Checking Out Me History Flashcards
Motif of light
“De Beacon to de Haitian revolution” -toussaint L’ ouverture
“Fire woman” - Nanny de Maroon
“ a healing star” and “a yellow sunrise”
In stanzas regarding black history Agard refers to light imagery to infer that the speaker associates these figures with light due to their emotional significance to him. It also shows that they are a source of guidance to him and therefore it is important that they teach them to children
“Blind me to my own identity”
Emphasises the deliberate nature of abuse inflicted by colonial rule and also implies that his education has changed the way in which he views the world
“I carving out me identity”
The active verb used (“carving”) creates the impression that this is an ongoing process. It also has connotations of being a painfully long process implying that he feels pain after not having his identity for so long. Carving also has connotations of wood inferring that the speaker no longer has the neural plasticity of a child so changing his worldview is long and difficult process
“Dem” “de” “bout”
The non standard phonetic spelling shows how the speaker is resisting the traditions imposed by colonial rule. The use of Phonetic Spelling also emphasises that the poem is a form of oral poetry.
Punctuation
Punctuation can be interpreted to be a set of rules to restrict communication so Agard’s refusal to include it shows his intentions 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 in different ways.
