Everyone has many encounters of different human experiences which each individual acts a certain way to deal with that human experience. Human experiences are experiences undergone by a person, it is the ability to process memories by the conscience mind, an example of human experience is happiness. In this paper I'm going to show how human experience is represented powerfully in Amanda Lohrey’s ‘Vertigo’ and the movie ‘The Blind Side’. It will be represented through techniques like visual imagery, metaphors, motifs and other powerful film techniques. Both texts will show belonging and change in environment as human experiences and themes.
‘Vertigo’, a book by Amanda Lohrey, shows the shift in Luke and Anna’s life (the main characters of the novella) as they relocate from the city to the country. Amanda Lohrey shows human experience of belonging and change in environment in Luke and Anna. Luke and Anna both experience a change in environment when they moved from the city to the country. In the text, Amanda Lohrey describes the difference between city life and country life. This is the main theme in ‘Vertigo’. At the start of the book, we were introduced to what it was like in the city through visual and auditory imagery, “there is too much urban jazz in the air, the drone of jets roaring in, the manic whine of sirens or the thumping bass line of the neighbors latest dance-music craze”. The city is described through the use of visual and auditory imagery, ‘roaring jets’ and ‘urban jazz’. Both Luke and Anna feel that they need to move away from the city due to problems affecting Luke and Anna, a reason for them to relocate is from Anna’s asthma problem. They believe that moving to Garra Nalla would be perfect to get rid of all problems. Their house in Garra Nalla is to be described as “a weatherboard homestead from the federation era with a gabled roof”. Again, the use of visual imagery to show how the house looks like. The city and Garra Nalla have been already been compared to one another. The city life can be more claustrophobic and loud to Garra Nalla, which based on the text is the gateway from all distractions. Luke and Anna both feels that Garra Nalla is just ‘perfect’ while their friends would say otherwise, “but there’s nothing here”. This shows that everyone has their own way of experiencing change in environment. It also shows that each individual acts a certain way with human experiences, Luke and Anna would prefer to live in the country life, where as their friends would prefer to stay in the city.
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Belonging is the sense of fitting in or feeling like you are an important member of a group. Belonging in ‘Vertigo’ is another main theme of the text. We see the sense of belonging fade away as both Luke and Anna move to Garra Nalla later in the novella. Anna struggles with country life later on as she finds out that her problems are returning back in Garra Nalla and finds it difficult to fit in. Anna in the text tries to show her belonging to Garra Nalla. The symbolism of Anna taking up gardening to help her connect and find a sense of belonging in Garra Nalla shows that she is trying to establish her roots to fit in Garra Nalla. This symbolizes that Anna is trying to grow her roots in Garra Nalla and attempt to fit in her surroundings. However, Luke has a spiritual connection to Garra Nalla and calls it as the ‘promised land’ in a religious allusion and connects to the environment and surroundings straight away. Everyone experiences belonging in their own way, we see how Luke and Anna experience belonging. Luke realizes that “change is everywhere, and now he and Anna are a part of it”, and they have to learn to adapt to their new environment. This just shows that everyone encounters human experience and acts in a certain way to others.
‘The Blind Side’ is a true story based on an NFL player, Michael Oher was born in an unstable environment and became homeless due to his mother’s drug abuse and the community’s exposure to violence. The environment was a huge change for Michael as he was adopted by a wealthy white family.
As we can see from the full shot of the protagonist walking where he was raised, you can tell that from his clothes that he doesn’t fit there showing a sense of doesn’t belong there. The clothes that everyone else is wearing is more ghetto than what Michael is wearing, which looks more responsible and cleaner than what others are wearing.
Compare it to the place where he was adopted, it looks completely different to the hood. As you can see from this full shot, it is a lot cleaner. The color white symbolizes that it is safer than the hood where Michael was raised in. This shows that Michael is more belonged in the Tuohy family than to the hood.
The film focuses on the theme concept of belonging and not belonging. Not belonging in the sense that Michael has not lived in a permanent home, leaving Michael with a lack in sense of identity and is having trouble fitting in amongst a stable community. Belonging is shown when Michael is taken in by the Tuohy family. In a scene where Mrs. Tuohy was preparing Michael’s room, she asked if Michael had ever had room to himself. “‘I've never had one before”. ‘A room to yourself?’. ‘A bed’”. This quote gives viewers an insight of Michael's previous life and how he has no connection to a family or a home he could belong to. The Tuohy family however, is providing him with one. Again, showing that not everyone is experiencing the sense of belonging to each other. Mrs. Tuohy never experienced belonging as Michael as she was already raised in a wealthy family, whereas Michael feels more belonged in the Tuohy house as he never experienced something more blessed as like having a bed. This shows that everyone has their own way of experiencing human experiences.
Therefore, all people experience different human experiences in a different way to others, some may have trouble with experiences will others don’t. We see how Anna and Luke experience the same as Michael as they feel more belong to where they move to, however other people cannot feel what they can.
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