Belonging in As You Like It Essay

"Connections made with people, places, groups, communities, and the larger world can influence a sense of belonging"

Belonging is a complex and multifaceted concept. It encompasses a reflexive principle as it can be constructive or destructive, intrinsic or extrinsic, develop or sacrifice, enrich or challenge and be nurturing but also restrictive. An individuals interaction and connection with others and the world around them can enrich their feelings of belonging and acceptance, or lead to insecurity, isolation and rejection.

The play As you like it by William Shakespeare and the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by Mark Herman convey both the constructive and destructive nature of belonging due to the ability to make connections with people, places and the concept of not just conforming the norms of the larger society, but altering those norms for the better of the community and the individual.

A sense of belonging is defined by those who do not belong, because a clear division is evident between the two extremes. Our ability to associate with others within society allow us to establish a set of standards and recognise the norms to conform too in order to belong. Those that are able, or choose to incorporate these norms into their lifestyles have the potential to connect and share an understanding with the civil society. Orlando fails to fulfill the requirements of his gentleman rank in order to fit into Duke Fredericks court and attain the requirements of Rosalind as a potential husband. Rosalind takes it upon herself to train Orlando in the art of Rhetoric in order to enable him to satisfy the expectations of a man of his rank.

His developing education allows him to establish genuine connections with the people within his society including his own brother. His ability of Rhetoric allows him to communicate with others and prove himself as a man who has grown the standard of the gentleman title that he was born into. His education is accompanied with a new power in which he has the ability not only to connect with others, but demonstrate kindness and flexibility with a more appreciative response from his peers. It is in adhering to the norms of his rank that he has the ability to connect with those around him as well as attaining the potential to link beneficial aspects of bothe the civil and uncivil societies into a coherent and harmonious community.

Bruno also encompasses the promise to influence the social and economical situation within his context, however his innocence and lack of power keeps him from making any real impact. Although Bruno develops a relationship with Schmal, innocently ignorant of their economic and social situation, their strong friendship also reveals the ignorance of the Germans, in relation to their unfair judgement of the Jewish people. Bruno and Schmals friendship conveys the potential for harmony and cooperation between the conflicting cultures, however their age and little importance within the community makes expressing any such influence a challenge.

A connection to the people and places within the ecosystem of a community can be established by comparing the norms of different groups and conforming to the most suitable for the individual, in which they can ultimately belong to.

The transition from a community of coercion to a pastoral space enables the transformation of the characters behaviour and attitude to develop. The pastoral space allows the freedom to unearth characteristics such as kindness and flexibility that were formerly oppressed by the rules and power structure of the civil society.

After two violent brawls within Duke Fredericks court, one with a wrestler and the other with his own brother, Orlando leaves the court and heads towards the pastoral form of the Forest of Arden. There is direct contrast in Orlandos behaviour from his violent acts within the court, and the flexibility he portrays in aiding his own servant and putting his health before his own upon the arrival at the forest. Within the compassionate and generous society of the Arden people, Orlando reveals his kind heart that was not appreciated and oppressed within Duke Fredericks Court. Orlando establishes a new connection with the place and people of the Forest of Arden which enables his kind nature to resurface. His sense of belonging and relationship with the place and people of the Forest of Arden occurs due to him embracing the atmosphere of the pastoral space and allowing the generosity and flexible expectations of its people to influence him.

A naive Bruno completely depends his ability to truely connect with people and places to shape his beliefs, morals and relationships. Brunos experiences with Schmal and the attachment that they share encompasses a sense of care and security that contrasts with the cold atmosphere of the Nazi household which no longer supports his emotional needs. His curiousity leads him through a forest and to Schmal in which a strong friendship is formed, innocently ignorant of their economical and social situation. Although he is under adult instruction that the Jewish people are evil his growing connection with Schmal compels him to trust in their friendship and question the reliability of the opinions of his own sister, parents and teacher. The significance of the bond between the two boys is supported by the quote at the beginning of the movie Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. as Bruno depends on his bond with Schmal, dismissing the concept of the culture clash of their families at war.

A sense of belonging is the core necessity to the survival of an individual.

Although both Orlando and Bruno encompass the potential to change the structure of their societies, in unifying conflicting communities, their own ability to belong to a community at all is top priority in ensuring their own survival.

The film The Boy in the striped Pajamas ends in the death of both Bruno and Schmal within a gas chambre of the Jewish concentration camp. Although dramatic, the deaths of the boys conveys the harsh consequences of not belonging. As the boys fell victim to a frowned upon friendship, they became a minority in between two conflict in majorities, the Germans and the Jews. Their death not only reveals the fatal nature of belonging but also in Brunos case, the deterioration of his Nazi father and family, as his death marks the inability to perpetuate not only the name and title but the accompanying morals and beliefs of his father. After realising his son has been killed due to his own practices, Pathetic Fallacy and a close up camera shot are utilised to create a feeling of sadness and anger as the camera zooms into the distraught expression upon Brunos fathers face as raindrops fall upon his cheek and a raging storm sounds in the background. The audience are led to believe that the deaths are to have some influence upon him and the importance of a unified, connected and harmonious society is revealed, in order to avoid such catastrophic consequences from occurring again.

In conclusion, connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world CAN influence a sense of belonging. Although these connections are influential, their effect depends on ones ability to engage with such resources. Conforming to the norms and standards of these people, places, groups and communities would be utilising these factors in a beneficial way in regards to obtaining a sense of belonging, however consciously neglecting or being innocently ignorant of these norms may lead to the individuals inevitable destruction.