Checking out Me History Flashcards
Who wrote it?
John Agard
What happens in the poem
The narrator explains how he was taught lots about British history, but little about his own Caribbean roots
He lists iconic Caribbean historical figures who he feels should be celebrated
He ends by declaring that he will find out about his own history himself
What are the 2 different structures the poem alternates between?
The British version of history is written in rhyming couplets, making them sound jaunty and infantile
The Caribbean figures are referenced in much longer, extensive stanzas
What do the Caribbean history stanzas contain?
Shorter lines and a broken syntax
What does the mixture of stanza forms reflect?
Suggests that he is breaking the language rules that have been imposed on him
What 4 oral poetry examples are used?
Repetition
Strong rhythms
Phonetic spelling
Chanting
What quote starts with, “Dem…”?
“Dem tell me / Wha dem want to tell me”
What quote starts with, “Bandage…”?
“Bandage up me eye with me own history”
What quote starts with, “Blind”?
“Blind me to my own identity”
What quote starts with, “L’Ouverture…”?
“L’Ouverture / no dem never tell me bout dat”
What quote starts with, “Dem tell me bout…”?
“Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with the spoon”
What quote starts with, “Dem never did…”?
“Dem never did tell me bout Nanny de maroon”
What quote starts with, “Dem tell me bout Lord…”?
“Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo”
What quote starts with, “Dem never tell…”?
“Dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole”
What quote starts with, “But now…”?
“But now I checking out me own history”
What 3 poems can you compare it to?
London
Tissues
Ozymandias
How is anger used?
It is implied that England is a colonial superpower, unceremoniously imposing its own history on the narrator, and disregarding his own cultural heritage
How is identity used?
Agard presents history as the key to understanding our identity.
What 2 metaphors are there in the poem?
The blinded and bandaged metaphors suggest the speaker’s history has been deliberately withheld
