Analysis Of Skrzynecki's Immigrant Chronicle

Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle explores the impact of migration upon an individual’s sense of identity in terms of the alienation and dislocation following a migrant experience. His collection of poems reflects the pressing concern of an individual’s place in society through emphasising the importance of cultural background in establishing identity, while simultaneously acknowledging his lack of cultural appreciation.
His own undefined identity is a recurring element throughout the chronicle, and is expressed in ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ through contrasting his own uncertainty with the strong bond his father has to his cultural heritage. Furthermore, Skrzynecki’s excessive introspection and self-awareness is evident in the poem ‘Ancestors’ where …show more content…
There is an aspect of affection in Skrzynecki’s description of his father, yet this is juxtaposed by the change in perspective when Skrzynecki’s father is mentioned in the context of his Polish background. “His Polish friends / Always shook hands too violently / I thought … ” highlights Skrzynecki’s disconnection from his culture as he perceives a common Polish greeting to be unconventional or idiosyncratic, a direct result of Skrzynecki’s migrant experience. His reflections on his Polish experience also appear to be very disconnected, as he writes “Talking, they reminisced.” His use of the word ‘they’ reveals him to be detached from his past as he no longer speaks in a personal sense. Skrzynecki’s migrant experience is further revealed through his education, as he writes “Stumbling over tenses in Caesar’s Gallic War / I forgot my first Polish word,” emphasising his disconnection from his Polish background, much to his father’s dismay. However, Skrzynecki recognises the importance of cultural background in establishing identity, and therefore emphasises his father’s happiness as unattainable for himself – “Happy as I have never