Checking Out Me History Flashcards
What is the main message of this poem?
- That white history is appreciated more than black history. Through this poem, Agard wants the readers to celebrate black history/ the poet wants to find his own identity.
Who was “Cheking out me History” written by?
- Checking out me History was written by John Agard.
CONTEXT
Where did John Agard grow up?
How is this relevant to the poem?
- John Agard grew up in British Guyana (a colony.)
- His heritage was taken away from/ perhaps he was taught about British- white heritage rather than his own Black heritage.
What is the significance of there being no punctuation in the poem and the misuse of grammar in the title (Me rather than My?)
- Shows that Agard is not keeping to the structure of education in general (grammar/ punctuation) - breaking the bounds/ learning about his own heritage.
What is the significance of Agard using the coloquial word “dem” throughout the poem?
- “dem”: he could be aiming to keep his linguistic heritage.
- “dem”: (not naming the people) showing how insignificant these people are to him. The people that aim to trap him from learning about his heritage.
How does Agard describe how “dem” cover up Agard’s identity?
- He describes how they “bandage up me eye” and “blind me to me own identity.”
- “bandage”/ “blind” - feels as though he is trapped from finding out his true identity.
- “Bandage” - illness (there’s something wrong with him for wanting to learn about his history!!)
What is the significance of MOST of the lines in poem rhyming? When do the lines rhyme? What significance does this hold?
- It creates a nursery- rhyme tone to the poem when Agard is speaking about what he learns at school.
- Shows how trivial his education is in his eyes (learning about white people’s folklore rather than true black history.)
- Also, shows how repetitive his education is/ how trivial it has become in his eyes.
Who is “Dick Whittington and he cat?”
- Characters in a folklore tale.
- Insignifanct figures> important black figures (in his education.)
Who was “Toussaint L’Ouverture?”
- He was the leader of a slave revolt that ended slavery in Hati.
How does Agard describe Toussaint L’Ouverture?
- “de Beacon”: he is the light to freedom/ a symbol of hope.
- “de thorn”: dangerous, strong against the French!
HONOURING THIS MAN’S LEGACY !!
What two MAIN parts is the poem split into?
- How Agard feels about his education/ what he learns.
- Agard celebrating the works of influential black individuals (he is appreciative of them/ wants readers to feel appreciative too!!)
Who were Maroons and who was Nanny Maroon?
- “Maroons” were Africans who escaped slavery in America: Nanny Maroon was their leader.
What trivial examples of euroscentric history are included by Agard?
- “man who discovered the balloon” - unimportant/ trivial.
- Nursery Rhymes/ folklore tales –> Dick Whittington.
- “cow” who jumped over the moon: The man is NOTHING/ animal in comparison to the accomplishments black people have achieved.
What type of imagery is used when describing Nanny Maroon?What is the significance of this imagery?
- Natural Imagery: to represent the freedom that she bought for many slaves/ the nature she had to pass through in order to free the slaves!!
Give examples of natural imagery used when describing Nanny Maroon.
- “mountain dream” - dreaming of freedom.
- “fire woman struggle”: burning desire to be free.
- “stream/ freedom- river”: free- flowing; represents her victory in escaping the shackles of slavery.
AGAIN, HONOURING HER LEGACY AND HER STRUGGLES!!
Who was Lord Nelson?
- Lord Nelson was an officer in The Royal Navy.
CONTEXT
What is relevance of Agard mentioning that he was taught about: “Colombus and 1492?”
- At school, Agard says, a teacher told him that West Indian history started in 1492 with Colombus and nothing prior.
- Blinding him to his own history.
Who was Mary Seacole?
- A Jamaican nurse (who helped in the Crimean war - Florence Nightingale helped in the Crimean war as well.)
How does Agard describe Mary Seacole?
- “a healing star”: metaphor –> beauty/ light imagery: she stuck out in the darkness of the war as symbol of hope!!
- “yellow sunrise” metaphor –> giving the dying hope/ joy/ comfort/ warmth.
AGAIN, HONOURING HE HEROIC WORK!!
What type of tones are used throughout the poem when Agard describes what:”dem want to tell me?”
- Angry tone.
- Mocking tone.
How does Agard feel at the end of the poem?
- He describes how he is: “carving out me own identity.”
- Metaphor.
- He is controlling his education of his own history / not allowing others to blind his from it any longer.
- Somewhat motivating others to do the same (look into their own identity.)
What examples of conflict are there in the poem?
- Conflict that the black influential figures had to go through.
- Conflict between the person blinding Agard to his identity and Agard himself.
- Conflict of finding his own identity: “never tell me.”
What examples of power are there in the poem?
- Powerful individuals.
- The person blinding Agard from his history had power over him: at the end, he has the power.
What is the significance of the influential black figures in the poem being both male/ female?
- White ones are mainly male!!
- Shows that black history is inclusive for everyone.
- Agard could be advocating for equality in that sense.
