Paul
English
March 26, 1999

Most of us probably agree that belonging and being respected as a member of society are very important to us. In my opinion, being prejudged is not very pleasing. All people have the right to eat, to breathe, and to be respected. Being a member of society, I have these rights but it has not always been that way for mankind. For example, the Jews lost all of their rights including their identity during World War II in Germany. Three examples of the violation of the need to belong appear in "We Might As Well All Be Strangers," I Have Lived A Thousand Years, and Animal Farm.

In the short story "We Might As Well All Be Strangers," Allison felt as if she did not belong. In the story, Allison was a lesbian girl who was talking to her grandmother about her feelings toward other girls. She felt as if she did not belong because she was different from what her mother expected her to be. Her grandmother understood because she went through the rough times as a Jew during the Holocaust. She understood Allison's feelings because gays and lesbians experience the same alienation as the Jews did in Germany. Both she and Allison were alienated because they were stigmatized by being either Jewish or lesbian. On the other hand, Allison's mother had a very negative reaction to her daughter telling her she was a lesbian. Allison's mother never experienced the alienation her own mother did during the war. That lack of experience made her insensitive to her own daughter. Her own daughter had a closer relationship with her grandmother because of the shared experience of alienation.

Belonging in society is important for anyone even in very harsh lifestyles. For example, in the book I Have Lived A Thousand Years, even though Elli lived in the ghetto she felt respected and as if she belonged because she was with the Jewish people who experienced a sense of community and pride in their ability to overcome hardship. Elli expressed feelings of belonging to "this peculiar condition of Jewishness" when she lived with the five hundred Jews in the ghetto. She was proud of being a Jew and she met many people she could identify with and respect. She saw Jews who were like herself who could create a dignified life in a very difficult situation. She identified with girls her age, their mothers, fathers, and brothers. She felt like she was "a limb of a bigger body and every single Jewish life was a part of hers."

The situation of the animals in the movie Animal Farm is similar to the Jews' situation during the Holocaust. During the time of Snowball's leadership, all the animals contributed and supported the farm and were all respected. One day Snowball was killed and a pig named Napoleon took power. He did not lead a fair society like Snowball, but made all pigs better than the other animals. The other animals were treated like the lower race by the pigs. They were worked on the farm with no reward for their labor and no food. They were treated like they were not members of society and after a while they believed it and had no self-esteem. To the pigs, the working animals were just slaves that made profit for them. But the animals did find strength by uniting together in the harsh situation in which they found themselves. They were eventually able to overcome their situation by coming together against the pigs. They found self-respect through belonging to a group that could survive its situation.

In summary, one of our most basic human needs is to belong and to be respected as a member of society. Jews, lesbians, and anyone who is different from the dominant group can experience alienation in society. I think it is interesting that in the examples from "We Might As Well All Be Strangers," I Have Lived A Thousand Years, and Animal Farm individuals find their identity through association with others who have similar experiences. It is interesting that through adversity, individuals can come together, develop a sense of belonging, and overcome their calamity.