Peter Skrzynecki Essay

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Belonging is transient as it evolves in response to the events and circumstances surrounding an individual to create experiences. As explored by Skrzynecki’s texts: 10 Mary street and Migrant Hostel, and in the related texts: Looking for Alibrandi by Kate Woods, Luke’s Way of Looking by Nadia Wheatley and Matt Ottley, a strong perception of belonging is altered due to the impact of one’s cultural and historical context. At the same time, though, their context also hinders their sense of belonging as it causes social divisions that are followed by feelings of discomfort and isolation. The individual Peter Skrzynecki's altered perception of belonging is most evident through his two poems Migrant Hostel and 10 Mary street, where the audience perceives the contrast between a short-lived permanence and an established routine. The poem Migrant hostel bests represent the transience of Skrzynecki’s belonging. He uses words such as comings and goings, arrivals and sudden departures to emphasise the uncertainty present in the Hostel. Skrzynecki likens himself and the other immigrants as homing pigeons which along with migratory instincts have a need to seek out familiarity and connections. With this need, Skrzynecki mentions that nationalities sought each other instinctively, bringing them together for a period of time. However this temporal perception a belonging was quickly lost in a cycle of connection and disconnection created by physical barriers. For two years Peter Skrzynecki and his parents lived like birds of passage, in a state of inaction, unable to settle as change was constant. As he was not able to form a strong connection and a stable routine, Skrzynecki could not belong to the place known as Migrant Hostel. The poem 10 Mary St defines Peter Skrzynecki’s main perception of belonging through the attachment created in his first home as a

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