Home Is Not Here

This study guide will help you analyze the short story “Home Is Not Here” by Laura Blake, which has been used for a written exam in English STX B, from the 9th of December 2022. You can also find a summary of the text, as well as inspiration for interpreting it.

If you need help with Assignments 1-4 from the STX B exam on the 9th of December 2022, you can read our guide here.

Presentation of the text

Title: “Home Is Not Here” (2021)
Author: Laura Blake
Genre: Short story

Laura Blake is an English writer and editor from Birmingham. She is mixed race and has Jamaican and English roots. She was a finalist in the 2020 George Floyd short story competition and shortlisted for the Leicester Writes competition. The short story “Home Is Not Here” won the 2021 4thWrite Prize and was published on the website of the 4thEstate imprint.

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Metaphors and similes

Birdie uses a water metaphor when she thinks about how attitudes towards immigrants have changed in Britain: “as more and more immigrants ‘flooded’ the country (as her headmistress had once put it) the tide turned, and she went from being rejected to accepted” (ll. 130-132). In this case, the flood represents the large number of immigrants that slowly started arriving in Britain, and the “tide” turning shows that the influx of immigrants forced people to somewhat change their opinions and behaviors regarding them. However, the headmistress’ original use of ‘flood’ has strongly negative connotations and reflects a society that was very skeptical towards immigrants.

When Birdie first arrives at her new house, she notes that all the houses are the same and are “like a row of glum children lining up to see the headmaster” (l. 107). This simile not only highlights Birdie’s youth and innocent perspective, but it also shows that Birdie likely associates the drab landscape of England with something negative, such as having to wait to see the headmaster of the school.