Belonging_Essay

Belonging Essay The concept of belonging denotes a sense of connection and affinity with one’s surroundings, fostered through enduring relationships and comfort zones. With the absence of such sentiments, ‘belonging’ is replaced by alienation and isolated emotions, accompanied by an emotional detachment from one’s surroundings. “St Patrick’s college” written by Peter Skrzynecki explores many aspects of not belonging through the world of education at a school he did not fit into, his mothers want to give him the best, caused this negative impact on Peter. “The stolen generation” sung and written by Archie Roach, explores the trauma young Aboriginal people experienced throughout the time of the stolen generation and the memories in which Archie has remembered from his forceful removal from his family and land. Throughout “Felicks Skrzynecki” written by Peter Skrzynecki who’s whole life felt he had belonged through his sense of connection with this polish culture, he never once felt that he needed to belong to the society he lived in and always strongly followed his heritage. As shown in Felick’s Skrzynecki, the father and son are comprehending of one other’s experiences. Michael Leunig’s drawing ‘A WRY Comment’ gives an example of how one follows society’s expectations, and questions whether or not they belong to this society. Peter Skrzynecki throughout his schooling life experienced negative aspects of belonging, he did not fit in and although he had been there for a while he still felt unwelcome. “Our lady watched with out stretched arms” although when entering the school to this statue, he never received the warmth from it, and remained. His mother only wanted what was best for her son; “impressed by the uniforms of her employees son’s” Peter tried to fit into this new and different society, because he didn’t want to let his mother down considering the amount of money she was paying for him to go to this particular school. Peter felt like a “foreign tourist” this simile shows he didn’t belong in his own community. 
“The darkness around me wasn’t for the best before I let my light shine” Peter stuck to his education for years trying to impress his mother, but the lack of belonging he felt didn’t compare to what was expected going to this school, but now after his departure he can begin to discover himself and do what he wants to do, this shows the consequences of conformity when one doesn’t feel a sense of belonging in their own community. 
“For our departing intentions our lady still watching uncharged by eight years weather” this symbolism proves to the audience, that the day he went to school and the day he left are still the same, and that he never benefited from going to a school where he didn’t belong. The isolated sentiments and feelings of being a ‘foreign tourist’ in an unwelcome society expressed in Skrzynecki’s ‘St Patrick’s’ is echoed in Archie Roach’s song, took the Children Away. The song contains memories and reflections of Archie’s early experiences of being a part of the stolen generation, and collectively voices the ordeal of young aboriginal people after having being removed from their land and families. The use of repetition throughout the song “Breaking their mothers heart, tearing us all apart, took the children away, the children away” was used to reinforce the lack of belonging that the children of the stolen generation had felt when they were forcefully removed from there homes and families. The sense of belonging was absent as they were forced into reserves and missions. These children lost all connection with their traditional way of life, as they were forced into a ‘white lifestyle’: “Sent us off to foster homes, as we grew up we felt alone, cause we were acting white, yet feeling black” expresses the solidarity and suffering from the alien ‘white’ culture that the Stolen Generation were expected to identify with, whilst internally experiencing the dilemma of retaining their Aboriginal culture which was forcefully suppressed. To belong is to become assimilated in a group. A new identity may be formed which can disconnect one from their heritage and family links. The use of imagery the poet creates a depiction of his stoic father “5 years forces labour in Germany this metaphor shows his content with the simple pleasures of life and had what he wanted and needed. Felicks Skrzynecki, expressed his love and sense of connection through a garden “he loved his garden like an only child” This simile shows how strong his love was in particular with his garden, and shows to the audience the replacement between his son Peter with his garden, through the time and effort he puts into the garden and the minimal effort he shows towards Felick’s. “Spent 10 years walking its perimeter’s” the exaggeration Peter Skrzynecki has used to display to the audience to convey his father’s contentment to his surroundings. Peter has no underlying connection to his heritage as his father has. The image by Michael Leunig is a drawing of a cage full of bird in black and white sitting in the darkness; one of the birds has escaped out the window in full colour with a grin in its face. The text “Another loser has-beens fade’s into obscurity” This image explores the social aspect of everyday lives, the cage entrapping the birds is a metaphor for the societal expectations placed on humans in everyday life. The bird flying free in colour represents someone breaking free and escaping the negative influences that happen in today’s society. Leunig demonstrates that’s to belong in today’s society, you must follow expectations that have been placed on you; whether or not this results in happiness. This image displays the need to belong, and the change in roles, as the bird in colour flying away and ‘escaping’ this particular society seems to be more contented and free. The concept of belonging can emotionally detach one form their surroundings resulting in isolation and alienation from their society in which they belong to. Through “St Patrick’s College” written by Peter Skrzynecki and “The Stolen Generation” the lack of belonging one can feel through there education and their land results in isolation, as explored through both these texts, as they where taken out of there comfort zones and entered an unknown world whether they never felt a sense of belonging. Through “Felicks Skrzynecki” and Michael Leunig’s drawing “A WRY Comment” a sense of belonging was present but yet in Felicks Skrzynecki he never felt that he was compelled to belong to his society, yet in A WRY comment in society if you follow the expectations from your surrounding that have been built you will automatically belong, but this doesn’t always result in contentment.