hi i am currently studying Peter Skrzynecki's poems 'migrant cronicle'
in this there is his poem 'crossing the red sea'
could anyone help me analyse this poem because i find it quite hard
thank you

Laure, concerning your request about Eliot's poem, there is a discussion here:

[www.english.uiuc.edu]


Les

I found this on a web page, but am not sure if it is either accurate or complete (parentheses mine):


Crossing the red sea

Many slept on deck
Becasue of the day's heat
Or to watch a sunset
They would never see again
Stretched out on blanket(s?) and pillows
Against cabins and rails:
Shirtless,in shorts, barefooted,
Themselves a landscape
Of milk-white flesh
On a scoured and polished deck.

Voices left their caves
And silence fell from its shackles
Memories strayed
From behind sunken eyes
To look for shorelines
Peaks of mou(n?)tains and green rivers
That shared their secrets
With storms and exiles

----------------------------------------------

1949, and the war
Now four years dead-
N(ei)ther master nor slaves
As we crose(d) a sea
And looked at red banners
That Time was hoisting (note: capital time) (not my note HC)
In mock salute

---------------------------------------------

Patches and shreds
Of dialogue
Hung from fingertips (line break?)And unshaven faces
Offering themselves
As a respite FRom (sic) the interruption
Of passing waves.

"I remember a filed (field?)
Of red poppies, once behind the forest
When the full moon rose."

"Blood Leaves similar dark stains
When it Runs (sic) for a long time
On stones or Rusted (sic) iron"

(And the sea's breath
Touched the eyes
Of another Lazarus (line break?) Who was saying a prayer
In thanksgiving
For miracles)

------------------------------------------------

All night
The kindness
of the sea continued -
Breaking into
Walled-up griefs
That men had sworn
Would never be disclosed.
Accepting outflung denunciations
With a calmness
That brought a reminder
of people listening to requiems,
Pine tress whispering
Against a stone wall in the breeze;
Or a trembling voice
that sang at the rails
When the ship first sailed
From the sorrow
Of northern wars.

-------------------------------------------------------

Daybreak took away
The magic of dreams,
Fragments of apparitions
That became
More tangible than words
Echoes and reflections
Of the trust
That men had bartered
For silence.

Had we talked
Of death
Perhaps something
More then (than?) time
Would have been lost.

But the gestures
Of darkness and starlight
Kept our minds
Away from the finalities
Of surrender -
As they beckoned towards
A blood-rimmed horizon
Beyond whose waters
The Equator
Was still to be crossed.

high Hugh Clary
the poem that you have found is the right one
so can anybody help me analyse this.

i would also like to ask if anyone knows another poem that is related to physical journey.

thanks for all the help

hi i have found a poem but im not sure if it is about physical journey.
could anyone help me?

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening - By Robert Frost

WHOSE woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

The year is 1949- I believe that this poem is about the people who immigrated to Israel. These would be people who survived the camps of WW2.

pam

Might be a good guess. See below, though, where it indicates his background is Polish Catholic, and he emigrated to Australia in 1949. Could be that voyage as well. Would he have crossed the Red Sea in such a journey? Dunno.


[tinyurl.com]

Boat through the Med, Suez Canal, Red Sea and across the ocean. Seems feasible.

hey

i'm actually studying this poem at my school. it was a physical journey through the red sea to Australia. Skrzynecki was four when he migrated to Australia with his parents from Poland.

the poem is his recount. he compares this voyage over the sea to the bible story of Moses leading God's people through the red sea to the promised land (seen prince of egypt?). another biblical reference is Lazarus in section 3. "touched the eyes of anothor lazarus" Lazarus in the bible was brought back to life by Jesus.

so what Skrzynecki is saying is that the sea is taking these people from their ruined homes in Europe (WW2) to a new life in Australia, that through physical journeys, people are given a chance in life and that journeys have life-changing possibilities. he talks abt how the people are experiencing mixed emotions - hope, pain, sadness, grief, etc.

hope that was some help

hey could anyone show me a poem that is quite complex and is about Physical journey because i really need a poem for an assessment at school and it cant be short or brief

thanks a lot for all the help i got

Here you go Laure:

Mandalay
by Rudyard Kipling

By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' eastward to the sea,
There's a Burma girl a-settin', and I know she thinks o' me;
For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say:
"Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!"
Come you back to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay:
Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

'Er petticoat was yaller an' 'er little cap was green,
An' 'er name was Supi-yaw-lat -- jes' the same as Theebaw's Queen,
An' I seed her first a-smokin' of a whackin' white cheroot,
An' a-wastin' Christian kisses on an 'eathen idol's foot:
Bloomin' idol made o'mud --
Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd --
Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed 'er where she stud!
On the road to Mandalay . . .

When the mist was on the rice-fields an' the sun was droppin' slow,
She'd git 'er little banjo an' she'd sing "~Kulla-lo-lo!~"
With 'er arm upon my shoulder an' 'er cheek agin' my cheek
We useter watch the steamers an' the ~hathis~ pilin' teak.
Elephints a-pilin' teak
In the sludgy, squdgy creek,
Where the silence 'ung that 'eavy you was 'arf afraid to speak!
On the road to Mandalay . . .

But that's all shove be'ind me -- long ago an' fur away,
An' there ain't no 'busses runnin' from the Bank to Mandalay;
An' I'm learnin' 'ere in London what the ten-year soldier tells:
"If you've 'eard the East a-callin', you won't never 'eed naught else."
No! you won't 'eed nothin' else
But them spicy garlic smells,
An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells;
On the road to Mandalay . . .

I am sick o' wastin' leather on these gritty pavin'-stones,
An' the blasted Henglish drizzle wakes the fever in my bones;
Tho' I walks with fifty 'ousemaids outer Chelsea to the Strand,
An' they talks a lot o' lovin', but wot do they understand?
Beefy face an' grubby 'and --
Law! wot do they understand?
I've a neater, sweeter maiden in a cleaner, greener land!
On the road to Mandalay . . .

Ship me somewheres east of Suez, where the best is like the worst,
Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst;
For the temple-bells are callin', an' it's there that I would be --
By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea;
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the old Flotilla lay,
With our sick beneath the awnings when we went to Mandalay!
On the road to Mandalay,
Where the flyin'-fishes play,
An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the Bay!

Les

“Crossing the Red Sea” – Peter Skrzynecki

“Crossing the Red Sea” composed by Peter Skrzynecki traces a physical as well as a shared emotional journey in which migrants sail through the Red Sea. In fact, through the title of the poem, Skrzynecki biblically alludes to Moses leading the Jews out of tyranny in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan, just as the Europeans abandoned their homes in war-torn Europe to partake a voyage across the red sea to the new promised land of Australia, in hope of a brighter future at the end of their journey.

As the focus shifts to the “shirtless…barefooted” people aboard the ship, Skrzynecki evokes a strong sense of poverty, which poses as a physical reminder to the extended duration of their voyage from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern hemisphere.

From behind their “sunken eyes” and the “red banners,” Skrzynecki effectively suggests the past sufferings, and misery that the migrants (displaced persons) have encountered during the war period, are still raw in their minds, but as the physical voyage across the red sea progresses, their past sufferings and helpless ambiguity are eased by the “calmness” of the sea; the personified sea accepts all the “outflung denunciations” and provides a sense of wellbeing and relief for these migrants that the worst is finally over.

The starlight amidst the darkness symbolises that there will always be hope in their dark lives, and that it will be able to guide them to the final physical destination. However, as they neared the “equator…still to be crossed,” the migrants begin to understand that there would still be certain hardships that they must still endure before they reach their final physical destination; yet they are relieved that through this arduous physical journey across the sea, they will be able to start a new life in a new world, also realizing that there is no turning back.

Line-by-Line Analysis on "Crossing the red sea" by Peter Skrzynecki

1.
“Slept”, “watched”, “stretched”- all verbs that enforce idea of idleness
The opening stanza sets the scene of the poem-on a ship
There is a sense of final leave and return seems unlikely
The mood is of sadness and nostalgia and there is a sense of overcrowding.
“Shirtless, in shorts”- describes heat and poverty.
“Themselves a landscape of milk white flesh on a scoured polished deck”- description of people using a metaphor of landscape paintings which enlivens the scene, bringing it to life.
“Voices”- refers to the migrants voices which can now be heard, they are free to express themselves. No longer subdued.
“Caves” and “shackles”- metaphors which capture emotional grief and emptiness of migrants. Caves gives darkened image
“Memories strayed from behind sunken eyes’- imagery which heightens sense of despair. It suggest pain and hunger as they search for beauty in the world that they only have memories of.
Overall tone of the first stanza indicates that there is plenty of regret, confusion, isolation and fear amongst the migrants.
 “Mountains and green rivers”- symbols of life and hope and the hope that the migrants have as their lives mirror the passage out of a desert to better things.

2.
Enjambment in used throughout stanza 2 to show the progression of the journey
Sights and sounds break monotony of this journey
Migrants are in a state of limbo. Unable to control fate
The date “1949” provides context and it becomes clear that the migrants are refugees from post war Europe
“red banners” refer to ushering in of new communist world in Europe but ironically the communist USSR were liberators but ended up also being oppressors
“Time was hoisting”- personification used to increase tone and power of nature and life. Nature now controls their destiny (time) and “mock salute” emphasises the power of worthlessness.

3.
Limited dialogue reinforces their lives and how lonely it is, dislocation and disorientation are underlying themes in this stanza.
 Imagery captures the atmosphere of boredom
These pieces of dialogue are described as “hanging from fingertips”, suggesting that they are delicate and tentative attempts to express deeply painful memories.
The first is a vibrant memory of beauty, of a field of red poppies in the moonlight.
The second picks up on the colour of the poppies but immediately relates it to blood left to discoulour on ‘stones or rusted iron”. This suggests the blood of imprisonment or execution
The third memory is not spoken aloud. It is a silent prayer offered up by an unknown supplicant for simply surviving.
The use of biblical allusion to ‘Lazarus”, suggests that this person has actually risen from the dead. (As the biblical story says that Jesus brought Lazarus back to life).
Personal pronounce of “I” adds realism to the personalities that line these decks.

4.
The mood of well being and relief starts off this fourth stanza. The clam journey personifies the sea and its given qualities of kindness and comfort as it heals their souls. It soothes them into being able to disclose their grief and declare their sorrow.
The migrants shared and listened to one another’s stories. This eases the harshness of the journey and breaks down the fortitude as they talk of their suffering.
“Requiem”-is a mass for their dead-they speak of past life like its dead.
The “pine trees whispering” refer to the trees of Europe.
“Trembling voice” shows the fear and sadness of the migrants over their farewell of their homeland. They struggle to keep emotions in check but “sang” to leave miseries of war behind
Last two lines refer to sorrow of leaving war torn land but also of leaving family and country
The use of the adjective “northern” suggests that there is a hope of renewal and peace in the southern land, reflecting the image of the Israelites fleeing the Egyptians for the promised land.

5.
Optimistic tone in fifth stanza
With daybreak comes a return to realisation that “magic” comes only in dreams, that fragments of memory were more “tangible than words”. There are still memories that remain locked in the human heart. These chosen people are still unable to open their hearts. They have lost the ability to trust and have replaced it with silence.
There is a suggestion that if only they had been able to speak of their experiences of death then they may have been able to lose some of their memories. The Promised Land would come but the journey would not be easy.
The images of the “blood rimmed horizon” and the idea that the “Equator” would be crossed, suggests the hardships that would still have to be endured before the promise is fulfilled.

In conclusion

Peter skrzynecki was too young to remember this journey. Through the poem he recaptures the experience of his parents and millions of other migrants crossing one world to the next. Epic migration with enormous personal, economic social and political ramifications. It marked a post war and post holocaust phenomenon.

Stanza 1
The physical scene on deck provides backdrop for emotional description that follows. Migrants are painted for us in terms of posture, expression and gesture.
Stanza 2
Perspectives change as journey begins and varied reasons for them leaving home are revealed.
Stanza 3
Explores mental anguish and seeks to give readers a sense of the complex emotional and physiological reactions the are experiencing
Stanza4
The journey takes on pattern of own mere feelings. Hopes and fears are shared by those making the crossing together
Stanza 5
Reflective tone and invites readers to broaden perspective in order to better understand those who migrated across the red sea.

Hi again lg or anyone else out there

could you possibly explain to me what the poem above called Mandalay
by Rudyard Kipling because i really dont understand 3/4 of it
thanks for any help

Nicely done, Aamir.

Try this one, laure:

[social.chass.ncsu.edu]

I recently participated in a seminar given by Peter Skrzynecki as I too am studing him presently for the HSC. This is just in response to the interpretation that the "Red Banners" in 'Crossing the Red Sea' are related to the communsim party. Peter himself said this was untrue and it is merely in relation to the setting sun's red light refracting on the clouds on the horizon.
Just so you dont get too mixed up.

Aamir - Mac Fields?

Thank U very much 4 the analysis of the poem!

U guys have helped me heaps!

Guys thankyou for all the help!!! Just reading the analysis on the poem helped alot. Thanks again.

Crossing the red sea is the beginning of Skrzynecki's families journey to Australia as immigrants. it examines the difficulties physical journeys bring and shows how they can be tiresome and we often give up. the red sea is about how the sun sets over the water lighting the water red. part 1 introduces the theme of exile. part 2 introduces thetheme of time and how they were part of the government work foce. red banner symbolises clouds of sunset and a mock-solute is a non-military solute. part three shows the red poppy as being the symbol of a fallen soul. the importance of red comes from the polish colours red and white. red symbolises blood and white symbolises after life. part 4 them of night and comfort. part 5 is the next morning. shows the prospect of dreaming. last stanza is saying never give up hope and don't give in.red in this poem is the sacrifice of future as red colour illuminates the horizon.

Hope i helped

>the sun sets over the water lighting the water red ...

Are you sure about that?

hey, im a year 12 student, and if anyone knows were i can find a site on Peter Skrzynecki's life, please let me know...
thankyou

Chantelle, there is some info. here:

[216.239.57.104]


Les

i really really need to find a related text to crossing the red sea...i have an oral task next wedneday where i have to talk to new hsc people about one of peter skrzyneckis poems, and one related text......i have to show techniques and all that stuff....help me please......

Hey every1...how shitty are speeches on Skrzynecki! I just wanted to thank sum of the ppl who gave websites and analysis od crossing the red sea. Oh and red banners...sunrise and sunset. good luck all.

in relation to the mention of sunset and sunrise in "Crossing the Red Sea", i find it peculiar that Peter BEGINS the poem with SUNSET (1st stanza) and ENDS it with SUNRISE (last stanza).

this sort of purposeful irony is clearly orchestrating the transition of the immigrants from their past life - filled with agony and grief - into a new life - life in what is probably the luckiest nation in the world. As the sun sets so ends the European life of the immigrant who, along with their ship, turn their back on the crimson horizon. And to go on to face the same sight of a horizon lit by the glow of the sun, but this time on the other side of the world, and with the sun moving up.

the idea of sunrise and sunset should also be coupled with the mention of the Equator. the crossing of the Equator is the symbol of actual physical journey in this poem, as the immigrants literally cross from one side of the globe to the other. the Equator is the imaginary boundary between two very different world, and what probably will be two very different lives.
there is also an element of hope in the last stanza associated with the imagery of a sunrise - the new lives of the immigrants are only awakening and looking very bright for the future.

also note the fact that a Sunrise is hardly any symbol for the End, and so it's safe to infer that Peter wants us to know that this is NOT the end of the journey. it's the end of the poem but the real journey of the immigrants are only at a beggining as they go into the future mapping their individual lives in a fresh country. It can be interpreted as being suggestive of the fact that Journey are often ongoing and continuous, as opposed to disjointed and discrete.

one last thing - it's probably worthwhile to mention (in whatever assessments you have) that like a physical journey, the poem itself EVOLVES. The TONE of the poem at the start is balatant - one of exhaution, tedium, and dismal. But, as the poem progresses you'll notice the *gradual* change in tone - until we reach the end where we are met with the sunrise and that element of hope. In general, Peter begins with a harsh tone, which is continually mollified as the poem goes on. This change in tone and attitude of Peter to the immigrants and plight on board can be used as an allusion to the dynamic nature of Journeys itself; and this would be a great way to include the mention of the idea of Journey accompanied by the literal techniques used to achieve its conception.


- i hope i helped out a little here. this is a great site, keep the postings coming!

Casey, if a 'related text' can be another sea-journey poem, and if it can be one capable of being contrasted with 'Crossing the Red Sea' because of its total differences in almost every respect, you might consider 'The Jumblies' by Edward Lear:

[www.nonsenselit.org]

Ian

Speaking of which, I suspect Lear lifted the sea in a Sieve line from Will:

[Thunder. Enter the three Witches]

First Witch: Where hast thou been, sister?

Second Witch: Killing swine.

Third Witch: Sister, where thou?

First Witch: A sailor's wife had chestnuts in her lap,
And munch'd, and munch'd, and munch'd:--
'Give me,' quoth I:
'Aroint thee, witch!' the rump-fed ronyon cries.
Her husband's to Aleppo gone, master o' the Tiger:
But in a sieve I'll thither sail,
And, like a rat without a tail,
I'll do, I'll do, and I'll do.


(Macbeth I, iii)

Personally, I am stealing, "Aroint thee, rump-fed ronyon!" for future use.

hey anyone want a comparison between Crossing Red Sea and Journey of the Magi in terms of the common theme of Journey that i did for an assessment? i'll post it if anyone wants it just for some ideas etc... and i need some advice and second opinion on it too.

so if anyone doesn't mind reading it and giving me a feedback, i'll appreciate it...

fc

OMG... Thank u sooo much too all you out there you guys helped me so much thanks heaps

hi am studing 7 poems by Peter for my hsc english course and i very slow and iam not that great at english at all and my teacher doesn't help us at all and i was wondering if you could help me in anyway to pass english next year for my hsc 2005
-crossing the red sea
-migrant hostel
-feliks skynecki
-post cards
-drive in the country
-migrants at central station
-leaving home
thanks from christie

hi am studing 7 poems by Peter for my hsc english course and i very slow and iam not that great at english at all and my teacher doesn't help us at all and i was wondering if you could help me in anyway to pass english next year for my hsc 2005
-crossing the red sea
-migrant hostel
-feliks skynecki
-post cards
-drive in the country
-migrants at central station
-leaving home
thanks from christie

hey.

what information would you like on these poems? i have a study sheet on immigrants at central station if it helps?


Immigrants at Central Station

Opens with a negative feeling to the poem shown in a direct sentence… leaving a place that has become familiar
“It was sad to hear
The train’s whistle this morning”

The weather used in the poem reflects the feelings of the immigrants
“The air was crowded with a dampness that slowly sank into our thoughts”

Because of the emotions being experienced they were – to a degree – enjoying the solitude
“The silence, the cold, the benevolence of empty streets”

Historical allusion to WWI
“Space hemmed us against each other like cattle bought for slaughter”

Bird imagery creates a sense of hunger –birds scavenging for food – a metaphorical hunger for security
“Watching pigeons that watched them.”

In the end of the poem we are shown they don’t want to get on the train
“The signal at the platforms end turned red and dropped like a guillotine”

The closing lines leave us knowing they are optimistic for the future
“Time ran ahead along glistening tracks of steel.”


hope that helps a lot.

when i do other study sheets, i will post them on here... if this one has helped!!

I enjoyed it, yes. But, what is a 'study sheet'?

>'study sheet'?

Notes on a given topic.


Les

hello there
if anyone could help me find info on Leaving home by Peter Skrynecie
that would be very hopeful for me

thank you

Reem, see my posting titled " Skrzynecki" " Leaving Home" for info on Leaving Home
:):) Shanan

hey if anyone could forward on some info on change as a result of physical journeys that would be great...especially if it is in relation to the skrynecki texts or stimulus bookelt text road not taken

thanx

Chloe, to help the helpers on Emule to help you, please explain a little more what you are looking for.

When you say 'some info', do you mean you are looking for a poem, or a book, or what?

By 'change as a result', do you mean change in the person(s) making the journey, or change in the place through which the journey is made?

It's not hard to find books about changes in people who go journeying. For instance 'Cooper's Creek' by Alan Moorehead (which you should be able to find in a library) tells the story of Burke and Wills who died of starvation and thirst on the way back from their journey of exploration across Australia. And many journeys of exploration or conquest which have been recorded in books have resulted in changes to the land through which the journey occurred, such as the introduction of settlers or changes in the way the natives live.

When you say that you are looking especially for something 'in relation to' the texts that you mention, what do you mean by 'in relation to'? Do you mean information about those texts, or something that can be compared or contrasted with them, or what?

Ian



Post Edited (12-13-04 06:30)

Ok i can give you some of my notes on this poem based on physical journey.

"Leaving Home"

in 'Leaving Home" we venture with the poet as he and his family take the journey to Armidale where he has been assigned a teachin position. The physical journey takes the young, naive teacher through the trauma of waiting "three hours/For a two minute interview" frightened and anxious about facing bureaucrats who fail to show any interest or consideration. The young teacher is depersonalised, powerless to control his destiny. He is stripped of identity, self-confidence and dignity.
As the poet and his parents pack the car for their journey, we are given a glimpse of the life of a young teacher who has started writing poetry and is reminded of his immigration to Australia in 1949. "Three hundred miles" later the dreams with vivid images of " Bald, toothless faces" still haunt him, but there is a sence of determination not to return to head office until he has conquered his fears in those of authority.
By the end of the journey, the teacher has rediscovered his strenght and passion, and he ridicules those in power "Their naked, hairless bodies/The colour of sour milk"

NOW SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES YOU MIGHT WANT TO USE FOR THIS POEM ARE:

"DIRECT SPEECH"
The direct speech marks around "You must go" highlights the uncompromising and authoritarian nature of the phone call, and places the reader in position of empathising with the young man who has to deal with this stern, remote bureaucracy.

"APPROPRIATION"
The lines "The fiddler from Chagalls village/Was inviting me to dance " Appropriate an image in Marc Chagall's paintings. In Russian villages the fiddler was an important person, who played on significant occasions and invited people to join in the dance. Here, the poet has the opportunity to present himself meaning this is the dance of his life , and in his best suit with respect for the occasion, he is willing to play his role. This connects the second stanza to the final stanza where it is the bureaucrats who are now in the same position {at least in his dreams}

"POWERFUL ADJECTIVES"
The adjectives "dull-witted, frog-mouthed"resonate with a sence of self disqust as the poet discribes the passive way in which he accepts his place and fate. Wit self-disgust he sees himself as stupid (dull-witted), displaying a grin of anxious embarrassment ( frog-mouthed)
The discription of office boys with "denture smiles"is more assertive as the poet sarcastiucally describes the blandness and uniformity of the office workers.

"HYPERBOLE"
"He was the millionth person/That couldnt pronounce my name. No more no less" shows how frustrated and angry the teacher feels at having always to deal woth people who cant pronounce his name. He interprets this as a sign of disrespect for him as an indevidual.

WELL THATS ALL I HOPE I HELPED YOU AND IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SOME OF THIS JUST TELL ME AND ILL EXPLAIN IT TO YOU.

is there any more poems you know of that relate to journeys

Jas,

If you look at the list of discussion topics on this list (under the Homework Assistance tab), you will see discussions of physical and imaginative journeys. Lots of poems in each.

pam

yea, mabye i could, us still need help??? ive got msn, add me to msn, to talk beta, RAja_raul_black@hotmail.com
Raja

hugh u are a foggot

thankyou sooooo much to everyone who has posted help with skrzynecki poems on this site. I was totally lost and stumbled on this site and now i feel heaps better about it all.
keep it coming!
thanx again,
Charlie

hi everyone
i was wondering if someone could post me the poem feliks skrzynecki. thanks

Hey guys,
This discussion is great!! Can anyone help me about Migrant Hostel...Thanks so much :)
Hmm, Luce, do you want the poem or the review??

thanks ppl i really find this website helpful i really needed help on the poem crossing the red sea and i found out alot about it from this site thanks very much everyone my name is shadia thankkkkkkkkkkk uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu so muchhhhhh

thansk eveyone for the help i really found this website useful and thanks to all ppl who try to help thanks so much

could anyone post me a copy of peter skrzynecki's poem crossing the red sea? thatnx heeps!

'Feliks Skrzynecki'

My gentle father
Kept pace only with the Joneses
Of his own mind's making-
Loved his garden like an only child,
Spent years walking its perimeter
From sunrise to sleep.
Alert, brisk and silent,
He swept its paths
Ten times around the world.

Hands darkened
From cement, fingers with cracks
Like the soda he broke,
I often wondered how he existed
On five or six hours' sleep each night-
Why his arms didn't fall off
From the soil he turned
And tobacco he rolled.

His Polish friends
Always shook hands too violently,
I thought....Feliks Skrzynecki, (name in italics)
That formal addres
I never got used to.
Talking, they reminisced
About farms where paddocks flowered
With corn and wheat,
Horses they bred, pigs
They were skilled in slaughtering,
Five years of forced labour in Germany
Did not dull the softness of his blue eyes.

I never once heard
Him complain of work, the weather
Or pain. Wheb twice
They dug cancer out of his foot,
His comment was: "but I'm alive".

Growing older, I
Remember words he taught me,
Remnants of a language
I inherited unknowingly-
The curse that damned
A crew- cut, grey- haired
Department clerk
Who asked me in dancing- bear grunts:
"Did your father even attempt to learn English?"

On the back steps of his house,
Bordered by golden bypress,
Lawns- geraniums younger
Than both parents,
My father sits out the evening
With his dog, smoking,
Watching the stars and street lights come on,
Happy as I have never been.

At thirteen,
Stumbling over tenses in Caesar's Gallic War ("Gal...war" in italics)
I forgot my first Polish word.
He repeated it so I never forgot.
After that, like a dumb prophet,
Watched my pegging my tents
Further and further south of Hadrian's Wall.

Very kind of you to type that up, thanks. Reminds me of this one:


Those Winter Sundays

Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I'd wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.
When the rooms were warm, he'd call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,
who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love's austere and lonely offices?
-- Robert Hayden

there is a lot here that is useful on physical journeys.
Perhaps it shoulds be extended by looking into another poem -
Felix Skrzyneki (i hope i spelt it right)

it would be great help if one could provide an analysis of this poem in regards to the 'Physical Journey'

Cheers

To the people who doesn't help at all with Peter Skrzynecki .... then just don't paste otherss composer poems please ... it's annooying "who's care" !!!!

could someone please help me analyse this poem feliks skrzynecki please its due tomorrow!! PLEASE I BEG YOU!!!1
'Feliks Skrzynecki'

My gentle father
Kept pace only with the Joneses
Of his own mind's making-
Loved his garden like an only child,
Spent years walking its perimeter
From sunrise to sleep.
Alert, brisk and silent,
He swept its paths
Ten times around the world.

Hands darkened
From cement, fingers with cracks
Like the soda he broke,
I often wondered how he existed
On five or six hours' sleep each night-
Why his arms didn't fall off
From the soil he turned
And tobacco he rolled.

His Polish friends
Always shook hands too violently,
I thought....Feliks Skrzynecki, (name in italics)
That formal addres
I never got used to.
Talking, they reminisced
About farms where paddocks flowered
With corn and wheat,
Horses they bred, pigs
They were skilled in slaughtering,
Five years of forced labour in Germany
Did not dull the softness of his blue eyes.

I never once heard
Him complain of work, the weather
Or pain. Wheb twice
They dug cancer out of his foot,
His comment was: "but I'm alive".

Growing older, I
Remember words he taught me,
Remnants of a language
I inherited unknowingly-
The curse that damned
A crew- cut, grey- haired
Department clerk
Who asked me in dancing- bear grunts:
"Did your father even attempt to learn English?"

On the back steps of his house,
Bordered by golden bypress,
Lawns- geraniums younger
Than both parents,
My father sits out the evening
With his dog, smoking,
Watching the stars and street lights come on,
Happy as I have never been.

At thirteen,
Stumbling over tenses in Caesar's Gallic War ("Gal...war" in italics)
I forgot my first Polish word.
He repeated it so I never forgot.
After that, like a dumb prophet,
Watched my pegging my tents
Further and further south of Hadrian's Wall.

w!!!!! PLEASE I BEG YOU!! this is a copy of the poem:

It is an ode written about his father. He might have written it for the occassion of his father's death, or simply because he is getting older himself and the language of his father is coming back to him.

He describes his father:
- he liked gardening
- hard worker
- didn't need much sleep
- worked in a Nazi labour camp for five years, which didn't break him. He is as kind as ever (did not dull the softness in his eyes)
- spoke Polish, and not english, even though he lived in the US now.
- is very happy with life and has a very positive attitude
- tried to teach his son respect for his mother tongue

The latter is amazingly put. At thirteen he is struggling with latin (de bello gallico, about the war in Gaul (modern France) by Julius Caesar, and forgets his first Polish word. There is irony here. He learns a dead language no one speaks anymore, , and starts to forget his native language, which is still very much alive.

The author also calls up the feeling of the father still being very Polish in a country not his own (he never lost his language, never even learnt english), while the author is drawn more to the new country. I think it is a story a lot of immigrants can identify with, still today.

Ironically, and this says a lot about the character of his father, it is not the author who is most happy, even though you would expect him to feel more at home. It is his father: Happy as I have never been.

hey all can u all plz help me analyse peter's poems all of them

all of them? Please first click on "flat view", read everything above, and come back with some more specific questions...

hey
do have a deconstruction of the poem feliks skrzynecki
as i m having trouble with it
thanks

Hillbilly, click on "flat view" and read Desi's post above.


Les

Hey thanks to all for your thoughts

thanks Aamir for your thorough analysis of Crossing the Red SSea, it is highly appreciated

Hi, i was just wondering if 'crossing the red sea' was an inner journey??????? AND IF NOT does anyone have any other texts on inner journeys??????
what about songs about inner journeys

See the search botton on the top of the page (above the posts right below homework assistance)? Click on that and type inner journey, and read everything (don't forget to click on "flat view").

i need to say what the following texts have to do with Rabbit Proof Fence, journey wise.
Thanks

1. Robert Frosts The Road not Taken, Poem.
2. Peter Skrzyneckis Crossing the Red Sea, Poem.
3. The Beatles She’s Leaving Home, Song Lyrics.
4. J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Ring: Fellowship of the Ring, Book Cover.

hi my name is shadia dose any one no a website about peter skrzynecki's interviews with people coz i need to do an interview for my english project about peter skrzyecki can anyone help reply me back my email is shadiaalasmar142@hotmail.com plz do so thankz very much

This site is really handy, thanks to all those who have put the effort in to analyse these poems... really appreciated

Hi guys, my English HSC exam is in 6 days and I need to chose atleast 2 of Peter's poems which I need to know REALLY well. Any ideas on which two I should choose? I don't have a lot of experience with any of them so I'd like to pick two poems which contain a lot of information for an analysis. Thanks guys and sorry if this seems like a stupid question, I need all the help I can get! :S

It's not a stupid question at all. I would say, have a look at this:

[tinyurl.com]

Read through all the comments and see which poems you like and understand best. Also make sure you know some of Peter Skrzynecki's background. That makes it easier to interpret his poems, and will impress your teachers!

The easiest poems to analyse are 'Crossing the Red Sea', 'Immigrants at central station' and 'Feliks Skrzynecki'

If you want two with alot of information for analysis use 'crossing the red sea' and 'feliks skrzynecki' there are alot of biblical and/or historical allusions in both, as well as emotive techniques and language such as personification, enjambment, metaphor, imagery, etc.

If you aren't good at analysing poetry, steer way clear of Skrzynecki's 'Leaving home', although it uses many literary techniques, and the physical journey is easy to identify (as with all of his poems), it is rather hard to interpret the underlying 'inner journey' which Skrzynecki tries to convey.

Wow, you guys are great! Thankyou so much for putting together so much information about this poem. I was really stuck on what techniques to use, but this has helped me so much! Thankyou!

Hi, guys ive had heaps of help from this site, however i need help in finding a related text for any of peter Skrzyneck's poems.

Jerm, read Josh's post above yours.


Les

LoL, yes however alot of my fellow class mates have used the related texts which josh has posted.

Hi, im having Great trouble,Analysing the poem "Mandalay by Rudyard Kipling" I have tried to click on the links but they dont work. aswell as if that is a good related text for peter Skrzynecki's "Crossing the red sea" ?

The words to "Manderlay" are here [www.emule.com]

There are several points to note.
Kipling did not go to Manderlay as far as I know. It is well inland and the sea is to the west of Burma, so don't pay anyattention to the geography.
The opinions in the poem are not those of Kipling himself, he is writing in the voice of a working class cockney private in the army towards the end of the nineteenth century.
The opinions in the poem are not currently acceptable.

First verse, he is recalling the Burmese girl he knew in Manderlay and thinking of the paddle steamers he travelled there in.
Second verse. Theebaw was a ruler of Burma. His girlfriend was a Bhuddist and he regards this as idolatry.
Fourth and fifth verses tell of his dislike of being back in London.
Last verse he wants to return to Asia.

How you relate a "there and back again" poem with a "never returning" is up to you.

Nichole, go here: [www.emule.com]


There are some insightful comments here also:

[www.hss.uts.edu.au]



and here: [www.google.com]


Les






Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/15/2005 05:09PM by lg.

need help comparing 2 of peter skrzynecki's poems, finding similarties between the poems for physical journeys
Any 2 of these poems,
immigrants at cental station, 1951
crossing the red sea
migrant hostel
these are my preferred ones if you could please help me that would be great
thankyou.

deja vu?

Nichole, please read the messages above yours and search our forums for more info on the poems. Most of them have been extensively discussed. If you wish to ask SPECIFIC questions that have not been answered yet, feel free to start a new thread.

the title shows poem is a triblute to his dignity and courage
and the son admiration and veiwing of his fathers journey to australia with an inner and physical journey
fist line shows sence of affection
keeping up with the joneses show the normality australia has taken from the phrase "keeping up with the joneses" and also shows that the father wasnt keeping up and only got what he reallly needed but may have possible have been able to keep up before they left everything behind.also shows the family is middle class within Australia.
of his own minds making shows alliteration.
(loved his garden like an only child- similie reflects the area and perimeter
(spent years waling its perimiter inlc tp line creates metaphore.
from sunrise to sun sleep- shows sence of time and possible hyperbole
he swpet its path- shows mantainance and a sence of devotion and appreciation towards the peice of land
ten times around the world- hyperbole

second stanza

from cement, fingers with cracks- shows the father was in a labouring job that was "hands on".
like the sods he broke- similie
next five lines using "existed" "turned" "rolled" are action words showing exaggeration and emphasises hard labour and seeing capability. shows sence of providing for a family and becoming detached because of working and hours.

third stanza
veiwed from different perspective!
they were skilled in slaughtering- shows that the friends were also in labouring jobs
did not dull the softness of his blue eyes- shows his gentle nature using "the eyes are the mirror to the soul"quote to extend the meaning but also shows the fathers resiliance

forth stanza
shows sence of finding peace within the world.
when twice- by mentioning twice emphasises suffering
when twice they dug- continuation of the garden metaphore at start of poem-
cancer out of his foot, his only comment was :"but i'm alive" shows the PHYSCIAL JOURNEY and the positive nature of the father witch could also reflect time effected by culture refering to poland.
fifth stanza
who asked me in dancing bear grunts- prejudice and racism towards immigrants
sixth stanza
is a refection and realisation of the fathers journey and the impact on the son and is overcoming heritage.

last stanza
gallic war- is historic reference refering to when the war was built the movement used by re- setting up tents to move aLONG UNTIL WALL WAS BUILT
i forgot my first polish word- shoes the sons move towards new culture in australia.like a dumb prophet- similie
watched me pegging my tents, further south of hadrians wall- metaphore refering to roman army.
refers to son adapting to new culture using historical context but to an extent

tone of poem: admiration, confusion, then regret when refers to dumb prophet
no rhyme but the rhythem of natural flowing speech enjambment (run on lines)
with fairly simple language
cheers evry 1 these are what i gathered from a teacher with a scottish accent GOOD LUCK PARTICIPANTS OF HSC 2006 we can do it work hard xxoo

i have just started learning the poen "crossing the read sea" and i do not understand about the 3rd section where on the 4th stanza it says..."hung from fingertips." Even my teacher herself didnt understand what it means and i truely want to understand this poem very well. Can anyone help me? As im not religious nor have the general knowledge of must history, this poem really challenges me to extend my understanding of the war. Even if my generations went through the war, i really dont understand about it.

with love,
misii xOx...

I stole this from the bored of studies site, since the copy above seemed unclear about some sections (see [tinyurl.com]):

Crossing the Red Sea

1
Many slept on deck
Because of the day’s heat
Or to watch a sunset
They would never see again –
Stretched out on blankets and pillows
Against cabins and rails:
Shirtless, in shorts, barefooted,
Themselves a landscape
Of milk-white flesh
On a scoured and polished deck.

Voices left their caves
And silence fell from its shackles,
Memories strayed
From behind sunken eyes
To look for shorelines –
Peaks of mountains and green rivers
That shared their secrets
With storms and exiles.


2
1949, and the war
Now four years dead –
Neither masters nor slaves
As we crossed a sea
And looked at red banners
That Time was hoisting
In mock salute.


3
Patches and shreds
Of dialogue
Hung from fingertips
And unshaven faces –
Offering themselves
As a respite
From the interruption
Of passing waves.

‘I remember a field
Of red poppies, once behind the forest
When the full moon rose.’

‘Blood
Leaves similar dark stains –
When it runs for a long time
On stones or rusted iron.’

(And the sea’s breath
Touched the eyes
Of another Lazarus
Who was saying a prayer
In thanksgiving
For miracles)


4
All night
The kindness
Of the sea continued –
Breaking into
Walled-up griefs
That men had sworn
Would never be disclosed,
Accepting outflung denunciations
With a calmness
That brought a reminder
Of people listening to requiems,
Pine trees whispering
Against a stone wall in the breeze;
Or a trembling voice
That sang at the rails
When the ship first sailed
From the sorrow
Of northern wars.


5
Daybreak took away
The magic of dreams,
Fragments of apparitions
That became
More tangible than words –
Echoes and reflections
Of the trust
Than men had bartered
For silence.

Had we talked
Of death
Perhaps something
More than time
Would have been lost.

But the gestures
Of darkness and starlight
Kept our minds
Away from the finalities
Of surrender –
As they beckoned towards
A blood-rimmed horizon
Beyond whose waters
The Equator
Was still to be crossed.


Hanging from one's fingertips usually means being in a precarious position. There is also having something (information) at one's fingertips, where it means immediately at hand, but I would go with the being in a tough spot interpretation myself.

omg peter skrzynecki is soooo hot!! i just wanna marry him! hahaha kiddin guys lets all strip n run naked thru the streets
by the way- here is a GREAT piece of related material for 'phys journs'
-leap frog
by george bush

hippity hop hipptiy hop
pop pop pop
lalalalala
frogs go croak
i hope they dont poke
me in the eye
as i walk on by
lilly pad lilly pad lilly pad
pond water n reeds
ducks eat seeds
frogs like to leap
before they go to sleep
if a frog was to drown
would u carry a frown?
or perhaps venture on thru the day
just to earn some pay
frogs dont have jobs
they are lazy slobs
sitting on the creeks edge
eating a potato wedge
this is the journey of a frog
i know bcoz i read it in a blog.
hippity hop hippity hop hippity hop hop hop!

this poem is all about physical journey as well as innner journey and u will be sure to get top marks if u use it in ur hsc

thanku for ur time... goodnight
call me.....

Hey Missi, "hung from fingertips" in "Crossing the Red Sea" just simply means that the migrants did not know wether they should talk because they did not want to remind themselves or others about the horrors of their past.
Hope that helped. from bec

Can anyone find a related text to the migrant experience that links to "crossing the Red Sea"? thanks heaps

Hello i was just wondering if anyone could help me with some questions that I am having trouble with in regards to postcards?

1. How has your study of this poem contributed to your understanding of physical journey's?

2.How does Skrzynecki use personal pronouns in this poem to describe the impact of physical journey's?

3. Explain how the theme of identity is treated in this poem

4.How effective are Immigrants at central station and Postcards in conveying the impact of physical journey's? Give reasons with reference to both poems.

Thanks for your help in advance.

Anyone know any lyrics relating to a physical journey that is also emotional?

ptba, we don't have the texts of 'Postcards' and 'Immigrants at Central Station' on this thread or any other thread so far as I'm aware.

Can you type them up and post them?

Instead of doing that at the end of this long thread which is named 'Crossing the Red Sea', I suggest you start a new thread. Call it 'Peter Skrzynecki - Postcards/Immigrants' (or whatever you like), and post your questions and the poems there. That way, you'll have a much better chance of getting attention and responses.

Oh, and please spell the plural of journey correctly. It's journeys. NOT journey's. It is never correct to use an apostrophe to form a plural. If your teacher gave you the wrong spelling, give him or her a yellow card!

Ian



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2005 02:26PM by IanB.

Ptba, go here: [www.boredofstudies.org]

Chap, there are dozens of songs. Here's an example: [www.lyricsfreak.com]


Les

I am fairly sure they have been posted before, but here is a link to the poems:

[tinyurl.com]

This thread is kinda long, so I would also suggest posting again as separate topics.

The site below agrees with Ian that appostropes do not denote plurals:

[www.apostrophe.fsnet.co.uk]

Still, the English language virtually never has a rule with no exception (this self-referencing rule being the only one), so I suspected there may be one or more times when the apostrophe + s plural could be so used. Searching around, may I offer this as possibly the only such case:

This sentence has five s's.

Surely one could not say five ss, I mean. Five esses? Possibly. Five ess'? Nah. Five es's? That doesn't sound right either.

That's an ingenious example, Hugh. Maybe the apostrophe could be dispensed with by referring to 'five Ss', as when we say 'mind your Ps and Qs'; but I concede that wouldn't work where it's desired to specify the number of lower-case s's.

Reminds me of the example of when it's correct to say 'I is' insted of 'I am': 'I is the 9th letter of the alphabet.'

Btw, is 'appostropes' an apposite rare word, or a Hugh Clary neologism; or were you slugged by the typo gremlin?

Many a slip 'twixt the tip and the quip.

hi its me again

can anyone give a list of techniques used in the poem crossing the red sea by peter skrzynecki

please it would be a great help

thanks

Laure, you have been studying 'Crossing the Red Sea' for almost 15 months now, so you should be familiar with what's in it.

What poetic techniques have you studied, which you are expected to find, or at least look for, in the poem?

There are scores of techniques used by poets. Line breaks, for a start. Some of the other main ones are explained in:

[learning.mgccc.cc.ms.us]

If you understand what a particular technique is, you shouldn't have difficulty in either finding an example of it in the poem, or else deciding that it is not a technique used in the poem. What are your findings so far?





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2022 04:49AM by IanB.

I'm studying this poem at school. The title is an allegory. It's got metaphors through-out the whole piece. There's allusions such as Peaks of mountains and green rivers That shread their secrets with storms and exiles. I think it's confusing! Hope i was of some help?