Belonging Romulus, My Father and the Kite Runner
Year 12 Assessment Task 2: Area of Study- Belonging
“We all strive to belong”
To what extent is this statement true with regard to your SET text and at least ONE related text of your own choosing?
One’s understanding of belonging can broaden their understanding and acceptance of themselves and the world around them. The statement that we all strive to belong is true, however it may take time to belong to a certain person, place, group, community or even the larger world. This issue is explored in Raimond Gaita’s biographical memoir Romulus, My Father and Khaled Hosseini’s confronting novel The Kite Runner. Throughout these texts, the themes of personal relationships, migrant experience and morals and values arise from the concept of belonging and are explored through the use of language devices.
In Romulus, My Father, Raimond Gaita explores his need to connect with and understand his father’s world in relation to personal relationships and appreciation of the land. When explaining the differences between him and Romulus, Raimond states that “childhood as we now know it, a space apart from the adult world, a life of its own, did not exist in that part of the world at that time.” This direct emotive statement creates a sense of sympathy for Raimond as he, like many immigrant children at the time, felt a sense of deprivation of their parent’s world. This statement also communicates the idea that Raimond did not have the same cultural upbringing as his father. Gaita further explores the filial relationship between him and his father, through the fact that Raimond’s cultural upbringing took place in Australia, whereas Romulus’ took place in Europe. This creates an opportunity for Raimond to view and experience the Australian landscape therefore enabling him to understand his life and relationship with his father. Vivid visual imagery is used to suggest Raimond’s connection with the land. He describes the time he took a rifle to go shooting and admits that it was
“We all strive to belong”
To what extent is this statement true with regard to your SET text and at least ONE related text of your own choosing?
One’s understanding of belonging can broaden their understanding and acceptance of themselves and the world around them. The statement that we all strive to belong is true, however it may take time to belong to a certain person, place, group, community or even the larger world. This issue is explored in Raimond Gaita’s biographical memoir Romulus, My Father and Khaled Hosseini’s confronting novel The Kite Runner. Throughout these texts, the themes of personal relationships, migrant experience and morals and values arise from the concept of belonging and are explored through the use of language devices.
In Romulus, My Father, Raimond Gaita explores his need to connect with and understand his father’s world in relation to personal relationships and appreciation of the land. When explaining the differences between him and Romulus, Raimond states that “childhood as we now know it, a space apart from the adult world, a life of its own, did not exist in that part of the world at that time.” This direct emotive statement creates a sense of sympathy for Raimond as he, like many immigrant children at the time, felt a sense of deprivation of their parent’s world. This statement also communicates the idea that Raimond did not have the same cultural upbringing as his father. Gaita further explores the filial relationship between him and his father, through the fact that Raimond’s cultural upbringing took place in Australia, whereas Romulus’ took place in Europe. This creates an opportunity for Raimond to view and experience the Australian landscape therefore enabling him to understand his life and relationship with his father. Vivid visual imagery is used to suggest Raimond’s connection with the land. He describes the time he took a rifle to go shooting and admits that it was
Bibliography: Set Text: Romulus, My Father by Raimond Gaita. Memoir, first published by Text Publishing in 1998. Related text: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Novel, published by Riverhead Books in 2003. Elizabeth Billing 11E1AC Mr Deli