resilience in their relationship that works against the alienating effects of Romulus’s illness. The descriptive anecdote of Romulus’ ferocious outbursts: ‘Once he hit me, knocking me to the floor. I rose in a blind rage and went for him’ represents the complexity of their connection, layering their bond of affection with the emotions of anger and frustration. Despite the representation of these negative emotions, the line: ‘I loved him too deeply and knew that after what we had shared at Frogmore, no quarrel could estrange us’ suggests that the emotional bonds of the present are forged by common histories. The passionate intensity of Raimond’s declaration of affection is represented through the assertion: ‘no quarrel could estrange us.’ Here it is clear that despite the challenges posed by Romulus’s illness, the foundational histories that forged a strong familial sense of belonging through the connection of their relationship cannot be erased. The inability to belong is framed through disconnection, which is represented by the theme of mental illness in the book, which Raimond’s mother Christina suffers from. Mental illness is framed as an affliction that may disconnect individuals from communities to which that they might otherwise feel bound. Christina is represented as too dysfunctional to fulfill her desire to connect with her son and suffers because of her struggle and failure. After she had left Romulus for Mitru, she returned, with Raimond recalling ‘she tried harder than I ever remembered to care for me’, the selection of the word ‘harder’ reinforcing her desire for emotional connection. In Raimond’s recount of this contact with his mother, the ‘burnt meat’ she cooked becomes a powerful symbol of her genuine but flawed attempts to bond with her son. Her mental illness results in her estrangement from her family with her refusal to establish a connection with Romulus and Raimond, and leads to her eventual suicide. Romulus’ connection to the Australian environment is a response that symbolises a level of detachment, resulting in his inability to belong in his new home. In the recount of Romulus’s perceptions, the selection of words with negative connotations such as ‘desolate’, ‘deprivation’ and ‘barrenness’ capture an attitude of estrangement from a landscape that lacks ‘the generous and soft European foliage’. This response is contrasted with Raimond’s tone of admiration captured in phrases such as ‘rare beauty’ and ‘wonderful’. Romulus’ disconnection is further developed through the recount of his unintended destruction of 20 hectares of land through attempting to kill a snake with fire. The cultural gap results in an intensification of Romulus’s disconnection and alienation as suggested through the selection of the verbs ‘mortified’ and ‘humiliated’ which describe his response to the fire and his inability to belong in the new environment. Despite the disconnection to the environment, Romulus’ eventual sense of belonging in Australia is marked by his connection to the local community. After the fire, he helped the farmer Tom to repair the damage with him, eventually becoming good friends. Romulus also established a new friendship with farmer Neil, symbolising his connection to the community. Neil had severely injured himself in an accident, and Romulus’ quick actions saved his life, saying: “this is the way I did it in Romania.” At Romulus’ funeral, Neil was standing outside in tears, and said to Raimond: “What you said about your father was completely true,” agreeing with Raimond’s sentiment that Romulus was one who genuinely cared about communities and friendships. His ability to establish those connections ensured his sense of belonging in rural Victoria. The idea that a sense of belonging to a community of the mind and spirit may help people to achieve transcendence over narrow and sometimes brutal attitudes is represented through the recount of Romulus’s experiences when he is a child in a rural, Romanian sector of Yugoslavia. Romulus is characterised as achieving a resilient identity in a harsh environment through the joy of connecting with a cultural community versed in the literary canon: ‘Bible stories and their memory nourished his deeply religious spirit throughout his life.’ Belonging practice questions: Catholic 2010 Trial: The struggle to belong and find one’s place is significant in the lives of some people. In what ways is this struggle represented in your prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing' Fort St 2010 Trial: In order to belong one must be prepared to make sacrifices. Explain how your texts support or challenge this view. Refer to your prescribed text and TWO other related texts of your own choosing. HSC 2009: Understanding nourishes belonging....a lack of understanding prevents it. Demonstrate how your prescribed text and ONE other related text of your own choosing represent this interpretation of belonging. Fort St 2009 Trial: Belonging is about making connections. Explain how your texts support or challenge this view. Refer to your prescribed text and TWO other related texts of your own choosing. SCEGGS Darlinghurst 2009 Trial: Texts may show us that a sense of belonging can emerge from experiences and notions of identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding. To what extent do the texts you have studied support this idea' In your response, refer to your prescribed text and TWO related texts of your own choosing. Burwood Girls 2010 Trial: All of us are torn between wanting to stand apart and wanting to fit in. How is this conflict explored in your prescribed text and at least one other related text' Independent 2009 Trial: What do you think are the most powerful influences that impact on an individual’s sense of belonging' Refer to your prescribed text and TWO other related texts of your own choosing. Homebush Boys 2009 Trial: ‘Connecting with others is the cornerstone of personal contentment.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement' Refer to your prescribed text and TWO other related texts of your own choosing. Blackwattle Bay 2009 Trial: What do you think are the most powerful influences that impact on an individual’s sense of belonging' In your answer refer closely to your prescribed text, and at least TWO other related texts of your own choosing. Barker College 2009 Sample: Perceptions and ideas of belonging, or of not belonging, vary. Do you agree' In your response, refer to your prescribed text and at least TWO texts of your own choosing. Barker College 2009 Sample: To what extent does a sense of belonging or not belonging emerge from our connections to people and places' In your response, refer to your prescribed text and at least TWO texts of your own choosing. Barker College 2009 Sample: What have you learned about the concept of belonging in the course of your study' In your response, refer to your prescribed text and at least TWO texts of your own choosing. Barker College 2009 Trial: Texts may show us that the concept of belonging is most powerfully conveyed through the representation of people, places and events. To what extent do the texts you have studied support this idea' In your essay, refer to your prescribed text and TWO related texts of your own choosing. St Patrick’s College 2009 Sample: You have been invited to speak at the book launch of a new collection entitled Representations of Belonging. In your speech, explain and assess the ways in which belonging is represented in the texts included in this collection. In your answer, you should refer to your prescribed text and at least ONE text of your own choosing. St Patrick’s College 2009 Sample: How has your understanding of the concept of belonging been shaped by the representation of people, relationships and events that you have encountered in the texts you have studied for the Area of Study: Belonging' In your answer, you should refer to your prescribed text and at least ONE text of your own choosing. St Patrick’s College 2009 Sample: “Belonging results in both a sense of gain as well as loss”. Is this your view' Write a persuasive response referring to representations of belonging in your texts. In your response, refer to your prescribed text and TWO other related texts of your own choosing. Sample Belonging Questions: How do composers show us the value of belonging, or indeed not belonging, in a variety of situations' "The concept of 'Belonging' is more complex than it first appears." Discuss this statement in light of your understanding of the term "Belonging" as developed through your studies. How has your study of the Area of Study Belonging shed light on the nature of choice in relation to the experience of belonging and alienation' How has your exploration of the Area of Study Belonging shed light on your understanding of yourself and your world' How has your exploration of the Area of Study Belonging shed light on the role of place in generating a sense of belonging or lack of it' What have you learned about the possibilities presented by the experiences of belonging and exclusion'