Checking out Me History Flashcards
” Dem tell me
Dem tell me “
- Grammatically incorrect, teach himself his own history + reject British grammar
- Use of repetition here creates an accusatory tone, showing the speakers anger
” Bandage up me eye with me own history “
Injury - like connotations = imply speaker feels that he has been hurt by his sheltered upbringing
- Bilabial plosive = angry tone
- Reclaim his identity and history
” Toussaint “
- The italics used here highlight the two accounts of history being distinctly separate
- EU history rewritten by bias perspective
” 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
- Fairy tails and nursey rhymes as well as semantic field of childhood mirrors others sensitising his history and he used grammatically informal language just like how people rejected his history
Context
- The speaker recounts all the historical figures that he was taught as a child , he then lists all the figures from black history who were not mentioned. He resolves to discover more about his own heritage
The poem criticizes the British colonial education system for its omission of important figures from African, Caribbean, and indigenous history. The poem suggests that education is a process where people are passively bombarded with information by those in power
Agard was born in Guyana and received a British education due to the country being colonised
up until 1966. He was therefore given a eurocentric view of history whilst being denied his own
cultural identity.
Guyana was originally a Dutch colony, part of the Dutch West Indies Company, during this
time, Africans were sold as slaves to America and the Caribbean. Agard’s formative years
were lived under British rule, however, eventually he saw his country become independent and
realised how much of his identity he was deprived of.
numerous references throughout the poem:
● Toussaint L’Ouverture led the revolution by black slaves against the French colony of
Haiti and led to their freedom. Haiti became the first nation to free itself from slavery.
L’Ouverture is a symbol of rebellion and resistance and could be interpreted to be an
inspiration to Agard to resist the oppression he is subjected to
Shaka de great Zulu was one of the most influential military leaders of the Zulu
kingdom in South Africa
Form and 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.
Each stanza begins with “dem tell me” which shows how colonial control has dominated his
life in the same way it dominates the poem. The repetition could also be interpreted to allude
to Agard’s emphatic desire to have his message heard.
Rhyme
The ending
The volta “but now” marks a turning point in the poem as the
speaker switches from referring to “Dem” to “I”. This shows him
taking ownership of his own identity and making the poem about
himself rather than them.
This final stanza also contrasts with the introduction. The phrase “I carving out me identity”
contrasts with “Blind me to me own identity”. This shows how the poem shows the
speaker’s journey to resolution
” A healing star - a yellow sunrise “
- mary seacole glorified like an angel
- METAPHOR - highlights the positive impact of black historical figures who were excluded from the curriculum.
*This newfound piece of history is set apart from the rest of the poem by being in ITALICS AND INDENTED, but the tone in which it is told is also reflects its value to the speaker.
*Unlike the British history which is told in an almost mocking way due to the simple CHILD LIKE RHYME SCHEME,
The verses of the black historical figures are written in FREE VERSE reflecting how no one controls these people- they are free spirited.
*NOUN ‘star’ connotes wisdom and guidance and light amongst darkness reflecting the value and importance of the figure to Agard as she is part of culture and heritage.
ALTERNATIVELY, human can see stars shining after they have died due to the time it takes for the light to travel to earth - which could reveal how Agard sees the legacy of these historical figures continuing even after death.
*LIGHT IMAGERY of ‘sunrise’ suggests new hope, reflecting Sea Cole as a hope to the wounded in the Crimean WAR.
‘I carving out me identity’
*METAPHOR- for the painful struggle of Agard reclaiming his identity
*Poet’s use of FREE VERSE AND CREOLE could reflect the poets rejection of such rules despite being withheld from his identity
*VERB ‘carving’ connotes something that requires struggle and effort thus highlighting his determination to find his identity that has ultimately been stolen from him.
*The verb COULD also be a possible link to Agard’s heritage since slaves were often known to make wood carvings and therefore Agard uses imagery associated with his history to emphasize how he is reshaping his own identity.
EXTRA
lots of enjambment
a healing star -
among the wounded
can be seen as a monologue
