Warsan Shire's "Home," though never formally published in a collection of poetry, has reached millions of readers. The poem, which captures the pain and trauma of the refugee experience, has gone viral multiple times in response to the global refugee crises of the 21st century. Using a powerful second-person perspective that puts readers right in refugees' shoes, "Home" strives to offer insight into the suffering that drives refugees from their homes, and also forcefully debunks the myth of the burdensome refugee. In doing so, "Home" makes the case for treating refugees with dignity, sympathy, and compassion.

• Read the full text of “Home”

• “Home” Summary

• “Home” Themes

  • 

    The Pain of the Refugee Experience

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2
    • Lines 3-11
    • Lines 12-14
    • Lines 15-22
    • Lines 23-25
    • Lines 26-34
    • Lines 35-44
    • Lines 45-47
    • Lines 48-62
    • Lines 62-88
    • Lines 89-95
  • 

    Xenophobia, Racism, and the Demonization of Refugees

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2
    • Lines 3-4
    • Lines 10-11
    • Line 12
    • Line 15
    • Lines 23-25
    • Lines 32-34
    • Lines 35-72
    • Lines 76-88
    • Lines 89-91

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Home”

  • Lines 1-2

    no one leaves ...
    ... of a shark

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-6

    you only run ...
    ... in their throats

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 7-11

    the boy you ...
    ... let you stay.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 12-17

    no one leaves ...
    ... your neck

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 18-22

    and even then ...
    ... be going back.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 23-25

    you have to ...
    ... than the land

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 26-34

    no one burns ...
    ... pitied

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 35-44

    no one chooses ...
    ... like your father

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 45-47

    no one could ...
    ... be tough enough

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 48-58

    the ...
    ... mess up ours

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 59-72

    how do the ...
    ... in pieces.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 73-88

    i want to ...
    ... is more important

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 89-95

    no one leaves ...
    ... safer than here

    

    

    

    

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• “Home” Symbols

  • 

    The Sea

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 23-25: “you have to understand, / that no one puts their children in a boat / unless the water is safer than the land”
    • Line 76: “and no one would leave home”
    • Line 77: “unless home chased you to the shore”
    • Lines 82-83: “wade through the oceans / drown”
  • 

    The Anthem

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 18-22: “and even then you carried the anthem under / your breath / only tearing up your passport in an airport toilet / sobbing as each mouthful of paper / made it clear that you would not be going back.”

• “Home” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Anaphora

    

    

    

    

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    Where anaphora appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “no one leaves home”
    • Line 12: “no one leaves home”
    • Line 24: “no one”
    • Line 26: “no one”
    • Line 29: “no one”
    • Line 32: “no one”
    • Line 33: “no one”
    • Line 35: “no one”
    • Line 45: “no one”
    • Line 46: “no one”
    • Line 47: “no one”
    • Line 63: “than”
    • Line 65: “than”
    • Line 69: “than”
    • Line 70: “than”
    • Line 71: “than”
    • Line 76: “no one would leave home”
    • Line 77: “unless home”
    • Line 78: “unless home”
    • Line 89: “no one leaves home”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 6: “breath bloody”
    • Line 7: “boy”
    • Line 8: “behind”
    • Line 9: “bigger,” “body”
    • Line 13: “fire,” “feet”
    • Line 14: “blood,” “belly”
    • Line 16: “blade burnt”
    • Line 20: “tearing,” “toilet”
    • Line 21: “mouthful”
    • Line 22: “made,” “be,” “back”
    • Line 26: “burns”
    • Line 28: “beneath”
    • Line 30: “miles”
    • Line 31: “means,” “more”
    • Line 33: “be beaten”
    • Line 36: “strip searches”
    • Line 39: “safer”
    • Line 40: “city”
    • Line 44: “look like”
    • Lines 52-53: “asylum seekers / sucking”
    • Lines 55-56: “smell strange / savage”
    • Line 61: “backs”
    • Line 62: “because,” “blow”
    • Line 79: “quicken”
    • Line 80: “clothes”
    • Line 81: “crawl”
    • Line 85: “be”
    • Line 86: “beg”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 8: “kissed,” “dizzy,” “tin”
    • Line 9: “is holding,” “bigger,” “his”
    • Line 11: “home won’t”
    • Line 16: “threats”
    • Line 17: “neck”
    • Line 18: “then,” “anthem”
    • Line 19: “breath”
    • Line 23: “understand”
    • Line 25: “land”
    • Line 47: “one,” “tough enough”
    • Line 49: “go home”
    • Line 64: “words,” “more”
    • Line 65: “fourteen”
    • Line 73: “go home”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “leaves,” “unless”
    • Line 2: “home,” “mouth”
    • Line 6: “breath bloody,” “their throats”
    • Line 7: “boy,” “school”
    • Line 8: “kissed,” “behind”
    • Line 9: “gun bigger,” “ body”
    • Line 12: “leaves,” “unless”
    • Line 13: “fire,” “feet”
    • Line 14: “blood,” “belly”
    • Line 16: “blade burnt threats into”
    • Line 18: “then,” “anthem”
    • Line 19: “breath”
    • Line 20: “tearing up,” “passport,” “airport toilet”
    • Line 21: “mouthful,” “paper”
    • Line 22: “made”
    • Line 23: “understand”
    • Line 24: “no one,” “children in”
    • Line 25: “unless,” “than,” “land”
    • Line 26: “no one burns”
    • Lines 26-27: “palms / under trains”
    • Line 28: “beneath”
    • Line 29: “nights,” “stomach,” “truck”
    • Line 30: “unless the miles travelled”
    • Line 31: “means something more”
    • Line 33: “be beaten”
    • Line 36: “strip searches”
    • Line 39: “safer”
    • Line 40: “city,” “fire”
    • Line 43: “truckload”
    • Line 44: “look like”
    • Line 45: “could take it”
    • Line 46: “could stomach it”
    • Line 47: “skin,” “tough enough”
    • Lines 52-53: “asylum seekers / sucking”
    • Line 53: “country”
    • Lines 55-57: “smell strange / savage / messed”
    • Line 61: “backs”
    • Line 62: “because,” “blow”
    • Line 64: “words,” “more tender”
    • Line 65: “fourteen men between”
    • Line 68: “swallow”
    • Line 69: “rubble”
    • Line 70: “bone”
    • Line 71: “body”
    • Line 74: “home,” “mouth”
    • Line 79: “quicken,” “legs”
    • Line 80: “leave,” “clothes”
    • Line 81: “crawl”
    • Line 85: “be”
    • Line 86: “beg”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “unless / home”
    • Lines 3-4: “border / when”
    • Lines 7-8: “with / who”
    • Lines 8-9: “factory / is”
    • Lines 10-11: “home / when”
    • Lines 15-16: “doing / until”
    • Lines 16-17: “into / your”
    • Lines 18-19: “under / your”
    • Lines 21-22: “paper / made”
    • Lines 24-25: “boat / unless”
    • Lines 26-27: “palms / under”
    • Lines 29-30: “truck / feeding”
    • Lines 30-31: “travelled / means”
    • Lines 35-36: “camps / or”
    • Lines 36-37: “your / body”
    • Lines 39-40: “safer / than”
    • Lines 41-42: “guard / in”
    • Lines 42-43: “night / is”
    • Lines 43-44: “truckload / of”
    • Lines 48-49: “the / go”
    • Lines 49-50: “blacks / refugees”
    • Lines 51-52: “immigrants / asylum”
    • Lines 52-53: “seekers / sucking”
    • Lines 55-56: “strange / savage”
    • Line 57: “messed”
    • Lines 57-58: “want / to”
    • Lines 59-60: “words / the”
    • Lines 60-61: “looks / roll”
    • Lines 62-63: “softer / than”
    • Lines 63-64: “off / or”
    • Lines 64-65: “tender / than”
    • Lines 65-66: “between / your”
    • Lines 66-67: “legs / or”
    • Lines 67-68: “easier / to”
    • Lines 68-69: “swallow / than”
    • Lines 71-72: “body / in”
    • Lines 76-77: “home / unless”
    • Lines 78-79: “you / to”
    • Lines 89-90: “ear / saying”
    • Lines 93-94: “become / but”
    • Lines 94-95: “anywhere / is”

  • Hyperbole

    

    

    

    

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    Where hyperbole appears in the poem:

    • Line 4: “the whole city running ”
    • Line 9: “ a gun bigger than his body”
    • Lines 43-44: “ a truckload / of men”

  • Imagery

    

    

    

    

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    Where imagery appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “the mouth of a shark”
    • Lines 3-6: “you only run for the border / when you see the whole city running as well / your neighbors running faster than you / breath bloody in their throats”
    • Lines 7-9: “the boy you went to school with / who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory / is holding a gun bigger than his body”
    • Lines 12-14: “home chases you / fire under feet / hot blood in your belly”
    • Lines 16-17: “the blade burnt threats into / your neck”
    • Lines 18-22: “carried the anthem under / your breath / only tearing up your passport in an airport toilet / sobbing as each mouthful of paper / made it clear that you would not be going back.”
    • Lines 26-28: “burns their palms / under trains / beneath carriages”
    • Lines 29-30: “days and nights in the stomach of a truck / feeding on newspaper”
    • Line 32: “no one crawls under fences”
    • Lines 36-37: “strip searches where your / body is left aching”
    • Line 40: “a city of fire”
    • Lines 43-44: “a truckload / of men who look like your father”
    • Line 63: “a limb torn off”
    • Lines 65-66: “fourteen men between / your legs”
    • Lines 69-72: “than rubble / than bone / than your child's body / in pieces.”
    • Lines 74-75: “home is the mouth of a shark / home is the barrel of the gun”
    • Line 77: “home chased you to the shore”
    • Lines 78-82: “home told you / to quicken your legs / leave your clothes behind / crawl through the desert / wade through the oceans”
    • Line 89: “home is a sweaty voice in your ear”

  • Irony

    

    

    

    

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    Where irony appears in the poem:

    • Lines 24-25: “that no one puts their children in a boat / unless the water is safer than the land”
    • Lines 35-39: “no one chooses refugee camps / or strip searches where your / body is left aching / or prison, / because ”
    • Lines 39-44: “prison is safer / than a city of fire / and one prison guard / in the night / is better than a truckload / of men who look like your father”
    • Lines 49-58: “go home blacks / refugees / dirty immigrants / asylum seekers / sucking our country dry / niggers with their hands out / they smell strange / savage / messed up their country and now they want / to mess up ours”
    • Lines 62-63: “the blow is softer / than a limb torn off”
    • Lines 64-66: “the words are more tender / than fourteen men between / your legs”
    • Lines 67-72: “the insults are easier / to swallow / than rubble / than bone / than your child's body / in pieces.”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “home is the mouth of a shark”
    • Line 13: “fire under feet”
    • Line 40: “a city of fire”
    • Line 74: “home is the mouth of a shark”
    • Line 75: “home is the barrel of the gun”
    • Lines 89-92: “home is a sweaty voice in your ear / saying / leave, / run away from me now”

  • Parallelism

    

    

    

    

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    Where parallelism appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “no one leaves home”
    • Lines 1-2: “unless / home is the mouth of a shark”
    • Line 3: “you only run”
    • Line 4: “when you see”
    • Line 10: “you only”
    • Line 11: “when home”
    • Line 12: “no one leaves home,” “unless home chases you”
    • Line 24: “no one puts their children in a boat”
    • Line 25: “unless the water is safer than the land”
    • Line 26: “no one burns their palms”
    • Line 29: “no one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck”
    • Line 32: “no one crawls under fences”
    • Line 33: “no one wants to be beaten”
    • Line 34: “pitied”
    • Line 35: “no one chooses refugee camps”
    • Line 36: “or strip searches”
    • Line 38: “or prison,”
    • Lines 45-47: “no one could take it / no one could stomach it / no one skin would be tough enough”
    • Lines 49-52: “blacks / refugees / dirty immigrants / asylum seekers”
    • Line 59: “the words”
    • Line 60: “the dirty looks”
    • Line 63: “than a limb torn off”
    • Line 64: “or the words”
    • Lines 65-66: “than fourteen men between / your legs”
    • Line 67: “or the insults”
    • Lines 69-72: “than rubble / than bone / than your child's body / in pieces.”
    • Line 74: “home is the mouth of a shark”
    • Line 75: “home is the barrel of the gun”
    • Line 77: “unless home chased you to the shore”
    • Line 78: “unless home told you”
    • Lines 79-82: “quicken your legs / leave your clothes behind / crawl through the desert / wade through the oceans”
    • Lines 83-87: “drown / save / be hungry / beg / forget pride”
    • Line 89: “no one leaves home until home,” “ is a sweaty voice in your ear”

  • Personification

    

    

    

    

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    Where personification appears in the poem:

    • Lines 10-11: “you only leave home / when home won’t let you stay.”
    • Line 12: “no one leaves home unless home chases you”
    • Lines 76-83: “and no one would leave home / unless home chased you to the shore / unless home told you / to quicken your legs / leave your clothes behind / crawl through the desert / wade through the oceans / drown”
    • Lines 89-95: “no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear / saying / leave, / run away from me now / i dont know what i’ve become / but i know that anywhere / is safer than here”

  • Stream of Consciousness

    

    

    

    

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    Where stream of consciousness appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-95

• “Home” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Anthem
  • Carriage
  • Refugee
  • Asylum seekers
  • Savage
  • Rubble
  • Barrel of the gun
  • Quicken your legs
  • (Location in poem: Line 18: “and even then you carried the anthem under”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Home”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Home” Speaker

• “Home” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Home”

• More “Home” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Warsan Shire's Biography — Read about the poet's life and work.

    • The Writing Life of Warsan Shire — An in-depth profile of poet Warsan Shire in The New Yorker magazine.

    • Poetry on the Refugee Crisis — Five young poets, including Warsan Shire, reflect on the refugee experience.

    • The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a powerful, illustrated performance of the poem read by the poet herself.

    • The Refugee Crisis — Information on the global refugee crisis, provided by the International Rescue Committee.

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