Belonging Essay

The concept of belonging is that it is the only thing that matters in life. The novel ‘The Simple Gift’ is about the characters each having their own persona and the documentary ‘OASIS’ being about belonging to those who don’t belong. Herrick feels that young people are often marginalised and he wrote the simple gift to explore how youth can positively influence adults. He suggests that a great deal can be learnt from adolescents when they are accepted for who they are and when their world is happen embraced. OASIS takes an unflinching look at the difficulties and triumphs that each day and night. Many of these young people have ongoing problems with drug abuse, some violent, abusive and out of control. These texts explore many aspects of belonging, including the potential of the individual to challenge a community or group. They may reflect the way attitudes to belonging are personalized over time. They also represent choices not to belong, or barriers which prevent belonging.

Belonging is an important and comforting subject in life that really does matter. Billy doesn’t belong living at home with his abusive father so he leaves to live in a train carriage at Benderat. Billy describes it as a perfect town which gives a sense of calmness. He washes his clothes and swims in the river which suggests that he is comfortable in his surroundings. His positive outlooks on Benderat suggest to the responder that Billy has the sense of belonging.

The friendship of Old Bill and Billy is demonstrated in the lines ‘Old Bill and I looked up into the sky, the deep blue sky that Old Bill and I shared’. Friendship is and important part of belonging and this is communicated to the responder. ‘I hugged Old Bill like ive never hugged a man before.’ Billy has never hugged a man like that before, including his father which shows respect for Old Bill. He is thankful because Old Bill has helped him. Billy feels that he belongs because Old Bill cares about him.

In The Simple...