Belonging in Peter Skrzynecki Poetry and into the Wild

" A sense of belonging requires an understanding of one's past. To what extent is this notion of belonging explored in your prescribed text and text of your own choosing?"

In order to belong one must have a strong sense of identity that can only result from an understanding and acceptance of one's past. In Immigrant Chronicle by Peter Skrzynecki the specific poems of Postcard and In the Folk Museum this idea is explored through the poet's conflict with his looming Polish heritage and newfound Australian culture. The movie Into The Wild directed by Sean Penn shows the perspective of travellers and the search for identity and belonging in a different way through the character of Chris Mccandless and his struggle between his old life of urban civilization and the new life and identity he creates for himself in the wild. Both personalities struggle with identity is compounded with their avoidance of their past.

Family is an important factor that shapes our identity; they supply our culture, traditions and history. However when these clash with our own ideals it can cause people to run away from their past and prevent themselves from ever finding a true sense of belonging. In Into the Wild Chris Mccandless is raised in a family where money and materialism is highly valued. The trauma he has of discovering not only that he doesn't fit into the world he has been born into is amplified when he finds out that he has been living a life of hypocrisy when discovering he and his sister were illegitimate children. This struck Chris at the core of his identity "He felt his whole life turn, like a river suddenly reversing the direction of its flow, suddenly running uphill". His sister narrates this quote using voiceover for most of the scenes referring to Chris' family and past life. This helps to demonstrate how detached Chris is from his past life that he won't even reference it. The simile shows Chris' life being a river and the natural imagery associated with it highlight how part of Chris' identity is this connection to nature however it also shows how his running away from his family and that life has pushed him in another direction that is completely opposite than before. His inability to reconcile his own ideals with his families has left him with a life of avoidance unable to ever create that true sense of identity and belonging due to his denial of the inevitable.

Skrzynecki is forced to confront the inevitability of a connection with his past in Postcard. In the poem he is confronted with his past and left with the challenge of what to do with it. Like Chris he too tries to deny any connection to his past "I stare/At the photograph/And refuse to answer". The strong diction used highlights how defiant the poet is to accept his heritage even though it alludes to the fact he already knows the answer. The poem's use of enjambment creates a poignant tone particularly in the second stanza as it is a reflection of his disconnection to Poland in contrast with his parent's strong relationship to it. His parents "shelter you/ And defend the patterns of your remaking" showing through the personification of Warsaw how strong this connection is. However it is contrasted with the poet's view on Warsaw in which he clearly states, "I never knew you". The fact the Poet's parents raised him with such an emphasis on his roots and their country the way it was before