How would you feel if you were alone on this Earth, with no friends, no home and no place to feel safe, secure and connected? We all need people and places to belong; otherwise we are left isolated and alone.
Through studying the concept of belonging, you and I, have a common purpose that enables us to inherently connect and bond.
Our sense of belonging and sense of place in the world is where we feel a connection to the environment we live in and the people we share our lives with. Peter Skrzynecki, in his poems, ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ’10 Mary Street’ explores the sense of dislocation that arises when you are not connected with people or place. Moving countries causes major disruption in a person’s life and he portrays how his life has been affected by migration to Australia. Similarly, the film, “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ explores the struggle a young boy faces to feel a sense of belonging in new unfamiliar surroundings.
In ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ the poet uses simile and hyperbole to describe his step-father as loving ‘his garden like an only child’, sweeping ‘its paths ten times around the world.’ This evokes a sense of Feliks’ dedication to his garden and his paternal feeling towards it. He belongs to the world of the garden no matter where it’s located. The description ‘My gentle father…’ convey the love the poet feels for his step-father. It is clear that he respects and admires Feliks for his resilient nature although he struggles with his Polish identity. The metaphor, ‘the curse that damned’ is used to show that speaking Polish meant you were different to others in Australia and it caused people to exclude you. The poet is torn between a desire to belong to his Polish family whilst at the same time form a new identity and sense of belonging in Australia, as an Australian. In stanza seven, the metaphor of Hadrian’s Wall demonstrates the inevitability that the son will move away from his father’s heritage in this new land. There is nothing his father, metaphorically referred to as the “dumb prophet,” can do about it. The poet uses first person throughout the poem to portray his perception of his father.
Those who have a connection to a place and other people have a strong sense of identity, security and purpose. The historical-drama film, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,’ directed by Mark Herman, is a Holocaust drama that explores the horrors of a World War II extermination camp. In the film, the protagonist, Bruno, risks his life because of the loyalty, connection and sense of belonging he feels to his new friend, Schmuel, a prisoner in a concentration camp. The film initially depicts Bruno as an isolated and disconnected child. Herman, uses dull lighting and gloomy monotone music to convey the sense of loneliness and alienation Bruno feels when he is moved away from his home to an unfamiliar location. When Bruno initially meets his new friend, Herman uses brighter lighting and upbeat music to reflect his new optimistic mood. Herman uses a narrative structure and also creates tension by framing several scenes with the electric fence that surrounds the concentrate camp which divides the two boys. Camera angles and mid-shots depict the ugly barbed-wire that separates and isolates Schmuel from the outside world. The responder is continually reminded of the barriers that will ultimately destroy their connection. The tragic ending is made more effective with close up camera shots of the protagonist to convey his
