Hsc belonging emily dickinson, ugly duckiling

Belonging is an integral facet of human existence, whether it be connections to people, places objects or thoughts.

Our sense of belonging is shaped by our experiences and memories, and by our innate desire to feel a connection with something meaningful. Because of this desire, not belonging can be hard and difficult to live with – however, often a sense of belonging can exist without it even being known. Aspects of belonging are apparent in selected poems by Emily Dickinson, most notably I Had Been Hungry All the Years, What Mystery Pervades a Well, and I Gave Myself to Him, the story The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen, and the song Invisible Kid by Metallica. I Had Been Hungry All the Years is Dickinson??™s expression of how she views herself in relation to belonging ??“ or more correctly, not belonging. She uses the metaphor of ??? windows??? representing barriers to belonging. The persona is ??? outside??™, alone by herself, while society/other people are ??? inside??™, feasting.

??? I looked in windows for the wealth that could not be mine??? perfectly describes how she feels that she can never truly belong in society. However, when she finally experiences some of the ??? feast??™ she ??? trembling drew the table near??? and realizes that it ??? Twas so unlike the crumb the birds and I had often shared???. Not only does this show us that once she got what she was ??? hungry??™ for, she was disappointed by it, but it also reveals that she does in fact belong – with nature. She uses the simile ??? As a berry from a mountain bush transplanted to the road??? to describe how she felt when she got what she yearned for.

This imagery tells us that feeling insecure about not belonging to something is foolish, because just as a berry belongs on a mountain bush, everyone belongs to something in some way, shape or form, even if it is not immediately apparent. She surmises that the ??? entering takes away??? ??“ that is, sometimes getting what you want makes you realize and be grateful for what you already have, and sometimes you find that what you wanted wasn??™t as good as you thought it was. What Mystery Pervades a Well explores a similar theme. Dickinson views the outside world (metaphorically) as a deep well with no bottom, or a jar where you only see through the lid. For her, trying to comprehend society is like ??? looking into??¦an abyss??™s face??? ??“ in other words, it is unfathomable. The word abyss gives an especially dark and foreboding tone to the poem, signifying the way in which Dickinson viewed the outside world. However, despite this uncertainty and insecurity, she feels that nature – something she is familiar with – is just as unfathomable. Ironically, she is as confident in her opinion that it makes her feel secure, to know that she belongs to something just as deep and incomprehensible.

To her, ??? those who know her know her less the nearer her they get???, where ??? her??? represents nature. I Gave Myself to Him is directly linked to Dickinson??™s insecurity with herself and with being in a relationship. She uses commercial terms like ??? debt???, ??? contract???, ??? payment??? and others to connote the man??™s ownership of a woman in marriage. She uses the metaphor ??? Solemn contract of a life??? to describe her negative view of marriage. While she retains this view, she also understands that marriage cannot really be understood until it has been experienced. To her, ??? Til the merchant buy??¦ the subtle cargoes lie???, which proves this view. This could be taken to mean the man doesn??™t know what to expect/what he??™s getting until he ??? purchases??™ the ??? cargo???, representing a wife.

Again, the commercial language used emphasises the idea of ownership in marriage. Part of her insecurity stems from herself ??“ ??? Myself a poorer prove, the wealth might disappoint???. What she is saying is that she believes she would not be good enough for a man, and he would only be disappointed with his ??? purchase??™ ??“ she has very little self-esteem. This lack of confidence is part of the cause for her lack of belonging, as she avoids relationships for fear of not being good enough: she herself limits her interaction with society. The song Invisible Kid explores a similar theme of not belonging. It details a boy who is forever alone, and in the end the lack of any connections with other people makes him just a shell of his former self. He bottles up all of his emotions, ??? Locked away in his brain??? and this causes him to be insecure and indecisive.

He doesn??™t know whether to seek help or ??? go it alone???. He then contradicts: ??? I??™m okay, go away/I??™m okay, please don??™t stray too far???. This gives us some perspective on what it feels like to not belong ??“ he wants to appear independent, and yet at the same time wants to have friends close to him. It is as though he is struggling inside with two different voices.

This is confirmed later, where a voice starts to patronise the kid. ??? Ooh, what a good boy you are??? the voice says; the tempo of the music slows down; and the vocals become more stretched out, all of which creates a patronizing tone. The voice could be seen to be the boy??™s himself.

The voice also observes that ??? Invisible Kid floats alone in his room??? ??“ the ??? room??? representing the boy??™s body, and the ??? Invisible Kid??? being his thoughts or soul. The lyrics of the song observe the effects not belonging can have on a person. The boy bottled up all his emotions, ??? kept to himself???, and ??? fallen through the grid??? so to speak. He had no friends, and no support, nothing to belong to except himself ??“ so he had nothing to do but retreat deep inside himself when he most needed support, becoming just a human shell, a shadow of his former self.

In this case, his sense of not belonging has consumed and eventually destroyed and broken him. Similarly, The Ugly Duckling explores the theme of not belonging. It follows a young swan from birth, where he struggles to find his place in the world, to when he gains a sense of identity and belonging. ??? Even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him, and would say ??? Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would get you??™ ???; furthermore, ??? The ducks pecked him, the chickens beat him, and the girl who fed the poultry kicked him with her feet.???. These examples show the way the Ugly Duckling was treated ??“ the verbs especially create a sense of empathy for the duckling, such as ??? pecked???, ??? beat??? and ??? kicked???. They show the harshness with which the Ugly Duckling is viewed, and how others do not allow him to find his place and belong. The Ugly Duckling??™s journey is one of desperation and sorrow as travels to different homes in search of a place where he can belong and be himself.

At one pioit he even admits defeat: ??? They are afraid of me because I am Ugly???, again showing the dangerous effect rejection and not belonging can have on someone. When the Duckling finally realizes his true nature ??“ that he is a beautiful swan ??“ he ??? rustled his feathers, curved his slender neck, and cried joyfully, from the depths of his heart???. The descriptive language like ??? rustled??? and ??? depths of the heart??? create a more upbeat and joyful tone, mirroring the emotions the character would be feeling, as he finally has found his place in the world, and something to belong to.