In the Folk Museum Activity Yr 12

In the Folk Museum Activity Yr 12 Context The poem was written on April 15th 1975 during a stay at residential school at the University of New England in Armidale during the school holidays. The folk museum referred to in the poem was located at the corner of Rusden and Faulkner St.

The poem is about the past and the present. The poet has said that the choir who are rehearsing in the hall next door reminds the visitor of his own mortality as they sing about eternity. The fact that the museum itself is a place to store relics of the past also reminds him that he will die and become a relic. The poem seems to emphasise the transient nature of human existence and that we cannot remain in this life forever. He leaves the museum because he feels he does not belong there yet.

The poem also looks at the cultural heritage as represented by the museum collection and how, in choosing what to include may offend or alienate some groups of people because they may feel that they are not being truly represented. The poet does not feel that his story and that of his Polish ancestors are represented in the collection of artefacts in this museum, so he feels no connection- he does not belong there.

Issues and Themes

 Cultural heritage  Past in the present  How we represent the past  How symbols and objects represent the society we belong to

A close analysis

Stanza 1

What do the opening lines suggest about the museum? ______

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What else might the voices suggest?

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Find an example of personification that may suggest a growing awareness of the poet’s

mortality. (This can have a universal meaning that relates to anyone): ______

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What is the tone of the first stanza? Explain your answer:

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Stanza 2

What is the poet looking at in the museum? What would you expect some who goes to a museum to be focusing on? What does this reveal about Skyrznecki and belonging in these lines?

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Why does he use capitals in the third line? What does this reveal about belonging?

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Why does he just include lists of artefacts and not the human stories to which they belong?

What does this suggest about the poet and belonging?

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______What is the punch-line that directly states his disconnection to these artefacts and their history?

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Stanza 3

In this stanza we learn about the caretaker of the museum. What adjectives are used to suggest that the atmosphere was devoid of any warmth or welcome and even the caretaker did not provide any communication:

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What terms are used to describe how she works at a winnowing-machine, which is a knitting-machine, and makes no connection with him? This scene heightens his feelings of alienation:

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Explain the use of similes to convey a bleak tone and to suggest that the past is not represented in any vibrant or enthusiastic way in this museum:

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Stanza Four

What is happening in the Town Hall next door to the museum and how does it make him feel like he is not a part of it, further enhancing his sense of estrangement already established by the museum: ______

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What terms tell us that he is separate,(physically) and mentally,(focusing on book titles whilst others are at church)?

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Explain the religious references and identify an example of allusion to the theological writings of Teilhard Du Chardin in his quest for belonging. Armidale was traditionally a Protestant area of NSW and sharing a religious faith by singing is what binds people in the choir:

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Find an Example of repetition that is used to highlight the notion of death and the passing of time in “Eternity, Eternity”. The reader’s text is a hymn book and again this reinforces this feeling of separateness:

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What is the tone in Stanza Four and what does he reflect about in this part of the poem?

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______Stanza Five

How is the poet distracted and how does hew feel as a result of this distraction? (Link this to belonging.)

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How is a bleak, spooky tone continued with the use of personification and what is the connection to belonging?

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Identify the only sense of human contact in the whole poem which could suggest ideas about some hope for acceptance and inclusion:

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Write and extended response based on how In the Folk Museum relates to Belonging and compare to related text The Lost Thing:

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