Belonging Essay

1652 Words7 Pages
Question 3 (15 marks) “Understanding nourishes belonging ... a lack of understanding prevents It”. Demonstrate how your prescribed text and ONE other related text of your own choosing represent this interpretation of belonging. Belonging Essay “Understanding nourishes belonging ... a lack of understanding prevents It”, Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle (1975) clearly demonstrates how understanding through family, cultural and personal experiences can foster a sense of belonging, however he also illustrates that a lack of understanding about culture, society and the environment can also prevent belonging. Skrzynecki uses a variety of poetic and language techniques within the poems “St Patrick’s College”, “Ancestors” and “Migrant Hostel” to demonstrate his understanding of the concept, belonging and not belonging. Similarly, Neill Blomkamp uses a plethora of film techniques to establish that a clear understanding can bring about a sense of belonging and conversely an absence of understanding can alienate people and creatures in his film District 9 (2009). These two texts will display how understanding nourishes belonging … a lack of understanding prevents It”. In St Patrick’s College, Skrzynecki displays how he felt a significant sense of loneliness throughout his schooling life. Through the use of biblical allusion “Our lady watched with outstretched arms, her face overshadowed by clouds” in stanza two, the composer reveals that he felt a sense of confusion within the new school community. This provides a sense of seclusion as he feels unwelcomed and has a lack of understanding of Mary which is represented by “… clouds”. Consequently, the daily routine of travelling to school never did fit in with his life as deficiency knowledge led him into a sensation of isolation. This is shown through the utilisation of the simile and hyperbole “Caught the
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