Speehch

Good morning Mrs Lansett and Mrs Morrison
Today I am going to talk to you about the concept of belonging. The true meaning of belonging can be defined in various ways. Belonging is something all people crave so that they feel accepted to a certain group. This group may be family, peer groups, colleagues or ethnicity groups. People desire the need to feel and be an important part of a group, this gives people a feeling that they feel they must have. The definition of belonging is displayed in Peter Skrzynecki’s poems, Migrant Hostel and Postcard and also in my chosen related text Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’. These texts will demonstrate numerous techniques that display the true concept of belonging.
The first text I have chosen is Migrant Hostel, a poem by Peter Skrzyneki. This poem demonstrates a great sense of belonging as it is about migrants who have come to live in Australia following WW2. These migrants are isolated from the rest of the country’s population even though they were invited by the government. A strong technique used in this poem to clearly demonstrate the concept of belonging is imagery. Imagery is demonstrated in the first stanza with the quote “comings and goings arrivals of newcomers in busloads from the station sudden departure”. This quote depicts the large amount of migrants entering the hostels.
Another strong technique used in this poem is symbolism. The quote “that had only begun”. This is symbolic of the migrants starting their new life in Australia. Another display of symbolism is the quote “or were dying”. This is symbolic of them sacrificing their old culture for the new one they must assimilate.
The poem ‘Postcard’ also by Peter Skrzyneki is about someone who has received a postcard from a friend residing in Poland. Despite previously living in the old town of Warsaw the poet feels as if he no longer belongs there. The quote “the voices of red gables and a cloudless sky” shows he is no longer able to ignore his roots if he wants to...