The End of It

Belonging to a group or community can provide opportunities and disappointments. To what extent do the texts you have studied support this idea?

Belonging is a multi-faceted concept and can be achieved via a plethora of different means resulting in both social opportunities and at times disappointments. While some individuals are able to fulfill new opportunities and relationships to avoid disappointment, some may first need to overcome the disappointment in order to experience the opportunities that follow. These ideas are explored through Shakespeare’s play “As You Like”, and Frida Kahlo’s artwork, ‘On the borderline between Mexico and the United States. These combined texts allow the responder to understand a two-fold meaning; the overcoming of obstacles in relationships and the community allows individuals to avoid dissatisfaction and also that the presence of disappointment acts as a barrier for individuals in their attempt to fulfill their   life opportunities. A good intro.

Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ explores the idea that the need for an individual to belong to a community can affect ones personal relationship with others and thus arouse familial disappointment. This is seen in the broken relationship between the two brothers, Oliver and Orlando who fight for each other’s and society’s acceptance; an action that is often undertaken by an individual to feel as though they belong. Oliver’s duplicity to achieve acceptance is made evident in his contrasting use of phrases. His tone of resentment in ‘Secret and villainous contriver against me, his natural brother’ as opposed to his tone of concern in ‘ I speak but brotherly of him’ highlights his manipulative strategy to gain acceptance and reveals to the audience his cunning nature. Shekespeare also utilizes the biblical allusion to Cane and Abel to compare the relationship between the brothers and their tragic fate to what may become of them if they pursue this power quest to belong. This struggle for...