Essay on Belonging

Without comprehension one cannot fully belong, but with comprehension, belonging will thrive. If you do not understand someone or their beliefs or someone does not understand you or your beliefs it is not likely you will feel like you completely belong with them. In Arthur Millers The Crucible intolerance, hysteria and suspicion, greed (for wealth, land, power)and corruption of power turns a town against each other and highlights the different groups in the town and how they are linked or exiled from the rest of the town and how better understanding of each group could effect this.

To belong with a person or group it means that we are accepted and tolerated and that we feel safe and have a sense security when we are with that person or group, belonging can influence us in many ways, it can change our sense of self and the way we perceive the world. The way our family and friends influence us changes our sense of self and who we are. The Memoir The Happiest Refugee By Anh Do, this memoir shows how when Anh Do arrived in Australia he did not belong due to his non-english background, Anh overcame many issues on his journey to belong and now is treated as a full Australian citizen.

A common human characteristic is the yearning to feel a sense of belonging through connections and different forms of relationships made in life. A sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from feeling connected to people and places, whether they have been freely cast there or not. An individual will only feel a true sense of belonging through the understanding of those connections, which are created by experiences and can only come within.

Belonging is defined as the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of understanding, inclusion and identity to a member trying to fit into a certain group and place. It is a perception of acceptance.

Yes, It IS an essential human need, but…. then…. What happens when an individual doesn’t feel like they belong. What if… this same “essential” sense of belonging, the same “need” to belong, is what barricades and imprisons us? What effects can not belong have on individuals?

Good Afternoon teachers and students, The following texts express how an individuals understanding of belonging can quickly be changed by the people and place around them. “Jasper Jones a novel written by Craig Silvey”, it is a short story of a boy named Charles Butkins and the events that occurred because he helped Jasper Jones mask the death of Laura Wishart. “Australia by Ania Walwicz”, is attacking the people of Australia in the form of a poem, because of their point of views and attitudes in life. She also hates Australia itself because the people are not welcoming, this is the main point of this poem.

An individual 's sense of belonging is determined not only by their own choices but also attitudes of others.

People have the longing to belong and to be accepted by a group or community. A sense of Belonging can emerge from the connections and acceptance we have with other people, communities and the larger world. These ideas of belonging are represented in texts which explore aspects of belonging and an individual’s potential to challenge or improve a community group. The film ‘Strictly Ballroom,’ directed by Baz Lurhman, the film ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ directed by Kate Woods and the exaggerated true story of an African American youth’s fight to belong in the song “dance with the devil” by immortal technique all represent ideas of belonging formed by life experiences.

Belonging can be defined as the process of the association with the human race as socially active characters. It is part of the human condition which represents the need for security, safety and acceptance. An aspect of belonging such as isolation can be associated with the concept of belonging, as not belonging is a reciprocal process of belonging. Belonging allows for the authentication of characters through the formation of identity and connections.

An individual’s sense of belonging is determined not only by their own choices but also by the attitudes of others.

Belonging is as a complex process by which people develop links with others, places and things. It is focused on acceptance and developing a connection and identity

‘An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can enrich or limit their experience of belonging.’

All individuals unmistakably experience a sense of belonging in a multifaceted and convoluted process. Arthur Miller's play “The Crucible” and George Clooney's film “Good Night and Good Luck” are both texts where acceptance into society is explored in characters through various and complex measures. While the play and film both illustrate the complexities of assimilation into society to an individual's identity the Crucible further presents this as an ironic situation as people are pressured into conforming to societal desires, where choosing to detach from community values leads to a detrimental fate.

Our perception of our identity is constantly changing, the groups we belong to, the people we talk to and the way we connect with others help to form our identity. There is one thing we all have in common despite our individual identities, is the need to belong. There’s no obligation to belong to only one group, you can belong to many. An individual can belong to many groups, which will then create multiple identities; hence our understanding of identity is never constant. Belonging to a loving family, group of caring friends that help us to develop our own sense of self. However, belonging can have a negative side. For example our families might have an expectation of us to do something that might alter our ambitions and interfere with

The struggle to belong and find one’s place is significant in the lives of some people.