Describe how the concept of Belonging is shown in your prescribed text and at least one other related text.

Belonging is the complex process whereby perceptions of self and social allegiances are forged or not forget. It is a concept and not a theme, meaning it is a general idea, which encompasses the idea of not belonging. According to Abraham Maslow, belonging is essential in human development and not belonging is a barrier in achieving self-actualisation. The concept of Belonging is not static as it may change overtime for a number of different reasons such as an individual’s socio-economic background, geographic location and many other barriers. Although individuals may not belong to self, people, places, communities or the larger …show more content…

This theme is explored in Rainbows End through Harrison’s use of a number of effective techniques. In Act 1 Scene 2B Dolly whistles loudly to her cousins and yells “Oi! You little monkeys, get that ruddy bicycle back ‘ere or I’ll give youse a kick up the moom!” before turning to Errol and sarcastically saying “And you were worried about losing your map!”. This change of accent and use of word choice between when Dolly is talking to her cousins and when she is talking to Errol shows that Dolly is trying to link with Errol even though they are from different cultures and have different coloured skin. This use of diction emphasises Dolly’s attempt to conform to Errol based on the fact that they are both humans rather than distinguishing between minute factors such as cultural background. This same message is also portrayed through the use of stage directions and dramatic irony in Act 2 Scene 1 where Errol returns to apologise to Dolly about what happened the previous night. As Errol walked in Dolly’s direction, Gladys and Nan Dear (assuming Errol was the one that raped her), step towards Dolly showing the families sense of unity with one another. However, the audience knows from the previous scene that Errol was not guilty of raping Dolly, rather it was her cousin. So despite the emotional carnage that Dolly experienced such as feelings of neglect when she was left in