Mary Street 10 Mary street is a poem written by Peter Skrzynecki. It depicts his relationship with his home where he spent his childhood at 10 Mary Street, Regents Park, known as a working class suburb. It records the day-to-day activities of Skrzynecki’s family in their new country. In the poem there are shifts in the mood from belonging to the family home to their ambivalence toward getting citizenship. The Skrzynecki home is a sanctuary, it protects them from an uncertain world.
In the poem there is use of various techniques, in the first stanza there is use of monosyllabic, “Each morning, shut the house, like a well oiled lock”. This shows that the Skrzynecki family is in control of their own sanctuary, their house. They make the decisions when to open and close the doors unlike in the hostel. The home represents the families connection during the ‘adaption’ process which shows a positive view of family belonging. The house is depicted as a home in the line “home from school earlier”.
It shows how he leaves an unfamiliar place to come back to where he belongs, ‘home’. The poem also reinforces the idea of the parents sense of belonging in their new home, despite the “hum-drum” nature of work. In contrast they are devoted to family. The poem shows a clear sense of belonging. It also immediately captures a sense of security and stability that are associated with the idea of home. With nurturing parents comes a sense of live and joy in the Skrzynecki household. A sense of unison is created as a family, “We lived together…
The Essay on Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey”
In Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey,” the protagonist, Odysseus, has spent ten years fighting in the Trojan War. Due to the gods’ anger against Odysseus, he is destined to have a very long and difficult journey home. Odysseus proves to be brave because he overcomes both external and internal conflicts on this long journey home. The external conflicts that Odysseus overcomes ...
Kept pre-war Europe alive” depicts the devotion within the family, that they are together and whilst they reside in Australia they do not forget their culture and remain to keep it intertwined with their new life. As they get use to new changes in their new household they also adapt to new challenges which in result creates a strong bond between the family. Skrzynecki creates the sense that the garden connects his parents and himself together, “M parents watered plants” and “I’d ravage the backyard garden, Like a hungry bird”.
In the poem there is also a sense of struggling to belong. Negative connotations suggest that Skryznecki is struggling to find a sense of belonging due to his thoughtlessness in the treatment of his garden. He is unaware of the importance of a place to belong. However there is an ominous tone in the quote “I’d ravage the back yard… hungry bird”. He also shows sense of weariness “with paint guaranteed For another ten years”. This gives the idea that he is certain of how long the paint will last, but not how long belonging, and having a place to call home will.
The use of symbolism in “Inheritors of key That’ll open no house” gives us a negative feeling. This negative image is being projected because the key is taken away and it gives the sense of no stability. Peter acknowledges the importance of his home which is the key in which is his home, and it is a symbol of love and happy relationships. In conclusion ’10 Mary Street’ depicts Skryznecki belonging in a new neighbourhood. There are different techniques that convey emotion within the poem. It shows both negatives and positives of his experience of belonging in his new home.
