Explore How Perceptions of Belonging Can Be Influenced by Connection to Places

Explore how perceptions of belonging can be influenced by connection to places.

Often, the strength of an individual's connection to place plays a central role in shaping their perception of belonging. Peter Skryznecki's ''Immigrant chronicle,'' is a text that accomplishes this. Perceptions such as isolation through a lack of cultural connection to a place, sense of home fostered through a connection to a foreign land are all explored in these texts.

Individuals can feel a sense of isolation from a lack of cultural connection to place. Skrzynecki's poem, ''The folk museum,'' explores this through the persona's feelings of isolation towards the cultural aspect of the museum resulting in feelings of disconnection towards it. This disconnection is a result of the barrier between different cultures. The values of the objects are of no significance to him as he cannot connect with the cultural significance of the objects. In contrast, individuals who can connect and identify with them can form a strong connection with the museum. This is seen in the poem through the persona's description of the objects in the museum, ''I look at the words, to describe machinery, clothes, transport.'' The nature of this description is very reductive and degrades these objects which are of significant cultural value and act as the common connection between individuals within a culture to simple words. This shows the persona's inability to connect with the museum as he cannot identify with the arbiters of this culture. Through this, the persona feels isolated, as the culture becomes ''the,'' culture, machinery, creating a barrier. His perception of isolation towards the museum and its cultural value is influenced by his lack of connection to it.

Ownership of a place can influence and shape a person's identity which is essential for a person's perception of belonging. This is explored in the poem, ''10 Mary Street,'' through the personas parent's fostering of a connection with a foreign land. Their ownership of this land through gardening shapes their identity and sense of belonging. Without this ownership and connection to this land, they would feel further isolation from the foreign aspects of it which is essential to their perception of belonging in it. This is seen through the contrast