Belonging Essay

There are powerful influences that impact on an individuals sense of belonging and vary from one individual to another. The two highly prominent influences   of connection to place and people and the subsequent   self constructed   and imposed barriers   are substantial   to an individuals ability to belong or not belong . These notions are explored in Peter Skrzynecki's   poems ' St Patrick's College', 'Migrant Hostel' and ' In The Folk Museum', from the Immigrant Chronicles, and   The New School by Jeffrey Smart. Each text demonstrates the effect of connection to place and people   as a result of self constructed barriers and that   although it is an innate need to belong it is not always achieved.

A sense of belonging is conducive for the well-being of an individual and can be influenced by overwhelming power or action taken by figures of authority. Fundamentally, the treatment of polish migrants escaping ww2 shown by the power of government   in “Migrant Hostel” undoubtedly conveys the negative repercussions of   not belonging. It was a society driven by prejudice and a strong rejection for cultural difference was imminent. Hence, there is a sense of constant instability and flux within the hostel as they are not considered as individuals, but rather a mass of irrelevant people. In “arrivals of newcomers/in busloads from the station”, skrzynecki is dehumanising the migrants and resembling them to cattle, as they are processed, hopefully regaining their humanity back while they re-establish themselves. This human detachment follows the sudden departure of people and conveys a transitory place with no affiliation to place or community. In addition to having to escape from war, the migrants have an ongoing trauma to deal with; a longing for a sense of safety with the people around them and the place   which they reside. Skrzynecki's simile, “like a homing pigeon/circling to get its bearings”, reveals a strong sense of cold comfort. This comparison of human to pigeon...