Connecting to people is indispensable to developing a sense of belonging. When people aren’t connected to others they can experience stray or alienated. Two texts that examine this thought are the gesture image ‘Gran Torino’ directed by Clint Eastwood and Steven Herrick’s poetry novel ‘The Simple Gift’ .
For people to comprehend that they truly belong. they need to do connexions with the people around them. In ‘Gran Torino’ Eastwood examines this thought through the characters Walt and Thao. A scene within ‘Gran Torino’ that greatly represents this thought is the BBQ scene where Walt invites over his new found Asiatic friends – Thao and his household. This scene contrasts to the beginning of the film when all Walt did was frown at them and do supercilious remarks. There are many things that are being shared at the BBQ i. e. company. nutrient. conversation and regard. By utilizing shootings of them all in the one angle. Eastwood is able to give the semblance of close-ness. Belonging has given Walt the wages of satisfaction and pride in Thao’s achievements ; assisting him go a adult male and witnessing him take enterprise to inquire a miss on a day of the month. Thao is so rewarded by Walt with the ultimate mark of trust and regard when Walt loans his prized ‘Gran Torino’ auto to Thao for the day of the month. Eastwood uses positive imagination. along with cuts of the smiling faces of the characters to outdo show these wagess through the symbolism of a BBQ as a topographic point where people portion their felicity and laughter.
This is similar to the message Herrick is giving us through the characters of Billy and Caitlyn in the poetry novel ‘The Simple Gift’ . ‘In the sunshine’ highlights the wagess of belonging to person with the usage of positively charged words and imagination through the usage of ‘bright’ . ‘sunshine’ . and ‘determined’ . The symbolism of pillows represents comfort and tranquility. Caitlyn is welcomed by Billy “He saw me coming… and waved… and he smiled… welcome. welcome to my sunshine” the repeated usage of the word ‘welcome’ shows Billy’s heat towards her. The quote “honour of poverty” by Billy makes Caitlin reflect negatively on her actions and makes her ‘more
determined to sit with him here in the bright sunshine’ which adds to the happy tone of the verse form and emphasizes the wages of belonging.
Paired in contrast with ‘In the sunshine’ is another verse form titled ‘The Shadows’ . The rubric of this verse form plays on the motive of light and dark that runs throughout the poetry novel. It focuses on dark imagination and uses negative words such as ‘creep. shadows and scared’ to stress Caitlyn’s fright and shame. Caitlin’s fear itself leaves her stray “I stay in the shadows. watching” and the troubles of altering your position in order to belong is a major thought of belonging in which the pick is clearly defined as Caitlin physically chooses to run off from the scene in forepart of her “That’s when I turn and run to school without of all time go forthing the shadows” . The physical pick of flying represents her internal battle to belong with Billy.
The challenges of belonging are present in ‘Gran Torino’ when Walt appears to hold a racist attitude towards his neighbors as he is ever naming them ‘gooks’ or ‘zipper heads’ . It is apparent in the scene in which Thao’s cousin and his pack attempt to enroll Thao in his ain front pace. that Walt does non like the Hmong people. Thao resists which causes a struggle that ends up traveling over to Walt’s lawn. The scene is cut to Walt indicating a gun into the gangs’ faces whilst stating ‘get off my lawn’ . One of the members of the pack says to Walt ‘are you crazy. travel back in the house’ where Walt replies to this ‘how about I blow a hole in your face and so I go in the house and I sleep like a babe. you can number on that’ . This struggle allows the audience to feel that Walt is isolated from the people around him.
In decision. the characters from both texts advancement from disaffection to belonging through the bonds they created by altering themselves in a positive manner to accept and be accepted.
