A strong sense of self is not sufficient to assimilate to a particular social

environment, as one must also identify strongly with both the people and places
within that social environment. While very different texts, both Feliks
Skrzynecki and Anne of Green Gables explore this idea, albeit from different
angles.
The poem Feliks Skrzynecki highlights Peter Skrzyneckis dislocation from both
his Polish cultural heritage and the Australian culture he lives in. There is very
little mention of Australia or Australian culture throughout this poem. The
Skrzynecki family, particularly Feliks, who is the subject of the poem and also
Peters stepfather, have created a safe environment to exist in, shown in the line
...kept pace only with the Jonses of his own minds making as well as the motif
of the garden Feliks has created, and the hyperbole Swept its paths/ten times
around the world, which highlights how comfortable Feliks feels in his garden.
While Peter Skrzyneckis parents are comfortable in the environment, often
reminiscing about Poland, Peter himself does not feel as though he completely
fits in this world, seen in the line Happy as I have never been. The poets only
knowledge of his parents culture is from what his parents have told him, and as
such he feels dislocated from that culture, shown through the contrast of
personal possessive pronouns such as my gentle father, when Peter is referring
to his stepfather, and the use of third person pronouns when he is talking about
his stepfathers Polish culture: His Polish friends, they reminisced. This
alienation and uncertainty surrounding the poets Polish culture, in combination
with his lack of connection to Australian culture left Peter uncertain as to what
culture he should identify with, thus damaging his sense of self.
Although Peter is uncertain as to his culture and identity, the poem conveys a
strong sense of familial belonging. Peter clearly has a great level of respect and
admiration for his stepfather, seen the fourth stanza, a discussion of Feliks
Skrzyneckis stoicism, I never once heard him complain... This stanza also
contains another garden metaphor, they dug caner out of his foot, indicating
again the connection the Skrzynecki family have to their garden.
In contrast, Anne the protagonist of Anne of Green Gables, had very little
opportunity to form strong connections to people or places, due to the transitory
nature of her childhood. This is evident in her delight at the thought of having a
home: Its lovely to be going home and know its homeI have never loved any
place before. No place ever seemed like home Anne develops a strong
connection with Green Gables, which is shown through the attribution of human
traits to the natural features of the property, such as naming trees and flowers,
like the geranium she named Bonny. Anne applies her active imagination to the
nature surrounding Green Gables, emphasising her emotional attachment
through vivid visual imagery,IMAGERY This imagery along with the names Anne
gives various places (Dryads Bubble, The Lake of Shining Waters) highlights
her increasing sense of belonging to Green Gables, much like the garden in
Feliks Skrzynecki represents a comfortable, safe place.

Due to her previous lack of meaningful relationships, Anne is desperate to form

connections with people, as seen when she first meets Matthew Cuthbert and
exclaims: it seems so wonderful that Im going to live with you and belong to
you. Annes fashion concerns form a recurring motif throughout the book, as
Anne believes that having more fashionable clothes will help her fit in with her
friends. The progression of her clothing follows the progression of her finding her
place in Avonlea. When she first arrives at Green Gables as an outsider, she was
garbed in a very short, very tight, very ugly dress of yellowish-grey wincey, and
after the Cuthberts decide to keep her they clothe her in good, sensible,
serviceable dresses, and Anne is devastated because theyre not pretty, and
dont have puffed sleeves. Later in the novel, after Anne has found friends and is
attending school, the Cuthberts give Anne a dress with puffed sleeves, much to
her delight. This final dress is physical symbolic of her assimilation within the
social environment.
Also in contrast to the persona presented in Feliks, is Annes strong sense of
self. This is shown throughout the novel as Avonlea adjusts for Anne rather than
the other way around. Annes values and opinions remain constant, indicating
her clear sense of identity, unlike Peter Skrzynecki, who is struggling through the
poem with the ambivalent relationship with his father and his culture.
These two texts highlight that although identity is important in establishing a
sense of belonging, a strong sense of identity alone is not enough. This is shown
in Feliks through the poets uncertainty about his culture and thus identity
prevented him from achieving a sense of belonging. Anne had a strong sense of
identity, and yet despite this still never truly belonged anywhere until she arrived
at Green Gables and established connections with the people and the places
around. Anne, after forming these connections and in combination with her
strong sense of self, was able to achieve a sense of belonging to Green Gables,
whilst Peter Skrzynecki, despite his familial connection and connections to the
garden, was unable to entirely belong to either culture.