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To what extent do different groups to which we belong define who we are?

In your answer, refer to your prescribed text and TWO texts of your own choosing.
Transcending all personal, social and cultural contexts, belonging is a complex process inherent
within humanity where human beings strive to form connections with others. These connections, or
lack thereof, are shaped by experiences of acceptance and understanding that define who we are.
This is explored in Peter Skrzyneckis poems Feliks Skrzynecki and 10 Mary Street, Bharati
Mukherjees essay American Dreamer and Maria Scholtes photograph Dutch Migrant as they
capture the migrant experience of various personas, highlighting the struggles that characterise
assimilation and how cultural and familial ties facilitate feelings of security and contentment. These
texts demonstrate the extent to which an individuals relationships with various groups ultimately
shape their sense of identity. [112]
Skrzyneckis poem, Feliks Skrzynecki, examines how ones identity may hinder their ability to belong
in a foreign society. The composer establishes Feliks Polish identity through a reflective tone and
cumulative listing of images, farms where paddocks flowered with corn and wheat, horses they
bred, creating a sense of nostalgia despite having migrated to Australia. His longing for Poland
satiated by his garden which he maintains from sunrise to sleep, becomes representative of the
serene images of Poland. Such dedication and effort promotes a metaphorical perimeter imparting
how his strong cultural affinity becomes a barrier between Feliks and Australian society. This
limitation is epitomised through the accusing tone of the rhetorical question, did your father ever
attempt to learn English? clearly discriminating against Feliks due to his retained Polish identity
and inability to understand the vernacular, thus adversely impacting upon his capacity to associate
with Australian society. As a result of his sons assimilation in to Australian culture, Feliks finds
difficulty in connecting with his son revealed through the metaphoric allusion as he watched [his
son] pegging [his] tents further and further south of Hadrians wall. This historical reference
exemplifies the predicament faced by both father and son as the cultural barrier mitigates their
intrinsic desire to belong. Hence, as Feliks Polish identity detriments his ability to assimilate into
Australian culture, we grasp the illustration of him as a man who admires Polish culture. [233]
Similarly, American Dreamer also presents an individual who struggles to integrate and forge
relationships in a culturally different society. Mukherjee cumulatively lists aspects of her childhood
having grown up in a homogeneously Hindu, Benghali-speaking and middle-class society,
establishing her Benghali identity and her subconscious disposition. Her culturally different identity
prevents her from forming connections within American society, mirroring Feliks struggle within
Australia, as she finds herself in a society in which almost everyone was Christian, white, and
moderately well-off. This contrasts with her childhood deterring her ability to connect with
American society. Contrasting Feliks Skrzynecki, the communitys ignorance rather than the
individuals gives rise to a barrier that prevents the persona from integrating into society. Mukherjee
also conveys how the US sought to manage the tracking and deporting of undocumented aliens.
The diction of tracking and deporting projects Americas perception of the migrants as merely
cargo and insignificant where the metaphor displays Americas ignorance and lack of understanding
in relation to other cultures, resulting in the social marginalisation of the migrants from American
society. Thus, as the persona is positioned as an outsider, Mukherjee communicates how ones

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inability to form connections stems from societys lack of understanding and acceptance of other
cultures. [202]
Furthermore, 10 Mary Street illustrates how ones cultural and familial affiliations evoke feelings of
comfort and security, which can define an individual. Throughout the poem, Skrzynecki employs a
collective pronoun, we departed... we lived together, portraying the cohesiveness of the family
through shared experiences. Despite the family having migrated to Australia, they still embrace their
Polish background as they metaphorically kept pre-war Europe alive through the maintenance of
their culture. Various Polish traditions are cumulatively listed, Kielbasa, salt herrings and rye bread,
emphasising the familys strong cultural connection which ultimately serves to unite the family
members by reaffirming their identity. These cultural and familial bonds kindle feelings of comfort
and security within the home as expressed through the simile like a well-oiled lock. This is
accentuated by the juxtaposing images of the parents dull work against maintaining their garden,
from laying sewerage pipes to water[ing] plants... rows of sweet corn: tended roses and
camellias to reflect the familys contentment. Hence, Skrzynecki portrays a family who garners
feelings of happiness and security through their familial and cultural connections. Thus, the
personas sense of belonging to their family and to their culture affects their actions, which define
them as Polish, ultimately strengthening their identity. [202]
Likewise, Dutch Migrant also conveys how cultural connections result in feelings of comfort,
however limiting our ability to assimilate in a foreign land. The photograph depicts Dutch families
arriving in Australia by boat waving to onlookers. Their smiling facial expressions and close
positioning in the photograph demonstrate their comfort in migrating to another country due to
their common Dutch culture, analogous to 10 Mary Street as the familys common culture expounds
feelings of contentment. Furthermore, the migrants grouped in the foreground emphasise their
collective sense of cultural belonging and camaraderie. However, the action of the migrants waving
to others outside of the frame is suggestive of their separation from the wider community, thus
paralleling the void nature of the outside world in 10 Mary Street. Thus, through the photograph, we
begin to grasp the deep rewards of cultural connections but also how they limit our potential to
connect in foreign land. [151]
The exploration of these texts reveal humanitys desire and struggle to achieve a sense of belonging
with various groups which in turn shapes ones identity. Through the comparison of Feliks Skrzynecki
and American Dreamer, it becomes distinct that the struggle to belong can derive from cultural
differences, yet contrary to this, 10 Mary Street and Dutch Migrant convey how cultural and
familial ties within a different society can indeed instil feelings of contentment and security. The
study of these texts examines the complex notion of belonging, broadening our understanding of
both the world as well as ourselves, revealing how groups we associate with ultimately influence our
ability to belong. [109]
Word Count:
1009 (854 without 2nd related)