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  • Essay / A Comparison of Migrant Hostel and Ancestors by Peter Skrzynecki and Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

    The statement “A sense of identity, more than anything, depends on the relationships between oneself, others and the environment” coherently defines the concept of belonging and identifies that for a person to know who they are and their purpose, one must relate to internal and external relationships as well as the environment in which they reside. Belonging can be defined as the value, security and acceptance that a person feels in their environment and the poet Peter Skrzynecki demonstrates the idea of ​​identity and belonging and, more mainly, non-belonging, in two poems; “Migrant Hostel” and “Ancestors,” while author and illustrator Maurice Sendak also explores these concepts in his picture book “Where the Wild Things Are.” Where Skrzynecki uses only linguistic techniques in the form of rhetorical questions and thoughts, similes, tones and visual images, Sendak integrates both linguistic and visual techniques such as color and light, framing and body language of the characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The relationship that characters have with themselves is tied to their awareness of where they belong and where they don't belong. Max, the main character of "Where the Wild Things Are", pointedly defies those around him with arrogance and consequently escorts himself into ostracism from his mother and the expectations society places on children to obey . In Peter Skrzynecki's poems, he considers himself excluded and rejected from both the new country and his parents' homeland due to differences in culture and heritage as he migrates from a Poland he did not has never known to an unfamiliar Australia and, after his settlement, he continues to be prompted by its connection with a different past. “Home for Migrants” communicates Skrzynecki’s personal experience of displacement and migration. He sets a negative tone in the first line of the first stanza “No one mattered”. The tone reflects the alienation Skrzynecki felt as a migrant, with foreign authorities systematically treating the migrant camp population without any affection for the masses, uncertain in finding their place and feeling corporeal, as a figure to be counted instead than as a unique individual which is also demonstrated by Skrzynecki's lack of personal pronouns, instead using "we" and "us" to describe himself as part of a larger commodity. At the same time, the simile “like a carrier pigeon circles to get its bearings” expresses the transient nature of migration and the unstable and stressful experience of searching for, embracing and belonging to a new home in a foreign country. Like a carrier pigeon without a master, migrants are in a state of dislocation, not knowing where to turn, suggesting that belonging is not simply a matter of location but also of possessing a sense of worth. and connection with a place. In this age of confusion, "nationalities instinctively sought each other out", developing the idea that, although dislocated and isolated from familiarity, people of a common culture "recognized by their accents" receive comfort “memories” of their recognized heritage and share the same difficulties. by the "hunger and hatred" that brought them to where they need to be together, in a safer country and where they will share the experience of finding a new home to establish a broader sense of belonging to the country and to aexotic culture. Similarly, the main character in "Where the Wild Things Are", Max struggles in a state of dislocation, but between his reality and his own imaginations mixed with desire for power, where he belongs to both, but not simultaneously. Max must balance his parents' expectations with the lack of power he can only achieve in a fantasy world. After being sent to bed without supper. Max's anger takes him into a personal realm where he finally faces himself. The large white boards at the beginning of the picture book symbolize Max's inner emotions, feeling trapped within the confines of reality, in an environment in which he cannot express himself. As the story progresses, the boundaries become smaller while Max's expression simultaneously shows his satisfaction at seeing his constraints disappear into the forest of his extraordinary imagination where he can freely express a power that otherwise would not be accepted into his home and rule his own world. Max's forest beings "made him king of all things wild." The "Wild Things", with their intimidating size and bold, poised claws, can be seen as metaphorical manifestations of the power, anger and arrogance that Max holds within himself: a beast in need of be tamed. But there is also the need to belong to the "Wild Things" group, but above all the need to express oneself as a child and to belong to one's own imaginative childhood. In Max's wild world, the illustrations are more vibrant and colorful than those of his house, depicting a lighter and more joyful atmosphere. However, in his forest, Max is able to freely control what he wants but in reality he cannot. It is there that he realizes that he "was alone and wanted to be where someone loved him the most" and that he cannot live alone in the forest with the "wild things" but that he must instead sacrifice his power to return home, where he belongs with his family. Back in his real world, the illustration is both full page and with an even more vivid hue than the forest presenting Max's expanded and enlightened perception of his home and his true place. Despite Max's disagreement with his mother, he found "his supper waiting for him." Max gains a clearer sense of identity after realizing the importance of having someone to love and care for him, which is worth far more than a superficial lust for power. Like the wild beings in Max's fantasy, Peter Skrzynecki faces his own demons. ; ghosts of his ancestors from a past he has been estranged from, dictating the disconnect between an old culture, but still unable to fully embrace a new one while the past flows behind him. In the dreamlike state of “Ancestors,” the poem possesses a wavering tone as Skrzynecki reflects on his identity and the chains that bind him to his past. He does not coherently understand the meaning of this visit and the poem highlights the composer's isolation from these ancestral beings as they remain intimidating and out of reach as they "hang over you" and stand "shoulder to shoulder." shoulder ". Skrzynecki uses abstract visual imagery of "whispers" and "eyes that never close" to show that these ancestors are unfamiliar, insistently haunting and taunting him with stories and pasts that may never be known. known, thus excluding it from a knowledge which would include it in a past heritage. The composer refers to himself in the second person to allow the reader to personally experience this supernatural event and influence him to feel his own confusion, thus reinforcing the effect of haunting images in "Why.