Belonging Case

elonging describes the state when one finally reaches an affinity, whether it is physical, emotional or otherwise, and the interpretation of belonging is altered through association with place. Raimond Gaita's, "Romulus, My Father," powerfully explores the concept of belonging through a variety of literary devices such as emotive language, metaphors and connotations. In particular, Romulus, My Father analyses how a sense of belonging can manifest through a feeling of acceptance to place, with Raimond's interconnection with the land, and also represents the notion of choosing not to belong or barriers which prevent belonging. "Romulus, My Father" powerfully explores the significance of place to a sense of belonging through a variety of techniques.

"Romulus, My Father," identifies and analyses the ways in which place can alter the grasp of belonging. This is achieved through emotive language. An example is when Gaita describes how he perceives the physical world and in doing so shows the pleasure he found in his surroundings, when he stated," the grey and equally round granite boulders that stood among the long yellow grasses, sharply delineated at all times of day by the summer sun. This demonstrates the sense of belonging felt by Gaita to his surroundings throughout his childhood and the positive emotions invoked by his place of acceptance. This is one example of how perceptions of belonging can be altered through relationships with place.

Ostracisation is dependent on cultural aspects associated with place and not belonging

Metaphors allow this to be conveyed. For his mother, Gaita describes dead gums as, "a symbol of her desolation." This exemplifies the concept of denying a sense of belonging.by enacting vivid imagery to reveal the extent of isolation felt by Christine due to the cultural beliefs of the time and a lack of compassion towards mental illness by the Australian people. Inclusion by the community is dependent on conformity to a place's cultural beliefs.

Romulus embeds a sense of belonging through affiliation with childhood memories of place. Emotive language and situations evoke a perception of a child grasping for emotional stability by attaching his hope for belonging within the context of his surroundings or place. This is shown when stated, "Primitive through the house was, it made it possible for my father to keep me rather than to send me to a home, and it offered the hope that our family might be reunited." Raimond's connection to his home impacted deeply on his psyche by stabilising his life and giving a sense of kinship and attachment with his surrounding environment. The association of place in the development of relationships, impacts on a person's development of identity by bringing an understanding of the world around them.

Raimond's rapport

...