Summary Of The H Word Poem By Tom Sakr

Poets use their work as a forum to share the stories and shed light on the experiences of people in groups that get overlooked. Omar Sakr’s powerful poem ‘The H word’ explores issues of poverty and danger in the daily lives of disadvantaged people and draws attention to the idea of a safe, happy home environment that isn’t the same for people who aren’t privileged. Similarly, Kevin Gilbert’s haunting poem “Kiacatoo”, serves as a tool to tell the stories of Aboriginal people and the massacres that were otherwise swept under the rug and ignored. Both poets expose the problems people in marginalised groups have and continue to face, giving a voice to those who have been silenced due to discrimination.

Underprivileged people deal with problems the privileged are ignorant of, and often have their voice to speak of the issues they face taken away. This can be seen through the quote “when hunger eats away at your family” which personifies hunger as being able to eat, demonstrating the desperation of unprivalled family’s. The word choice is ironic, that hunger “eats away” at the family who are hungry themselves and are unable to eat due to not being able to afford it.
This suggests that many people who grow up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods can find it hard to look past the unfortunate situation they are in and aren’t given opportunities to