Related Text Belonging

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Related Text Essay – Accepted The film Accepted, directed by Steve Pink explores a number of notions of belonging though the use of both film and narrative techniques. One of these said notions is the idea that the perceptions of society influence how an individual’s sense of belonging is formed. The other major notion brought across within the film is the idea that conformity does not equate to belonging. Firstly, the idea that the perceptions of society influence how an individual’s sense of belonging is formed is clearly shown in the sub-plot of the film concerning Sherman Schrader. The film makes use of a long shot of the character to capture the humiliating fact that the character is wearing a hot dog suit in the middle of his college’s campus. This highlights the idea that a high school student’s perception of being a “pledge” in a fraternity house can skew a person’s sense of belonging enough for someone to believe that humiliating themselves is something that is a proud tradition and has to be done in order to earn the respect of their peers. Another aspect of belonging presented by the film is the idea that conformity does not equate to belonging. This idea is made clear in the final scene of the film set in the hearing to make the ‘South Harmon Institute of Technology’ a certified college. “Why can't we both exist? Huh? You can have your grades, and your rules and your structure and your ivory towers, and then we'll do things our way. Why do we have to conform to what you want?”. This use of repeated rhetorical questions emphasises the characters point as well as reinforcing the theme that conformity is not necessary to have a sense of belonging. “…it is a truth that real learning took place at South Harmon. Whether you like it or not, it did. 'Cause you don't need teachers or classrooms or - or fancy highbrow traditions or money to really learn.”. This
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