Belonging Speech Romulus
Belonging English Speech
Good morning, fellow students. I am here today to give you a short presentation on how personal, historical, social and cultural contexts have all worked together to shape my understanding of belonging and not belonging. How would you feel if you were thrown into an entirely different landscape to what you were used to? And were treated as an outsider just because of the colour of your skin, or where you were from? You would feel neglected, alienated, alone. This is the sense of not belonging that is strongly illustrated in both the novel Romulus my father, by Raimond Gaita, and the song Oxford Town written by Bob Dylan. The historical and personal contexts that surround these texts shape and strengthen the concept of belonging inside them. A sense of belonging emerges from connections with people, places, groups, communities and the world as a whole. But the perception of this sense of belonging is shaped entirely by the context that the text was written in.
Feeling as if you are excluded from a group of people because of the way they treat you is a major contribution in how somebody establishes their sense of belonging. This is strongly apparent when viewed in the historical context of the text. When Romulus and the other migrants arrive in Australia, the white Australians call them "The Balts". Giving these New
Australians nicknames that are purely based on where they come from and no other background knowledge of that person. This can really make someone feel out of place, that they do not belong there. Making judgement on a person because of where they’re from can leave the individual feeling disconnected from the land they are settling in. Raimond represents this idea throughout the novel by continually establishing the concept that Romulus never really adjusted to being in Australia. He does this through quotes such as "Even after 40 years my father could not become reconciled to it".
This quote is very strong in what it
Good morning, fellow students. I am here today to give you a short presentation on how personal, historical, social and cultural contexts have all worked together to shape my understanding of belonging and not belonging. How would you feel if you were thrown into an entirely different landscape to what you were used to? And were treated as an outsider just because of the colour of your skin, or where you were from? You would feel neglected, alienated, alone. This is the sense of not belonging that is strongly illustrated in both the novel Romulus my father, by Raimond Gaita, and the song Oxford Town written by Bob Dylan. The historical and personal contexts that surround these texts shape and strengthen the concept of belonging inside them. A sense of belonging emerges from connections with people, places, groups, communities and the world as a whole. But the perception of this sense of belonging is shaped entirely by the context that the text was written in.
Feeling as if you are excluded from a group of people because of the way they treat you is a major contribution in how somebody establishes their sense of belonging. This is strongly apparent when viewed in the historical context of the text. When Romulus and the other migrants arrive in Australia, the white Australians call them "The Balts". Giving these New
Australians nicknames that are purely based on where they come from and no other background knowledge of that person. This can really make someone feel out of place, that they do not belong there. Making judgement on a person because of where they’re from can leave the individual feeling disconnected from the land they are settling in. Raimond represents this idea throughout the novel by continually establishing the concept that Romulus never really adjusted to being in Australia. He does this through quotes such as "Even after 40 years my father could not become reconciled to it".
This quote is very strong in what it