Thank you for inviting me here today, to speak to you about the launch of the new collection entitled Representations of Belonging. It brings me great pleasure to talk about a variety; a play, a picture book & a poem that would shape our understanding of belonging. We live in an affluent, developing society as it grows more complicated, the psychology complicates itself correspondingly. However, through the study of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, we are motivated to belong in a society to achieve self-esteem, acceptance & in all purposes the sense of security.
I will be examining “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, Jeannie Baker’s “Belonging” & Kath Walker’s “We are Going”. Evidently, these texts use different techniques to help validate the message of the change of attitude towards belonging in society. The different scenarios in these texts represent the contemporary relevance in today’s society that may bring an insight to our understanding of belonging. Miller created “The Crucible” as an allegory using the Salem Witch trials; a society driven by fear to allude to the anti-communist attitude in McCarthyist America.
The existence of theocracy in Salem results a strict society, where religion leads the way of life in a way keeping the society together which requires one to obey the rules & obligations. This strict & rigid system could lead to many factors that may corrupt the society & its whole purpose of belonging (security). By use of the metaphoric expression ‘theocracy sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small’, Miller was able to depict an image of war; that even spiritual life is a battle.
A small fault such as John Proctor not remembering all Ten Commandments (all except adultery) can lead to a bigger problem; bringing down the society & becoming vulnerable. In my opinion, Reverend Hale was the embodiment of independence & confidence, the most influential character in the play. Hale is illustrated as an experienced clergyman when he brought heavy books in Salem ‘weighted with authority’ symbolising the power of his knowledge. By the end of Act I, he was much accepted & understood by the society.
Theocracy takes a darker turn when the court became biased; not allowing the accused to defend themselves, Hale could only ask ‘Is every defence an attack upon the court? ’ To this point, Hale does not belong as he realises the corruption of the society thus his perceptions force to change his perspective. Belonging in Salem is not a benign matter of choice, but it becomes a kind of hell in which the rights & reputation of the individual are swept away unfairly & unreasonably. Most of us here live in the urban cities where the economy continues to grow rapidly & the majority prefer the mainstream society.
Yet some prefer the quieter life where we appreciate the mere existence of nature. But if one does not like the urban lifestyles, rather than move to rural areas, why not bring the rural lifestyle in the urban city? I grew up in a farm & cherished what Mother Nature had offered, I could relate only too well to Jeannie Baker’s “Belonging”. A book observed through a window, captures the moment of a polluted environment, barricaded windows & graffiti suggests the dangerous, noisy & unpleasant environment to the setting.
In a comparable manner, this setting is very similar to the social disintegration Salem experience towards the end as ‘there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere’. Notice that Miller makes use of accumulative listing of negative, sensory images, where you can really sense the situation worsening. However, Baker cleverly delivers a message of the positive aspect a community’s change of attitude towards belonging.
A girl with fairy wings when given a plant by her neighbour (still 4) signifies the challenge she would face as she accepts the plant. This symbolical gesture suggests hope & something ‘magical’ will happen. Change remains constant as in still 7, metal bars have been removed & the street is closed off (still 7) as it become officially safe, bringing the sense of security rather than insecurity. Furthermore, that now the council is being involved in this whole idea of ‘bring back our local plants’ really tighten the community together reclaiming the natural & peaceful side of living.
As a reader, you would find yourself frequently flicking back & forth the pages to unravel the intricate details Baker is really trying to convey. Rather than the change of attitude of an individual mentioned earlier in ‘The Crucible’, Baker has visually shown us the potential of the individual to enrich or challenge a community that would reflect the way attitudes of belonging are being modified over time. In 1770, Captain Cook stuck his flag up next to a pile of rocks & claimed the land for the British Empire.
This early act of property theft was depicted in many of the illustrated books I read in primary school. It reflects historically & ethically as a nation we exploited the resources this land offered, abused & rejected the Aborigines who inhabited this land. This resulted many indigenous people losing their identity, not having the right to hold their own beliefs & values. “We are Going” by Kath Walker complicates the issues & themes of belonging through a mostly-‘defeated’ tone as it shows their loss of tradition & culture in the new Australia.
A sense of sympathy & consideration is created through the use of collective first person pronoun ‘we are’ renders the concept that their group identity values more than belonging; their traditions & lifestyle represent their life & most importantly who they are. On the contrary, John Proctor finds it difficult to define what is good or bad which lead to a dilemma repeatedly & rhetorically asked “God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor? ” an apostrophe clearly implies the confusion of his identity.
Proctor’s sense of belonging is to seek peace & acceptance for himself which enables him to renew his identity & truly belong. Hence challenging a theocratic society would put his identity at risk. The strong connection the Aborigines share between the land is shown through the use of irony, “We are strangers here now, but the white tribe are the strangers. We belong here, we are of the old ways”. It is reasonable for the Aborigines to be confused to find their symbolical raised platform of dirt namely ‘bora ground’ has become a wasteland.
The writer put forward the interesting yet tragic idea that the Aboriginal people no longer belong to their homeland, whereas the “White tribe” are unable to fully understand or appreciate it as the Indigenous do. As the poem undergoes change, the Aborigines feel as though they have lost their identity, this brings it its tragic & “defeated” tone, thus affecting the reader. The acceptance of the culture & traditions is needed rather than unfair dismissal which left the indigenous in fragments. It feels I have just only began exploring the complex nature of belonging in these three texts I have discussed.
It however revolutionises the way belonging is portrayed. Belonging does seem to be something we all need in order to have an identity. But not in all cases, belonging will benefit such as “The Crucible”. Such a rigid & strict society makes it almost impossible to not break any of the rules. However, it may be when you contribute & believe it can happen; your idealism of the society becomes realism as Baker has successfully shown. I encourage you all to read these collections & hope you will enjoy & see the society at a whole new level.
