Crossing the Red Sea

Crossing the red sea, highlights the state of limbo the migrants were in as they were leaving the horrors of war behind, in hope coming to Australia will be a new beginning for them. The poem explores the idea that a sense of belonging is created through connections to people and places, this idea is shown throughout the poem.                                                                                                                                           Biblical illusions have been used as it conveys the idea of how war was preventing them from belonging, it is shown with the title “crossing the red sea” as it is comparing the migrant’s journey to the biblical journey by the Israelites to a new land. Within in stanza, ‘voices left their caves and silence fell from the shackles’ both metaphor and personification are used as the migrants are finding a new sense of freedom on their journey to Australia, as they are hopeful and excited to create a new life and find a sense of belonging in Australia. But along their journey to Australia, stanza five, personal pronoun ‘I remember’ is used as it adds realism to their journey, as the migrants reflect back to when the war caused them to be displaced and alienated.                                                           These language techniques used within the poem crossing the red sea, clearly show that a sense of belonging is created through connections to people and places.    
Migrant hostel, conveys how the migrants felt about coming to Australia, as they felt like outcasts and disconnected as they were new to Australia and hadn’t gotten the chance to find a sense of belonging yet. The poem explores the idea that a sense of belonging is created through connections to people and places, this idea is shown throughout the poem.                                                                                                   The use of simile, ‘we lived like birds of passage’ highlights how the migrants felt...