"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead, where there is no path and leave a trail". Peter Skrzynecki, in the poems Crossing the Red Sea and Immigrants at Central Station; David Moore in the photograph Immigrants Arriving Sydney 1966; Kenneth Graeme's novel Wind in the Willows and Roberto Benigni's film Life is Beautiful are all composers who depict differing obstacles in a journey where the travellers of these journey are extended physically, emotionally and intellectually through these journeys as they respond to the challenges through their travels.
Skrzynecki's Crossing the Red Sea is a poem which depicts the traumatic journey of migration and human triumph over adversity. It discusses the post holocaust emotions felt by the refugees who fled from suffering, war and dislocation as they watched the familiar shorelines disappearing. The religious conations used in the poem help to create a direct link to the famous 40 year journey where Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land. The biblical allusions "exile", "offering" and "mercy" underline the notion that the immigrants are at the mercy of God. The reference to Lazarus, who was raised from the dead, is suggestive of new life and a better future for the immigrants. The red imagery represents pain, hardship and blood in the old communist country where they had to "mock salute" to red banners, being bound to the "shackles" and was tired with "sunken eyes". The travellers left their homeland for a place of unknown, on a ship where communication was only through hand gestures as "shreds of dialogue hung from fingertips". Despite the bleak imagery in the poem, there is a glimmer of hope as the immigrants gave thanks to God for their chance of new life. The poem is presented in several sections where each part is a separate snapshot which functions to recreate a string of memory. This enables the reader to have a more personal relationship with the storyteller.
