Checking out me history

Question 1

poet

Answer 1

john agard

Question 2

context

Answer 2

educated under colonial rule so on euroecentri history, not his own heritage, he was denied his cultural identity

Question 3

INITIAL dem tell me
dem tell me

Answer 3

repwtition creates accusatory tone, showing speaker anger

Question 4

bendage up my eye

Answer 4

injury-like connotations, implies speaker feels like he is been hurt by this sheltered upbringing, and that he has been forced to follow it

Question 5

blind me to me own identity

Answer 5

key motif of blindness, suggests the oppression of western education.
violent metaphor for cruelty of colonialism and of how the world is blind to the past, suggesting his culture is in the metaphorucal darkness.

Question 6

1066 and all dat
*(Dick witthingon and he cat)

Answer 6

dismissive language shows his little interest in english history ( battle of hastings)
history juxtaposed with fairytales to show its irrelevance.

Question 7

“vision” “beacon”

Answer 7

link to motif of light for Toussaint

Question 8

who was toussaint what were hagard hopes

Answer 8

leader of revolution of black slaves that led to freedom from colonial france, symbol of rebellion and resistace. hoped to be similar to him and to revolutionise education system and to resist to oppression

Question 9

Nanny de maroon

Answer 9

female leader of Jamaica maroons who escpaed slavery

Question 10

“mountain dream” *fire-woman” “see far-woman” “hopeful stream to freedom rider”

Answer 10

lexical field of peaceful objects of nature is a metaphor for the tranquil and fair world that she wanted to live in. she was a visionary

Question 11

“robin hood used to camp”

Answer 11

iron + deliberate anti climax to connote hoe education system teaches us irrelevant knowledge

Question 12

florence Nightingale
mary seacole

Answer 12

both women but we rarely hear about mary seacole, raises the doubt if reeason for this difference is colour. arguably she did more so example of everyday racism

Question 13

“healing star “
“yellow sunrise”

Answer 13

Mary seacole was brigh woman, positive and powerful force in dark lonely time of war. idea of light which suggests hope

Question 14

But know

Answer 14

volta

Question 15

structure

Answer 15

dual structure between stanzas.some quatrains that rhyme mixed with free verse. showing difference between black and white history, one free, other locked in(authority rules like traditional quatrains)
strict stanza juxtaposes with italics section undermining whites people power, showing us another voice

Question 16

dem tell me repetition

Answer 16

each stanza begins with it showing how colonial control dominated his life the same way it dominates the poem. also allude to his his emphatetic desire to share his message

Question 17

rhyme scheme

Answer 17

ties together section concerning white and black history, literay unification to show aim to end segregation. “balloon, moon,spoon, maroon”

Question 18

“de cow who jump over the moon”+ stanza organisation

Answer 18

childish language juxtaposes rich imagery used to show the beautiful black history implying the differences between the two, espacilally their popolarity. Childish also because he feels like he’s lost his childhood/wasted. this language also as it’a childish this one dimension eurocentric of world.
each stanza end with reference to black person to show their significance to Agard and how they were given less prominence

Question 19

“but know”

Answer 19

Volta, turning point as poet swtched from “dem” to “I”. shows his taking ownership and focusing on himself rather than them

Question 20

“I carving out me identity”

Answer 20

contrasts “blind me to me own identity”
violent metaphor with positive tone to show he is taking possession of his history and his self. active evrb to show it is ongoing process

Question 21

Motif of light

Answer 21

source of guidance for writer and the importance of theaching children about these poeple

Question 22

“bout” “de” “dat”

Answer 22

non-standard phonetic spelling, shows hoe poeple had to speak 2 languages native and the one of colonialists, he is resisiting traditions of colinal rules.
it emphasises that it is in a form of oral poetry.

Question 23

punctuation

Answer 23

not used, theme of resisting oppression, . Punctuation can be interpreted to be a set of rules to restrict communication so Agard’s refusal to include it shows his intention to allow the listener to interpret the poem in their own way and attach their own identity to it. No full stop at end it means it is on going and contineous

Question 24

figures he celebrates

Answer 24

Toussant L’Overture
Nanny de maroon
Mary seacole
Shake de great Zule
Caribs and the Arawaks

Question 25

figures he undermines ( he also mentions battles and colonialists)

Answer 25

robin hood
man who discover de balloon
dick whittington
king cole