1. ‘No one kept count
Of all the comings and goings_’
Why didn’t anyone keep count? What does this suggest? How is a permanent home different from a transient home?
List differences you can think of between a permanent place of resident and a transient place place?
2. Focus on the meaning and intention of the word in the third line “newcomers”.What does it suggest about the status of the people who have been in the hostel before the new arrivals? How can the meaning here be transferred to society in general?
3. ‘In busloads’ is used to describe the new people in the camp. Why does he use this particular word to describe them? What picture is created in your mind?
4. The word ‘departures’ is used to describe the people and what happens to them. Do the people have control over whether they stay or go? Why the very concise use of this word? Why do you think Peter Skrzynecki may not describe them further?
5. ‘That left us wondering
‘Who would be coming next.’
Who is ‘us’? What does ‘us’ add to the stanza and our understanding of the poet’s sense of belonging?
2 responses so far ↓
1
Benn
// Jul 27, 2007 at 10:41 am
1)No one kept count because it was a time of chaos, a lack of structure was created out of fear from death and destruction. The numbers of people who came was overwhelming and records would have been hard to trace because of the holocaust and the disorganized migrants who were desperate to leave the danger zones in Europe, many may have lost their whole lively hoods, their home, business etc.
Permanent resident you feel comfortable and homely, while a transit place is more uncomfortable and restless, just a waiting place before they move on, it makes you unsure about the future.
2)The term ‘newcomers’ can be suggestive on as a negative way to see people who are new, they may not be wanted there because of the space of the facilities and the chaos of the immigration life. In society we see the ‘newcomers’ as invaders to our land, we become protective of what is ours. In the poem even though the land is not that of the immigrants but they still believe they have authority over these people because of the time elapsed when they have been there.
3)’Busloads’ make it seem as though there are many people who come and there seems to be no sign of how many there is too come, they are shuttled onto these buses as many as they can like a cattle truck and simply shifted. Nothing more.
4)People do not have control over where they go, “sudden departures from adjoining blocks, that left us wondering”. Skryznecki does not describe them further because there is a certain level of information that they don’t have, it is random the way that people are moved and come, “who would be coming next”.
5)’Us’ are the people who are their, they have no sense of racism as they are all in the same boat and situation, they are in it together. His belonging is uncertain and unknown, they will find out when the time is best for others.
2
buttro
// Jul 30, 2007 at 7:48 pm
1.There were to many immigrants to keep count of after World War II because Australia needed to “keep populated or perish”. This was because after the war Australia realised that they were vulnerable after the Japanese attacks. People didn’t care who was coming in as long as the population was growing. A permanent home is more important then a transient one because you feel attached to your home after a period of time because ‘home is where the heart is’. If you are only living somewhere for a short period of time it doesn’t mean as much to you, unlike if you were calling a place home for a generations.
2.The use of the word “newcomers” puts emphasise on how the immigrants were seen as groups and not individual people. This reflects back on the Australian attitude that they didn’t care who was coming and where they were coming from as long as they were populating the country. The meaning here can be transferred to today’s society because people still generalise other people that are different and still don’t see them as individuals, eg wogs.
3.The word “busloads” creates a picture in my mind of busy crowds like in the city where each person is from a different background and they are there for a different reason but you don’t take notice or bother to pay attention to the individuals.
4.The word “departments” is used to show how the migrants were segregated into groups, probably by their nationality, colour and language. This reflects how society often divides up people by who they are, where they come from and their background. Again this shows how people today stereotype certain people and generalise ethnic groups by using the radical personalities as examples.
5.In the poem “us” is the migrants because the poem is from the point of view of migrants in a hostel. The use of the word “us” shows how the migrants were seen as a group and not as individuals. People would of said “those people” rather then by name. This again shows how we generalise and see people as stereotypes or groups. The word “us” also shows how the migrants were different to the Australians and is proof that at the time it was a “us” and them environment.
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