Migrant Hostel
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- Category: English
- Date Submitted: 03/09/2014 06:18 AM
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Migrant Hostel
It is inevitable that an individual’s sense of displacement – that is, a sense of not belonging – is dependent upon the extent to which they are understood, their sense of acceptance and identity, and the nature of their relationships and life experiences. From the very beginning of the poem, it is clear that Peter Skzrynecki has only dark and troubling memories of the two years he spent trapped in a “migrant hostel” from 1949-1951. The opening words “no one” establishes a negative connotation and a tone of confusion and marks the disorganised and chaotic “coming and goings”. With expressions like “sudden departures” and “ who would be coming next”, they enhance the lack of control and instability of the migrants. However, the poet uses “us” as a collective pronoun to represent the feeling of migrants in a whole. “Nationalities sought each other out instinctively” refers to the people anonymously and stresses their need for community and similarity, as this is natural for migrants. The simile, “like a homing pigeon” creates an image of cultural and racial instinct and the travel of great distance covered my migratory birds. “Partitioned off at night by memories of hunger and hate.” the night is personified and it brings back the memories of the war and past sufferings and that separates the nationalities and cultures. The migrants are not only imprisoned in this cheap hostel, they have no idea when they are going to leave and what the future holds for them.
“For two years”, the enjambment stresses how long they have been there and the suffering they have faced. The “Weather” is a metaphor for change, the migrants have been powerless and they are unaware of the season, this establishes a sense of confusion. The collective pronoun, “we”, unifies their common experiences, existence, despair and isolation. Birds change due to weather, migrants circumstances change due to politics. “A barrios at the main gate sealed off the highway” creates a vivid...
It is inevitable that an individual’s sense of displacement – that is, a sense of not belonging – is dependent upon the extent to which they are understood, their sense of acceptance and identity, and the nature of their relationships and life experiences. From the very beginning of the poem, it is clear that Peter Skzrynecki has only dark and troubling memories of the two years he spent trapped in a “migrant hostel” from 1949-1951. The opening words “no one” establishes a negative connotation and a tone of confusion and marks the disorganised and chaotic “coming and goings”. With expressions like “sudden departures” and “ who would be coming next”, they enhance the lack of control and instability of the migrants. However, the poet uses “us” as a collective pronoun to represent the feeling of migrants in a whole. “Nationalities sought each other out instinctively” refers to the people anonymously and stresses their need for community and similarity, as this is natural for migrants. The simile, “like a homing pigeon” creates an image of cultural and racial instinct and the travel of great distance covered my migratory birds. “Partitioned off at night by memories of hunger and hate.” the night is personified and it brings back the memories of the war and past sufferings and that separates the nationalities and cultures. The migrants are not only imprisoned in this cheap hostel, they have no idea when they are going to leave and what the future holds for them.
“For two years”, the enjambment stresses how long they have been there and the suffering they have faced. The “Weather” is a metaphor for change, the migrants have been powerless and they are unaware of the season, this establishes a sense of confusion. The collective pronoun, “we”, unifies their common experiences, existence, despair and isolation. Birds change due to weather, migrants circumstances change due to politics. “A barrios at the main gate sealed off the highway” creates a vivid...