Immigrants at Central

Station, 1951
Peter Skrzynecki

An in depth analysis

The Title of the poem

Immigrants at central station, 1951
People who are foreign, from another
place
Central Station; Sydney, Australia (city)
1951: a mass of people immigrating from
overseas to Australia post World War 2
Wanted to seek a better life for
themselves and their family
Overall, the title suggest a new journey for
people who are not familiar with Australia
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Parataxis. Short,
quick sentences to
suggest a rapid
sequence of events,
much like the feeling
of the immigrants.

Metaphor to
show the
lengths of
acceptance the
immigrants
were willing to
go to

Stanza One

Auditory imagery
(hearing) which
show an upsetting
atmosphere

Time of day
It was sad to hear
Juxtaposition to
The train's whistle this morning
day
At the railway station.
Sibilance to show
All night it had rained.
the silence among
The air was crowded
the people and the
With a dampness that slowly
eerie atmosphere
Sank into our thoughts Personification to
But we ate it all:
The silence, the cold, the benevolence suggest the mass
of people that
Of empty streets.

was even felt in

the air
Means kindness or generosity.
Accumulation of the emotions and
Stands out in this stanza as the
atmosphere to reinforce the
descriptive language has been quick
quickened pace of lines three and
gloomy
four
Antithesis as kindness and empty are
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two opposite ideas.

Stanza Two

Personification of time to
suggest a sense of
nervousness and the change is
not easy

Metaphor
showing how the
closeness of the
people had
stitched them
together using
the word
hemmed to
us
suggest this.
Also shows the
fact they all share
the same feelings

Time waited anxiously with

Behind upturned collars
And space hemmed us
Against each other
Like cattle bought for slaughter.

Simile to compare their feelings and shared experience of an

overcrowded station through deathly images. This suggests
the hardship of their journey.

Stanza Three
Enjambment
First mention of a
has been used
group of people
in most
through a positive
stanzas to
tone
show the
continued
journey of the
This portrays an
Families stood
immigrants as
that the
they see their With blankets and packed cases image
-
immigrants are
new
surroundings. Keeping children by their sides,fascinated by the
native fauna;
Watching pigeons
It also serves
although it may
as developing a
That watched them.
also be used as a
quickened
metaphor for the
rhythm of the
people at the
poem which
station who just
reflects the
stare at the
setting the
immigrants as
station
they await their
fates
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Simile to show the

comparison of the
whistle like a
demand or
instruction

Stanza Four

Repetition to show the

urgency of the sound
of the whistle and to
develop the
surrounding of the
hearmigrants

But it was sad to

The train's whistle so suddenly -
To the right of our shoulders Red connotes
Simile using
Like a word of command. danger and fear
deathly
which are
The
signal
at
the
platform's
end
imagery, an
represented
instrument of
Turned red and dropped through the
death to
deathly imagery
Like
a
guillotine
-
suggest their
Cutting us off from the space of eyesight
loss of
freedom or
severing the
ties to their
homeland
through
symbolism
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Stanza Five

Personification to
show the
development of
time from anxious
to running
signifying the
journey of the
immigrants

While time ran ahead

Along glistening tracks of steel.
Signifying the journey ahead by
showing the movement of the train

(feel)

Atmosphere,

(words/mouth)

Tone, Structure

What is the atmosphere of the poem?

It is one of anxiousness, unknown surroundings, stunned
faces, cold and damp mood
What is the tone of the poem?
The tone is quite morose and gloomy. The mention of
rain, dampness, cold and sad represent a saddened tone.
How does the structure show the meaning of the poem?
The structure is not balanced which reflects the
atmosphere of the immigrants at Central Station;
crowded, hemmed against each other. The stanzas
appear to be in groups like the families boarding the train.
The final two lines show the train tracks which shows all
the immigrants have boarded the train, on the journey
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together.

How is Journey represented in the

poem?
The train
Physical journey
The movement of people boarding the
train
The immigrants who have travelled
from different countries

What is the overall message of the

poem?
Display the hardships of immigrants
migrating to Australia
Skrzynecki has effectively described a
generation of immigrants who are in
battling with leaving behind a war torn
country full of suffering and lifelong
memories to start a new life in a new
country
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Responding to the poem

Using the IEQTEL structure you are to write a paragraph
in response to the following question. You need to use the
worksheet and complete this task in pairs. It will be
collected at the end of the time limit.

How does Skrzynecki display the hardship

of journeys in the poem Immigrants at
Central Station, 1951 ?

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