Opinions on thesis? (1 Viewer)

[Ace95]

Hey guys, so we have our advanced speech due next week. It's on 'Barriers to Belonging', and I'm trying to integrate Thomas Wolfe's quote into it.

The American novelist Thomas Wolfe once said: “Loneliness, far from being a rare and curious phenomenon… is the central and inevitable fact of human existence.”

Skrzynecki's poems are prescribed and I'm using Taxi Driver as my ORT.

So obviously there is the typical "there's a multitude of barriers to belonging, but its the way you overcome them" speech. But I'm trying for something a bit more original. What I was thinking of is going along the lines of this notion- that there will always be barriers to belonging, and we will always have the innate desire to belong, but accepting that gaining a sense of belonging is not always possible is the key to gaining a modicum of contentment? I really don't know haha.

Can you guys give me any suggestions, because I don't want to miss the point of barriers to belonging by going off on some tangent.

Oh btw in Taxi Driver he suffers a total mental breakdown and descends into a murderous rage as a result of his isolation/lack of acceptance.

Thanks

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Yes, I do like the point on having to accept not belonging, many people don't consider that aspect.

Not sure how you'd argue it well with Taxi Driver though.

And also, that quote is lovely, you could start of with it for your speech. Slowly and clearly, it could be a good hook opening.

 

[Ace95]

Thank you, I like the idea of having it to start the speech. Like you said though, I'm not sure my idea on accepting not belonging fits well with Taxi Driver. I've considered it a bit, and I'm not sure how to integrate loneliness and barriers- loneliness is a product of not belonging, not a barrier.

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Thank you, I like the idea of having it to start the speech. Like you said though, I'm not sure my idea on accepting not belonging fits well with Taxi Driver. I've considered it a bit, and I'm not sure how to integrate loneliness and barriers- loneliness is a product of not belonging, not a barrier.

Okay, so how I'd argue it in respect to your thesis, you said you have to be able to accept not belonging and loneliness right as per the quote, is is inevitable? So Taxi Driver exemplifies the negative impacts on a character/potentially society if this acceptance does not occur. That'd fit nicely in right? Because if this acceptance of not belonging does not occur, you will not have contentment in your life.

Oh and loneliness can fall under a negative impact of not being able to accept barriers to belonging (perhaps in relation to your texts, insurmountable obstacles to belonging?)