External Forces Belonging

793 Words4 Pages
External Forces are important to a sense of belonging. Perceptions and ideas of belonging, vary. Perceptions are shaped within our personal, cultural and social context. A sense of belonging can be shaped from some external forces such as connections made with people, places, groups or communities. Examples of these connections that impact on our sense of belonging are show through the texts, “Romulus My Father” and “The Lame Shall Enter First”. Notions regarding relationships with people, family and culture can have a huge impact on ones sense of belonging. The always changing nature of Raimonds relationship with his mother Christine, confronts us and alerts us as to how the nature of family and family values affects ones self identitiy. Although Christine suffers with her own mental well-being, somewhere between all the pain and suffering, Raimond and herself share a strong sense of understanding with each other, “I was glad of her presence, which comforted me more that food.” Further more, contrasted with Raimond’s proud and admirable representation of his father, Gaita challeges notions of belonging, as it ironically can both inhibit and shape individual values and morals, “My fathers devoted care for me contrasted obviously with her(christine) neglet of me.” Gaita is able to paint an intimate portrait of his father through his characterisation of him. It is through this portrayal that the composer may come to understand his complex father, and strengthen his emotional bonds with him, after his death. ‘He would rest his leg stiffly out in front (of his beloved Sunbeam motorbike)…and return with sugar sacks over each shoulder’. The composer has used vivid imagery to highlight the physical strength of his father, travelling far distances to buy his son supplies after an accident on his motorbike, which connotes ideas of paternal protection, self-sacrifice
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