Poetry essay
Explore how perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by connections to places.
Belonging refers to the acceptance of a common culture and traditions and the adoption of these practices into ones own personality. A common view of belonging is that it becomes manifested due to connections to a place, and a homogenous, undifferentiated culture. This belonging is thus felt because of assimilation and espousal of a common language, culture and way of life. This view is expressed in the poem ‘Migrant Hostel’ by Peter Skrzynecki, in which the importance of connections to a place are highlighted as the way through which to direct their sense of belonging. However, in the poem ‘St Patrick’s College’, the idea of belonging becoming manifested due to connection to a place is juxtaposed to the affiliated of belonging to a common ideology and conviction. Correspondingly, the poem ’10 Mary Street’ explores belonging and suggests that through connections to a harmonious place, a true sense of belonging can become manifest.
In the poem ‘Migrant Hostel’, the concept of belonging correlating to a connection to a place is explored. The poem is set in a Displaced Person’s camp post World War II, in which many different cultures are present, yet each individual seeks out their own unique culture due to a sense of comfort. In the poem, the different migrant groups are referred to as being “like homing pigeons”. This use of this reductive simile suggests that each individual desires a sense of comfort, which is only available through the directing of thoughts towards an appropriate country. This idea is further enhanced through the way these “pigeons” became “birds of passage”. This metaphor highlights how the instinct of the migrant groups have become so corrupt and disorientated that they have become confused and lost. However, the metaphor also suggests that these migrant groups need only to direct their thoughts towards an appropriate country, where
Belonging refers to the acceptance of a common culture and traditions and the adoption of these practices into ones own personality. A common view of belonging is that it becomes manifested due to connections to a place, and a homogenous, undifferentiated culture. This belonging is thus felt because of assimilation and espousal of a common language, culture and way of life. This view is expressed in the poem ‘Migrant Hostel’ by Peter Skrzynecki, in which the importance of connections to a place are highlighted as the way through which to direct their sense of belonging. However, in the poem ‘St Patrick’s College’, the idea of belonging becoming manifested due to connection to a place is juxtaposed to the affiliated of belonging to a common ideology and conviction. Correspondingly, the poem ’10 Mary Street’ explores belonging and suggests that through connections to a harmonious place, a true sense of belonging can become manifest.
In the poem ‘Migrant Hostel’, the concept of belonging correlating to a connection to a place is explored. The poem is set in a Displaced Person’s camp post World War II, in which many different cultures are present, yet each individual seeks out their own unique culture due to a sense of comfort. In the poem, the different migrant groups are referred to as being “like homing pigeons”. This use of this reductive simile suggests that each individual desires a sense of comfort, which is only available through the directing of thoughts towards an appropriate country. This idea is further enhanced through the way these “pigeons” became “birds of passage”. This metaphor highlights how the instinct of the migrant groups have become so corrupt and disorientated that they have become confused and lost. However, the metaphor also suggests that these migrant groups need only to direct their thoughts towards an appropriate country, where