Peter Skrynecki Belonging Essay

For Peter Skrznecki it is like being part of two cultures but at the same time not able to belong and connect to either one. In Migrant Hostel Peter reflects the unpleasant memories, he remembers at 4 years old, when he and his parents emigrated to Australia from Poland. He uses language techniques such as similes to create a sense of uncertainty and not belonging, because similes are not as certain as metaphors. He uses motifs of birds and pigeons, which is seen in my visual representation. For example, "Nationalities sought each other out instinctively like homing pigeons" this emphasises the instinctive need to find someone or something familiar in a foreign place, to feel a sense of comfort and belonging. At times he felt unity with his family but this is juxtaposed with the sense of wondering of which culture he belongs to, Poland or Australia? This is represented visually in my collage, with images showing not belonging to groups and being an outcast, there is only one image in the corner representing unity and belonging. This is contrasted by all the other images portraying not belonging and alienation. Which relates to how Peter feels about being a man of two different cultures. In the poem Feliks Skrynecki, Peter describes his father with emotive language on how he tries and fit in to a new culture "My gentle father, kept paces only with the Joneses" (idiom is used.) But his father still has a strong connection to his culture through his garden, which Peter describes as he "loved his garden, like an only child" the garden is symbolic and represents his home land and culture. This relates to the film Kite runner, when Amir's father takes soil from Afghanistan and puts it in a case before he crosses the border, the soil becomes symbolic for the father's culture and treasures it till his death bed. In both texts land is used as a symbol of connection that both fathers show to their culture and homeland. Which relates to my visual representation with an image of a man holding soil from the land. Choices are a large part of belonging to a culture. Peter chooses to be disconnected and he doesn't try and learn about his own culture, which makes him not belong culturally. For example in the poem Feliks Skrzynecki Peter says "I forgot my first Polish word" but his father repeated it so he would never forget it but Peter choose not to remember it. He also doesn't try to fit in with a new culture, he chooses to be the black sheep which creates a barrier to belong. In kite runner an important quote was "this is the real Afghanistan you have always been a tourist in your own country." This shows when Amir lived in Afghanistan as a child his father always protected him and made all of his decisions, which caused him not to know who he really was and never experience the real Afghanistan. But when Amir went to America he starting making his own choices and found out who he was and felt like he belonged there. Both Amir and Peter shows how significant decisions and choices are, because it is your own personal choice to belong to a culture.