Checking out me history Flashcards
“Dem tell me
Dem tell me”
The use of repetition
here creates an
accusatory tone,
showing the speaker’s
anger
“Bandage up me eye”
This has injury-like
connotations which
imply that the
speaker feels he has
been hurt by his
sheltered upbringing
“de cow who jump over de moon”
This phrase from the
semantic field of
childhood implies that
the speaker feels he
has lost his childhood
and is stuck in the
past
Structure
Dual Structure- The division between the stanzas through Agard’s use of italics shows the separation
between the history he was taught and black history
Repetition-The repetition of “Dem tell me” mirrors rote learning and it could be inferred that Agard had
to rote learn the history he was taught due to its lack of personal relevance to him. It also
creates an oppressive tone to the teaching of history.
Language
Motif of Light- there are frequent references to light imagery.Agard refers to Toussaint L’ouverture as “de beacon to de Haitian revolution”, Nanny de Maroon as
“fire-woman” and Mary Seacole as “a healing star” and “a yellow sunrise”. It can be inferred that the speaker associates these figures with light due to their
emotional significance to him. This also shows that they are a source of guidance for him and the importance of teaching children about these people
Punctuation- Agard uses no punctuation in Checking Out Me History. 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.The lack of punctuation also shows the poems theme of resisting oppression. Without punctuation, the reader is unsure of the intonation, allowing the poem to be interpreted indifferent ways
The Emigree comparison (similarities)
The violent connotations of “Bandage up me eye with me own
history” allude to the conflict between Agard’s speaker’s culture and
the one being inflicted on him by colonial rule. There is a similar conflict shown in Rumens’ poem by the aggressive undertones of “I am branded by an impression of sunlight”.
Both poets attach great emotional significance to their cultural identity.
Agard’s repetition of “Dem tell me” shows the anger the speaker feels at having had his heritage hidden from him. Likewise, Rumens appears to have maternal feelings towards her former home and this is shown by the childlike lexis of “I comb its hair and love its shining eyes”. The importance of language is seen in Rumens’ work in “child’s vocabulary” which shows the speaker desperately clinging to the language of their childhood. Similarly, Agard uses a Creole language to represent the different cultures which have influenced him
The Emigree comparison (differences)
In Checking out me history, the speaker demonises his childhood
through his angry tone and the separation of the stanzas to show how
he was not educated sufficiently. Contrastingly, Rumens uses light
imagery in “an impression of sunlight”, “The white streets” and “It
tastes of sunlight” to present a dreamlike, idealised childhood
