Discuss how your prescribed text- (Arthur Millers play, The Crucible ) and ONE related text explores the challenges of belonging and not belonging.
Belonging is closely related to what someone believes in, that belief being a person, a place, a quality, anything. Belonging’s concept enables the facilitation and affirmation of self belonging. In Arthur Millers play The Crucible (1953) we get an insight of how the threat of not belonging can create fear leading to mistrust, violence and an attempt to gain authority to just be able to belong. How once the peaceful society of Salem is chronically deconstructed into a community from hell. The themes of belonging are universal and it is a genetic need an individual is driven by. In the film “Once were Warriors” (1994) directed by Lee Tamahori belonging is emphasized through the power of culture and the disconnection of pride and association from New Zealand Maori traditions. A powerful film about family, culture, social pressure and social judgement misultaneously leads to a womans journey to return to were she belongs with the affects of a alcohol fuelled, violent husband who does everything to stop her attempts.
In the Crucible Miller explores belonging through authority, all individuals face the actions of authority based characters that define and re define their sense of belonging. In the play some characteristics for instance Hale, Danforth, Abigail and John Proctor are high up in authority in their respected areas therefore gaining respect by the assonance and dactylic tone of their “weighty work”. An example of authority linking to belonging in the crucible is the sensory image shown by John Proctor in the quote “ I like not the smell of this ‘authority’, it accentuates how authority is detrimental to personal sense of belonging. The name of an individual holds rights and reputation and in the Crucible we get an understanding of this when the motif and symbolism of the quote “Name we vote by name in...