Belonging_Essay

Essay Peter Skrzynecki's 1975 anthology Immigrant Chronicle demonstrates that a sense of belonging is never permanent because one's feelings, knowledge and experiences change throughout one's lifetime. A sense of belonging can only be discovered through a sense of self. Skrzynecki's poem 'Feliks Skrzynecki' and 'Ancestors' both discuss this notion and also how belonging which is permanent can also be isolating. Skrzynecki uses the technique metaphor, cumulative listing, second person and Imagery. Michael Bay's 2005 film The Island demonstrates the notion that belonging is never permanent through the techniques costuming and lighting. These techniques help the audience digest concepts of belonging and why as we grow to have changing experiences and ideals the places we belong also change. In this way belonging is never permanent or stagment. Likewise Heinrich Knirr's 1937 acrylic on canvas 'Portrait of Adolf Hitler' examines these same themes through the use of colour and lighting. Skrzynecki's poem Feliks Skrzynecki utilises the technique metaphor to demonstrate the idea that belonging cannot be permanent because one's internal landscape changes due to certain exposure of different ideas changing one's need for attachment. The exposure of the Australian lifestyle suggests that Peter Skrzynecki is disconnected from assimilating as the sense of belonging is forced upon him by his father. This serves to prove the notion that permanent belonging can cause awareness of detachment. 'Further and further south Of Hadrian's wall.' Hadrian's wall which is historically a wall of separation serves to express the concept that an association is never stable because it is structures through one's internal sense of self which is developed through experience. The metaphor of Hadrian's wall separates Skrzynecki's father's Polish background from his new knowledge of the Australian lifestyle. Therefore the metaphor suggests that Peter cannot have a permanent connection with his father's Polish background as it is not conducive to Peter's authentic belonging. A sense of attachment is discovered through one's internal landscape which has been shaped through exposure of his past and so a sense of permanent belonging cannot be structured with his father, as he has no experience of his background. Skrzynecki also presents the technique of cumulative listing within Feliks Skrzynecki to portray elements of unwanted and unknown memories which aren't internally his. The technique serves to demonstrate the assumption that a changeless association is never everlasting as one's experiences change resulting in internal belonging being the source of authentic attachment. 'About farms where paddocks flowered With corn and wheat, With horses they bread, pigs They were skilled in slaughtering' The technique cumulative listing discuss' the importance of true association being an internal source developed through knowledge. The extract undermines the nature of permanent belonging as permanent association cannot be formed through false memories not present to the participant within the attachment. One's sense of authentic identification can only be developed through experiences, therefore a link is never permanent as one cannot have the same internal being as others. The technique also represents isolation as an everlasting attempt of unification was attempted by Peter but as the father and Peter do not share the same internal landscape it has left Peter in a state of alienation from his father's Polish background. Skrzynecki's poem Ancestors appropriates the technique second person to portray the idea that a sense of security is never everlasting as Peter is asking the responder questions that even he can't answer. For belonging to be permanent then one's knowledge and internal self must be able to answer questions for their sense of security. 'Why do their eyes Never close'' The technique of second person allows the responder to witness the attempt of a permanent belonging but as the questions asked by peter cannot be answered by himself or the responder it represents the notion of false attachment. As acceptance can only be realised through one's centralised composition and must have the knowledge and experience to gain this association in one's internal landscape it is impossible for peter to have a permanent belonging with his ancestors.The unanswered questions provides the aspect of an unknown memory and past which is forever unanswered and portrays the notion that belonging is never permanent as people must have the exact same internal being for this to be permanent. Ancestors also portrays the technique of imagery to characterise the ancestors a false, mystical beings that seem to have no purpose. The technique demonstrates that if one does not obtain the same genetics and internal landscape to another constructed from events then it is not conducive to an association. A sense of security can never be established as everyones past, present, future and knowledge are different. ' Who are these shadows That hang over you in a dream- The bearded, faceless men…….' The extract represents the notion that an association is never continual as Peter never knew his ancestors or much of his past. The imagery of 'faceless men' suggests that the ancestors have no soul resulting in an impossible form of acceptance because if one has no soul then they have no internal landscape and if a sense of security was to be established permanently the ancestors would have to have the same internal content. As the ancestors are also represented as shadows this demonstrates that they are a threat to Peter's authentic belonging as they haunt him through his dreams. Michael Bay's 2005 film The Island exploits the technique of costuming to signify the community as a whole rather then individuals to demonstrate a forced attachment where people have to cute of their internal landscape. If one has no internal landscape then one cannot create an association at all, rather a false connection joined by many which results in alienation. Bay's use of costuming with the clones in the same white suit contrasts with the outside world of expression through different symbols and colours found on their clothes. The clones dressed in all white supplies the reference that they are worthless and depicted as a whole rather then individuals. This type of technique used excludes belonging altogether and depicts the clones as aliens. When Lincoln six echo changes his clothing from the white suit to the darker clothing it demonstrates that he is developing his internal landscape by experiencing new aspects of society and developing new knowledge that is not present amount the clones. The technique of costuming portrays the notion that one can only create a true belonging through ons sense of self constructed by their past and therefore an attachment is never permanent. Bay also uses the aspect of light to note the feature of a faulty, distorted community and unhealthy lifestyle through artificial light. The use of artificial light within the clone community expresses the need for individuality and that an association as a whole will cause isolation to that specific group.The need for a strong sense of self is then emphasised to escape the false environment signifying that belonging can never be permanent. '"Just cause people wanna eat the burger doesn't mean they wanna meet the cow."' The extract expresses the technique of artificial light as it compares the clones to cows to show that both are only being produced to be consumed. The artificial light used in the clone environment expresses elements of false and unfair association as the cows being produced for consumption are placed in controlled environments which can also be artificial. Unlike cows the clones have the ability to construct a deeper internal landscape to develop knowledge to question their existence within their artificial environment. This portrays the notion that an attachment is never permanent as one's sense of self is always changing and forms new ideas, that for man authentic belonging to be established one must have a well constructed internal landscape. Heinrich Knirr's 1937 'Portrait of HItler' examines the techniques of lighting and structure