Belonging Essay The idea of belonging is crucial in our lives because it brings about acceptance and connection to an individual, group or place. Migrants typically expertise alienation and exclusion earlier than experiencing acceptance and belonging into the new society. Peter skrzynecki portrays migration as a painful, soul looking expertise, re forging a way of non-public and cultural identification which is obvious in Migrant hostel. On the opposite Peter shows a perspective had been the household feels stability and safety at their deal with 10 Mary Avenue.
The journey to belong typically proves to be a fantastic burden; the lack of social stability generates a way of loss and insecurity leaving migrants struggling to regulate to their new cultural surroundings. That is established in the first stanza of Migrant hostel by way of the selection of phrases corresponding to “sudden/questioning”, which illustrates uncertainty and doubtfulness of what’s occurring round them, due to this fact dwelling erratic and unsure lives.
The concept of not being accountable for their lives is additional emphasised in the first stanza with the use of the simile “we lived like birds of passage”, this creates a picture of migratory birds and represents how the migrants are at a degree of transaction in actuality. Peter creates an image of confinement and imprisonment by way of the image of a barrier “A barrier at the important gate”, represents obstacles to their dream of belonging and exclusion from mainstream Australia.
The Migrants are proven as being powerless and their lives have been marked by disorientation, “unaware of the season/whose monitor we’d comply with”, highlights the complete migrant communities uncertainty as “we” is inclusive of all migrants and reveals that each one migrants expertise related hardship. The irony of the concluding traces “that had solely begun or had been dying”, accentuates the burden of uncertainty of their lives as an alternative of surviving of their new homeland and expertise a brand new sense of belonging their lives stay in limbo.
Nonetheless, individuals ultimately expertise belonging which is obvious in 10 Mary Avenue as it’s a stark distinction to Migrant hostel as there may be insecurity whereas there’s a feeling of safety in 10 Mary Avenue resulting from the household’s long run connection to their house and Australia itself. The repetition of “nineteen years” reinforces how long run residency establishes a spot of belonging. Peter additionally repeats ‘eight years” in St Patrick’s as Peter is stating how peoples sense of belonging is strengthened over an extended time frame.
Moreover, the simile “like a well-oiled lock”, symbolizes safety and highlights how the household is experiencing safety at their household house. The poem additionally highlights how the household’s sturdy affinity with the backyard represents settlement and permanency in Australia. The simile like “adopted youngsters” emphasizes the guardian’s nice care and love for his or her backyard and symbolizes their belonging to their new homeland. The act of Peter ravaging the backyard represents how the backyard supplies the household with meals and sustenance.
The backyard is a illustration of their new homeland as Australia additionally supplies them with work, alternative and a superb life. The home is described as a part of the household by way of the personification “the home stands” this portrays the home as one other member of the household because it reveals belonging and relation to the home. The metaphor “Inheritors of a key that’ll open no home”, highlights the poets appreciation of his household and their house, the expertise is cherished nonetheless when the home is pulled down, he believes he won’t ever have the ability to expertise such heat when he strikes on in life.
In conclusion, it’s evident that an individual will set up a reference to a spot or particular person with time, nonetheless will undergo hardships and emotions of unfamiliarity earlier than discovering safety and belonging to their new homeland. Migrant hostel emphasizes how life’s adversities can hamper peoples sense of belonging, whereas 10 Mary Avenue portrays how individuals adapt to their new homeland to turn into “residents of the soil” and expertise stability and safety.
