Skrzynecki

Essay Individuals tend to seek answers and question their family and culture background in order to feel a sense of belonging. There are many concepts of belonging whether it is to belong or not belong. It’s about fitting into a group or a society to which an individual either feels accepted or wants to be accepted in order to belong throughout one’s life. Not belonging is shown throughout the texts “Ancestors” & “10 Mary Street” by Peter Skrzynecki, “The stolen generation” composed by Kate Ross and lastly, “One Night The Moon” directed by Rachel Perkins. Peter Skrzynecki’s poetry “Immigrant Chronicle” explores the concept of belonging and how as a migrant family from Germany attempts to fit into another culture and society. He writes about not belonging to his heritage as he feels disconnected and alienated by not knowing his background while living in Australia and learning about its heritage. “Ancestors” by Peter Skrzynecki attempts to find meaning and purpose in one’s ancestry in order to feel a shared sense of family and culture. The poem indicates the concept of not belonging as he questions about his heritage, its importance and his connection to it. The style of writing in this poem implies that much of the action has occurred within a dream or dream – like state. In this poem the speaker poses a number of rhetorical question like “Who are these shadows/That hang over you in a dream - / The bearded, fearless men/ Standing shoulder to shoulder'” who he tries to seek answers about his ancestors in order for him to feel connected. Alliteration was used by repeating the ‘s’ sound in “faceless, darkness and footprints” gives it an eerie tone to the poem. Stanza six ushers in a change of tone as the speaker awakes from what appears to have been a dream. The prepositions change from ‘them’ to ‘you’ as the speaker addresses them directly. The short story “Stolen Generation” by Kate Ross discovers the feeling of trying to belong in a family and culture as she has lost her ways of being an Aboriginal. She also wants to seek answers about her heritage like Peter Skrzynecki in the poem “Ancestors”. Being removed from her family was a tragic event for her and the family. She was taught how to live the English way at a young age till she was an adult and had 3 kids. At that age she then wants to know her background and find her family to feel that she belongs rather than the culture she is living in now. Kate Ross uses first person to emphasise the character’s emotions and to it from her point of view. When she was trying to escape from being captured, “I wasn’t thinking clearly, all I could think about was how I was going to escape.” She had forgotten about herself trying to escape and had helped the other girls free while she spent 6 years imprisoned. The use of colloquial language is represented as it is easy for young readers to understand and to see what she had to go through like “We were told that our culture was incorrect and dirty, so we were taught the English way to do everything”. The use of “It was dark, stinking hot and smelt of sweat and tears” adds appeal by descriptive language to draw the reader’s attention and into the story. “10 Mary Street” by Peter Skrzynecki depicts the daily routine of the author’s family, who lived at Mary street for 19 years. The house represents his family life and domestic bliss. It is closely connected to his cultural background and to the traditions and activities of his family. The poem portrays the author’s feelings of dislocation and alienation from a place that was once central to his life. The family’s daily routine is conveyed through the simile “Like a well-oiled lock”, which suggests that their lives and routines ran smoothly. The use of sarcasm in the lines “With paint guaranteed/For another ten years”, indicates his disappointment that the changes are there to stay. Stanza five shows the author’s connection to Australia, which is reinforced by the metaphor “citizens of the soil/That was feeding us”. This metaphor refers to the country as a whole, not only to the garden at 10 Mary Street. The movie “One Night the Moon” directed by Rachel Perkins relates to the poem “10 Mary Street” as it is about a young girl lost in the outback trying to reach for the moon. While the father is out searching for his daughter an Aboriginal is also out to help but the father refuses as he does not want any “black” people helping because it was the father’s land not his. This shows a sense of not belonging for the Aboriginal as he is not wanted even though he knows he can find the little girl. The day-for-night exposure technique enhances the scene as it appears to be lost in time and eerie, as it is neither day nor night. Thus the journey becomes more romantic than literal and plays into the myth of lost girl. This is shown when the little girl is curious and goes out to get the moon. The ramping technique draws the audience into the world of the character and shows the character’s emotional state, namely being out of touch with reality, alienated/distant from those around him. This is shown in the scene of horses running in the outback searching for the little girl. Lastly, Rachel Perkins uses time-lapse technique as it emphasises the passing of time and gives the land a presence of its own. This technique is shown when the mum is chasing the daughter through the sheets on the clothing line. The concept of not belonging conveys the tragedy to an individual when they are not accepted or feels a sense of dislocation and alienation when it comes to their background culture and family. It is then shown that they tend to seek and question about their heritage only to find their identity and their place in the world.