Simple Gift free essay sample

?Belonging is a controlling force influenced by our personal situation and is characterized by the understanding of our relationships and interactions with others. An individual’s perception of belonging is greatly influenced by interactions with the environment and their surroundings. This is clearly seen in The Simple Gift by Stephen Herrick which demonstrates elements of belonging and acceptance through the pain and suffering of rejection, homelessness and dealing with death by the characters Billy, Caitlin and Old Bill. Similarly in the movie â€Å"Freedom Writers†, it explores the ideas of taking control of one’s identity and accepting life’s simple pleasures. Firstly, in the novel ‘The Simple Gift’, Steven Herrick explores the idea taking control of one’s identity through numerous language techniques. Herrick uses free-verse poems to capture the thoughts, insecurities, emotions and ambitions of the three main characters (Billy, Caitlin and Old Bill), as well as telling their stories, showing various angles and their opinions. We will write a custom essay sample on Simple Gift or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This allows the audience to understand the difference between each character and how each character’s sense of belonging is affected by notions of identity, and their surroundings. The main character Billy lives in a town called Nowheresville where he has a strong sense of not belonging and disconnection, particularly with his father. Billy eventually runs away from his violent, alcoholic father. â€Å"see ya dad. I’ve taken the alcohol†¦ the old bastard will have a fit. † However, after fleeing â€Å"home† he discovers his real, genuine home is within an old train carriage upon his meeting with a friendly man named Ernie. Contrast between Billy’s father and Ernie indicates Billy’s unstable relationship with his father and his comforting relationship with Ernie. In ‘Bendarat’, just before Billy leaves the freight train, he demands Ernie with the phrase â€Å"dump me in another state†. The use of symbolism represents Billy’s lack of control over his destiny, lack of care and lack of faith in creating fresh relationships in Bendarat. This results in Billy losing control of his identity and hence, gaining a stronger sense of not belonging. However, in the poem ‘Going nowhere’, Billy creates plans and shows understanding of Bendarat. He quotes, â€Å"This morning I woke up and I knew where I was going for the next few months — to the Library, to McDonalds, to the river and home— a circuit of plans with Caitlin at the centre, and me a badly-dressed satellite spinning crazily in her orbit†. In contrast with Billy’s last entry towards Bendarat, this poem represents his adaption to the community and his growing physical and emotional sense of belonging to the town and its people. A relationship has ‘centred’ Billy and his life has direction, routine and meaning. Therefore, he has reached a sense of belonging and finally taken control of his identity. Similarly, ‘Freedom Writers’ is a pop-culture film directed by Richard Lagravenese that also explores the idea of taking control of one’s identity. Freedom Writers is a movie that shows the difficulties one might face upon entering new worlds. It emphasizes the fact that if one persists and overcomes obstacles, which must be faced initially, they can earn the rewards that this new world has to offer. Students in the school belong to groups with people and are ‘sorted’ due to their ethnic group based on colour, race and ethnicity, e. g. the Latino’s, the African Americans and the’ whites’. They also identify themselves as being gang members and belonging to the gang, including having territory and ‘protecting your own’. As students, they belong to Woodrow Wilson High School and by being placed in Miss Gruwell’s class they identify themselves as belonging to the ‘dumb’ class. Then, as the movie progresses, the students clearly see themselves as belonging to Miss Gruwell, the class and the classroom room 203. This can be shown through the quote â€Å"this class has become a family†, which emphasises the point that the class has become united. In both texts, the idea of accepting life’s simple pleasures is represented as the writers put each text into context. Herrick draws upon events that have happened in his life and portrays them into characters and situations within ‘The Simple Gift’. Billy is an example, which is Herrick’s representation of himself as a young boy who ran away from home and worked at a cannery. This use of reflection shows Herrick’s portrayal of belonging within relationships and hence, accepting life’s simple pleasures. Similarly, Lagravenese uses the film ‘Freedom Writers’ to portray his concerns with adolescents, their values and personality that may be affected by notions of identity. This use of characterisation shows belonging as a concept that requires one to accept life’s simple pleasures. In conclusion, The Simple Gift and Freedom Writers both share something in common. Billy in The Simple Gift, and the students in Miss Gruwell’s class, both experience the rejection of relationships at the beginning of the stories by their families. As the stories develop, the students and Billy become more and more proactive in changing their lives, and creating connections with people they feel share something in common.