Belonging In The Play Rainbow's End By Jane Harrison

764 Words4 Pages
Belonging is about the desire of acceptance that may or may not bring personal satisfaction. How does your prescribed text support or reject this idea. In the play “Rainbows End” by Jane Harrison depicts how the misunderstandings between Indigenous and non indigenous people prevent Aborigines from developing a sense of security and belonging in Australian society. This sense of belonging to a community heritage also extends to the land of the Aborigines. The sense of belonging that can be seen between the people and the land can also be seen with the strong connections within Aboriginal families. they live in a society that does not value them or their culture and they suffer for not belonging to the majority of white Australia. Belonging is about the desire of acceptance that may or may not bring personal…show more content…
The play “Rainbows End” explores the way two communities living in close proximity maintain a conflict based on widely divergent culture values. As the play is in the perspective of the Dear family the play explores the values of the white community only where they contrast to the Aboriginal community. Harrison uses metaphors, similes and visual images to represent the ineffective system of providing government housing for the Aboriginal community. The Dear family feel that they belong at The Flats which is a flood plain where most of the Aboriginal population live which is outside of Shepparton. While the city is an even more alienated place to the family, it is ironic that Dolly eventually finds her sense of belong with Errol in the city. As Dolly has a desire to be accepted within the white community it only brings pain to her as she is constantly criticised by either her lack of knowledge or the clothes that she wears. The play shows that the desire to become accepted may not bring the person

More about Belonging In The Play Rainbow's End By Jane Harrison

Open Document