(brief) checking out me history Flashcards
summary of poem
speaker recounts all of the historical figures he was taught as a child, then lists all of the figures from black history that were not mentioned. he resolves to discover more about his own heritage
context- Agards education and early life
born in Guyana and received a british education (due to its colonisation until 1966)
was given a eurocentric view of history
eventually saw his county become independent realising how much of his identity he had been deprived of
context- inspiration for the poem
inspired by reading a school textbook which claimed that west indian history began with Columbus
collection that the poem was published in
“half caste and other poems”
focusing on culture and racial identity
structure- rhyme scheme
-ties together sections concerning black and white history
- agard attempting to end segregation through literary unification
dual structure using italics, division between stanzas
shows separation between history that he was taught, and black history
volta ‘but now’
speaker changes from referring to “dem” to “I” showing how he is taking ownership of his identity
