Check Out Me Histiry Flashcards
Structure
- italics stanzas ( highlights information he fells he should be told), poet is trying to educate you, by giving information (sings in Italics!
- repetition
- 2 parts of the poem, bigger part = black people’s history[to educate people], lesser = white people’s history
(= knows more about white people’s history than about black people’s history,[ lines length is long = white history, short = black history], because his educationalists were talking only snout white people’s history) - no punctuation, because he wants to let know that he will not follow English rules, so he goes against.
Purpose: to show that he will do by his way
What is the mnemonic for this poem?
BDBF
“But ___ _ ________ __ ____ ________ _ _________ ___ __ _________”
“But now I checking me own history I carving out me identity”
What is the message?
Teach global history, not only Eurocentric view
Tones
- Accusatory
- celebratory (contrasts with nursery rhyme )
“But ___ _ ________ __ ____ ________ _ _________ ___ __ _________”, method
“But now I checking me own history I carving out me identity”
- shift
- takes a responsibility, working out who he is
“Dem ___ __ ____ __ _____ ___ ____ ____ __ _______ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ ____ _____ __ ______”
“Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon”
“Dem ___ __ ____ __ _____ ___ ____ ____ __ _______ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ ____ _____ __ ______”, method
“Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon”
- nursery rhyme, counterpoint with celebration of historical figures
- written in italics!!! Poet sings it, doesn’t understand why in his history book he learned useless things, and he is angry that he didn’t learn something important ( black people’s history)
- dialect
- creole element, demonstrating pride of linguistic heritage ( pronunciation)
- phonetic spelling
- “Dem” = government and education system
“Bandage __ __ ___ ____ __ ___ _______”
“Bandage up me eye with me own history”
“Bandage __ __ ___ ____ __ __ ______”, method
“Bandage up me eye with me own history “
- imagery
- imperative verb
“French ________ __ ______”
“French Toussaint de beacon”
“French ________ __ ______”, method
“French Toussaint de beacon”
- imagery ?
- really stood out
- “beacon” = light, shows right way
Who wrote the poem?
John Agard
BDBF
B = “But now I checking me own histiry I carving out me identity”
D = “Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon”
B = “Bandage up me eye with me own history”
F = “French Toussaint de beacon”
