Tasks: Conversations About Home (at the Deportation Centre) by Warsan Shire

Work with a partner or in a group.

• What is the text about? What is the story that is told in the text?

• Is this a poem or a short story? What characteristic features suggest that it is a poem? And are there characteristic features that suggest that this might also be called a short story?

• Can you find examples of pathos in this text? What devices does the author use to appeal to our emotions?

• What did you think of the text? What kind of emotions does it give you?

• Does the text give you a greater understanding of what it is like to be a refugee?

Write a short text, maximum 500 words.

• Briefly comment on and explain the effects of some language features and/or literary devices Warsan Shire has used to make the message of the poem clear. Use examples from the poem in your answer.

Work with a partner.

Discuss and write a short text together where you compare Warsan Shires poems 'Conversations About Home' and 'Home'.

What are the main differences between the two poems? What are the similarities?

You can find the poem 'Home' published several places online by doing an internet search, or you can hear Warsan Shire read the poem by following the link to the video on YouTube found below.

Link to Youtube: The poet Warsan Shire reads her poem 'Home'

Work in a group.

Below, you will find a list of African countries. Pick one and find out more about the country. Make wall posters with information, which you present to the class.

Information you should include:

• A map of the country

• The name of the capital

• Who is running the country at the moment

• Is this a previous colony? If so, under which colonial power?

• The country's main industries, and the present economical situation in the country

• Why people have fled from this country in recent history

Pick one of the tasks and write a longer text.

1. Write an analysis of the poem.

2. Write a short story about what it is like to be a refugee arriving as an asylum seeker in Norway.

3. How can literature teach us about the life experiences of others? Write a text where you discuss this question referencing 'Conversations about Home
   (at the Deportation Centre)' by Warsan Shire and at least one other literary text.