Migrant Chronicle By Peter Skrzynecki Analysis

Journeys take people on new and unfamiliar experiences. They can broaden one 's understanding of the world around them, lead to self-discovery and challenge thoughts and perceptions of everyday life. Through the study of three different texts, Migrant Hostel, Feliks Skrzynecki and Distant Lands, we are thrust into three individual and unique journeys. Throughout Immigrant Chronicle, a collection written by poet Peter Skrzynecki, the journey of immigration and the challenges it presents are explored. Skrzynecki elaborates on the challenges journeys can entail within his poem Migrant Hostel. Migrant Hostel explores the emotions surrounding the migrant experience of detainment after arrival in Australia. Furthermore, it portrays the themes of …show more content…
Journeys focus on the importance of relationships between others and highlight the need for acceptance and belonging from others. This is portrayed in Feliks Skrzynecki, a poem by Peter Skrzynecki, that depicts the two polarising personas of father and son after they experience the journey of immigration from post war Poland to Australia. Unlike the negative tone used throughout Migrant Hostel, Feliks Skrzynecki highlights both the positive and negative aspects of immigration through each persona. Hyperbole “Loved his garden like an only child/Spent years walking its perimeter” , emphasizes Feliks devotion and dedication to his garden by comparing it to something as important as family. This conveys Peter’s jealous tone towards his father’s sense of contentment and belonging in this environment; furthermore, it highlights the feelings of alienation Peter is experiencing. Much like Migrant Hostel, alienation is a key theme in Feliks Skrzynecki. “Happy as I’ve never been” contrasts Feliks feelings of happiness to Peter’s sense of misery. Likewise, it clearly depicts the two different outcomes that this journey has had for them, highlighting the diverse reactions a journey can cause. An insight is given into Felik’s feeling of content and happiness with historical allusion, “Five years of forced labour in Germany/ Did not dull the softness of his blue eyes”. Negative connotations related to …show more content…
This affects an individual’s perspective on life and encourages change within the individual. Unlike either of Skrzynecki’s poems, Distant Lands focusses on an individual’s journey of personal development and change. Distant Lands by Tim Winton depicts the internal struggle of a young girl named “Fat Maz”. Throughout this experience she contemplates whether she should remain stagnant in her depressing life at her parent’s newsagency or embark on an unknown journey away from her hometown. Throughout this short story we see Maz’s frame of mind develop through the influence of an unknown stranger. Reoccurring motif “Once a day the big greyhound rolled past going north to the city” highlights the passing opportunity of a journey every day. Furthermore, connotations of opportunity are portrayed through the word “city”. This conveys Maz’s inner desire to begin a journey but highlights her reluctance to take the first step. An insight is given into Maz’s surroundings through “Buttoned his jacket against the smelly harbour breeze”. This emphasizes the revolting nature of the town and Maz’s distaste for it, whilst further symbolising that the man is shielded from the undesirable town. The symbolism of the exotic protected man juxtaposes Maz’s desperation to escape the town, and reveals her desire to begin a journey. Unlike in Feliks Skrzynecki, Maz has no cultural