Why do Refugees have to Leave their Sweet Home “Unless home is the Mouth of a Shark”? An Analysis of Warsan Shire’s Poem Home
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v8i4.2279Keywords:
Civil unrest, war, displacement, refugee, othernessAbstract
This paper analyses in Warsan Shire’s poem Home why refugees have to leave their home. In so doing, it first explores the root causes behind particularly the displacement of Somalians, which becomes an inspiration for the poem and also argues that these causes may actually be similar ones which could be seen one way or another behind any act of the displacement anywhere across the world. Secondly, the paper responds to the criticisms which accuse refugees of leaving at once their home when they face any difficulties in life. In this sense, the poem becomes the voice of “refugees” and tells the world that “refugees” will not take all the risks in very dangerous and difficult journeys without any reasonable causes. As the paper discusses, what is also equally important is that “refugees,” though exposed to very hard conditions of living during the journey and in the host country, are also labelled as “Other,” which immediately brings about a negative condition, in which they are humiliated, discriminated and categorised as “us” and “them, making it difficult for refugees to integrate and eventually belong to the indigenous society. Finally, the paper debates that it is not the guilt of refugees who leave their home but the ones who create intolerable causes for their displacement from their home. The paper suggests that we are all responsible - United Nations, politicians, world leaders, writers, intellectuals, and academics and so on all over the world - not only for revealing the root causes behind the displacement of people from their home but also for annihilating them all together for a humanely world and living.
References
Ambroso, G. (2002). Clanship, Conflict and Refugees: An Introduction to Somalis in the Horn of Africa. Retrieved from http://dspace-roma3.caspur.it/bitstream/2307/4150/1/Clanship,%20conflict%20and%20refugees_An%20introduction%20to%20Somalis%20in%20the%20Horn%20of%20Africa.pdf
Ashrif, H. (2016). Somalia: The Forgotten Story. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2016/10/somalia-forgotten-story-161027115655140.html
Ayasun, A. (2018). As Turkey Faces Economic Troubles, Syrian Refugees Are No Longer Welcome. Retrieved from https://turkey.theglobepost.com/syrian-refugees-turkey-elections/
Azam, J.P. & Hoeffler, A. (2002). “Violence against Civilians in Civil Wars: Looting or Terror?” Journal of Peace Research 39(4): 461-85.
Bausells, M. & Shearlaw, M. (2015, September 16). Poets speak out for refugees: “No one leaves home, unless home is the mouth of a shark.” The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/sep/16/poets-speak-out-for-refugees-
Bowes, A., Ferguson, I. & Sim, D. (2009). Asylum policy and asylum experiences: interactions in a Scottish context. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 32 (1), 23-43.
Cairns, E. (1997). A Safer Future: Reducing the Human Cost of War. Oxford, U.K.: Oxfam Publications.
Collier, P, Elliott, L., Hegre, H., Hoeffler, A, Reynal-Quirol, M. & Sambanis, N. (2003). Breaking the Conflict Trap. Civil War and Development Policy. Washington, DC: World Bank and Oxford University Press.
Crary, D. (1986). African Continent Tormented by Tribal Conflicts: Problem Has Triggered Wars, Toppled Governments and Wrecked Courtships. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-23-mn-5583-story.html
Dennison, J. & Geddes, A. (2017, November 17). Are Europeans turning against asylum seekers and refugees? Ecre. Retrieved from https://www.ecre.org/op-ed-are-europeans-turning-against-asylum-seekers-and-refugees/
Donmez, B. B. (2019). EU Responds to Hungarian anti-immigration campaign. Retrieved from https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-responds-to-hungarian-anti-immigration-campaign/1405987
Elmi, A. A. & Barise, A. (2006). The Somali Conflict: Root causes, obstacles, and peace-building strategies. African Security Review, 15 (1), 32-53.
Erdogan, E. (2014). Unwanted, Unwelcome: Anti-Immigration Attitudes in Turkey. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/a.gunes/Downloads/1410363321Erdogan_UnwantedUnwelcome_Sep14.pdf
Erdoğan, E. & Semerci, P. U. (2018, March 2018). Attitudes towards Syrians in Turkey-2017. Retrieved from https://goc.bilgi.edu.tr/media/uploads/2018/03/12/turkish-perceptions-of-syrian-refugees-20180312.pdf
Edwards, A. (2015). Global forced displacement hits record high. Retrieved from UNHCR website: http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2016/6/5763b65a4/global‐forced‐displacement‐hits‐record‐high.html.
Edwards, A. (2018, July 18). Forced displacement at record 68.5 million. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2018/6/5b222c494/forced-displacement-record-685-million.html
Ferris, E. (2007). Abuse of power: Sexual exploitation of refugee women and girls. Signs, 32(3), 584–559.
Goot, M. & Watson, I. (2005). Immigration, multiculturalism, and national identity. In S. Wilson, G. Meagher, R. Gibson, D. Denemark, & M. Western (Eds.), Australian social attitudes: The first report (pp. 182–203). Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales Press.
Global Security. (n.d.). Somalia Civil War. Retrieved from https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/somalia.htm
Griffin, T. (2019). South Africa Has an Anti-Immigration Problem, And It Looks A Lot Like America's. Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tamerragriffin/south-africa-election-xenophobia
Henley, J. (2019). Denmark's centre-left set to win election with anti-immigration shift. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/04/denmark-centre-left-predicted-win-election-social-democrats-anti-immigration-policies
Home (Warsan Shire Poem) Summary & Study Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-home-warsan-shire-poem/#gsc.tab=0
International Crisis Group. (2018). Turkey’s Syrian Refugees: Defusing Metropolitan Tensions (Report No: 248). Retrieved from https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/248-turkey-s-syrian-refugees.pdf
James, G. (1995, January 3). Somalia's Overthrown Dictator, Mohammed Siad Barre, Is Dead. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/03/obituaries/somalia-s-overthrown-dictator-mohammed-siad-barre-is-dead.html
Kreichauf, R. (2015). Ghettos in small towns? The research on ethnic segregation and stigmatisation processes in small town Germany. Sociologica-Italian Journal of Sociology. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/a.gunes/Downloads/1971-8853-01024-7.pdf
Kublitz, A. (2016). The ongoing catastrophe: Erosion of life in the Danish camps. Journal for Refugee Studies, 29(2), 229–249.
Lerner, D. (2017, May 17). Turkish Hostility Toward Syrian Refugees Rises, Seeps Into Election Campaign. Retrieved from https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-turkish-hostility-toward-syrian-refugees-rises-seeps-into-election-1.6096329
Louis, W. R., Duck, J. M., Terry, D. J., Schuller, R. A. & R. N. Lalonde. (2007). Why do citizens want to keep refugees out? Threats, fairness and hostile norms in the treatment of asylum seekers. European Journal of Social Psychology 37: 535–573. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.329
O’Neill, M. and T. Spybey. (2003). Global Refugees, Exile, Displacement and Belonging. Sociology 37 (1): 7-12.
Moore, K. & S. Clifford. (2007). The gendered use of the media by asylum seekers in Britain. Gender & Development 15 (3): 451-466.
Pocock, N. & C. Chan (2018, June 6). Refugees, Racism and Xenophobia: What Works to Reduce Discrimination? Retrieved from https://ourworld.unu.edu/en/refugees-racism-and-xenophobia-what-works-to-reduce-discrimination
Ratcliffe, R. (2019). 'Real risk' of refugees freezing to death in Syria after rains destroy shelters. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jan/12/real-risk-of-refugees-freezing-to-death-in-syria-after-rains-destroy-shelters
Shark Meaning And Symbolism. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theastrologyweb.com/spirit-animals/shark-meaning-symbolism
Shark-Spirit Animal, Symbolism and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dreamingandsleeping.com/shark-spirit-animal-symbolism-and-meaning/
Seibert, T. (2014, August 3). Syrian refugees face backlash in Turkey. The National. Retrieved from https://www.thenational.ae/world/syrian-refugees-face-backlash-in-turkey-1.331128
Shire, W. (n.d). Home. Retrieved from http://www.care.org/sites/default/files/lesson_1_-_home-poem-by-warsan-shire.pdf
Starr, S. (2018, November 7). Syrians in Turkey face anger and violence. The Irish Times. Retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/syrians-in-turkey-face-anger-and-violence-1.3688674
Schweitzer, R., S. Perkoulidis, S. Krome, C. Ludlow & M. Ryan. (2005). Attitudes towards refugees: The dark side of prejudice. Australian Journal of Psychology 57: 170–179. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530500125199
Stewart, F. (2002). Root causes of violent conflict in developing countries, BMJ, 324: 342–5. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122271/pdf/342.pdf
The Somalia Conflict: Implications for peace-making and peacekeeping efforts. (n. d.). Retrieved from https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/105908/P198.pdf
Thomas, S. (2016). Somalia: Challenges and Opportunities in Peacebuilding. Retrieved from http://www.cfpar.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Somalia-Challenges-and-Opportunties-in-Peace-building.pdf
Trilling, D. (2018, June 5). Five myths about the refugee crisis. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jun/05/five-myths-about-the-refugee-crisis
USCR (2003). World Refugee Survey, 2003. Washigton. D.C.
Yitmen, Ş. & M. Verkuytenç (2018). Positive and negative behavioral intentions towards refugees in Turkey: The roles of national identification, threat, and humanitarian concern. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 28:230–243.
Zetter, R. (2007). More Labels, Fewer Refugees: Remaking the Refugee Label in an Era of Globalization. Journal of Refugee Studies 20 (2): 172-191.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All papers licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 CC-BY.- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.