Perception_of_Belonging

Perceptions of whether an individual belongs or doesn’t belong are influenced by the connections they have with certain place/s. These perceptions are explored within the poem ‘Belonging’ by Martin Locock and in poems by Peter Skrzynecki ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, ‘St Patricks College’ and ’Migrant Hostel’. ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ has the perception that Feliks feels the connection between his garden and himself. Peter Skrzynecki describes how his father “Loved his garden like an only child” which describes the simile between his love for his garden and the garden being an only child to him. “He swept its paths/ Ten times around the world” this shows hyperbole and exaggeration as it creates an image in the reader’s head of Feliks being happy when he is around his garden. Even though poem starts off with the sense of belonging between Feliks and his garden, the rest of the poem describes Feliks’s past in Holland. By the narrator describing Feliks’s past it shows the insecurity that Feliks has with his new surroundings. “Did your father ever attempt to learn English” shows that as a foreigner, Feliks is singled out through alienation due to the lack of communication he is able to link towards natives. This perception is also contrasted in Martin Locock’s poem ‘Belonging’ when he describes how an individual can make “A spot where they can set up base”. This line describes how an individual is able to find a spot that they are able to communicate and relate to. This relates to Feliks’s garden, as they both show the connections between an individual and certain place/s. the sense of alienation is also linked to ‘Belonging’ because “Belonging is a state of mind”. This quote explains that individuals feel like they belong with a certain place when their minds are comfortable with the connection. This symbolises the how a certain place/s are able to make someone feel safe and secure. ‘St Patricks College’ give the sense of alienation and insecurity that Peter Skryznecki feels with his new school. The words “For eight years” are repeated twice, which empathises the period that he spent at the school but he felt “like a foreign tourist/ Uncertain of my destination/ every time I got off”. These quotes demonstrate that Skryznecki compared himself to a foreign tourist even though he got off at the same destination for 8 years. It also shows that he was unsure/not comfortable with his surroundings and no matter how long he was at “St Patricks College” he continued to experience distance therefor alienation. “Out of Edgar Street for good” suggests that Feliks was glad to leave St Patricks, which also suggests that he was no longer to be overwhelmed by lost connection he had with the school. The idea of alienation and not belonging is contrasted within ‘Belonging’ as the poem has meaning of lost connection between people and place. “And some search long but never find” this quote constructs the message that individuals search for a sense of belonging but cannot relate to any particular place. This contrast the time Feliks spent in ‘St Patricks College’ ‘Migrant Hostel’ describes the experience of immigrants that flocked to Australia after the war. “Arrivals of newcomers” indicates that they are labelled as foreigners not as natives. This is stereotypical point of view because all foreigners are pictured to be outsiders to native people when they arrive to the country. Even though they were migrants “Nationalities sought/Each other out instinctively – Like a homing pigeon” this simile compares the travellers/migrants to homing pigeons having a sense of identification. “Recognised by accents” are attributes which can form a basis for belonging. These quotes and the idea of individuals seeking to belong in a foreign place, has the same contrast as ‘Belonging’ as stanza 2 explains how some people seek to find their place. “And some search long but never find / A spot where they can set up base”. These quotes are contrasted on the same basis as the overall meaning of ‘Migrant Hostel’ as it expresses how individuals seek to feel a sense of belonging where they feel they can relate to or belong within a community. ‘Belonging’ by Martin Locock contrasts many aspects of Peter Skryznecki’s poems ‘Feliks Skryznecki’, ‘St Patricks College’ and ‘Migrant Hostel’ as they all show how perceptions of whether an individual belongs or doesn’t belong are influenced by the connections they have with certain place/s. Simon Lay 13/02/2012