Peter Skrzynecki's Immigrant Chronicles '

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An individual's perception of their environment can be largely affected by their motivation to feel a sense of belonging. Some people are confused as to where they belong or don’t even make an attempt to belong, this can leave people feeling lost or confused. These ideas are nicely displayed in Peter Skrzynecki’s anthology “Immigrant Chronicles” with the use of techniques where he showcases his and others' different attitudes towards trying to get a sense of belonging and the different outcomes. The poem “St. Patrick’s College” conveys the idea that even after extended periods of time, someone can continue to feel foreign due to a lack of understanding about where they are. The poem “Feliks Skrzynecki” conveys the idea that with a drive to feel at home, someone's perspective of their situation can change and people can create their own safe place. …show more content…

Patrick’s College” Skrzynecki writes about his time in high school and his feelings of alienation even after a long period of time due to his lack of understanding of the school. The quote “”what was best”” shows us that from the start he did not understand his mother’s vision when he was put in St Patrick’s College. This is reinforced by the line “I thought it was a brand of soap” which refers to the school’s motto “Luceat Lux Vestra” which reveals to us that Skrzynecki did not really understand the school and it’s values. The repetition of “eight years” emphasizes the length of time he is in the school for yet the lines “caught the 414 bus like a foreign tourist, uncertain of my destination” and “our lady still watching above, unchanged by eight years of weather” gives us this idea that even after 8 years he still feels foreign and symbolises that after eight years things are unchanged and he feels the same as his first day

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