Peter Skryznecki’s poetic text explores the timeless concept of belonging in the mid 20th century. In the opening stanza, through the use of sibilance, the gentle‘s’ sound in “the comings and goings – Arrivals of newcomers In busloads from the station” creates a feeling of movement and change, as these migrants have arrived in Australia; a bustling city. Through this, Skrzynecki shows that these migrants, though they may be disorientated by their new surroundings, are moving as a group, suggesting their inclusion of other migrants and movement to seek refuge. Another aural technique is used within the first stanza, that is, alliteration. The soft letter ‘w’ within “wondering who would be coming next” conveys the migrants’ tone of hopelessness and evokes emotion within the audience and so vividly displays the loneliness of the migrants as well as their lack of understanding in such a new environment.
Skrzynecki’s poem is also littered with similes – “Like a homing pigeon Circling to get its bearings” portrays the lost migrants who seek out others who would be in their group. In doing so, these people are looking for a place of familiarity to belong and so, find sanction. This union is also emphasised through the historical allusion noted within the poem, where “the memories of hunger and hate” suggest the migrants are affected by the war raging on during the time in which the poem was composed. This evokes a feeling of sympathy and empathy within the audience for the migrants as it is a negative, common experience the migrants share.
“We lived like birds of passage” forms an effect of movement and desperation of the migrants as they are continuously moving. This simile is utilised to highlight the migrants’ anxiety and wish to seek refuge and safety. Assimilation also proves a difficult task to the people as the metaphorical barrier that is the Australian society “rose and fell like a finger”, signalling hostility and non-acceptance by the community. In showing that the migrants do not belong, the device that is the use of simile and a synecdoche, shock is evoked within the audience as it shows that as the migrants seek for a place of peace, the Australian people are not as willing to accept them.
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