Similarities Between Romulus My Father And To Kill A Mockingbird

“As Individual’s interaction with others and the world them can enrich or limit their experience of belonging”

“As human beings, a feeling of belonging is vital to the well being and self esteem of the individual, but a lack of connection, or rejection can cause instability and other negative repercussions”. As stated by Aldo Leopold, an individual’s sense of belonging is either enhanced or restrained from the connections made with entities such as people, places and communities. The feeling of connection with these entities are formed through one self's own perception and of others, as well as by the world around them through historical, social and cultural context, and their growth to individuality. In both texts, “Romulus My Father” by
At the beginning of the film, equivalent to Raimond; Scout is an innocent, good hearted child who has no experience with the evils of the world. However, as the film progresses, Scout has her first contact with evil in the form of racial prejudice, and the basic development of her character is governed by the question of whether she will emerge from that contact or be torn. This is clearly displayed in one of the most compelling sequences in the film, when a self-appointed lynch mob gathers to take justice into their own hands, confronting Atticus who’s safe guarding Tom Robinson’s cell. The children are seen to be frightened, hiding and watching from the darkness and cover of the bushes, although suddenly Scout’s individual characteristics are proven, as she pushes her way through the crowd, oblivious to the danger, to glimpse her stern-faced father. Through the use of an establishing shot, the context of the entire scene is able to be seen by the audience, accompanied by her higher position than the Lynch mob, highlights her importance. Even though Atticus orders the children to go home, they refuse, and thus lighting plays a major role in the effect of significance of Scout, as it emphasizes her important part in this scene, as well as representing her light she arrays over the
Correspondingly in both texts, “Romulus My Father” and “To Kill A Mockingbird”, both authors explore the notions of one’s experiences through place and historical context, towards a sense of alienation. Throughout Raimond Gaita’s memoir, the historical context of both Christine and Romulus are continuously reiterated, as they struggle to overcome adversity from one country’s racial discrimination, to another’s. This is distinctly portrayed when Gaita narrates through the dark appearances of his parents, conflicting with the historical context at that time, describing them as “victims of Nazi Racial Policy”. Previously, the historical background of both lives in Europe were exceptionally difficult, growing up in a war torn countries, and then the domination of the Nazi Racial Policy. This involved the preference of fair skin, hair and eyes, which juxtaposed with both Christine and Romulus‘ dark physical attributes. This is clearly seen as Gaita, through various figurative language, describes the “dark complexions” of both his mother and father. Through the continuous reiteration of adjectives such as “dark and black”, when illustrating both his parents, the concept of alienation in their own home place is clearly apparent, as their physical characteristics excludes the two from a sense of belonging to a place of safety. He states, “For if my