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Romulus Belonging

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Romulus Belonging
Belonging Essay- Romulus My Father, by Raimond Gaita
(Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden and Acquainted With the Night, by Robert Frost)

Thesis: A persons environment is made up of their physical, cultural and mental landscape, within in this landscape there contains a persons relationships and culture. These elements contribute to their identity and ultimately affirm a sense of self and belonging. When one experiences change to their environment, perspectives are challenged and one must establish a new sense of belonging within their new environment. In the memoir Romulus My Father by Raimond Gaita and the texts Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden and Acquainted with the Night, by Robert Frost, new environments effect their sense of belonging by challenging the characters relationships within families and friendships as well as their cultural identity.

Paragraph 1 – Family
Topic Sentence: Family is a great catalyst for establishing a sense of belonging. It is where one expects to find un conditional love and support, as well as possessing a bond formed between parent and child that transcends the boundaries of hardships. However in the memoir Romulus My Father, by Arthur Golden the concept of family is complicated by the Gaita's move to Australia and Christina's mental illness. Raimond experiences a conflicting sense of belonging within his family, by finding stability and assurance in his father Romulus but a contrasting sense of instability and isolation in his relationship with his mother, Christina. Christina's relentless search for fulfilment through excitement and scandal is what brought her and Romulus together and ironically what will determine their tragic fate. “father was involved in the black market”, “very middle class German parents looked down on the foreigner”, “if found they would of almost certainly of been shot” After moving to Australia Christine finds a contrasting environment, one which is filled of “symbols of

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