Hi everyone,
Below is our extended response. Unfortunately we have had to move on to the
study of our next text and could only spend a short time developing this
answer.
Cheers NSIT
Peter Skrzynecki's collection the 'Immigrant Chronicle' offers a personal
perspective on the Australians' migrant experience. His view covers many
themes such as: difficulties assimilating into a new culture, feelings of
uncertainity and insecurity, isolation, and the search for identity. To
convey these views Skrzynecki uses a variety of techniques, the main ones
being: metaphors, similes, personification and the use of tone.
In this response we will concentrate on the themes of uncertainity,
assimilation, and identity as revealed in the poems: 'Crossing The Red
Sea', 'Migrant Hostel', 'Postcard' and 'Felix Skrzynecki'.
"Crossing The Red Sea" is a poem recounting the migrants' journey to
Australia. We are aware of their feelings of uncertainity through the
poet's use of symbolism. Eg:
-'Beyond whose waters/ The Equator/ Was still to be crossed'.
The equator is a halfway line separating the migrants from their old life
and the future. It also symbolises the unknown problems the migrants are
yet to encounter.
In the 'Migrant Hostel' the poet uses the imagery of birds to show us this
sense of uncertainity. Eg
-'We lived like birds of passage/Always sensing a change'
and
-'Nationalities sought each other instinctively-/ Like a homing pigeon ...'
Feeling uncertain the migrants sought comfort from people with a familiar
background.
Also in the 'Migrant Hostel' the poet effectively reveals the problems of
assimilating into a new culture. Skrzynecki does this with his powerful
image and personfication of the boom gate at the migrant hostel.
-'As it rose and fell like a finger/ Pointed in reprimand or shame'
Here we get the sense the migrants are alienated from the outside world.
Through his use of the word 'reprimand' we sense this outside world may not
always be welcoming.
Even though there may be problems assimilating, we also get the idea the
poet is hopeful this will occur. In 'Crossing The Red Sea' the title is a
biblical allusion to Moses leading his people from slavery to the promised
land. We sense he feels the immigrants will also find their promised land
in Australia.
Finally, in the poems 'Post card' and 'Felix Skrzynecki' the poet explores
the issue of identity. In 'Postcard' the poet uses the personal pronoun
'you' many times and the personification of Warsaw to let us know he should
have a personal relationship with this city but at this point dosen't, he
only knows it in the third person. Warsaw represents his cultural heritage.
At the end of the poem the personification of the tree states:
- 'We will meet/ Before you die'
We realise the poet will acknowledge that Warsaw is part of his cultural
identity and therefore part of his identity.
in 'Felixs Skrzynecki' The poet relises that to become his own person (to
fulfill his identity) he must move away from his family and embrace the
Australian culture. This is communicated through the image:
-'After that like a dumb prophet,/Watched me pegging my tents/Further south
of the Hadrian's Wall'
In conclusion, it can be seen that it is Skrzynecki's use of imagery that
constantly reveals his point of view and it is these techniques that
successfully shapes his personal perspective.
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