Belonging

“Different people have different perceptions of belonging,” Our own identity is shaped by various influences in our lives these factors that build who we are emerge from personal experiences, relationships , understanding, social or religious ties and our perspective of the society that we live in. Belonging to a specific group may occur simply by choice or a sense of obligation. For instance, the decision to belong to a certain social group is entirely dependent on what we feel comfortable doing, whereas being a part of a cultural group is not necessarily something we have control over, as people are generally born into a specific culture which may be difficult to abandon. People generally choose to involve themselves in a group in order to feel accepted and to obtain a sense of security. If our identity is marginalized we are forced to feel alienated. This is seen in Peter Skrzynecki’s poems “Migrant Hostel,” “Ancestors,” “St. Patrick’s College.” Rusty Young’s “Marching Powder” and Shane Meadows “This is England.”

When a group of people or family is living in a new society their sense of belonging will be challenged because of their absence of personal experiences, relationships and understanding of their new environment. “Migrant Hostel” provides insight for the audience to show what migrants experience when adapting to a new lifestyle, causing cultural and social conformity. This is shown in the poem Migrant Hostel, “Sudden departures from adjoining blocks” expresses the constant changing of the migrant’s personal environment. The use of “Sudden departures also gives a sense that a migrant has negative thoughts towards this specific place where they are just passing through and not having any acceptance in the new environment. The simile “Nationalities sought each other out instinctively – Like a homing pigeon circling to get its bearing” creates a sense of the migrant being constantly on the move and looking for a friend for support. Also this quote shows...