Practice Essay (Draft)

Belonging is a necessary part of human life, but more often than not it is a negative influence. Belonging is a result of the choices that we make; we feel a sense of acceptance wherever we choose to belong due to security. This is explored in Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle the poems “Feliks Skrzynecki” and “10 Mary St”, through the poet’s depiction of the relationship between his father and himself and “The Arrival” by Shaun Tan, which further illustrates how choices can impact and individual.

The home place becomes the place of security, and the place in which the personal meanings of home become tied to the individual’s concept of self. It is “10 Mary Street” which provides its readers with insight into the concept of acceptance, and our instinctive choice to belong in the home. Through the simile “I’d ravage the backyard garden like a hungry bird…” Skrzynecki compares himself to a fledgling bird safe in the security of his nest. Another simile, “rows of sweet corn: tended roses and camellias, loved like adopted children.”  Hyperbolically emphasizes the strong connection felt by his parents; a sense of their strong belonging to their 10 Mary Street residence.   Their home is the site of numerous “heated discussions and embracing gestures”, a testament to the liveliness and friendliness present in the house. Furthermore the cumulative listing of ‘kielbasa’, ‘salt herrings…rye bread… raw vodka and cherry brandy’ conveys a sense of cultural heritage present within the house. The address becomes an extrapolation of the lives that his parents were displaced from in Poland. The home is a reflection of the security and comfort built overtime by his parents since leaving their Polish heritage. Here Skrzynecki ‘for nineteen years… lived…’ his Australian life style, while his parents ‘kept prewar Europe alive with photographs and letters.’ This juxtaposition portrays the ‘adopted’ nature of the home for his parents as a refuge, and for the persona as a ‘home.’...