The Lesson we Should Learn from Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire

Zoe R. Harper
Dr. Hena Ahmad, Faculty Mentor

Kamila Shamsie's Home Fire depicts the impact of Karamat Lone's xenophobic actions. Lone, who is Home Secretary in the British government, expresses prejudicial views against Muslim beliefs. This not only exhibits his subconscious prejudiced views that ultimately lead to the untimely death of his son but also gives insight into the larger impact on society, civilians, and public figures. The novel shows the ways in which hatred regarding different religions and political views operates in society and how people identify themselves, thus leaving society to push back on civilians, teaching them that intrinsic hatred of one's own social status/identity is beneficial for them. Home Fire teaches readers that everything is circumstantial and that society needs to drop the dogmatist thought processes in order to come together as a diverse group of people who are aware and accepting. 

Keywords: Home Fire, xenophobia, society, diverse, Kamila Shamsie, dogmatist, accepting, intrinsic

Topic(s):English

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA