Belonging Essay

The intrinsic drive to belong is often inhibited by the desire to forge our own unique
existence in a dynamic and changing world. This is often realised through our journey
to discover our social and cultural identity that conflict with our familial connections,
demonstrated in Peters Skrzyneckis poems, Immigrant Chronicles and Tim Wintons
short story, Neighbours. These texts, when considered together, not only portray the
barriers to acceptance but also explore the individuals transition from ostracism to an
innate sense of belonging within their respective contexts.
Skrzyneckis poem Postcard focuses on an ambivalent, conflicted persona, whose
desire to form his own individual identity conflicts with his Polish parental heritage.
His undeniable link to his homeland through the red buses and bridges is symbolic
of his blood ties and connections to his homeland and culture. The use of the
apostrophe, Warsaw, Old Town, I never knew you, in conjunction with the emotive
language, bombs destroyed, its people massacred or exiled emphasises his
irrefutable connection with his Polish culture as he is haunted by the postcard.
However, his increasing desire to establish his individuality is heightened in his
refusal to accept his Polish identity, as illustrated through the repetition of high
modality language and superlatives: I never knew you. Furthermore, the tonal shift
from indifference High-rise flats or something to his growing hesitancy at the end is
highlighted through the accumulation of rhetorical questions Whats my choice to
be...What more do you want besides the gift of despair?, stresses his wish to be
disconnected from his haunting cultural identity. Consequently in Postcard,
Skrzyneckis acceptance of his Polish heritage is hindered not only through his need
for individuality, but also by his own refusal to belong to his traditional culture.
Conversely, Tim Wintons Neighbours demonstrates the social barriers imposed on
the young couple in their drive to belong in a migrant-based community, despite their
desire for a unique existence. A sense of ostracism is evident in the opening, as the
couple are immediately 'wary' of the neighbourhood, with the claustrophobic tone on
the lefton the right interwoven with the simile like sojourners in a foreign land
paralleling the conflicted persona as represented in Postcard. Social obstacles to
belonging are heightened through the sibilance spitting, shouted, screamed, in
conjunction with the antagonistic tone watched in disgust as the couple are
shocked by the neighbours actions, hampering their sense of acceptance. However,
analogously to Skrzyneckis Postcard, the couples efforts to belong are hindered not
only by social challenges, but also through their desire to create their individual
identity. The young mans continued reservation towards the neighbours despite their
growing sense of belonging is emphasised through the recurring motif of his
twentieth century novel, demonstrating his reluctance to overcome the social
segregation similar to the sense of rejection in Postcard. Thus the couples inherent
longing for acceptance within the migrant community is impeded by their preservation
of self-identity.
In Feliks Skrzynecki, the poet explores the complex familial relationships and
connections to place which impact an individuals sense of belonging. An endearing
and admiring tone is initially established in the first line: my gentle father,
compounded by the first person narration to highlight Skrzyneckis filial relationship.
The metaphor of fingers with cracks juxtaposed with the hyperbole why his arms
did not fall off serves to portray Feliks as a resilient and hard worker, demonstrating
the narrators desire to belong to his father. However, the ironic simile loved his
garden like an only child is metonymic for Feliks parent-like devotion to his garden,
accentuating the complexity of their filial relationship as the narrator struggles to find
a sense of acceptance with his father. Moreover, Feliks reminiscence with his
Polish friends highlights his cultural attachment as evident in the visual imagery and
cumulative listing of corn and wheat, horses they bred, serving to intensify the
narrators growing alienation. Their filial relationship becomes further strained as he
forgets his first Polish word, the oxymoron and simile like a dumb prophet
heightening the narrators weakening familial link to his father. Thus Skrzynecki
envisages the importance of familial connections to not only enhance his longing for
individuality, but also his drive to belong to his father.
Similarly, Tim Wintons Neighbours highlights the transitional process of belonging
which is engendered through complex familial relationships and connections.
Olfactory imagery smell of woodsmoke and the use of pathetic fallacy autumn
passing into winter is often symbolic of isolation; ironically however, the couple make
their first tentative moves towards their neighbours to demonstrate their wish to
belong, in analogous to the narrator in Feliks Skrzynecki. A tonal shift from
antagonistic cursed him behind his back to appreciative peopled smiled tirelessly
at them is employed to further highlight the increased sense of belonging as they
attempt to overcome the desire for individuality in their effort to become accepted.
Similarly to the narrator in Feliks Skrzynecki, the couples alienation is contrasted
with their desire to belong through the woodscraps for their fire, symbolic of the
warmth of friendship in conjunction with finding themselves shouting. Furthermore,
the recurring motif of the twentieth century novel to symbolise the young mans
work and isolation juxtaposed with the language barrier what sounded like best
wishes highlights the couples transition from alienation to acceptance, unlike in
Feliks Skrzynecki. Winton ultimately portrays an intrinsic drive to belong by
overcoming social barriers despite the couples desire to form their own unique
existence.
Thus both Skrzyneckis Postcard and Feliks Skrzynecki parallels and contrasts
Wintons Neighbours to demonstrate that the desire to belong is often impeded by
our quest for individuality. The texts highlight the importance of cultural and familial
identity in not only establishing, but hindering our sense of belonging, illuminating our
notions of acceptance and alienation.