Comparing Migrant Chronicles And Vivekananda's Beyond Limbo

One’s experience of belonging may emerge from a variety of sources. The connections that shape our feelings of acceptance may arise from people, places, or the wider, global communities. Regardless of its origin, this sense of rightful belonging is essential to one’s happiness and inner peace. Examples of such connections or lack thereof are illustrated in Peter Skrzynecki’s anthology, ‘Migrant Chronicles’ and Kitty Vivekananda’s autobiographical narrative, Beyond Limbo. Skrzynecki’s ‘Migrant hostel’ focuses on views and representations of migrant displacement whereas, ‘Feliks Skrzynecki’ explores how belonging shapes our connections to our family and home. Likewise, Vivekananda’s Beyond Limbo explores all these similar elements, but reveals

the process of forming meaningful connections as one of trial and error.

In the poem, “Migrant Hostel”, through exploring Peter’s hardships and emotional challenges of early settlement as a migrant in Australia, it reveals that belonging is an instinctive human desire.

This is clearly demonstrated through the use of simile, “Like a homing pigeon, circling to get its bearings”, suggesting that the migrants’ desire to belong to place is an innate, animal need. In using this simile, responders are forced to feel empathy for the migrants’ struggle. The bird motif recurs throughout the poem, “like birds of passage”, to strengthen the association of belonging and instinctive animal need. Furthermore, the figurative symbolism of birds represents a twisted irony as birds that are free to fly without restriction contrast with the migrants who are ‘Sealed off the highway’. The use of the ironic symbol creates tension and evokes empathy from responders, who are invited to experience the emotional and physical challenges of the migrants’ experiences. The irony of this poem is further extended in the co-existence of belonging and not belonging between cultural factions of the migrant hostel, as “Nationalities sought each other out instinctively.” While the residents of the migrant are collectively viewed as outsiders, they cling to what is left of their cultural connections. Thus, Skrzynecki explores the notion that humans, all some level, desire to feel a sense of belonging, which emerges from the connections made with people, places, communities and the

larger world.

Conversely, some individuals will choose not to belong. In the poem, Feliks Skrzynecki, Peter intent not to participate nor belong to his connection with his Polish culture. Peter describes how he realised he unconsciously remembered parts of the Polish language as he grew older, “Remnants of a language, I inherited unknowingly.” The enjambment makes emphasis fall heavily on ‘unknowingly’ highlighting Peter’s lack of involvement in his cultural inheritance and his consequent lack of belonging. The metaphorical allusion, “watched me pegging my tents further and further south of Hadrian’s Wall” is also used to symbolise the increasing distance between Peter and his Polish heritage. The historic allusion ‘Hadrian Wall’ is symbolic of the cultural barrier, which reinforces the idea of separation and the fragmentation of an identity that lacks belonging. As a result, Peter’s Polish heritage becomes an emotional barrier to the discovery of himself. While he appreciates his cultural ignorance, he is unable to discover a balance between his ethnicity and his dominant culture. This causes a deep internal conflict that manifests as discontent. Hence, Skrzynecki emphasises that some individuals desire not to belong and cannot enforce that arise from cultural disconnections.

Similarly, Vivekananda’s memoir, Beyond Limbo echoes and expands upon these insights into belonging. The protagonist, Kitty Vivekananda, possesses numerous cultural narratives as a Chinese-Malaysian, adopted into a Bangladeshi family and raised in suburban Canberra. As she recounts her experiences of cultural dissociation, she expresses her struggles to define her personal identity and crippling lack of belonging. She then expresses her resentment and frustration by accusing her distinctive cultural identity. The composer elucidates this by utilising pessimistic tone and emotive language, “My name caused me great embarrassment and I hated anything that was Asian,” which conveys her desire to disassociate herself from anything that reflected her cultural identity. Her struggle to acknowledge and accept her cultural origins is an example of how an individuals can hinder themselves from belonging due to their inner conflict.

Life yields from many experiences and opportunities for an individual to form meaningful connection. In contrast to Peter, in Feliks Skrzynecki, the poet illustrates the garden as Feliks' most valuable and precious place where he finds both comfort and serenity. Despite the fact that the persona has had a tough history, he has successfully integrated and established a strong emotional connection to the garden. This is shaped through the profound simile, “loved his garden like an only child”, suggesting that Feliks takes pride and devoted to his garden, like an only child. The hyperbole, “he swept its paths ten times around the world” further supports the idea, expressing his love to the garden. Furthermore, after overcoming “five years of forced labour in Germany” and illness, Feliks is now represented as a contented man, at rest himself and his place. His identity is firmly depicted as brave, optimistic and resilient in the face of many obstacles. The poet admires that Feliks is “happy as I have never been”, considering that his life has been much difficult. Thus Feliks’ ability to enjoy a sense of belonging in his garden has clearly established through his past experience of suffering. Hence, Feliks is a powerful symbol of the rewards of belonging.

Furthermore, the success of forming a deep connection to a place allows individuals to discover a sense of self-worth and value towards their identity.

In Beyond Limbo, Vivekananda eventually realises that her cultural identity is no longer a barrier that marginalises her. During her trips in India, she visits the Bay of Bengal, a deeply profound and spiritual place. Through her travels, she is exposed to the co-existence of multiple of philosophies. “It is possible to see the sunset and the moonrise simultaneously on the same horizon.” The symbolism of the sunset and moonrise resonate with readers, as it emphasises the idea that binary opposite symbols may co-exist in harmony. The allusion of Mahatma Ghandi’s memorial at the Bay of Bengal, further emphasises this idea, as the combined Hindu, Moslem and Christian architectural styles of his memorial symbolise the harmony and peace between different religions and cultures. As a result, Vivekananda comes to appreciate her cultural identity and discovers a sense of belonging through her travels. This is evident from her prospective language and respectful tone as she comes “to the realisation that perhaps it is possible to be at peace with various cultural traditions.” Similarly, in Feliks Skrzynecki, it is clear that enhancing ones cultural understanding and accepting emotional connection to a place, leads individuals to discover their identity and hence achieves a sense of

belonging.

To conclude, Skrzynecki’s two poems and Vivekananda’s narrative effectively explores how connection to place, people and communities are significant in shaping one’s personal identity and emotional security. The two texts shares common attitudes and values towards belonging and not belonging, revealing valuable insights into belonging and how meaningful attachments to the world enrich one’s attitude towards life.