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Belonging - Peter Skrzynecki

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Belonging - Peter Skrzynecki
Belonging Essay- Peter Skrzynecki
Belonging is dependent on a connection, to what extent is this statement true?
Ones desire of belonging is dependent on a strong connection to a person, community or place as it enriches the experience of belonging. Without this sense of belonging a devastating impact may be left on an individual’s sense of self. This concept is explored in Peter Skrzynecki’s anthology ‘Immigrant Chronicle’ which explores the rigorous impacts left on oneself after the effects of migration. The poems ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ and ‘Postcard’ maintain the authentic connections of belonging and contentment established over time. These texts present the significance of belonging, through the strong connections they have established over time.
An integral part of developing a sense of belonging is to establish a connection with a person, community or place. The poem ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ explores Feliks’s dignity and stoicism in his physical journey of cultural assimilation. Feliks establishes a connection of belonging with the love and devotion he gives to his garden. The simile ‘like an only child’ and the hyperbole ‘sweeps its path/ten times around the world’ expresses how Feliks is reliving his journey around the world and confirming his place into a new country as the garden encompasses him like a barrier. Skrzynecki details natural interactions to highlight the gardens protective role. The use of allusion ‘bordered by golden cypress’ indicates a cultural sense of belonging. Golden cypress a European plant encompasses Feliks’s cultural identity into his garden, in a way he is reviving his culture into his garden. In contrast the peaceful imagery and the soft, lilting rhythm of ‘watching stars and streetlights come on’ suggests that Feliks garden is his rejuvenating sanctuary. His devotion and love into it shows how Feliks has created his own place of belonging. Feliks establishes connections of belonging through his intimate interaction with his

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