To belong is an inanimate desire to be respected and to respect those whom you want to be with through association of similar values. To feel a sense of belonging is to feel loved for our entirety or to be loved due to and aspect of your person that is common with those you who belong as one. An individual has the capacity to belong to people, physical places or ideas. Baz Buhrmann’s film “Strictly Ballroom” explores the concept of belonging, to the subculture of Ballroom dancing, through the non-conformist antagonist Scott Hastings and his inexperienced partner, the daughter of a Spanish migrant family. The Picture Book “The Rabbits” by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, confronts belonging through clashing cultures, disrespect of different beliefs and loss of identity.
Belonging to the world of ballroom dancing involves conforming to the use of extravagantly coloured cloths that is worn. Throughout the film different characters present the viewers with the extremity of their costumes even off the dance floor. Scott dances by himself in simple black trousers and a white shirt, which is a distinct contrast. Similarly Doug hasting is also always in standard clothing throughout the movie. While we never view Doug dancing for an audience, outside of the dream sequence, he is dressed in plain and tired outfits. Both Doug and Scott dance without the costumes tell the audience that they belong not to the society which has become “Ballroom Dancing” but to the idea that dance is ones ability to be themselves.
A strong theme in Baz Luhrmans Strictly Ballroom is courage and to live without fear. Frans Family have a proverb that strongly resides with Fran. This is evident early on Fran while Fran is trying to convince Scott to p...
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...n Tan repeatedly uses this technique to emphasize the contrast between the natives and the settlers. This does not only suggest to the reader a connection the natives have with their land but that they have a greater sense of belonging.
Luhrman uses a similar technique In Strictly ballroom. The scenes in which Scott dances with Fran are juxtaposed to those of other dancers who are under Barry Fifes rule. The lighting is natural and simplistic compared to the harsh theatrical lighting, which is otherwise used to demonstrate the fake and falsehood of federation. As well as the use of shadows and half-light, which is used to create a sense of fear or suspicion. This makes for a great metaphor and image of Doug secretly dancing in, out and around the spotlight in the otherwise dark room. This use of lighting suggests to the viewer that contrast of belonging and not.
He makes a point of how American’s place an extreme emphasis on “lineal order”, we take pride in “lining things up, getting thing in line… We have it all neatly separated and categorized” (16). This statement is absolutely true, if we look about our society, the city we live in, the design of our houses, the way desks are arranged in a school, everything is in straight, orderly lines. In contrast, in Native American communities “the reverse is true… instead of separating into categories of the sort, family groups sit in circles, meeting are in circles” (17). These are examples of how the Native American culture places great value on coming together and including people in their traditions. In Toelken opinion, these differences in spatial systems also affect our relationships with
Ultimately, belonging is not simply a state of security and acceptance, but also involves fear, insecurity, conflict and exclusion. Through Arthur Miller’s exploration of this paradoxical nature of belonging, we see the importance and necessity of belonging to oneself, even if this means exclusion from the community.
Tim Burton, in Edward Scissorhands, uses high key and low key lighting. For example, Peg’s town is flooded with high key lighting in order to make the outside seem joyful and peaceful. The outside may look cheery and bring, but most of the people living there were not the most pleasant people. The women gossip and create rumors; the men are rude and conceited. He used low key lighting in order to make the audience feel anxious about the upcoming events. An example would be when Peg walked up to the top floor of the mansion and noticed that someone was sitting in the corner. Edward’s shadow may have given him a frightening appearance, as he is a ‘man’ with scissors for hands. But Edward was a kind and caring gentleman. In conclusion, he used reverse lighting to add an irreplaceable, distinctive quality to his movies.
...ared a common experience in the Old World as well as the New World, and both groups held in common a trust that God would provide the means necessary that would ease and hasten their struggle for peace, and their belief in freedom from oppression and persecution. Although each group’s faith is different, their cultures and traditions divergent; they met resistance to their way of life and living with an historical perspective with God and the idea of progress on their side. Every immigrant story is a progression in every realm of thought.
As a result, both films represent Natives Americans under the point of view of non-Native directors. Despite the fact that they made use of the fabricated stereotypes in their illustrations of the indigenous people, their portrayal was revolutionary in its own times. Each of the films add in their own way a new approach to the representation of indigenous people, their stories unfold partly unlike. These differences make one look at the indigenous not only as one dimensional beings but as multifaceted beings, as Dunbar say, “they are just like us.” This is finally a sense of fairness and respect by the non-native populations to the Native Indians.
The lighting is used as colour symbolism through Priestley’s decision to imitate the emotions in the act, ‘the lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should...
Take the Lead is a great movie, and although it does stereotype the idea that lower class children are not interested in ballroom dance, it does a great job of showing the power or dance, and how dance is more than something people do for fun, but that people and cultures can be brought closer through dance.
The concept of belonging can be seen in the associations and relationships made with people and our interactions with these people. Ideas underpinning belonging include; identity, acceptance and a larger understanding of where we are placed within society. These perspectives of belonging can be seen in the work titled ‘Immigrant Chronicles’, and more so the poems ‘10 Mary Street’ and ‘Felix Skrzynecki’ by Australian poet Peter Skrzynecki.
Identity is 'how you view yourself and your life.'; (p. 12 Knots in a String.) Your identity helps you determine where you think you fit in, in your life. It is 'a rich complexity of images, ideas and associations.';(p. 12 Knots in a String.) It is given that as we go through our lives and encounter different experiences our identity of yourselves and where we belong may change. As this happens we may gain or relinquish new values and from this identity and image our influenced. 'A bad self-image and low self-esteem may form part of identity?but often the cause is not a loss of identity itself so much as a loss of belonging.'; Social psychologists suggest that identity is closely related to our culture. Native people today have been faced with this challenge against their identity as they are increasingly faced with a non-native society. I will prove that the play The Rez Sisters showed this loss of identity and loss of belonging. When a native person leaves the reservation to go and start a new life in a city they are forced to adapt to a lifestyle they are not accustomed to. They do not feel as though they fit in or belong to any particular culture. They are faced with extreme racism and stereotypes from other people in the nonreservational society.
When she abandoned herself, a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free! (Chopin 260) It is after this reawakening that Mrs. Mallard realizes that she can now live her life the way she wants, instead of the current situation where her life is dictated by her husband.
Belonging is a fluid concept that adapts and shifts within a person’s lifetime. It is subjective and can encourage feelings of security, happiness and acceptance or conversely alienation and dislocation. One's perception of belonging, and therefore identity, is significantly influenced by place and relationships established within one's environment. This is evident in Steven Herrick's free verse novel “The Simple Gift” and the short story “The River that wasn’t ours” by Ashley Reynolds.
In what ways does this text explore the development of belonging through connections to people, places, groups, communities or the larger world?
We crave the feeling of belonging but there isn’t just a negative side like the previous representation. There is a positive side - where you’re not alone and given time you will discover a place to belong. The film ’Chocolat’ explores the potential of the individual to enrich and challenge a group. In the village of Lasquenet the people ‘know their place’ and their traditions. However change begins when, Vianne and Anouk, the outsiders arrive at village in red cloaks against the grey landscape establishing them as a threat. This is represented by an aerial shot coming in from a distance to focus on the village.
Overall this book has shaped my understanding of belonging as it shows how over Li Cunxin’s life how he has belonged to many different groups.
The film used and presented the box social dance sequence in the same way as the stage performance. The aesthetic quality of the hoedown adds an authenticity to the Wild West. It is the kind of dance one would expect when thinking of stereotypical Wild West folk.