Belonging Essay Example
Peter Skrzynecki Belonging Essay
Significant moments in time shape an understanding of belonging.
Explore how this is evident in you prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing.
Belonging is defined as fitting in to a particular environment or having the right personal or social qualities to be a member of a particular group. Our belonging to or connections with people, places and groups allows one to develop a distinct identity characterised by affiliation, acceptance and association. To gain a full understanding of belonging, it is essential to experience some significant moments in time as it shapes and develops our understanding of belonging. This is captured in the poems of Peter Skrzynecki’s, ‘Migrant Hostel’, ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ’10 Mary Street’ using poetic techniques such as, similes, metaphors, alliteration and imagery. Skrzynecki captures the disconnection and isolation of the migrants experience and that of his family in particular. However in Anh Do’s biography, ‘The Happiest Refugee’ he uses anecdotes, recounts, description and a positive tone to address that he feels accepted in his new home. Also in ‘Homeland’ by Anna Maria Dell’oso, this issue of cultural identity is explored by the composer through the use of metaphors and anecdotes. These texts all show a sense of belonging through place connection to and significant moments in time. They also convey that belonging isn’t easy as there are times where you may not be accepted, so attitudes to belonging can change over time depending on these significant experiences.
When people do not spend a lot of time in one place, they never really feel like they belong. In the first stanza of Skrzynecki’s, ‘Migrant Hostel’, the combination of “comings”, “goings”, “arrivals” and “sudden departures” implies a sense of chaos, insecurity and instability. Skrzynecki uses similes such as “like a homing pigeon” and “birds of passage” to explain the constant change
Significant moments in time shape an understanding of belonging.
Explore how this is evident in you prescribed text and at least ONE other related text of your own choosing.
Belonging is defined as fitting in to a particular environment or having the right personal or social qualities to be a member of a particular group. Our belonging to or connections with people, places and groups allows one to develop a distinct identity characterised by affiliation, acceptance and association. To gain a full understanding of belonging, it is essential to experience some significant moments in time as it shapes and develops our understanding of belonging. This is captured in the poems of Peter Skrzynecki’s, ‘Migrant Hostel’, ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ’10 Mary Street’ using poetic techniques such as, similes, metaphors, alliteration and imagery. Skrzynecki captures the disconnection and isolation of the migrants experience and that of his family in particular. However in Anh Do’s biography, ‘The Happiest Refugee’ he uses anecdotes, recounts, description and a positive tone to address that he feels accepted in his new home. Also in ‘Homeland’ by Anna Maria Dell’oso, this issue of cultural identity is explored by the composer through the use of metaphors and anecdotes. These texts all show a sense of belonging through place connection to and significant moments in time. They also convey that belonging isn’t easy as there are times where you may not be accepted, so attitudes to belonging can change over time depending on these significant experiences.
When people do not spend a lot of time in one place, they never really feel like they belong. In the first stanza of Skrzynecki’s, ‘Migrant Hostel’, the combination of “comings”, “goings”, “arrivals” and “sudden departures” implies a sense of chaos, insecurity and instability. Skrzynecki uses similes such as “like a homing pigeon” and “birds of passage” to explain the constant change