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Literature and the Concept of Belonging

            One of the major themes explored in literature is the idea of belonging. It can either create a feeling of warmth and home or it can do the polar opposite and raise the idea of loneliness and the feeling of being outcast. Each idea of belonging helps to draw the audience in and create a type of relationship between the text and person. The idea of belonging doesn't just have to be an idea, anyone can belong if they truly try. Aspects of belonging can be seen throughout the poetry of Peter Skrzynecki, particularly in 'Feliks Skrzynecki' and 'Migrant Hostel' as well as 'The Breakfast Club' directed by John Hughes. Both Peter Skrzynecki and John Hughes demonstrate just how important the ideas and aspects of belonging are in literature and how they help bring the feeling alive. .
             In Peter Skrzynecki poem 'Feliks Skrzynecki' the narrator tries to belong to a country he never knew and only belongs in the aspects which have been unknowingly passed down to him, by his bloodline and heritage. It also shows the sense of the father and son belonging to each other. On the surface he seems to fit in with Australia having immersed himself into the culture however has a deep connection with his polish heritage and Poland itself. This is shown in the cliche "Kept pace only with the Joneses of his own minds making," This shows the sense of belonging to Australia is only surface deep as it uses an Australian Idiom. The second half of the quote displays his choice to not belong to the culture and that he chooses his own standards. Individuality. .
             In contrast to this sense of not belonging , it shows the close relationship between Peter and his father, Feliks, "My gentle father." This quote shows Peter's attitude towards his father has a soft and gentle nature. Originally this personal pronoun depicts the closeness between them, but as the cultural ties prove to weaken and the alienation he feels towards his father's heritage.


Essays Related to Literature and the Concept of Belonging

1. A Sense of Belonging as Found in Literature

To belong is to feel as though you are a part of something. Belonging or sense of belonging can be individually, within a group, community, society or the larger world. ... Belonging to a group can operate both positively and negatively in our quest to define ourselves. ... The concept of belonging, not-belonging, and rejection are equally balanced in the poem "Migrant Hostel" and are depicted by the language and images. ... The use of the title text is a direct metaphor for this sense of not belonging. ...

  • Word Count: 620
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

2. Literary Genres

I know that I cannot be a comparativist without a clear-cut concept of literature in the first place. ... The concept of genre is instantly problematic, even to those in the academe. ... Todorov said that to deal with any text in literature we must be conscious that it reveals "properties that it shares with all literary texts, or with texts belonging to sub-groups of literature- and second, we must conceive that a text is "not only a product of pre-existing combinatorial system; it is also a transformation of that system."" ... Literature in itself is a genre and the ambiguity of it ...

  • Word Count: 1508
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature

1 Enoch is one of the foundational texts of Jewish apocalyptic literature. 1 Though not an official part of the Jewish canon, Enoch's journey into the realm of angels, and God's revelation of "all mysteries" (Enoch 59:2) regarding the end of days and the salvation of the elect do form an important scaffolding upon which subsequent Jewish apocalyptic literature is built. ... In a close reading of the two texts it is clear that Revelation and Enoch draw from a shared pool of apocalyptic symbols and numerological concepts. ... The following concepts occur in both books, tho...

  • Word Count: 2680
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Literary Genre: Dystopian Fiction

A piece of literature will be acknowledged with acceptation into a literary canon. ... As with any topic in literature, there are negatives to canons. ... Similar to how a Canon can mold the interpretation of pieces of literature, pieces of literature can mold the form of a Canon. ... George Orwell's 1984 is a dystopian fiction revealing a society illustrative of certain well-known social terms such as the following: government, society, political party, totalitarianism, deviance, punishment, mob, social control, power, language, propaganda, status symbols beliefs, crime. and self-concept...

  • Word Count: 638
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Hinduism

Literature (World Masterpieces), "Buddhism", page 229: "Buddhism teaches, that all life is sorrow and that sorrow is caused by desires, trying to eliminate desires is the way to achieve the ultimate enlightenment." ... People who belong to this religion believe in resurrection, which is reincarnation, in the special way, which is linked to "Dharma". ... The concept of "Dharma" is that of the way, the ultimate goal in one's life or as in Buddhism "Nirvana". ... Literature (World Masterpieces), "Buddhism", page 229: "The Ch"an Buddhism that prevailed in China during eighth century com...

  • Word Count: 602
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Reader Response Theory

Reader-response criticism consists of different theories and concepts formulated by several literary critics. ... Wolfgang Iser theorizes concepts concerning the determinate and indeterminate meanings a text offers and their effects on the reader. Iser uses the terms determinate and indeterminate, other wise known as indeterminacy, as a way to explain Rosenblatt's "blueprint " concept in his terms. ... This theory supports that not only can readers belong to various communities at one time, but also that they all arrive at the text inclined to not stray from the group. ... Holland believ...

  • Word Count: 1156
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Great Gatsby Outline

The term modernism is widely used to identify new and distinctive features in the subjects, forms, concepts, and styles of literature and the other arts in the early decades of the present century, but especially after World War I. A wide variety of new and experimental forms and techniques arose in architecture, dance, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. ... He belongs to the lost generation of WW1 3. ...

  • Word Count: 359
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The History and Theory of Anglo-American Literature

What is literature? ... What is literature? ... Literature is a creative act. ... Other criteria came to the literature realm. ... Third, the term of 'literature' ought to be limited at imaginative literature. ...

  • Word Count: 5585
  • Approx Pages: 22
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Comparison of 3 Characters in the Canterbury Tales

He made a critical contribution to English literature in using this style of writing when most of poetry was at that time being written in Anglo-Norman or Latin (classicnotes.com). ... Three of the main characters in the story belong to the Feudal Group. ... This concept is shown in the duel in the Knight's tale and the window scene in the Miller's tale (Hooper 127 and 211). ... Although the three Pilgrims belonged to the same group, all of their stories taught different lessons, just as Chaucer had intended. This unique col- lection of stories is what makes Cha...

  • Word Count: 1019
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

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