Tattooist and Skrzynecki

Acceptance of oneself, ones past and one’s future is essential in a search for belonging. Belonging as a shared experience can bring about an understanding of the past which can help an individual find a sense of belonging. Shared society and culture can make an essential connection of acceptance towards the belonging of an individual. The poem “Feliks Skrzynecki” by Peter Skrzynecki and the short story “The tattooist” both explore these two concepts of belonging and use a variety of techniques to display these ideas.
Shared experience can bring about an understanding of the past which can help an individual find a sense of belonging. Shared experience can come from past historical events, places or people which can lead to a common understanding. The poem “Feliks Skrzynecki: by Peter Skrzynecki is a poem that explores the relationship between the poet and his father contrasts the shared experiences of belonging in a new land. The poet’s father struggles to find his sense of belonging outside his carefully nurtured garden which he chooses to stay inside the boundaries of. “Loved his garden like an only child,” This use of simile emphasise the love he had for his garden and the importance of what the garden means to him. Feliks garden to him represents the past and his past life back in Poland and his understanding of the vast farmlands and garden back where he used to belong. The garden in the poem represents the acceptance of one’s past through shared experiences.
Anne Vick also explores the concept in her poem the tattooist.
The short story “The tattooist” by Anne Vick explores the ideas of shared experiences and understanding of the past. The story is about a tattooist running a shop in the country. When two younger city girls come in, the perceptions of the tattooist’s views on the younger generation are shaped through the shared experiences and the events that tie them together. The tattooist first fells alienated from the girls because he stereotypes them