Checking Out Me History Flashcards
1
Q
What is the context of John Agard’s ‘Checking out me history’?
A
*looks through voice and experiences of poet at understanding of identity through history
*Looks at how history is taught and conflict between facts and truth, sometimes obscured by race or gender
*gives examples of powerful black figures often involved in conflict
*emphasises how we celebrate our own cultural history without looking at the history of those we are in conflict with
2
Q
“dem tell me”
A
- phonological suggestion of carribean accent
3
Q
“bandage up” “blind me”
A
- resrictive verbs - version of whats told may be horrific
4
Q
“no dem never tell me bout dat”
A
- faceless person - distance between Agard & authority
5
Q
“balloon…moon…spoon”
A
- nursery style rhyme - suggestion of lies/unimportance being taught but not his history
- irrelevance vs relevance
- childish vocabulary - could reflect this was what he was taught as a child and seen as more important culturally
6
Q
“mountain…fire…stream…river”
A
- nature suggests power of this imagery
- history he’s yet to explore - nature hasnt all been explored
7
Q
“but dem never tell me”
A
- contrast shows one-sided history
8
Q
“i carving out me own identity”
A
- violent metaphor
- emphasises anger and resistance
9
Q
“blind me to my own identity”
A
- metaphor
- shows being damaged by british society
10
Q
Sturcture
A
- AAAA rhyme scheme, simple, remind of childhood to reflect this is where theyre taught the wrong history
- his historical information is presented differently and in a more serious, factual tone to show importance and teach the history that was previously oppressed
