...An individual’s perceptions of belonging evolves in response to the passage of time and interaction with their world The continuation of time can morph an individual’s interaction in their world, changing their perceptions of their milieu that they associate themselves as a manner of response to life experiences. The dynamic nature of the primordial desire to belong is heavily explored by Raimond Gaita through the reflective memoir ‘Romulus My Father. Within it, Gaita seeks to discern the effects of establishing strong connections with the external environment over time in order to understand and ultimately belong to a new environment. From this, we are able to perceive how a personal sense of belonging can be attributed on experiences from those around us, and how their influence increase over the passage of time. The ability to gain an understanding and attachment with one’s changing environment creates an interminable bond with one’s adaptive identity. In Romulus My Father, Romulus was initially unable to accept his status as a “New Australian”, as he was initially unwilling to disassociate himself from his European lifestyle – “Romulus Gaita always considered himself a Romanian”. His description of the European foliage as “soft and generous” includes emotive language to resonate the resilient relationship between his origins. This lack of assimilation is corroborated through his detachment from the Australian landscape “His eyes looked directly at the foliage and turned...
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...human needs for companionship and security. For those who have a place where they belong such as with a family, with friends, with the community; they feel safe and content. For those who don’t belong and cannot “fit” into their surroundings they are faced with problems of alienation and loneliness. These different aspects of belong are reflected in a variety of texts; “Romulus My Father” by Raimond Gaita explores a sense of familial belonging and how it shapes who we are, “The Comic” by Leunig explores the troubles of being accepted and “fitting” in. Finally, the feature article, “Compulsive Gamers ‘not addicts’” by Pady Maguire explores the need for gamers to belong to a community. In “Romulus My Father” the most profound sense of belonging exists with the narrator himself. The narrator delivers his observations in a reflective and thoughtful tone. The high modality of verb choice suggests a pleasant nostalgia about events in the book. Particularly his recollections of his father, notions such as, “I loved him too deeply… no quarrel could estrange us” displays the sense of belonging \ he feels with his father. This is evident even after Christina dies. He observed, “We came together as son and husband with the woman whose remains lay beneath us”. Raimond’s aspect of belonging is that of family and culture. Juxtaposed against Raimond’s belonging is the suffering of Christina in her displacement. For the mother her inability to belong is described by Raimond as, “a troubled city girl...
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...The last day I spoke to my biological father, Kevin, was on January 1st, 2017. Until that night, my father and I had a picturesque relationship to those around us, including our family, friends, and even my teachers. We resembled the majority of American families; accomplished and clean-cut, middle class people. Behind closed doors my father was always poor, drunk, and unemployed, yet no matter how many jobs were lost nor how many trips to the redemption center we made, I loved him dearly. This love still grew even through the years of his abusive nature; The abusive varied from physical, emotional, and sexual over an eight year span and continued till my junior year of high school. My guilt developed from these eight years and I now know this is because of the emotional abuse I subsided because of the age of which it started and because of my close relationship with my father. He was my rock when I lacked parental guidance and my worst critical that torn my self esteem apart. Weeks passed and the daily phone calls I once always answered turned into voicemails. Guilt flooded my emotions every time I ignored the phone and I cried each night that passed in the first month. I felt as though I was choosing to lose a parent, a support system, and a family. I now know that I was remembering to breathe for the first time...
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...under my breath, pedaling furiously. A thunderstorm had started, I was soaked to my skin, my stomach was growling and yet my bicycle refused to move faster. Getting back home was quite literally an uphill task as it was on top of a hill, sitting like a cream colored cherry on top of a green colored hill. The rain was not helping my quest to get back home in time for a nourishing dinner and a full night’s sleep, both of which had been recently denied to me due to the pressures of my new job. Avoiding the puddles formed in the potholes of the road, I made my way forward slowly but steadily. Thoughts of my father crept into my mind. His smile, his booming laughter, the fierce frown when someone, anyone, told him what to do were my most vivid memories. He had departed for his next life now; a tumor in his lungs made sure of that. Even though it had now been a year since his death, I still missed him. My mother had left me and my father when I was a mere 3-year old girl, impressionable and then, heart-broken. I have never trusted anyone completely ever since. I huffed and puffed up the hill and when I was close enough, I saw something which made my blood run cold. A streak of lightning. A fire. On the very top of the hill. I cycled like I had never cycled before. Memories of my father building the house swirled into my mind, too fast to separate. Panic seized my throat. I could not let it burn down. It was my only tangible connection to him. I felt my bicycle...
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...Comparison Essay My Father and Mother Almost all children spend their childhood time together with their parents. I also grew up and spent my childhood with my father and mother. As parents, both of them loved and took care of me. However, there are three major differences between them. My parents have different views on children’s career, different views on children’s life and different habits. Firstly, my dad and mom had different opinions on what I should pursue as my future job. My dad said I should get a job related to sciences or business. He suggested I should become a doctor, nurse or business administrator. My mom said I should pick up their career and become a farmer or maybe a gardener. My dad was very strict when it came to what I could do as a child while my mom was more open-minded. My dad would not allow me to go outside to play with my friends. If he found out that I was outside he would force me to go back home and be really angry with me. He would also say that I should be either studying or be working in and around the house. My mom, on the other hand, would give me more freedom. She would allow me to have free time. She would even tell me to sneak out and go play with my friends. This leads to another difference between them. Even though my mom would let me go outside she herself stays at home all the time and does not like to go outside. She likes the comfort of her...
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...The reason I interviewed my mother is because she never really explains what she did before meeting my father. Even though she is an extensive part of my life she rarely tells of her past and interviewing her proved to get a better understanding of what her life was like after high school. Even though my mother, Marie Liddiard, dreamed to be an architect when she was younger, she became clueless on what she wanted to do once she was out of high school. First, I asked where and when she went to college, she said at the age of 17 she went to Lewis and Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho and she continued going for 1 and a half years. On her first day she was able to select her classes, however, most were full and the class she wanted to go...
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...Sarah Rosenzweig John McKenzie English comp My Crazy kook Father A bond is something special in life; you should cherish the ones who make you who you are. Beauty is not about looks, make-up or clothes. Beauty comes from within. Showing your true colors leads people to be more appreciative towards you. We learn from our peers. My siblings are a huge part of my life; we truly love each other. My parents taught us that our family would always be there for us no matter what. My dad is the man of the house. My family jokes that he’s the thermostat that sets the temperature in the house. My dad is a great guy; I’ve learned a lot from him throughout my life. Any man can be a father figure but it takes someone special to step up to the plate and be a dad. During my early childhood, my dad raised us for most of the time. Mom worked days and he worked nights. Every day he would make us breakfast. Our typical morning started off with orange juice, pancakes, French toast, eggs, or cereal. Whatever we wanted he would make it. He’s a chef by trade and loves to make things from scratch. He took orders from us and always cooked with a smile. We were rebels growing up and we put him through hell and back. His motto is, “You’re going to do whatever you want to do, so why should I say no”. He wanted us to learn from our own mistakes. I feel lucky to have a father that gave us our freedom from such an early age. I honestly believe that learning ‘the hard way’ works best for me. We were...
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...When I was first given the grit assignment a lot of people came to mind, but I had my mind set on who I would do. This person is my Dad, he is not only my loving father but someone I look up to. Before I was given this project, I was well aware of some of the struggles that my Dad had endured in his life, but this project gave me the opportunity to learn more about his life in the past. Jesus, my father, was born in Mexico and eventually arrived in the United States when he was 2. He lived in California for the first 18 years of his life and grew up in a neighborhood filled with gang violence and bad influences. These bad influences got to him as early as elementary school, where he and some friends were smoking cigarettes. When my grandpa found out what he was doing he became furious with him and set him straight with a good spanking. My Dad entered the workforce at the age of 12, where he worked in grape fields picking grapes in the summers with my grandpa. His soft hands were easily blistered while he worked in the fields, this is what developed his large leathery hands today. Besides working in the fields, school was another challenge for him. He struggled in school mainly because my grandparents only knew Spanish and they could not help him with most of his schoolwork. This is what caused his lack of motivation to get an education. My Dad began...
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...many factors and experiences affect how this sensation of belonging can prosper within each individual. This concept of acceptance and understanding is represented in Raimond Gaita’s memoir, Romulus, My Father through the exploration of Australian migrant life. The concerns of cultural difference and empathy is mirrored in Hanif Kureishi’s short story, My Son the Fanatic, where Parvez undertakes a metaphysical journey to realise the importance of belonging and how this sense of belonging involves many factors and experiences. Through the character’s responses to the challenges posed upon them, acceptance and understanding is developed as a uniting force in bringing individuals together. An individuals’s acceptance towards his environment greatly influences their ability to form strong links with it. For example in Romulus, My Father, Raimond, having the advantage of being young when he migrated forms his experiences in Australia grows up acknowledging Australia as his home. This is shown when Gaita metaphorically describes the landscape outside the hospital to be “the back of [God’s] workshop”, where he recognises the significance of the land in his life and has come to accept the environment and hence develops a sense of home. The concept of acceptance is further maintained within My Son the Fanatic where Parvez, a Pakistani migrant in England has accepted the values of the new land. His realisation of how the practicing of Islam has “sparked many disputes” in England drives him...
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...My name is Bird Wohampack I’m 12 years old. I was born a slave but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood. I had no name so my name is Bird because when I was sold my owner thought I sounded like a bird so my name was Bird. I didn’t know who were my parents because when I was 5-year old I was locked up and chained. I was useless and hit most of the time because I’m a girl. I was being resold because I’m a useless person for my owner and I’m now 13 and I’m getting resold for $100. When I became 14 I was sold to a rich family it was the Jam family and they also had another slave called Hippo, they were white folks. During that time I became friends with Hippo Delhip, she was more like a sister to me because we talk a lot together...
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...My father Leandrew Williams died when I was 13 years old. He was shot 3 times in the head and afterwards burned. I found it hard to forgive the men that murdered him and myself. Being bullied, getting into numerous fist fights all because I didn’t know how to handle what I was going through mentally. Because I chose to dwell on all the pain, guilt, and pity I acted out in a way that showed just how broken I was at the time. Every other week was different teacher calling about my same disrespectful behavior. I was young and felt left out so I wanted to hang around the popular kids, which I did. I thought they cared about me but they were only gossiping about me behind my back, encouraging me to do bad things and had me fight people for them when they were the ones starting drama. I was not true to myself and too timid to even speak my mind, In fact, I was a follower and I was the one getting in the most trouble. My mom was starting to worry...
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...The bond of a child with a mother and or a father is everything pleasant and special, it creates passion, loyal, connection, and sympathy. No matter in what form is it being given, as long as the other person understands they are sending their love. For a few, unfortunately, don’t get the love and connection needed. The bond creates sensations in order to cause feelings of strength and protection. For example, a bond between a father and son, both considered males, which portrays them to play a strong, manly role and a bond which doesn’t involve much emotional connections but further of a competitive bond such as engaging in sports related activity. Simply on an account of men not relying on demonstrating emotional feelings for one another, only when necessary....
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...PER REPORTER: The family is living everywhere. Jalea stays where she can or with the aunt. The mother and children are not in a stable place. The aunt is not able to care for the children because she has two daughters and one of them has a baby. Per reporter, mom is on drugs and she is immature as can be. Mom uses weed and pops pills. They say she do everything but the reporter's concern is a social worker needs to go to the school because Jalea stays fighting, in trouble, suspended, on social media cursing, and posting a gun. If the school calls the other, she comes to the school and clown. Dr. Sheppard have problems with write ups for Jalea. The school can be contacted for more information. A worker can talk to Mr. Moore and Dr. Sheppard...
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...In his essay, Some Memories of my Father, Dean Bakopoulos analyzes his memories of his father and what he misses most about him. Bakopoulos recalls memories of his father starting at age three. His final memory of his father is at age sixteen. Throughout those thirteen years, Bakopoulos’ family is on an emotional rollercoaster because of his father’s actions and personality. Each stage in Bakopoulos’ childhood has a specific memory about his father that he recalls. At age three, Bakopoulos remembers “[his father] smoking and sweating, swearing at some sort of machine, while [he sat] on a concrete floor, banging an old coffee can with a screwdriver.” This is Bakopoulos’ earliest memory of his father. At age four, the author remembers his father killing a hornet by stabbing it with a pocketknife while they are stacking firewood by the house. Bakopoulos’ memory of his father at age five is not a very positive memory. Bakopoulos and his...
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...Sometimes the simplest things can build a strong relationship. In Chili Cheese Dogs, My Father and Me, author, Pat Conrey tells the story of a bond, between his father and him, created by hot dog. This bond is similar to a bond my family shares based on a Korean soup. In 1998, Pat’s father was dying of colon cancer. Pat was put in charge of his father’s daily lunches. His father would request meals relating to his past life experiences. Through the food, his father would express his true feelings. One of their main conversation topics was debating whether a chili cheese dog or red hot was the superior hot dog. Before his death his dad stated, “I think the chili cheese dog is the best red hot I've ever eaten.”(Conrey 2) This was his disguised...
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