Area+of+Study+-+Belonging

​​Welcome to the Home Page for the Area of Study - Belonging. Below you will find some activities related to the general concept of 'Belonging'. Feel free to add your answers to questions in the discussion forum.


 * CIRCLE OF LIFE - ANCESTORS**

During his visit to the school, Peter Skrzynecki described the link between "Ancestors" and the song "The Circle of Life" from Disney's //Lion King//. Having re-watched the opening, its striking how similar the texts are - consider the lines "Where do they point to/From the circle around you-/To what star/Do their footprints lead?" from Skrzynecki and "'til we find our place/on the path unwinding/It's the cirlce/the circle of life" from //Lion King...// perhaps Sir Elton John was reading some Australian poetry when looking for his inspiration?? Anyway, both texts express the way we search for our "path" in life and try to work out where it is that we belong.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you //The Lion King//: media type="youtube" key="vX07j9SDFcc" height="344" width="425"

Also, some useless trivia - Did You Know that //The Lion King// is actually a reworking of //Hamlet//. Think about it... a young prince goes on a quest to avenge his father, who was murdered by his uncle so he could have the kingdom of Denmark (or Pride Rock)!

Mr D.

​"Feliks Skrzynecki" - Lesson 07/12/09

In today's lesson, you need to complete the following **two** activities:

(a) Feliks is described in the first line as "My gentle father". Identify the other descriptions of Feliks in the poem, and describe the extent to which they are a reflection of his "stoicism". (b) Peter Skrzynecki has said that the last three stanzas of the poem are about his "father as a teacher". What lessons does he/we learn in these stanzas? (c) Explain the extended metaphor that is used in the final stanza. (d) Skrzynecki has compared the ideas expressed in his poem to those in the Johnny Cash song, "Flesh and Blood". Read the final two verses of this song, then describe how both of these texts explore "Belonging" as a "connection":
 * 1)** Re-read the poem and answer the following questions:

A Cardinal sang just for me And I thanked him for the Song Then the Sun went slowly down the West And I had to move along These were some of the things

On which my Mind and Spirit feed; But Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood And you're the one I need Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood And you're the one I need.

So when this Day was ended I was still not satisfied For I knew ev'rything I touched Would wither and would die And Love is all that will remain And grow from all these Seed;

Mother Nature's quite a Lady But you're the one I need Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood And you're the one I need.

(lyrics obtained from [])


 * 2)** Click the link below to the website for SBS Television's "Who Do You Think You Are?" series. In this series, celebrities conduct research into their family history, mostly with the intention of discovering more about themselves.

Watch either the "Kate Cebrano" of "Dennis Cometti" episodes (be patient with the streaming!) and make notes about the sense of belonging they express as compared to that expressed in Skrzynecki's poem.

[]


 * Skrzynecki and Safran **

In my class last week, we compared the ideas about belonging and not belonging expressed by Skrzynecki in "Post Card" with Janet Hawley's feature article on Comedian and ABC TV presenter, John Safran ("The Devil in John Safran", //Good Weekend//, November 21st 2009). Both texts explore the way their subjects experience a sense of "I belong, but I don't belong" in relation to their particular cultural background.

For Skrzynecki, the postcard of Warsaw that was given to him by a friend initiates an internal exploration about his sense of attachment to his father's place of birth. The speaker's voice in the poem carries the tone of indifference, and yet the voice of conscience (the "lonely tree") belies a desire to establish a deeper connection to the "Old Town".

Hawley's profile of John Safran portrays the deep insecurities that lie behind a seemingly confident performer. Safran's latest on-air "performance", //Race Relations//, is on the surface an effort to openly mock a range of cultural and religious beliefs. However, beyond the sheen of shocking stunts, Hawley finds the deeply personal journey that Safran is embarking on in order to understand the strange relationship he has with his own culture.

In class, I gave students the following question:

"Compare and contrast the sense of belonging that is portrayed in Skrzynecki's "Post Card" and Hawley's "The devil in John Safran". In your answer, make detailed reference to the language techniques used by the authors in their texts. Your answer should be between 1 and 2 pages."

Mr D


 * The view of the texts expressed above represent my own interpretation of them.**