Feliks Skrzynecki Analysis
Skrzynecki
Feliks Skrzynecki
Feliks Skrzynecki is the poet’s father and this poem is a tribute to his dignity and stoicism in the face of loss and hardship. Felix’s individual journey from Europe to Australia, from one culture to another, echoes through the poem and it is clear that the impact of the journey is as strong for the son as it is for the father.
Feliks Skrzynecki is an individual physical and cultural journey experienced by Felik’s and narrated by Peter Skrzynecki. It seems Felix Skrzynecki never was culturally accepted in Australia, except by other immigrants, “Did your father ever attempt to learn English?” Despite this, Felix Skrzynecki is at peace, he made the best of his journey and finds contentment in the simple …show more content…
things, “Watching the stars and street lights come on, / Happy as I have never been.” This is quite a suprising yet strong statement, which suggests that Peter envies his father because he has never felt this contentment and fulfillment.
Throughout the poem there is an obvious respect and admiration of the poet’s father and his life. Although the poem also shows that inevitably the son, Peter, is growing away into his own identity shaped by this new world, “Pegging my tents / Further and further south of Hadrian’s wall”. It is obvious that relationship between father and son is full of love and respect but despite this there is an inevitable estrangement because Peter is moving into his own world. Peter is moving away from his parental heritage towards Australia and a modern, western culture.
The opening of the poem describes Felix Skrzynecki simply, “My gentle father”. The very first line sets the tone of the poem, full of respect and admiration. It describes how Felix is a determined and focused man “Five years of forced labour …/Did not dull the softness of his blue eyes.” Felix Skrzynecki has always been positive and optimistic despite all obstacles, “I never once heard / Him complain.”
The structure of this poem is very important, the first two stanzas describe the subject, Felix Skrzynecki and conveys the poet’s feelings of respect and admiration. The third stanza introduces the idea that the child, Peter, feels detached from his father’s heritage “I never got used to”. This stanza acts as an introduction into Felik’s Polish heritage, a life the poet knows nothing about. The admiration continues through stanza four as the poet describes his father’s stoicism. Stanza five hints the poet’s own journey, one in which the impact of his parents journey begins to affect him while defending his father in the face of bureaucratic complacency and ignorance. There is a beauty in the visual imagery of the garden and its colours described in stanza six. This is what Felik’s created. He is content in his own haven and content with his journey, but the poet realises that although he loves and admires his father he has never been content, and is full of regret for a way of life he will never know or fully understand. The final stanza changes the focus of the poem to the son and his loss, his loss of language, which is in a sense the loss of his parent’s heritage. This is the impact of the journey on the poet. The father is driven to keep it alive in his son but the final lines demonstrate the inevitability that the son will move further away from his father’s heritage in this new land.
This poem is a moving tribute to the poet’s father, a gentle, determined, stoic and happy man who has faced obstacles and turmoils throughout his life but has kept a positive approach and remained strong. Peter undoubtedly has a lot of respect for his father but realistically acknowledges the estrangement growing between them, he is living his own life in his own world.
Migrant Hostel
Migrant Hostel is one of the shortest poems in the collection, but by no means less strong.
Similar to his other poems, Migrant Hostel is very matter of fact and clearly sets the context of this poem “Parkes, 1949-51”. There are no complexities in the structure and this is effective because it keeps the poem simple yet strong.
This poem describes a transit station where the comings and goings are unsettling for the immigrants. They are still in transit, continually being moved around “For over two years / We lived like birds of passage -” They have no choice where they are going, nor no knowledge where they will end up “Unaware... / Whose track we would follow.”
There are still memories of the past “memories of hunger and hate” this is a minor example of alliteration which creates quite a guttural sound which supports the harsh image that is presented.
The final stanza supports the already assumed idea that these immigrants are powerless, while describing the motion of a boom gate which “sealed off the highway” it is suggested that the migrants are treated like children “As it rose and fell like a finger / Pointed in reprimand.” The final lines “Needing its sanction / To pass in and out of lives / That had only begun / Or were dying” these migrants lives continue moving, without their control, deprived of true freedom –these people were either young with their lives beginning or their lives had already been and there was nothing for them anymore.
This is a successful poem which conveys the experiences of immigrants arriving in Australia – their feelings of powerlessness is present and is shown through similes, metaphors and simple language.
Post card
The final poem in this collection reveals the unavoidable collision of Peter Skrzynecki’s two worlds.
However much he denies his past and his heritage, it is part of him.
This poem is divided into three sections, the first is a description of a postcard which depicts the town of Warsaw, the home of his parents, “A post card sent by a friend / Haunts me.”
At the beginning of the second stanza Peter Skrzynecki addresses Warsaw as a person “Warsaw, Old Town, / I never knew you” this immediately gives the inanimate city power over the persona and establishes a personal relationship between the two. Despite the destruction of Warsaw during the war “[Warsaw] survived / In the minds / Of a dying generation / Half a world away,” the people who lived in Warsaw for all those years still defend their home, Warsaw is still very much alive in their hearts.
The repetition of “I repeat, I never knew you” provides us with an insight into Skrzynecki’s feelings – he’s saying, ‘don’t drag me into this!’ He does not want to part of the heavy history, but he cannot fight the constant tug-o-war of tension inside him, between loving and admiring his parents and him not wanting the same life for himself. He is caught in his heritage and he cannot deny the visceral connection between himself and
Warsaw.
The final stanza “On the river’s bank / A lone tree / Whispers: / ‘We will meet / Before you die’” is a very simple image yet so very powerful. However much he refuses, it is inevitable and this is a symbolic acceptance of his heritage.
This is an extremely strong poem, which shows the collision of his two worlds, his own life in Australia and the cultural heritage of his parents. The strongest technique in this poem is the use of personification, the fact that he addressed Warsaw as a town. He comes to an acceptance in the end of his heritage and finally himself.
Feliks Skrzynecki
Feliks Skrzynecki is the poet’s father and this poem is a tribute to his dignity and stoicism in the face of loss and hardship. Felix’s individual journey from Europe to Australia, from one culture to another, echoes through the poem and it is clear that the impact of the journey is as strong for the son as it is for the father.
Feliks Skrzynecki is an individual physical and cultural journey experienced by Felik’s and narrated by Peter Skrzynecki. It seems Felix Skrzynecki never was culturally accepted in Australia, except by other immigrants, “Did your father ever attempt to learn English?” Despite this, Felix Skrzynecki is at peace, he made the best of his journey and finds contentment in the simple …show more content…
things, “Watching the stars and street lights come on, / Happy as I have never been.” This is quite a suprising yet strong statement, which suggests that Peter envies his father because he has never felt this contentment and fulfillment.
Throughout the poem there is an obvious respect and admiration of the poet’s father and his life. Although the poem also shows that inevitably the son, Peter, is growing away into his own identity shaped by this new world, “Pegging my tents / Further and further south of Hadrian’s wall”. It is obvious that relationship between father and son is full of love and respect but despite this there is an inevitable estrangement because Peter is moving into his own world. Peter is moving away from his parental heritage towards Australia and a modern, western culture.
The opening of the poem describes Felix Skrzynecki simply, “My gentle father”. The very first line sets the tone of the poem, full of respect and admiration. It describes how Felix is a determined and focused man “Five years of forced labour …/Did not dull the softness of his blue eyes.” Felix Skrzynecki has always been positive and optimistic despite all obstacles, “I never once heard / Him complain.”
The structure of this poem is very important, the first two stanzas describe the subject, Felix Skrzynecki and conveys the poet’s feelings of respect and admiration. The third stanza introduces the idea that the child, Peter, feels detached from his father’s heritage “I never got used to”. This stanza acts as an introduction into Felik’s Polish heritage, a life the poet knows nothing about. The admiration continues through stanza four as the poet describes his father’s stoicism. Stanza five hints the poet’s own journey, one in which the impact of his parents journey begins to affect him while defending his father in the face of bureaucratic complacency and ignorance. There is a beauty in the visual imagery of the garden and its colours described in stanza six. This is what Felik’s created. He is content in his own haven and content with his journey, but the poet realises that although he loves and admires his father he has never been content, and is full of regret for a way of life he will never know or fully understand. The final stanza changes the focus of the poem to the son and his loss, his loss of language, which is in a sense the loss of his parent’s heritage. This is the impact of the journey on the poet. The father is driven to keep it alive in his son but the final lines demonstrate the inevitability that the son will move further away from his father’s heritage in this new land.
This poem is a moving tribute to the poet’s father, a gentle, determined, stoic and happy man who has faced obstacles and turmoils throughout his life but has kept a positive approach and remained strong. Peter undoubtedly has a lot of respect for his father but realistically acknowledges the estrangement growing between them, he is living his own life in his own world.
Migrant Hostel
Migrant Hostel is one of the shortest poems in the collection, but by no means less strong.
Similar to his other poems, Migrant Hostel is very matter of fact and clearly sets the context of this poem “Parkes, 1949-51”. There are no complexities in the structure and this is effective because it keeps the poem simple yet strong.
This poem describes a transit station where the comings and goings are unsettling for the immigrants. They are still in transit, continually being moved around “For over two years / We lived like birds of passage -” They have no choice where they are going, nor no knowledge where they will end up “Unaware... / Whose track we would follow.”
There are still memories of the past “memories of hunger and hate” this is a minor example of alliteration which creates quite a guttural sound which supports the harsh image that is presented.
The final stanza supports the already assumed idea that these immigrants are powerless, while describing the motion of a boom gate which “sealed off the highway” it is suggested that the migrants are treated like children “As it rose and fell like a finger / Pointed in reprimand.” The final lines “Needing its sanction / To pass in and out of lives / That had only begun / Or were dying” these migrants lives continue moving, without their control, deprived of true freedom –these people were either young with their lives beginning or their lives had already been and there was nothing for them anymore.
This is a successful poem which conveys the experiences of immigrants arriving in Australia – their feelings of powerlessness is present and is shown through similes, metaphors and simple language.
Post card
The final poem in this collection reveals the unavoidable collision of Peter Skrzynecki’s two worlds.
However much he denies his past and his heritage, it is part of him.
This poem is divided into three sections, the first is a description of a postcard which depicts the town of Warsaw, the home of his parents, “A post card sent by a friend / Haunts me.”
At the beginning of the second stanza Peter Skrzynecki addresses Warsaw as a person “Warsaw, Old Town, / I never knew you” this immediately gives the inanimate city power over the persona and establishes a personal relationship between the two. Despite the destruction of Warsaw during the war “[Warsaw] survived / In the minds / Of a dying generation / Half a world away,” the people who lived in Warsaw for all those years still defend their home, Warsaw is still very much alive in their hearts.
The repetition of “I repeat, I never knew you” provides us with an insight into Skrzynecki’s feelings – he’s saying, ‘don’t drag me into this!’ He does not want to part of the heavy history, but he cannot fight the constant tug-o-war of tension inside him, between loving and admiring his parents and him not wanting the same life for himself. He is caught in his heritage and he cannot deny the visceral connection between himself and
Warsaw.
The final stanza “On the river’s bank / A lone tree / Whispers: / ‘We will meet / Before you die’” is a very simple image yet so very powerful. However much he refuses, it is inevitable and this is a symbolic acceptance of his heritage.
This is an extremely strong poem, which shows the collision of his two worlds, his own life in Australia and the cultural heritage of his parents. The strongest technique in this poem is the use of personification, the fact that he addressed Warsaw as a town. He comes to an acceptance in the end of his heritage and finally himself.