Malhar2

Man has always been possessed by an innate desire to feel secure, to be part of a group – to belong. An individual’s interaction with the community and with individuals within the community can work to limit or even enrich his/her experience of belonging. Evident in __Arthur Miller’s__ powerful play, __“The Crucible”,__ John Proctor succeeds in salvaging his marriage with Elizabeth despite having committed lechery. This rekindling of the bond between them enriches their sense of belonging to the husband-wife relationship. However, Proctor’s interaction with the world around him, i.e. the Salem community limits his feeling of connectedness. This owes largely to his ill-disguised scorn for the theocracy, which is the law for the tight-knit Puritan community of Salem.
 * AREA OF STUDY ESSAY:**

A close relationship may also limit an individual’s sense of belonging as is apparent in __Khaled Hosseini’s__ powerful and inspiring novel, “__The Kite Runner__”. The protagonist, Amir is best friends with the servant’s son Hassan. However, his sense of belonging to their friendship is limited because he sees in Hassan everything that he wants to be – and everything he isn’t – innocent, brave and unwaveringly loyal. Amir’s father’s interaction with the world around him, i.e. America is also limiting as he struggles to deal with the animosity of a modern American society. Both texts illustrate how an individual’s interaction with others and the world around him can either limit or enrich his/her sense of belonging. Act 4 of the play, “__The Crucible__” shows how the relationship between John Proctor and Elizabeth is enriching for both husband and wife. Arthur Miller employs dramatic techniques to convey the rekindling of the bond between Proctor and his wife. Dramatic irony is evident in the play when Elizabeth utters her first and last untruth to save her husband for whom she has a newfound respect and affection. Her unwitting actions instead condemn him to his death. This enlightens the audience about her willingness to compromise her integrity to save Proctor from the gallows. Already, the strain in their relationship dramatically reduces. Miller’s stage directions are priceless in portraying the inner angst experienced by the characters as also in painting a virtual image of a particular situation in the audiences’ mind. When Elizabeth is asked to attempt to break Proctor’s resolve, Miller’s stage directions show how their relationship is deeply enriching for both of them. //‘The emotion flowing between them prevents anyone from speaking for an instant’// and ‘//It was above sorrow, beyond it’// are examples of stage directions used by Miller. They are evidence of the depth and meaningfulness that grow in the Proctors’ relationship and show how their connectedness temporarily overshadows everything around them. Dialogue is also a powerful tool that contributes in the overall success of Miller’s play.

The recurring theme of goodness, particularly the goodness in John Proctor is put to bed when Elizabeth says “//Only be sure of this for I know it now: Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it.//” This conveys how Proctor and Elizabeth are successful in rediscovering their love and thus salvaging their relationship – Elizabeth by taking some responsibility for Proctor’s sins and Proctor by refusing to confess to “//those dogs//”. The concluding act of the play illustrates how Proctor’s interaction with his wife enriches his experience of belonging. In contrast, “The Crucible” also demonstrates how Proctor’s interaction with the world around him, that is the Salem community, limits his sense of connectedness. During a time where religion was synonymous with law, the God-fearing community of Salem was largely a conformist one. Miller’s employment of stage direction, dialogue and irony is again effective in conveying how Proctor’s challenging, common-sense attitude limits his sense of belonging. Proctor does not attend church as often as is expected, going against the beliefs of the 17th century Salem society. Even though he “//prayed in (his) house//” when he could not attend church, Reverend Hale is far from satisfied. In addition to this, he does not baptize his third child because he “//likes it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hands upon (his) baby//”. This employment of dialogue by Miller shows how Proctor takes actions that are frowned upon, limiting his connection with the Christian society. Miller’s stage direction, //‘he knows this is critical, and is striving against his disgust for Hale and with himself for ever answering’// portrays Proctor’s inner conflict when he is forced to abandon his common-sense attitude to admit that witches must exist because the Bible says they do. The common belief in those times was that an individual should know his/her commandments if he/she is a good, pure Christian. Dramatic irony is cleverly employed by Miller when Proctor remembers all but one commandment – adultery, a sin that he is guilty of. All these techniques used in the play show how John Proctor’s experience of belonging is limited.

**Supplementary text:**

In __Khaled Hosseini’s__ “shattering...devastating and inspiring” novel, “__The Kite Runner__”, Amir, the protagonist is limited in his experience of belonging to his friendship with Hassan, the servant’s son and his best friend. This is largely because Amir sees in Hassan qualities that he wants, but does not have, such as courage, innocence and intangible loyalty. Hosseini uses first person narration, meaning that readers became privy to the inner angst of Amir, who watches Hassan getting raped. Instead of taking some action, he tries to bludgeon the incident out of his memory. However living in denial never pays off, and every time he sees Hassan, he is tormented by guilt. Repetition is used effectively by Hosseini to emphasise the feelings of inadequacy and emptiness that prey on Amir, limiting his sense of connection with Hassan.

An incident in the novel describes how Amir pelts pomegranates at Hassan incessantly, craving punishment from him, asking him to fight back. Repetition in the quote “//You’re a coward...a goddamn coward”// portrays Amir’s futile efforts to evoke a negative emotion in Hassan. It reflects Amir’s thoughts about himself and how he knows that he is the //“snake in the grass”// and the //“monster in the lake”.// Hassan responds by crushing a pomegranate against his own forehead before demanding //“Are you satisfied now?”// This incident is symbolic of Hassan’s unwavering loyalty and purity of soul. Hosseini’s use of symbolism highlights the contrast in attitudes of the two best friends; one remains unblemished while the other is forced to seek redemption. “The Kite Runner” illustrates how Amir’s interaction with Hassan limits his sense of belonging.

“The Kite Runner” also demonstrates how migration to the United States of America poses new challenges for Amir’s baba (father), who struggles to deal with the indifference and occasional animosity of the modern American society. His interaction with this new, unfamiliar and intimidating world limits his experience of belonging. Hosseini’s use of powerful and insightful dialogues reveal to the audience Baba’s struggle to adjust to his new life.

In one incident, a shop owner who is familiar with Amir and Baba asks the latter for an ID. Baba is incensed since his pride is hurt – “//He wants my license...the son of a dog wants my license!”// This incident leads him to believe that America is a country where //“no one trusts anybody”.// A repetition of Amir’s apologetic explanation “//My father is still adjusting to life in America”// illustrating that baba fails to feel a sense of connection with his new community.

The contrast between his living conditions is made clear by Hosseini as he uses emotive language to describe how Baba goes from being one of the richest men in Afghanistan, to someone who is forced to accept charity money in the United States. Thus this novel by Khaled Hosseini shows how Baba’s interaction with the world around him (America) limits his sense of belonging. Through powerful composition, both Arthur Miller and Khaled Hosseini explore the limiting and enriching elements of belonging. These inspiring texts reveal that an individual’s perception of his world and those that are a part of it is the key to feeling a sense of belonging or conversely, one of isolation.

**Mr. W, this is what I had on my original essay. I need to make a lot of changes, to include what we discussed in class. what stuff from this essay can I use though?**