Figures of Speech

Metaphor: A metaphor compares two different things directly. The poet uses strong metaphors to show danger and fear. In the line “Home is the mouth of a shark,” home is compared to a shark’s mouth. It means home has become deadly and full of terror. Another metaphor is “Home is the barrel of a gun,” meaning home is violent and unsafe. These images show that war turns safety into death.

Personification: Personification gives human qualities to non-human things. The poet writes, “Home is a voice in your ear saying—leave, run, now.” Here, home is given a human voice that warns people. It shows how home itself forces people to escape. This device makes the idea of fear more personal and emotional.

Imagery: Imagery creates pictures in the reader’s mind. The poem is full of strong visual and emotional images.

• The line “Home is the mouth of a shark” gives a strong visual image. It makes us imagine danger and death waiting inside home. It shows that home, once safe, has now turned deadly.
• The image “You only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well” helps readers picture fear spreading everywhere. We can imagine people rushing, crying, and escaping together. It is a clear picture of war and panic.
• In “The boy you went to school .…is holding a gun bigger than his body,” we see how innocent life changes into violence. The image is painful and shocking. It shows how war destroys childhood and friendship.
• The poet writes “No one puts their children in a boat unless the water is safer than the land.” This image is very powerful. It shows a mother’s fear and love. We can almost see small children on a rough sea while parents pray for safety.
• Another strong image is “days and nights in the stomach of a truck.” This phrase makes us imagine a dark space where refugees hide. It shows danger, hunger, and hopeless travel. The “stomach of a truck” feels like a cage.
• The poet also uses smell and sound imagery. The line “the scent of a woman completely on fire” brings smell, fear, and pain together. It makes readers feel the horror of war and torture.
• The image “My mouth becomes a sink full of blood” combines sight and feeling. It shows that even watching the news gives the speaker unbearable pain. The “sink full of blood” represents emotional bleeding from trauma and memory.

Symbolism: Symbols stand for deeper meanings beyond their literal sense.

• "Home" stands for safety, love, and belonging.
• The “mouth of a shark” is a symbol of death and terror.
• The “barrel of a gun” means war and destruction.
• The “boat” is a symbol of escape and hope.
• The “passport” is a symbol of identity and belonging.
• The “border” stands for separation and division.
• The “truck” is a symbol of a hidden, dangerous journey.
• “Fences” symbolize barriers and rejection.
• The “child’s body in the rubble” symbolizes loss and pain.
• The “refugee camp” is a symbol of imprisonment and waiting.
• The “sea” symbolizes both danger and escape.
• The “voice in the ear” symbolizes warning and urgency.

Repetition: Repetition means using the same words again for effect. The poet repeats “No one” many times throughout the poem. This repetition builds rhythm and emotional power. It stresses that refugees are not leaving by choice. Each repetition adds sadness, truth, and urgency to her message.