Immigrants at Central Station 1951

Immigrants at Central Station, 1951

By Peter Skrzynecki

It was sad to hear
The trains whistle this morning
At the railway station.
All night it had rained.
The air was crowded
With a dampness that slowly
Sank into our thoughts-
But we ate it all
The silence, the cold, the benevolence
Of empty streets.

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

Families stood
With blankets and packed cases-
Keeping children by their sides,
Watching pigeons
That watched them.

But it was sad to hear
The train’s whistle so suddenly-
To the right of our shoulders
Like a word of command.
The signal at the platforms end
Turned red and dropped
Like a guillotine-
Cutting us off from the space of eyesight

While time ran ahead
Along glistening tracks of steel.

Summary of Immigrants at Central Station, 1951

• Popularity of “Immigrants at Central Station, 1951”: The poem ‘Immigrants at Central Station, 1951’ was written by Peter Skrzynecki, a great Australian poet. It is a descriptive poetic piece about migration. The poem realistically depicts immigrants waiting for a train at the central station. It also illustrates their anxiety, hope, and fear attached to the travel they are about to undertake. This poem has become popular among immigrants because of its relatable subject matter and the writer’s pragmatic approach towards them.
• “Immigrants at Central Station, 1951”, As a Representative of Amazement: The poem features the significant event related to immigrants. The speaker explains the station where these people are gathered; the station is damped, cold, sorrowful, and silent. The speaker, who was among them, recounts how the cold and dampness attempted to have an adverse effect, but they persisted and remained committed to their objective. The second stanza lucidly illustrates their anxiety, as the speaker metaphorically equates the crowd to cattle brought for slaughter, with time seemingly merging with them. Holding their luggage and children, the families stood at the station watching other people. Finally, the much-anticipated moment arrived when the train emitted a loud whistle and came to a stop on the gleaming steel tracks, separating the crowd into two groups.
• Major Themes in ”Immigrants at Central Station, 1951”: Problems of the immigrants, sadness, and man versus nature are the poem’s central themes. It is the story of immigrants waiting at Central Station, recalling their feelings and experience while waiting for the train. The immigrants’ feelings of anxiety and sadness were poignantly captured by the silence that pervaded the platform. The poet makes an indirect observation about the human inclination to acclimate to specific circumstances. The depiction of immigrants’ voiceless conversation and apprehensive attitude helps to elucidate their intimacy. However, the train’s arrival not only consumes their eagerness and distress but also provides them with a path that leads them to a new life.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Immigrants at Central Station, 1951

literary devices are a set of tools used by writers to enhance the aesthetic appeal of their poems. A few various devices in this poem are analyzed below.

1. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /ee/ and the sound of /i/ in “Keeping children by their sides” and the sound of /o/ in “To the right of our shoulders.”
2. Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /th/ in “The silence, the cold, the benevolence”.
3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Like cattle bought for slaughter” and the sound of /s/ in “Cutting us off from the space of eyesight.”
4. Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,

“It was sad to hear
The trains whistle this morning
At the railway station.”

5. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “The signal at the platforms end”, “With blankets and packed cases” and “Cutting us off from the space of eyesight.”
6. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poet used this device in the opening stanza of the poem to show the feelings of the immigrants such as,

“But we ate it all
The silence, the cold, the benevolence
Of empty streets.”

7. Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet personified train, air, and time in the poem such as “The trains whistle this morning” and “While time ran ahead/Along glistening tracks of steel.”
8. Pathetic Fallacy: Pathetic Fallacy is a literary device that attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects. The poet has used this device at various places in the poem such as “The air was crowded” and “Time waited anxiously with us.”
9. Simile: It is used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. Peter has used this device at many places in the poem, such as “Turned red and dropped/Like a guillotine”, “Like cattle bought for slaughter” and “Like a word of command.”
10. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that differ from literal meanings. “The word of command” symbolizes the authority and hold of the whistleblower.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Immigrants at Central Station, 1951

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

1. Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having metaphors and similes.
2. Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem having no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
3. Quintet: A quintet is a five lined stanza. Here, the second and third stanzas are quintets.
4. Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem; the first and last stanzas have ten verses, while the second and the third stanzas have five verses.

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below are useful to use while narrating any significant incident from the past.

“Time waited anxiously with us
Behind upturned collars
And space hemmed us
Against each other
Like cattle bought for slaughter.”