Belonging Perception and St Patrick free essay sample

Explore how perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by connections to places. In your response, refer to your prescribed text and at least one other related text of your own choosing. â€Å"Home is where the heart is† was quoted by Pliny the Elder and is now used to signify a personal connection to a place and the personal sense of belonging received when at this place. Perceptions are influenced by connections to places and sometimes made by connections and disconnections to places.Looking at Peter Skrzynecki’s poem†10 Mary Street† and â€Å"St Patrick’s Day† that are part of the â€Å"Immigrant Chronicles† and contrasting them you look upon how the perception of belonging and not belonging is inextricably linked and is influenced by places. Unsung Ordinary Men by Sally Dingo is a text that explores in itself how connections to places influence our perceptions of belonging and not belonging. We will write a custom essay sample on Belonging: Perception and St Patrick or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This text is non-fictional and represents the soldiers’ attitudes and perceptions of the places they were in and is symbolic of their perceptions of belonging and not belonging.Perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be and is often influenced by connections felt to places. In â€Å"10 Mary Street† the house has both literal and symbolic significance of belonging. On a literal level it is typical of the kind of house a migrant family might choose to live in. Symbolically, the house represents Skrzynecki’s search for security, identity, safety and a place to belong. The house acts as a refuge from the strange environment and provides a safe place to belong. The personification of the house’s â€Å"china blue coat† reveals its fragile state.This text also deals with the perception of belonging being influenced by place. The use of language is used in this text is important on how perceptions of belonging and not belonging is influenced by connections to places. â€Å"St Patrick’s Day† is a poem related to the Roman Catholic school in Sydney called St Patrick’s College. The poet feels that he does not belong. The poem provides specific details of the school’s environment and suggests a barrier of belonging. â€Å"Overshadowed by clouds†.Skrzynecki walks around Strathfield with a sense of disconnection and a sense of not belonging with him feeling â€Å"like a foreign tourist†. This simile creates irony as Skrzynecki is from a foreign background and may be the reason why he feels isolated and a sense of not belonging. Peter Skrzynecki refers to the school motto â€Å"Before I let my light shine† and is applied only to his life and future away from the school which creates a sense of potential. However, it will only be achieved away from St Patrick’s.This represents his difficulties at St Patrick’s College and can represent his non belonging in the school. â€Å"St Patrick’s Day† is a text that represents perceptions of not belonging can be influenced and often are influenced by connections to places. Peter Skrzynecki’s â€Å"Immigrant Chronicles† provide evidence of not belonging and belonging through different perceptions and represent how connections to places can and often influence these perceptions. â€Å"10 Mary Street† and â€Å"St Patrick’s Day† represent how connections to places influence perceptions of belonging and not belonging.The language used by Skrzynecki also plays a huge role in determining whether the perception explores belonging of not belonging. â€Å"Unsung Ordinary Men† provides sufficient evidence to support how a suitable environment can be perceived as belonging and not belonging. It represents the struggle and the sense of connection felt by most of Australian soldiers and allows them to feel a sense of belonging through a connection to the place the y fought. Both texts support the argument that perceptions of belonging and not belonging can be influenced by a connection to places. By Jake Thew