The "you" that the poem addresses refers to many different people over the course of the poem. The horror of experiencing more rape and violence after fleeing rapes and violence is a reality that many refugees live with every day. Many of these women and children fled their homes because in some war-torn countries, gang rapes are common. Left vulnerable, non-citizens without access to government protection, these women are unable to speak out against their assailants. The prison guard is a symbol of the men who, as supposed protectors, often perpetrate sexual violence on vulnerable women and children living in refugee camps. Of men who look like your father," writes Shire. But their lives were irrevocably perverted by violence, with even innocent neighborhood kids becoming damaged, making it impossible for people to stay. This boy is a reminder that life used to be ordinary for refugees, and none of them wanted to flee their homes. Many places that have experienced mass emigrations are places that have been suddenly overtaken by violence, and this violence often takes young boys victim, putting them on the front lines of insurgent revolutions or drug wars. Now, writes the speaker, the boy she once kissed innocently is carrying a gun bigger than his body. They decided to leave when their home became uninhabitable. Instead, the speaker's home was once truly a home, once a place of safety where love was possible. They did not just suddenly decide to leave. The ordinary, human scene of the speaker and the boy kissing in a sweet display of young love is an example of how migrants did not come from a place that was always riven by violence. The boy that, presumably, the speaker went to school with, and kissed once in an old tin factory, is an example of the changes and violence that have forced the speaker to leave home. She is attempting to speak to some of their pain and hardships, attempting to counteract the xenophobia that defines many people's attitudes towards migrants. In this way, the speaker addresses the many different migrants who are seeking refuge in today's contemporary landscape. Instead, she is an anonymous voice, addressing the experiences of many different migrants using the second person. The speaker does not seem to be a single, discrete person describing her own experiences.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |