Peter Skrzynecki, born in 1945 in Germany, is of Polish/Ukrainian background. Shortly before the end of World War II, he immigrated to Australia with his parents in 1949. The majority of Skrzynecki’s poems revolve around his life and the adjustments he has faced since relocating to a new country. Following the move, in 1951, his family settled in the working-class neighborhood of Regents Park in Sydney. They acquired a residence at 10 Mary Street.
The poem “10 Mary Street” portrays the concept of change by illustrating the contrast between Skrzynecki’s life in Poland and his new life in Sydney. It emphasizes how Skrzynecki and his family have had to adjust to their new way of life and how the act of physically moving to another country has affected them emotionally. Change is evident in this poem through the simile “Shut the house; like a well-oiled lock”, which highlights the organized and structured nature of their daily routine when leaving the house in the morning. This simile suggests that the house provides a sense of security and safeguards the family.
The simile “like adopted children” demonstrates the unique significance of the garden to the speaker. Skrzynecki effectively employs various language techniques in this poem to establish a connection between the reader and his own life experiences. These techniques include the use of similes, which create vivid imagery in our minds through the comparison of different objects or concepts, such as “And smoked like a dozen Puffing Billies.” Personification is also utilized, attributing human qualities to abstract ideas, animals, and inanimate objects. This technique fosters empathy and allows readers to relate to the poem and its message, as seen in the line “In its china blue coat.” Additionally, negative connotations are employed, utilizing words or phrases that carry negative associations or societal misconceptions, as exemplified in “From the polite hum drum of washing clothes.”
