Belonging

Belonging is difficult to define as it encompasses not just a variety of ways one does belong, but also all the ways one doesn’t. Skrzynecki’s poems ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ‘Migrant Hostel’ from “Imigrant Chronicle” along with Noyce’s film “Rabbit Proof Fence” explore the idea that feeling a sense of belonging comes from various factors. Rabbit Proof Fence takes us on the journey through the life of Aboriginals living in the 1930s, where although they are the original custodians of Australia, the aboriginals were made to feel like migrants, constantly being mocked for their culture. The whites’ settlement on the aboriginals’ land had forced the aboriginals to become dependant on the whites for rationing them with food and clothes, ruling who they marry and when they get to see their family. This left the aboriginals with the less fortunate hand of always wanting more and not belonging to their homes- feelings that migrants experience on arrival in a new country. Molly, Gracie and Daisy, three aboriginal children are treated with contempt by the Mr. Neville, Protector of Aboriginals of Perth, also known as ‘Mr Devil’ who refers to the girls as ‘half castes’, a derogatory term used by the whites to label half aboriginal and half white people- the unwanted third race. This cultural alienation leads to a lack of belonging, also explored in the poem ‘Feliks Skrzynicki’ where the persona’s father is ridiculed for his inability to fluently speak English by a clerk who demeaningly speaks to him in ‘dancing bear grunts’. The combination of profane names labeling Mr Neville and the animal imagery in the poem creates a negative impression of those who reject migrants. The poem ‘Migrant Hostel’ emphasizes on a sense of disorientation experienced by migrants, a sense which is antitheses of belonging, also evident in Rabbit Proof Fence. In this poem, the migrants live in a populace migrant hostel where noone keeps count of how many people come and go and new arrivals come in busloads. In the film, the half castes are taken to an overcrowded native settlement, created to advance the disadvantaged third race children to white status. Although in the poem, the Skrzynecki family is surrounded by other migrants in the hostel, and in the film, the half castes are placed among other half castes, a sense of alienation and exclusion creates a strong sense of not belonging. In Feliks Skrynecki, the father has a powerful connection to his culture, maintaining his Polish friends and the customs of his Polish life, even though they are perceived as strange in Australia. Similarly, in Rabbit Proof Fence, while at the settlement, Molly still holds a strong connection to her aboriginal culture by speaking her known language and using her aboriginal skills to escape from the prison, regardless of the disgust looked upon her for this. However, Gracie’s attempt to adapt to the white culture displays a lack of belonging to either culture, as her strong aboriginal traits exclude her from truly belonging with the whites, while her wish to adapt to the new culture pushes her further from her old one. Correspondingly, in the poem, the persona is not fully a part of either the old or the new culture as he finds the formal address and the too violent handshake of Polish culture to be alien, yet he clearly does not fully belong to the new culture. In Migrant hostel, the poet introduces a symbol of ‘a barrier at the main gate’, which isolates and separates the migrants from the outside world. It is a literal and figurative barrier and this is further enhanced when he compares it to a finger pointed in reprimand or shame, implying the discomfort of the migrants. By saying that they need its sanction, he is not only personifying the gate, but also inferring that living in a hostel institutionalizes people, taking away their independence. In Rabbit Proof Fence, the rabbit proof fence itself is symbol separating the aboriginals from the whites. It also has a literal and figurative meaning: it is there to keep the rabbits away from the farm land, as the farm land is important and the rabbits destroy this. However, the metaphorical meaning is that the fence divides the higher, white culture from the deprived, aboriginal culture. The contrast of the dusty, dirty, orange aboriginal land and the clean, white, civilized culture of the whites further enhances this separation. The aboriginals live in huts made of sticks and eat animals which they track, hunt and kill themselves while the whites live in buildings, drive cars and provide for themselves. This displays the obvious division between the two cultures. Migrant hostel ends with an apparent contradiction, describing the migrants lives as having only just begun or dying. This suggests that some immigrants were indeed being given a chance to start a new life, while others were unable to make the transition and were spiritually dying. This idea is also evident in Rabbit Proof Fence, although it has a more literal meaning. While in the poem, the migrants own decision to either accept or reject the new culture is the factor determining a new start or a dead end, in the film, it is Mr Neville’s choice who gets a fresh start and who is left to die, though his perception of a new life is in fact what the aboriginals would consider the dead end. In Rabbit Proof Fence, a symbol of an eagle is apparent throughout the entire film. The eagle represents freedom, home and protection, and the sound of the eagles call can always be heard when Molly is in need of protection, inspiration and when she is near her home. In Migrant Hostel, Skrzynecki also uses a bird motif, comparing the migrants to homing pigeons and birds of passage. In both the texts, birds are a symbol of freedom and home, and are a path to a stronger sense of belonging. Although it is possible for one to adapt to a new culture or place, there are many factors that determine belonging. Migrant Hostel, Feliks Skrzynecki and Rabbit Proof Fence convey that while one can be surrounded by others and outwardly appear to belong, there are many inward factors that prevent an individual from feeling a real sense of connection and belonging. Belonging is a vital part of life, without which, one will fade away from their true self.