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The Nature of Belonging

            Belonging is a complex/multifaceted and universal concept so deeply rooted in the human psyche that our fulfillment depends on our connection to people and place. Throughout our lives, everyone faces the need to belong and so straddles the dichotomous nature of belonging encompassing (surrounding) acceptance and alienation. This dichotomy is explored in Peter Skrynecki's poems "Migrant Hostel" and "Feliks Skyrznecki" as well as Hayao Miyazaki's film Spirited Away. Skyrnecki establishes the despondent image of a migrant's initial unwelcoming experiences in a foreign country while Miyazaki too uses the bewilderment and alienation experienced in a foreign land to allude to the migrant experience, whereby both explore the contradiction of acceptance and alienation in aspiring for Belonging. The final result is both bodies of work demonstrate the positivity of forging an identity though connection to people and place.
             The instability (chaos) that arises from an unfamiliar environment can lead to a sense of alienation; however ethnic connections can serve to forge a sanctuary (protection/barrier) of acceptance from the stresses of cultural integration. In "Migrant Hostel", the opening words "No one" holistically conveys a sense of alienation, further evidenced by binary pairs in the transitory "comings and goings" of the camp. This ceaseless instability serves to establish the migrants as people who live uncertain lives constantly wondering "what would be coming next." As a part of our nature, we tend to gravitate towards those from our home country when migrating, and Skrzyrnecki makes a comparison using a simile between the migrants "like a homing pigeon" and "birds of passage" to show the inherent connection between cultures, serving as a point of acceptance in their chaotic lives.


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2. Belonging and Connections

... explore the benefits and detriments of relationships, and the way these bonds impact a sense of belonging. Relationships forged with others can often lead to an emotional dilemma when forced to choose between either maintaining said bond or retaining the beliefs and desires which create one's individuality. This is made especially difficult when the connection shared is familial in nature. The depiction of Anh's relationship with his father within the prologue of Do ... 's text serves as a perfect example of this concept. The reader is ... ...

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3. Literature and the Concept of Belonging

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4. Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

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5. Themes of Belonging in Music, Literature and Film

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6. My Family - Gaining from Belonging

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7. Poetry and Our Perceptions of Belonging

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8. The Unchangeable Nature of Men

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9. The Importance of Family in Jane Eyre

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