Romulus My Father - Belonging Essay Example

Good morning and thankyou for having me. Belonging is the ability to feel acceptance and understanding within personal, cultural, historical and social environments. The concept of belonging differs between individuals as their perceptions of belonging are influenced by their differing background, understanding and belief, which can be. The main thesis featured in my visual representation is ‘when two worlds collide’ and this is a common theme created within my chosen texts Romulus My Father, Rabbit Proof Fence and Kevin Rudd sorry speech.
Raimond Gaita’s text, Romulus My Father, conveys the notions of belonging through a reflective autobiographical memoir in which he celebrates and bares witness to his father’s values. He uses first person narration, drawing the reader into the confidence. He portrays the Australian landscape as an evocative metaphor for belonging, identity and alienation through his use of vivid, powerful imagery. The remains of earth scattered below the ‘colliding worlds’ depict the hardships that Romulus will face to conform this new and uncomfortable environment. The Australian landscape symbolises Romulus’ and Christine’s estrangement from their surroundings and contrasts to the lush European sensibility, ‘to the European eye it seems desolate’. The fragmented image symbolising the isolation and alienation experienced by those who feel they are not a part of the world in which they inhabit. These feelings of isolation are particularly evident in the characters Romulus and Christine, who feel they cannot connect to the barren nature of the Australian environment. This sense of separation is emphasised by the metaphor of Peppercorns, ‘to mediate between the local and European landscapes’ illustrating their conflicting notions of belonging. The wire fencing between the colliding worlds symbolises the barriers and conflicts that Romulus will have to face in order to feel accepted in his new world. This sense of not belonging can be contrasted