migrant hostel annotations. migrant hostel stanza 1 parkes, 1949-51 no one kept count of all the...

“Migrant Hostel” annotations

“Migrant Hostel” Stanza 1

Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count

Of all the comings and goings –

Arrivals of newcomers

In busloads from the station,

Sudden departures from adjoining blocks

That left us wondering

Who would be coming next.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count







Context. Establishes place and time-frame. The family was in the Parkes for over two years.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count








Suggests there were too many people to keep count of.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count









Colloquial language. People constantly arriving and leaving. Indicates that the hostel is busy, but also a place of transition.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count










Punctuation (hyphen). Indicates a pause, but also a connection between ideas.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count










Groups of new people arrive. They are anonymous/nameless to Skrzynecki.



Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count












New line for “Sudden” to reinforce how quickly people can leave. Reinforces the hostel as a place of transition where no one truly belongs.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count













Inclusive terms (“us”) suggests some sense of belonging for Skrzynecki with his family.


Parkes, 1949-51

No one kept count













Inclusive terms (“us”) suggests some sense of belonging for Skrzynecki with his family.

The transitory nature of life in the migrant hostel makes it difficult to form connections with others.


Nationalities sought

Each other out instinctively –

Like a homing pigeon

Circling to get its bearings;

Years and place-names

Recognised by accents,

Partitioned off at night

By memories of hunger and hate.










Suggesting that people find a sense of belonging with people of the same culture. This also suggests that a sense of belonging with different cultures was not a priority.











Suggests that belonging with one’s own kind is a basic human need. We automatically search for a sense of belonging.












Simile. Reinforces that the search for belonging is instinctive.













Extending the simile. We find our way by looking for identifiable features of a person/place.













Extending the simile. We find our way by looking for identifiable features of a person/place.Listing features that

might indicate a possibility for common ground and belonging.















Words such as “partition” suggest separation, creating a barrier to belonging with different cultural groups.
















Alliteration. The h sound is harsh and evokes the harshness of wartime experiences and prejudices.
















Alliteration. The h sound is harsh and evokes the harshness of wartime experiences and prejudices.

Metaphor. Hunger and hate create almost physical barriers for belonging.


For over two years

We lived like birds of passage –

Always sensing a change

In the weather:

Unaware of the season

Whose track we would follow.


For over two years



In the weather:



Weary tone. Suggests there has been little progress in two years.


For over two years



In the weather:




Simile. Suggests the Skrzyneckis are stuck in a situation out of their control. Birds travelling towards a destination. No sense of belonging in a state of transition. The recurrence of the birds in this poem creates a motif.


For over two years



In the weather:





Hyphen. Indicates a pause to link ideas. Explaining why the Skrzyneckis are “like birds of passage”


For over two years



In the weather:






The migrants can feel change, but have no control or understanding of it. Suggesting an isolation from the decision-making process.


For over two years



In the weather:






The migrants can feel change, but have no control or understanding of it. Suggesting an isolation from the decision-making process.

Metaphor. Suggests isolation from the rest of the world. No sense of control over events and their own ability to belong.


A barrier at the main gate

Sealed off the highway

From our doorstep –

As it rose and fell like a finger

Pointed in reprimand or shame;

And daily we passed

Underneath or alongside it –

Needing its sanction

To pass in and out of lives

That had only begun

Or were dying.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.

Imagery. Image of a physical barrier to prevent migrants from having their own place in Australia.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.

Imagery. Image of a physical barrier to prevent migrants from having their own place in Australia.Suggests that passing

between the hostel and the rest of Australia is difficult.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.



Simile. Reinforces the image of the barrier rising and falling to allow certain people through.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.




Personification. The barrier takes on the attributes of a judge. This helps to transform the barrier into a symbol of not belonging.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.





“Daily” indicates routine. This also reinforces the regular feeling of being isolated and not belonging.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.






Personification/Metaphor. The family feel as though they need the barrier’s permission to pass through.







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.







Suggests transience/the temporary nature of their stay at the hostel







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.








Metaphor. Is coming to Australia a beginning or an end in terms of finding somewhere to belong?







And daily we passed




That had only begun

Or were dying.








Metaphor. Is coming to Australia a beginning or an end in terms of finding somewhere to belong?

Emotive language. Suggesting uncertainty about the future and how the family will find a sense of belonging.

migrant hostel annotations. migrant hostel stanza 1 parkes, 1949-51 no one kept count of all the...

Documents

migrant hostel stanza

place of transition

sudden departures

migrant hostel annotations

groups of new people

goings arrivals of newcomers

adjoining blocks

colloquial language