Perceptions and ideas of belonging, or of not belonging, vary. In the poem Feliks Skrzynecki by Peter Skrzynecki, Feliks and Peter have different perceptions of belonging in Australia and the necessity of belonging in Australia. Feliks, the father, represents an alienation of an older migrant while Peter experiences the gradual integration of acceptance and affiliation in a new society. In the film Bend It Like Beckham directed by blah blah Jess and her mother have different perceptions of where she should belong. Her mother wants her to belong to the family and into an arranged marriage - “I was married at your age! You don’t even want to learn to cook dhal!”, however Jess wants to rebel against the typical Indian lifestyle and belong to her sport team instead.
Perceptions of belonging are shaped within personal, cultural, historical and social contexts. In the poem, Feliks Skrzynecki the father's sense of belonging come from his Polish background, and his personal and historical context of being a laborer. Peter's contrasting sense of alienation comes from his cultural context of being surrounded by Polish culture but never having been there himself and his personal context of experience of education.
In the folk museum – The persona’s sense of alienation in the museum comes from his completely different cultural, historical and social context. He struggles to relate to the rural, colonial Australian experience – “to remind me of a past which isn’t mine”. In the film Bend It Like Beckham Jess feels a sense of alienation due to her cultural context. Her friend’s mother treats her differently all the time