Checking Out Me History`

Question 1

Quote 1 “Dem tell me what dem want to tell me”

Answer 1

“Dem” pronoun emphasises racial gap and is accusatory as he feels oppressed by their control and capital plosive creates aggression
grew up in Guyana and he criticises the Eurocentric systems
imperative verb “tell” has negative connotations
anaphoric repetition uses patois to rebel and links to themes of race and identity

Question 2

Quote 2 “Blind me to me own identity”

Answer 2

metaphor shows how he feels blinded to his own identity and struggles to find himself with plosives, hinting to racial injustice/slavery
first person narrative shows he wants to give people like him a voice
“own” weaponizes his own identity and tries to heal colonialism by using bandages to hide part of himself

Question 3

Quote 3 “I carving out me identity”

Answer 3

implies difficulty and he struggles to find his identity
links to when he writes about black history and he uses a different structure and font in free verse to present his pride and raise awareness of black historical figures