ipl-logo

How Does Saroo Brierley Have A Sense Of Belonging?

762 Words4 Pages

“Lion” is a 2013 memoir written by Saroo Brierley alongside his ghostwriter Larry Philip Buttrose. Saroo Brierley tells his story of reconnecting with his Indian family and culture as a man who grew up in Australia after becoming separated from his family at age five. Throughout this text Brierley reflects on his identity as he learns more about his Indian past and family as a man who grew up adopted, detached from his former Indian identity. Throughout the whole of this memoir, Brierley explores how a sense of belonging, identity, and family bonds are vital to living a fulfilled life, highlighting the importance of having a connection to yourself and others. Throughout this memoir, Brierley highlights his personal journey to finding a sense of belonging. Brierley expresses the detachment he felt from his Indian life as a man in Australia who never truly remembered …show more content…

Brierley says “Adoptees, whether or not they ever knew their birth parents, often describe the constant, gnawing feeling of there being something missing: without a connection, or at least the knowledge of where they are from, they feel incomplete.” This shows the value and importance Brierley felt towards finding the family connection and rediscovering his past identity. Another instance in the text where Brierley reflects on the importance of family bonds is when his birth mother, who hadn't seen him for 25 years, told him, “I will build you a home and go out and work hard so that you can be happy.” This shows the importance family holds and that connections and bonds never fade away and will always be a significant part of an individual's identity. The memoir really expresses to the reader that “love is stronger than any obstacle” and has the power to “heal even the deepest wounds.” The family holds the highest importance in Brierley’s life, beyond material possessions or external

Show More
Related
1016 Words | 5 Pages

Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and Sufferance by Thomas King are two novels that tell stories about the Indigenous experience in Canada. Both books deal with similar themes that are developed through the use of key literary elements such as the concept of trauma and its lasting effects on individuals and communities, Identity, Cultural Heritage, Healing, Racism, and Discrimination, both novels approach these themes in different ways. Firstly in both Indian Horse and Sufferance one of the main topics is identity and the theme of struggling with fitting in society. Both books explore the notion of what it means to be Indigenous in a settler colonial society.

Read More
860 Words | 4 Pages

As a young boy, James had a very happy life with his siblings and his parents until his father left the family without notice. James’s mother remarried twice and this put the household in an

Read More
918 Words | 4 Pages

In Wiley Cash’s A Land More Kind Than Home, Ben Hall, both husband and father, encounters a series of devastating events in the relationship he had with his wife, Julie Hall. The painful remnants of this relationship lead to a regression of his character during the downfall of his family, altering his state of mind and outlook on the idea of home and family. Ben Hall once had hoped for familial stability; his relationship with his wife ruthlessly disappointed him, leaving him with a negative and hopeless view on home and family. Ben Hall appeared emotionally unscathed for a large portion of his life, through both child abuse and a weak marriage. His sudden, but anticipated, downfall occurred after the relationship with his wife had been destroyed

Read More
1042 Words | 5 Pages

Burke explores the importance of Family, communicating to readers the underlying idea that Family bonds are resilient and can provide crucial support during times of transition and adversity. Readers witness the profound impact that Gran, Brendan and each other have on the Brennan family's transition to life in Coghill. Not only do they play a vital role in physically relocating the family to Gran's house in Coghill, but they also provide invaluable emotional support and resilience as the family copes with the aftermath of the tragedy. Techniques supporting the idea of the families positive impact include Repetition“we were a team” A team of brennans” the continual phrase of “we” reinforces the idea that family members support and rely on each other, working together to overcome challenges and navigate life's ups and downs, In comparison during times of adversity Tom for instance finds solace and comfort in the arms of his mother, “in Mum's arms.

Read More
2156 Words | 9 Pages

Within the narrative, the author shows the significance of preserving one's Indigenous heritage while simultaneously embracing the transformative power of change. These dynamics are brought to life, showcasing the challenges and conflicts in these relationships. In one scene, the characters express their exasperation, with one remarking, “‘He’s such a tool.’ ‘Yeah. There’s always one in the family.’”

Read More
177 Words | 1 Pages

Adversity can come in various shapes and sizes. It can hit any person regardless of their colour, background or knowledge. When faced with adversity, some are quick to adapt to challenging circumstances in order to overcome such obstacles while others are unable to do so and ultimately suffer a loss of identity. Richard Wagamese explores in his novel, Keeper’N Me, a protagonist’s ability to handle and overcome adversity. Garnet Raven, a young Ojibway, suffers the loss of his culture and loved ones as a young boy after child services remove him from the White Dog reserve.

Read More
858 Words | 4 Pages

Identity stems from the positive experiences recalled in everyday life. Davies in Lion illustrates this through Saroo’s upbringing in Australia and the heartwarming reminders of his past life. Despite living in poverty, Saroo found joy in little activities that helped connect him with the rest of his family. When Saroo presented the 2 bags of milk to his amma, he was overjoyed to enjoy the rare taste of “some milk”, with the low-angled shot facing up to Saroo emphasising the significance of buying milk in Ganesh Talai for his class through Saroo’s smile. Moreover, Davies reinstated positive experiences in the interactions at the airport.

Read More
1188 Words | 5 Pages

Jane Harrison’s “Becoming Kirrali Lewis” explores the difficulty of identity, belonging, and one’s understanding of themselves through the eyes of an Aboriginal girl discovering life as an independent college student, and her search for her biological family. Throughout her novel, Jane Harrison employs numerous narrative and/or rhetorical devices that would be effective in a personal essay. Firstly, the novel contains several examples of symbolism, adding depth and meaning to the story. One of the most prominent and powerful symbols in the novel is the gate.

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

Writer Sherman Alexie has a knack of intertwining his own problematic biographical experience with his unique stories and no more than “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” demonstrates that. Alexie laced a story about an Indian man living in Spokane who reflects back on his struggles in life from a previous relationship, alcoholism, racism and even the isolation he’s dealt with by living off the reservation. Alexie has the ability to use symbolism throughout his tale by associating the title’s infamy of two different ethnic characters and interlinking it with the narrator experience between trying to fit into a more society apart from his own cultural background. However, within the words themselves, Alexie has created themes that surround despair around his character however he illuminates on resilience and alcoholism throughout this tale.

Read More
1018 Words | 5 Pages

In the short story Borders, Thomas King uses the mother to demonstrate that identity is fluid; changing through a person’s experiences, nationality, citizenship, and pride. King aims to demonstrate the effects of indifference towards Indigenous identity and citizenship through his short story. King demonstrates the theme in many ways. Illustrating the mother’s pride in her nationality, which is Canada, while continuously contrasting this throughout the story by having the mother not change her answer about her nationality of being Blackfoot. A key point that King drives in his short story is the denial of Indigenous identity and the turmoil that Aboriginals face due to that.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

The author emphasizes the spiritual and ancestral significance by describing the land as the "skin" of Mother Earth. Therefore, colonizers' disrespect towards Indigenous perspectives was rooted in a lack of understanding of Indigenous values and beliefs. By respecting the Indigenous’ perspectives, society can acknowledge the importance of Indigenous’ priorities in order to build a more inclusive community. John, as a non-Indigenous representative in the novel, showed a positive example of living along with Indigenous culture through his respect for Indigenous culture and knowledge of historical injustices. John shows empathy and understanding towards the traumatic experiences of Sammy, who was a victim of residential school.

Read More
1121 Words | 5 Pages

In his book the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie portrays a teenage boy, Arnold Spirit (junior) living in white man’s world, and he must struggle to overcome racism and stereotypes if he must achieve his dreams. In the book, Junior faces a myriad of misfortunes at his former school in ‘the rez’ (reservation), which occurs as he struggles to escape from racial and stereotypical expectations about Indians. For Junior he must weigh between accepting what is expected of him as an Indian or fight against those forces and proof his peers and teachers wrong. Therefore, from the time Junior is in school at reservation up to the time he decides to attend a neighboring school in Rearden, we see a teenager who is facing tough consequences for attempting to go against the racial stereotypes.

Read More
1156 Words | 5 Pages

Finally, Conley argues that the pecking order within the family is the cause for sibling inequality. Different siblings have roles that in the family that are of more importance than the rest of his brother/sisters. This creates a pecking order of sorts in the family, and sets the stage for inequality. Conley uses a combination of ethos and logos to support his own opinion on the matter of sibling differences. By using these main points up above Conley constructs an argument that tries to get to the bottom of the really sources of sibling inequality by pulling and stitching together

Read More
1190 Words | 5 Pages

This state of being part aboriginals has driven their identity in crisis. Indeed they have possessed a unique Aboriginal consciousness that have made them to reclaim their lost voice. Their literature has been used as a platform

Read More
837 Words | 4 Pages

Lion, directed by Garth Davis, is a compelling interpretation of a remarkable true story of Saroo Brierley, lost as a child and reunited with his family 25 years later. Throughout Davis explores the unique circumstances under which Saroo is separated and reconnected with his family and his journey along the way. At some points of the film, I was confronted by how Saroo, a five-year-old boy, expertely navigates, with great instinct and genuine innocence, through an extended, yet life threatening ride. To put it in other words, Lion is a journey that grabs you entirely; whether you want it or not, and you are involved in each and every scene. I instantly fell in love with the connection and relationship between Saroo and his older brother

Read More

More about How Does Saroo Brierley Have A Sense Of Belonging?

Open Document