Saturday, January 11, 2020
ESL Essay on Belonging (China Coin and Rabbit Proof Fence) Essay
A sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world. How does this apply to ââ¬Å"The China Coinâ⬠? Through a study of the novel ââ¬Å"the China Coinâ⬠by Allan Baillie, it can be seen that a sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, places, groups, communities and the larger world. This essay will explore how a sense of belonging or not belonging develops from the main charactersââ¬â¢ (Joan and Leahââ¬â¢s) connections with each other and with places, specifically Good Field Village. It will also examine how a characterââ¬â¢s connection with the nation of China at large gives rise to their sense of belonging or not belonging. In the novel ââ¬Å"The China Coinâ⬠, the author uses various language techniques to illustrate Leah and Joanââ¬â¢s sense of belonging or not belonging, which emerges from their connection with each other. The novel begins with Leah feeling disconnected with Joan even though they are the only two members of their family left. This can be seen by the way Baillie uses metaphor to compare Joan to ââ¬Å"an evil aunt, who flies a broom on full moonâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ . This conveys Leahââ¬â¢s sense of not belonging to the relationship. A sense of belonging unfolds later in the novel after Leah and Joan both go through much together, hence leaving them with a more intimate connection with each other. After hearing grandfather implying that he wants them to stay so that he can trick them into paying for a ââ¬ËHong Kong houseââ¬â¢, Joan and Leahââ¬â¢s strong connection is expressed by their ability to communicate without even using words. Baillie uses polysyndeton to emphasize this in the sentence ââ¬Å"And both mother and daughter stopped and grinned at each otherâ⬠. As can be seen, both these examples clearly show that Leah and Joanââ¬â¢s sense of not belonging or belonging to each other has emerged from their connection with each other. Apart from that, Allan Baillie has also used language features in the novel to draw attention to the sense of belonging or not belonging that stem from connections with a place, specifically, Go od Field Village in ââ¬Å"The China Coinâ⬠. When the main characters first arrive in Good Field village, Joan felt accepted immediately as she spoke Cantonese fluently and quickly formed a connection with Jade. As a result, a sense of belonging was generated in Joan. This is reinforced by the authorââ¬â¢s use of simile to describe them as women who ââ¬Å"had been neighbours for yearsâ⬠. Contrastingly, Leah, who was not as fluent inà the language, could not converse with Jade and Joan. As a result, she did not feel a sense of belonging to Good Field village. This is portrayed by Baillieââ¬â¢s use of the third person narrative voice, which tells the audience ââ¬Å"Leah felt suddenly aloneâ⬠. All this suggests that the concept of belonging or not belonging develops from oneââ¬â¢s connection with a place. Lastly, language features used in the novel ââ¬Å"The China Coinâ⬠has supported the fact that a sense of belonging or not belonging can emerge from connections with the larger world. This can be seen in the character of the young boy who puts up political posters at the restaurant where Joan and Leah are eating. He does not feel connected with the state as he does not agree with the current political situations and wants democracy instead. This generates a sense of not belonging in the character, which is further reinforced as he uses hyperbole to describe other protesters and himself as ââ¬Å"Enemies of the Stateâ⬠. Similarly, Ke, who is disconnected with the principles of Chinaââ¬â¢s political agendas, feels like he does not belong to China at large. This is evidenced in the use of dialogue where Ke tells Leah about what he wants changed in the political system. He tells her that he wants ââ¬Å"Democracy! No more guanxi! No more influence, no more back-door deals!â⬠. From this, it can be inferred that oneââ¬â¢s sense of not belonging can rise up from oneââ¬â¢s relationship with the world at large. In conclusion, Leah and Joanââ¬â¢s connection with each other and with places such as Good Field Village give rise to their impression of belonging or not belonging. Similarly, a sense of not belonging can be seen to emerge from connections that other characters have with the larger nation of China.
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