Migrant Hostel Analysis

Change is depicted an as aspect of life which can propel us down unexpected paths, this can either be resisted or embraced by individuals. Peter Skrzynecki portrays these notions throughout his poems ‘Kornelia’ and ‘Migrant hostel’. The poems are supported by the stylistic devices used throughout his poems to further emphasise the meaning behind, often used are personification, symbolism and similes. The two texts chosen Joni Mitchell ‘Big yellow taxi’ Martin Luther king ‘I have a dream’ further contrast the notions of change that Peter speaks of in his poems, proclaiming change will modify the permanency in one’s livelihood, Change Is often unwanted but is necessary and to fully comprehend change one has to embrace it. These composers have

altered the way one see’s change rather than seeing it as an inconvenience these composers teach to embrace change and that change is inevitable.
Change will modify the permanency in one’s livelihood, what a person has in their life is not always permanent, often we look for permanency within our lives but change will always eventually take over and alter the situation.

Peter Skrzynecki explores this notion through his poem Migrant hostel. Migrant hostel speaks on life not being permanent insinuating that change will overcome and that the immigrants had to adapt to the new life. When the poet speaks of the instability of change within the life of the immigrants, he uses the birds as a metaphor of life not being stable and definite. In relation to the birds Peter uses zoomorphism to further accentuate the notion of change “we lived like bird of passage” the birds symbolise impermanence in the migrants’ lives, the birds never stay in one place they are always changing locations. The birds correlate with the migrants and empathise with not having a stable residence to call home. This poem shapes our understanding by assuring the reader that there is no permanency in the world but just temporary times in life. Peter Skrzynecki presents the temporary side of life through imagery, using the weather and the seasons to express how it is never one weather or one season. “Always sensing a change in the weather: Unaware of the season” Peter delineates the instability within things we cannot control, the weather and the seasons change but they are never the same, this often catches us

unaware.
The song Big Yellow Taxi contrasts with Peter Skrzyneckis poem Migrant Hostel in relation with permanency within the lyrics of the song. The lyrics in the big yellow taxi have numerous sub topics on the notions of change, one of the focuses reflect on the stability of life, Joni Mitchell writes with a metaphorical method “don’t it always seem to go” expressing that nothing stays the same in life, nothing stays the same in Joni’s metaphorically placed paradise. Paradise in this sense is the nature of that Joni had seen and become quite fond of, but could slowly see the urbanisation come and take over what was thought to be there forever. Repetition is a prominent technique in the lyrical side of the song, which provides further emphasis towards the notion of change. Repetition is also symbolic to permanency the writer longs for throughout the song big yellow taxi in which by repeating the same phrase “don’t it always seem to go” is a way of making it prominent and long lasting. Joni Mitchell and Peter Skrzynecki both speak about change in their texts as something that is not everlasting but will eventually shift.
Change is often unwanted but is necessary to progress within in this life.

The poet explores this notion in the poem ‘Kornilia’, when written Kornilia the other of Peter is reluctant to the change that Is occurring as her son adapts to the western culture. Kornilia questions herself as to where she went wrong with Peter “Where did I go wrong?” the tone and imagery in this is reluctance and regret towards her son and the overall cultural displacement. This influences the mindset that change is a given. This poem portrays change as a device that influences our thinking, that change at times is undesired. Over time within the poem it is a clear image of unwillingness to adjust to the change she is now forced to face which in hindsight is a positive progression for the family, Kornilia has not progressed she begins to be withdrawn from her “new world” and stilling longing for the old. To further highlight the uncertainty of change the use of metaphors helped convey the concept “Her feet make no imprint” Kornilia stayed constant she was at a halt, she didn’t change she refused it. The change in her life wasn’t only altering her lifestyle but was changing her only son

Peter.