Checking Out Me History Flashcards
What is the narrator talking about?
His identity and how it links to his knowledge of history
What was he taught a lot about and know barely nothing of?
He was taught about British history but doesn’t know much about the black roots.
What does he list and then question?
He lists famous figures from history and questions why he doesn’t know about people from other cultures who did great things
What does he talk about that he believes should be celebrated?
The men and women from diverse backgrounds who should be celebrated
At the end, what does he say he’s going to do?
Create his own identity based on his heritage
What form is this poem?
The narrator uses techniques from oral poetry that’s written to be recited out loud
What types of techniques?
Repitition, Strong rhythms and chanting
What importance does this show?
The importance of oral communication in creating a sense of culture
Why does he use a mixture of stanza forms?
It suggests that he wants to break out of confining language rules that hes be taught
What does it emphasis?
The diversity of different cultures
What is the structure of the poem?
The poem alternates between historical figures from back and white cultures.
What does this emphasis?
The differences between cultures
How are historical examples used?
The narrator refers to real people - he’s trying to pass their history onto us
How are metaphors of vision and blindness used?
The narrator says that his education kept his true heritage hidden from him.
Images of light are positive because they suggest an awareness of your own identity
How is phonetic language and dialect used?
The use of a creole dialect mixed with standard English suggest that they’re contrasting elements of his own background
