How does the poem 10 Mary Street explore the connections between place and belonging?
The poem, 10 Mary Street explores connections between place and belonging by drawing connections between 10 Mary Street and the aspects of belonging that are beginning to accumulate as the family grow in familiarity with the place. These include such aspects as routine, comfort, longevity and passion that are presented throughout the poem and add to a heightened sense of belonging.
The poem creates a sense of familiarity with the house in relation to routine and congruity. The use of simile in "shut the house/Like a well oiled lock" displays the habitual activities and predictability of the family. It conveys a relationship between the frequent routines of their house and their sense of stability and security. The routines associated with 10 Mary Street are have become second nature to the family and they belong to these conventions, hence 10 Mary Street. There is a connection between the place in which the family have developed comfortable routine and their sense of belonging.
The permanence of the family's residence, the seemingly unchanging environment presented in the first verse connotes a sense of stability and longevity that alludes to belonging. The antithesis of the "still too narrow bridge" contrasts the inadequacy of the bridge being narrow with the consistency of its existence. It has not yet been improved or renovated but it remains there. The contrast conveys a stability of the passable structure and as a result a sense the family are safe and secure. The consistency of the place gives a feeling inclusion.
The relationship between the parents and their garden is a rather loving one, it conveys a harmony and a passion. The utilisation of the simile, "Tended roses and camellias/Like adopted children", exposes an immense care for the garden. The parents have developed an affection for the garden, which connotes a sense of attachment to the place. Thus, the...