Belonging

The desire to belong is a universal human experience. Do you agree' The need and desire to belong has always been a must for human survival. It is the sense of belonging that bridges the gulf between isolation and intimacy and it is this experience that allows the individual human to form and flourish. Our desire to belong is universal as without a sense of belonging, lives feel empty and pointless, and people become expendable. These concepts of belonging are effectively expressed in the poetry of Peter Skrzynecki’s ‘Immigrant Chronicle’, Colin Long’s article ‘The myth of belonging masks our insecurity’ and WH Auden’s poem ‘Refugee Blues’. Belonging is an instinctive human need in all of us. The human spirit craves a sense of belonging as it gives us a feeling of acceptance, fellowship, security and unity. ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ explores the relationship between the poet and his father and their contrasting experiences of belonging. Felik’s home is the garden, where he walks its paths “ten times around the world”. The use of this hyperbole demonstrates his sense of belonging in this setting, as he chooses to stay within its boundaries. The garden is a symbol of belonging and Feliks’s craving to belong is highlighted through his hard work and devotion to the garden: “hands darkened from cement, fingers with cracks like the sods he broke”. He chooses to work hard in this setting because he wants to belong to his garden. In the following stanza, Feliks’s sense of belonging is further highlighted through the use of positive connotations. Feliks and his friends share memories, reminiscing about fertile farms “flowered” and animals “bred” in their native Poland. Feliks craves acceptance and belonging in a new land however he also needs to belong to his culture and heritage. Feliks’s sense of belonging and happiness contrasts with his son’s discontent: “Happy as I have never been”. Peter craves his father’s sense of belonging to his cultural heritage, it is clear that the desire to belong, especially to a culture or heritage is a universal human experience. Colin Long’s article, ‘The Myth of Belonging Masks our Insecurity” also maintains the idea that everybody desires to belong to a culture or place. Long recognises the Australian National flag as a symbol of belonging, and when it was banned at the Australian Rock music festival an outcry erupted. The text describes how belonging is an actual human need and everybody craves and desires to belong. “There are other deeper needs that cannot be met by the cold, utopian vision of the free marketers: needs for love, respect, acceptance and tolerance”. The composer uses these homely connotations to emphasise the need for belonging and the fact that they are all desires and craved by human beings. In the closing paragraph of the article there is a call to action: “look beyond flag waving populism for belonging that is inclusive and not divisive”. Long gives his final opinion about belonging which provokes the responder to think and question, why humans really crave belonging when it can be so divisive. While everybody desires belonging, there can also be barriers which can prevent or make it difficult to belong. This concept is evident in Skrzynecki’s ‘Migrant Hostel’. The poem explores the emotions surrounding the migrant experience of detainment after arrival in Australia. They have migrated to a new country in hope of a better future and to belong and be accepted in a different nation, however they have been detained and this hostel has become a barrier to their sense of belonging. The poem emphasises the physical and emotional divisions set up by different nationalities. Searching for some sense of belonging in a foreign land, “Nationalities sought each other out instinctively”. The simile, “like a homing pigeon circling to get its bearings” creates a sense of the migrants’ desire for a home; a place of belonging. The physical symbols used in the last stanza highlight the migrants’ perception of their lack of belonging in Australian society. The physical “barrier” “sealed off the Highway from our doorstep” and the simile comparing the carrier’s rising and falling to a “finger pointed in reprimand or shame”, further creates a feeling of their alienation and discomfort. The physical barrier in the migrant hostel symbolise a lack of welcome to the migrants, resulting in their perception that they do not belong in Australian society, even though it is universal that people desire to belong to a country or place. It is a universal human experience to desire to belong to a certain place as a sense of belonging and connection to a place has positive ramifications such as emotional connection and personal resilience. Skrzynecki’s poem ‘10 Mary Street’ encapsulates the story of a family life and their sense of belonging to their home. This poem is one of the very few of Skrzynecki’s in which the persona experiences a sense of belonging. A sense of the comfort of routine is established in the first stanza. The family departs “each morning” and shuts the house “like a well-oiled lock”. This simile creates a sense of familiarity and comfort. The second stanza reinforces the idea of the parents’ sense of belonging in their home. Their tenderness to the home is particularly conveyed in the simile: “Tended roses and camellias like adopted children”. They are so devoted to their work in the home because they gain a sense of belonging and comfort from it. It is universal that people desire to belong to a home where they can experience the joys of family life in familiar surroundings. WH Auden’s poem also conveys this similar idea. ‘Refugee Blues’ depicts a migrant couple’s struggle to belong in a new country. It is evident in this poem how much a place can influence one’s sense of belonging. The immigrants desire and crave to belong in a new country however they are shut out and considered outsiders in this foreign land. At the end of every stanza in the poem, repetition of the last statement is used to emphasise their struggle to belong and their feelings of alienation. “Yet there’s no place for us my dear, yet there’s no place for us”. The use of repetition demonstrates the couple’s craving for belonging. The final stanza creates a peaceful image of the simple possessions needed for happiness; singing, a home (nest) and peace. “Walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees; they had no politicians and sang at their ease”. However the immigrants don’t possess any of these belonging feelings or happiness. “They weren’t the human race my dear, they weren’t the human race”. The immigrants crave and long for this sense of belonging and happiness that the birds have. This poem portrays the idea that everybody wants to belong especially immigrants craving for a better future in a new country. However it also demonstrates that when we don’t belong we suffer feelings of sadness, isolation and alienation and this is why we all crave belonging. The desire to belong is universal because from belonging we gain a sense of happiness, contentment, security and unity. The texts analysed for study all demonstrate the fact that the desire to belong is crucial to human survival and therefore it is universal that everybody craves and longs for a sense of belonging.