Comparrason Flashcards
similarites
Critique of Power:
Both poems express anger and frustration towards the misuse of power by those in authority.
Social Injustice:
Both poems highlight the suffering and unfairness faced by those who are less powerful or wealthy.
Identity and Oppression:
Both poems explore the impact of oppressive systems on individual identity and the struggle for recognition.
Use of Language:
Both poems use strong, direct language to convey their message and create a sense of urgency.
Differences:
differences
Agard presenting a path towards reclaiming identity while Blake depicts a cyclical suffering.
Perspective on Change:
Agard’s poem offers a solution, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming one’s history and identity, while Blake’s poem portrays a cyclical pattern of suffering with no clear path towards change.
Focus of the Poems:
“London” focuses on the immediate suffering and injustice within the city, while “Checking Out Me History” focuses on the broader historical context of colonialism and the erasure of marginalized histories.
Structure and Tone:
“London” has a cyclical structure, with the suffering at the beginning and end of the poem, emphasizing the repetitive nature of injustice. “Checking Out Me History” has a more forward-moving structure, with the narrator actively reclaiming their identity.
Solutions:
Agard’s poem ends with the narrator “carving me own identity,” suggesting a path towards self-determination, while Blake’s poem ends with the same sense of suffering as the beginning, suggesting that injustice is inescapable.
Agard’s poem is written in the context of post-colonial identity, while Blake’s poem is written in the context of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism.
