Gran Torino Belonging Analysis

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Belonging Essay An environment of uncertainty causes individuals to lose the ability to form meaningful relationships with others and their surroundings, resulting in feelings of neglect and a loss of identity. In migrant hostel Skrzynecki introduces us immediately to a group of displaced people, who in their ‘busloads’ are being bought into a migrant hostel in Parkes. Paradoxically this is their introduction to a new place of belonging but it is unfamiliar and unwelcoming, heightening their lack of belonging. Using the colloquial term ‘comings and going’ the poet expresses the continual movement, which causes anxiety and confusion. Added to this is the simile of the ‘homing pigeon’/circling to get its bearings’ to convey the unpredictable…show more content…
Walt has had an extremely difficult life, which has led to him becoming a very prejudice man; he has no relationships with anybody and has lost his sense of identity. The family has been alienated by Walt and his prejudice views and also by the environment around them. The Hmong family first experience Walt’s prejudice attitude in the ‘Rescue’ scene. The gang shows up at the families’ house, threatening Thao and encouraging him to join the gang. Walt is completely unaware of what is going on and when he finds them on his property approaches them with a gun. The scene is filmed from a constant high angle shot, which establishes Walt’s attitude towards them. As the scene is filmed looking down on the group, it reinforces Walt’s prejudice attitude as he thinks little of people that come from other cultures. Furthermore it belittles the family and creates an uncertainty within their minds about what he’s going to do. The family is further alienated through Walt’s dialogue “I used to stack F**ck’s like you five feet high in Korea”. Walt’s racist and prejudice attitudes create uncertainty for the Hmong family and makes establishing relationships for them all the more difficult. Due to his attitude, the family is unable to form a meaningful relationship with him resulting in a feeling of neglect. In both Migrant Hostel and Gran Torino it can be seen that an environment of uncertainty causes individuals to lose the ability to form meaningful relationships with others and their surroundings, resulting in feelings of neglect and a loss of

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