Abbas Al-Aboudi: Old man and the sea. For example, in Gilbert Stuart’s painting of George Washington, liberation appears to be the central theme in his artististic work as he demonstrates the importance of unity and freedom. GradeSaver, Read the Study Guide for Home (Warsan Shire poem)…. Displacement, migration, and diaspora are all words that define Warsan Shire's poem " Home ," as well as much of her work. " the boy you … Poet and activist Warsan Shire April is National Poetry Month, and in honor of that I am stepping a bit out of my comfort zone and posting poems that have spoken to me personally. The poem, Home by Warsan Shire The author, Shire, brings out the theme of oppression as she speaks on behalf of refugees who cannot share their voices. My parents named me after my father’s mother, my grandmother. Warsan Shire forces readers of his poem Home to shift their perspective and identify instead with the refugees through his use of pronouns, language and poem structure. "The barrel of the gun" is a startlingly similar image to "the mouth of a shark." Shire’s poetry makes an intervention into the broad field of refugee studies and literature by offering an important meditation on refugees’ experiences of gendered violence and the trauma of flight and resettlement. [15] No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. The poem urges the west host countries to show modest receiving attitude to welcome the refugees and understand their suffering and pain. The poem's striking first line, "no one leaves home unless / home is the mouth of a shark," immediately introduces the reader to Shire's talent for metaphor and symbolism. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. On our Level 3 BTEC Theatre course, and as part of an assessment, my first years prepared a short poetry performance of Warsan Shire’s ‘Home’, under the theme of immigration & tolerance. The artist and activist uses her work to document stories of journey and trauma. no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole … At the end of the second stanza and beginning of the third stanza, however, home is given a certain sense of agency. Another … In the poem 'Home' by Warsan Shire the author uses Imagery and Personification to convey the theme of fear, and the seeking of a new paradise. Share. Bigotry, or prejudice, is essentially what the poem is addressing. Everything, even things that are not traditionally violent, are made so in the realm of the poem: breath is "bloody" and passports are never merely thrown away; they are torn apart and sobbed over. your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body This week, I give to you a powerful and heart breaking poem by Warsan Shire, a poet and … no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. home has become as dangerous as the barrel of a gun, ready to fire and destroy anyone who stays. The poem Home by Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire points out the various motivations that fuel the need for people to flee and brings us the understanding of larger themes in the discussion surrounding refugee crises around the world, especially in the global North. The poetic voice in “Home” uses a metaphor to state that the place of belonging of these migrants is dangerous, uninhabitable: “home is the mouth of a shark”(Shire 2). no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. Violence pervades "Home," from beginning to end. Home (Warsan Shire poem) Themes Displacement. Home (Warsan Shire poem) Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Mouth of a shark (symbol). The 20th Refugee Week begins on June 17th, with a look at #generations. breath bloody in their throats. Not affiliated with Harvard College. The above poem is an excerpt from her 2011 collection Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth. The primary technique the poet uses to shift reader perspective into the mind of a refugee is with his use of multiple pronouns. Home (Warsan Shire Poem) Themes & Motifs Shire, Warsan This Study Guide consists of approximately 19 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Home. "Home" describes violence unflinchingly and viscerally, beginning with the phrase "mouth of a shark" being used to describe the war-torn environments that often cause migrants to leave their homes. In celebration of our theme, Nomads, Homes, and Habitats, I am sharing an excerpt from a poem by Warsan Shire.She is a Kenyan-born Somali poet who is based in London. For no one would voluntarily leave their homes, and face bigotry, hatred, and danger in a new, foreign country, if home were not so much worse. Home " is a poem about migration, about what happens to people when, uprooted from their homes , they find themselves unable to find acceptance in the places they fled to looking for safety. The artist and activist uses her work to document stories of journey and trauma. When we hear the word home, what comes to our mind is a positive and safe place. This poem by Warsan Shire explores the terrifying circumstances which force people to flee for their lives. The narrator clearly misses home and longs to return home, but her home country has been so torn apart by violence—and continues to be—that she knows she can never go back. The poem is an example of the political tone of much of Shire’s work in her chapbooks. I grew especially fond of young Somali-British writer Warsan Shire. The "mouth of a shark" is a potent symbol: it compares staying at home to the experience of being torn apart and swallowed. This expresses a true sense of pride in her home and culture and a desire to preserve it even as it is being ripped apart by violence and hate. Home - by Warsan Shire. For example, in Gilbert Stuart’s painting of George Washington, liberation appears to be the central theme in his artististic work as he demonstrates the importance of unity and freedom. Home (Warsan Shire poem) essays are academic essays for citation. The poetic voice in “Home” uses a metaphor to state that the place of belonging of these migrants is dangerous, uninhabitable: “home is the mouth of a shark”(Shire 2). Abbas Al-Aboudi: Old man and the sea. your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body you only leave home These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Home (Warsan Shire poem) by Warsan Shire. Part of a series of poems by African feminist writers for 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. 0 Shares. It is an invitation to explore the lives of refugees, and those who have welcomed them – throughout the generations. But this does not change the fact that she misses it. Awesome Inc. theme. no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well. Home by warsan shire is a poem that highlights the struggles of refugees as they leave their home. The above poem is an excerpt from her 2011 collection Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth. It is incoherent, not coming from only one person but rather expressing the general sentiments and the hatred that many migrants face. “No one leaves home unless/home is the mouth of a shark.” The line, by British Somali poet Warsan Shire , has become a rallying call for refugees and their advocates. Shire is an expert at explaining horror with particularly striking symbols. Although many migrants want to assimilate quickly to their new countries, many also feel a deep connection to their home countries—a sense of belonging that is vital to their identity construction upon their arrival, which is why many migrants form ethnic enclaves to preserve a sense of their lost homes. Enjoy! Quotes []. Warsan Shire (born 1988) is a fine British poet, born to Somali parents in Kenya. Home – by Warsan Shire – a poem for Refugee Week. On what spurred her to write the poem “Conversations about Home (at the Deportation Centre)” in “Poets speak out for refugees: 'No one leaves home, unless home is the mouth of a shark'” in The Guardian (2015 Sep 16) Warsan means “good news” and Shire means “to gather in one place”. Is impossible to live in for refugees she `` carrie [ s ] anthem. Leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark. conversations about home ( Warsan poem... 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