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Belonging EssayAcceptance of oneself, ones past and ones future is essential in asearch for belonging. We this is this true on many levels such as

emotional acceptance, physical acceptance and cultural acceptance.This ideal is also seen throughout Peter Skrzyneckis poems MigrantHostel, Peter Skrzynecki and Ancestors.

Migrant Hostel explores the emotions surrounding the migrantsexperiences of detainment at Parkes centre. The Migrant Hosteldemonstrates this through the use of the simile nationalities sought/each other out, instinctively/like homing pigeons. This line highlightedhow every migrant saw it essential to be accepted and how theidentification of there past from war torn Europe helped them belongand flock together. But it also shows how ones past can also lead to

alienation from groups due to their past and heritage. This in a sensecontradicts the message because emotional and cultural acceptance ofones past lead to separation by memories of hunger and hate

In Feliks Skrzynecki we look at how the lack of cultural acceptance ofones future can lead to estrangement and how full acceptance ofoneself and ones past can help survive in an unfamiliar land. In thestanza 4 we see, how Feliks was branded because his lack of effort tolearn the ways of Australia, this is seen in the example Did your fatherever attempt to learn English? Although peter faced this problem, hestill felt a firm sense of home and acceptance in his garden. This is seen

in stanza 5, my father, sits out the evening, with his dog, smoking,watching stars and street lights come on, Happy as I have never been.This again highlighted that acceptance is vital in the search forbelonging and acknowledgment.

In Ancestors we see how the persona felt about his past and howdisconnected he was from his ancestors. The poem Ancestors is riddledwith rhetorical questions, highlighting the entirety of the personasdisconnection from his past. This is further compounded by the wordswho are these shadows.what secretswhere do they point towhydo they never speak....why do you wake This poem showed how his

disconnection from his heritage and custom had lead to repudiationbecause of his unfamiliarity with where he was from. In the poem wealso that the bearded men in his dream had accepted each other andthis shows how they all had a sense of belonging, shown by the bodylanguage standing shoulder to shoulder. This further compounds thenotion that acceptance of ones past and oneself is necessary in thesearch for belonging.

Amrinder Singh Ghuman Page 2

8/2/2019 1251381346 2009 English (Area of Study) Notes

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These three poems all highlighted how Acceptance of oneself, onespast and ones future is essential in a search for belonging. We see lackof acceptance has consequences such as alienation and estrangement.And acceptance of oneself, past and future can lead to a built sense ofsecurity and happiness.

Amrinder Singh Ghuman Page 2