The concept of belonging highlights our needs of acceptance through relationships and communities. This is clearly exemplified through Peter Skrzynecki’s Immigrant Chronicle (1975), which depicts the challenge of developing a sense of belonging. Peter Skrzynecki has evidently communicated this to the responder through ‘Migrant Hostel’ and ’10 Mary Street’. The novel ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ by Doris Pilkington, 1996, effectively improves on these ideas, where the protagonist, Molly, lacks a sense of security. Each composer has used a variety of techniques to convey a sense of belonging.

Peter Skryznecki portrays a lack of belonging through the poem, ‘Migrant Hostel’.
It explores the dislocation and insecurity the migrants feel. This is stated through the simile “nationalities sought each other out instinctively like a homing pigeon” as it highlights the desire that the immigrants felt they needed to seek familiarity. Despite the fact that they were in a new environment that didn’t offer a strong sense of comfort, they chose to establish their own sense of belonging through other migrants of the same culture. Whilst this promotes a sense of belonging, it also means that the migrants isolated themselves from other groups of the hostel. This is mainly due to memories of “hunger and hate” which emphasis the fact that they are haunted by their past which is an example of alliteration. Peter Skryznecki shows a connection with a sense of belonging involved with the migrants.

In contrast, the concept of belonging is also explored in the poem ‘10 Mary Street’ as Skryznecki realizes the significance of his childhood home. The house and the garden symbolise a form of comfort and security, which is, exemplified through the simile “tendered roses and camellias like adopted children”. The persona and his family have a strong connection to the garden as they take pride in it as it has become apart of them. They treat it with love and care as they feel contentment. The time indication of “nineteen years” depicts how the family has felt belonging and comfort for so long. The family is strongly attached to 10 Mary Street, as most activities have become a ritual. It is evident that Skryznecki influences a strong connection to his childhood house.

The novel ‘Rabbit Proof Fence’ a sense of belonging is conveyed through the character’s family relationship and their strong sense of connection to the Aboriginal culture. The novel is depicting Molly and her sisters removal from their family, homeland and Aboriginal community to Moore River Native Settlement. The author uses the fence as a metaphorical link as it highlights their unbreakable family bond. The fence is optimistic and has a strong connection as it was built through their homeland. Pilkington uses repetition to emphasis how molly feels about the government and how they are treating the Aboriginal people. This is shown when molly says in disgust, “They make me sick, these people, they make me sick.” It is apparent that Pilkington effectively introduces a sense and also a lack of belonging through the displacement of Molly’s experience.
Consequently, a sense of belonging highlights the significance of how displacement from security can affect a person’s identity and also how it can connect a person to a place of value. Both composers strongly suggest as sense of belonging through the stories they told.