The need to belong is an innate and fundamental process of human existence which can be enriched or limited through an individual’s relationships with others and the world around them. The poems 'Feliks Skrzynecki' and '10 Mary Street' by Peter Skrzynecki explore how a divide in cultural heritage limits ones sense of belonging whilst a connection to a place of significance enriches it. In a different light, Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner, adds to the theme of limiting ones sense of belonging through the presentation of contrasting social-classes. Through these two mediums, both the poet and director exemplify how key factors in society influence a person’s sense of belonging.
Belonging to a heritage or culture is vital for an individual …show more content…
Ridley Scott conceptualises this through a futuristic narrative, where human-like androids, referred to as “replicants”, are created by Tyrell to serve as slaves. When a replicant named Batty seeks to find liberation he is seen in a full shot of an elevator rising to Tyrell’s penthouse which is symbolic of the class disparity in which humans are at the top. The difference in social class is projected through the subject of slavery and limitations of belonging are enforced upon replicants as they are prohibited from assimilating with humans. Once in Batty’s presence, an extreme close-up shot of Tyrel’s eyes, further magnified by his oversized glasses, represents his myopic vision and hence symbolises how oblivious he is to the limitation of belonging he has imposed on replicants due to their enslavement. Tyrell is ultimately unable to change the replicant’s inborn slavery, to which Batty rhetorically questions “What is it…to be human?” The fragmented sentence, accompanied by his melancholic tone, depicts his hopelessness in belonging with humans as he is simply not of the same class. The interaction between replicants and humans serve as a projection of how the disparity in social class creates a limited sense of belonging between individuals of each party as they do not play the same role in
Belonging to a heritage or culture is vital for an individual …show more content…
Ridley Scott conceptualises this through a futuristic narrative, where human-like androids, referred to as “replicants”, are created by Tyrell to serve as slaves. When a replicant named Batty seeks to find liberation he is seen in a full shot of an elevator rising to Tyrell’s penthouse which is symbolic of the class disparity in which humans are at the top. The difference in social class is projected through the subject of slavery and limitations of belonging are enforced upon replicants as they are prohibited from assimilating with humans. Once in Batty’s presence, an extreme close-up shot of Tyrel’s eyes, further magnified by his oversized glasses, represents his myopic vision and hence symbolises how oblivious he is to the limitation of belonging he has imposed on replicants due to their enslavement. Tyrell is ultimately unable to change the replicant’s inborn slavery, to which Batty rhetorically questions “What is it…to be human?” The fragmented sentence, accompanied by his melancholic tone, depicts his hopelessness in belonging with humans as he is simply not of the same class. The interaction between replicants and humans serve as a projection of how the disparity in social class creates a limited sense of belonging between individuals of each party as they do not play the same role in