The simile and hyperbole evoke a sense of his dedication to his garden and his paternal feelings towards it, connecting to this place like a father connects to an only child. His sense of belonging also comes from his close connection to his Polish friends who "reminisced/ About farms where paddocks flowered/ […] Horses they bred […]." The cumulation of positive verbs conveys a sense of their nostalgia and shared pride in their cultural heritage; a heritage that connects them together and fosters a sense of belonging. Contrastingly, in "Postcard", Peter Skrzynecki does not feel the same sense of connection to his homeland that his father feels, but rather feels alienated and disengaged. The postcard of Warsaw "sent by a friend" "Haunts" him "since its arrival."
Knowing that money would only be a short-term remedy, Jarvis looks for a way to let his community flourish even after he is gone. To this extent, Jarvis hires Leftisi, an irrigation expert able to teach Ndotsheni the benefits of careful farming and irrigation. His kindness is unprecedented, as he attempts to cope with his son’s loss. He does not look upon Stephen Kumalo, the father of his son’s killer, with hate, contempt, or anger. Jarvis transcends these petty emotions, choosing to embrace his son’s views of the natives.
The Nagys family displayed how caring they are towards one another. For example, they help each other with everything they do, such as cleaning the house and taking care of the farm and the animals on the farm. Also, they all get along together no matter what they are doing, which evidences how much they love each other. The Singing Tree demonstrates that people from different cultures may live and work together for the sake of peace and harmony. Even though the men are from varied ethical backgrounds, they all teamed up and fought together in the war.
Skrzynecki feels excluded while his family reminisce of Poland and jealous of his father’s stoic nature. The irony is that while learning the dead language of Latin he forgets his own language “Stumbling over tenses in Caesar’s Gallic Wars, I forgot my first Polish word.” He is frustrated however by his lack of cultural identity unlike Feliks who is expressed as being “happy as I have ever been”: having known exactly where he belongs. Skrzynecki articulates that he is metaphorically “pegging my tents - Further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall.” Hadrian’s Wall being what his father considers his cultural sanctuary, specifically the garden he
Belonging Belonging comes from a connection to a place and people, people can choose to belong and that belonging can be modified over time. Postcard – Synopsis • Peter Skrzynecki makes an effort to choose not to belong to the world of the postcard. Postcard is perhaps Skrzynecki’s most confronting poem in the sense that he is forced to acknowledge memories and his heritage. • Peter Skrzynecki does not feel the same sense of connection to his homeland that his father feels, but rather feels alienated and disengaged Language • The use of aprostophes in “I never knew you”, and “I never knew you / Let me be.” o The repetition of this phrase and the imperative (“let”) convey a passionate rejection of the image of the town (i.e. a decision not to belong) • Contrast o He contrasts his negative response to the postcard with imagined “praise” from his father and mother.
Purpose- To inform and educate Summary Explores the relationship between the poet and his father, and their contrasting experiences of belonging in a new land. What ideas about belonging are presented? The poem explores cultural belonging. Felix culturally belongs to Poland; it has shaped him immensely, through his memories, language and his friendships. He is at peace with and content in his garden in his new country.
‘Digging’ is very much like ‘Follower’, in the sense that it shows how the young Heaney looked up to his elders - in this case both father and grandfather. Seeing his father (now old) “straining” to dig “flowerbeds”, the poet recalls him in his prime, digging “potato drills”. And even earlier, he remembers his grandfather, digging peat. He cannot match “men like them” with a spade, but he sees that the pen is (for him) mightier, and with it he will dig into his past and celebrate them. Heaney challenges the stereotype of ‘Paddy with a spade.’ The stereotype contains some truth - Irishmen are justifiably well known for
However, Lennie and George travel together already demonstrating the distinctive relationship between the pair. Furthermore, Steinbeck’s use of the imperative for Lennie enhances his actions, showing George’s dominant character in the relationship. Moreover, “Till i come” explains Lennie’s reliance on George suggesting a unique relationship as during the 1930’s men, had a very solitary and lonely life, usually with no families as they were always travelling, looking for work. It was one man for themselves. This is why the relationship is seen as very rare because of the dependency and how they were uncommonly united by their shared dream of a better life on a farm, where they can “live off the fatta the lan” as Lennie puts it.
There is sense of poignant envy and respect for Feliks, who belongs, from Skrzynecki, who does not belong. The historical allusion ‘Hadrian’s wall’ is about separation and the growing distance between father and son. There is a sense of inevitability and futility, for Feliks must watch futilely as he loses his son to another world; and Skrzynecki has no choice but to tread a lonely path between the worlds of his parents and the world of his new home. Interestingly, “Hadrian’s wall” could connote Feliks belonging to the barbarians, the old world and old time while Skrzynecki is moving further and further away from his father due to the internal and external forces upon him as he seeks to belong in the new world of the Romans. The irony is that Skrzynecki says of Feliks that he is ‘Happy as I’ve never been’ and he holds the answers in being a prophet and yet Skrzynecki moves ‘further and further away’ from that which he admires.
‘Blackberry-picking’ by Seamus Heaney There are occasions in everyone’s childhood, where things happen that may change you as a person, or creates an affect on you or even teaches you a big lesson. Many of these childhood experiences are remembered till the end. ‘Blackberry Picking’ by Seamus Heaney is a poem which deals with a childhood experience and establishes a realisation of something at the end. The poet’s effective description of the experience leads you to a clear understanding of the poem’s theme of change in life, and he does this through the use of powerful poetic techniques. ‘Blackberry Picking’ is a poem which explores the childhood experience of the narrator, Seamus Heaney.