checking out me history - john agard

Question 1

Give a plot summary for Checking Out Me History.

Answer 1

checking out me history - john agard:

• the speaker explains what teachers have been teaching him as history
• they express an ignorance in their own identity (a Caribbean British man)
• he lists things that he has been taught (dates, nursery rhymes, folk tales)
• he lists things that he has not been taught (Toussaint L’Ouverture, Nanny de Maroon, Mary Seacole - all iconic Caribbean figures)
• he declares he is finding out his own identity for himself once and for all

Question 2

What inspired John Agard to write Checking Out Me History?

Answer 2

John Agard was born in the Caribbean, and he uses non-standard English with phonetic spelling to show his accent. He believed British schools taught white history much more than black history, and was angry about it. He intends to have an active audience - they question things that they wouldn’t have before.

Question 3

Give four key quotes in Checking Out Me History.

Answer 3

checking out me history - john agard:

• “dem tell me wha dem want to tell me”
• “blind me to me own identity”
• “and all dat”
• “I carving out me identity”

Question 4

Give three relevant points about structure or form in Checking Out Me History.

Answer 4

checking out me history - john agard:

• italics highlight Caribbean history
• rhyme used, but not frequently
• Caribbean parts are imagery rich, English is factual

Question 5

Give four key themes present in Checking Out Me History.

Answer 5

checking out me history - john agard:

• inner conflict
• power of humans
• control
• identity