Perception of Belonging

Perceptions of whether an individual belongs or doesn’t belong are influenced by the connections they have with certain place/s. These perceptions are explored within the poem ‘Belonging’ by Martin Locock and in poems by Peter Skrzynecki ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’, ‘St Patricks College’ and ’Migrant Hostel’.
‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ has the perception that Feliks feels the connection between his garden and himself. Peter Skrzynecki describes how his father “Loved his garden like an only child” which describes the simile between his love for his garden and the garden being an only child to him. “He swept its paths/ Ten times around the world” this shows hyperbole and exaggeration as it creates an image in the reader’s head of Feliks being happy when he is around his garden. Even though poem starts off with the sense of belonging between Feliks and his garden, the rest of the poem describes Feliks’s past in Holland. By the narrator describing Feliks’s past it shows the insecurity that Feliks has with his new surroundings. “Did your father ever attempt to learn English” shows that as a foreigner, Feliks is singled out through alienation due to the lack of communication he is able to link towards natives. This perception is also contrasted in Martin Locock’s poem ‘Belonging’ when he describes how an individual can make “A spot where they can set up base”.   This line describes how an individual is able to find a spot that they are able to communicate and relate to.   This relates to Feliks’s garden, as they both show the connections between an individual and certain place/s. the sense of alienation is also linked to ‘Belonging’ because “Belonging is a state of mind”. This quote explains that individuals feel like they belong with a certain place when their minds are comfortable with the connection. This symbolises the how a certain place/s are able to make someone feel safe and secure.
‘St Patricks College’ give the sense of alienation and insecurity that Peter Skryznecki feels...