Half-Caste Flashcards
1
Q
I half-caste human being / cast half-a-shadow
A
- metaphor - half a person
- playful imagery- ridicules the term
- no punctuation - increased pace, rant like
- unreal imagery - stupidity of the word
2
Q
Half
A
- extended metaphor through out the poem for being inferior or less of a person somehow
3
Q
Half-a-dream
A
- reduced opportunities
- inferiority
- can’t achieve what he wants to
4
Q
‘Excuse me / standing on one leg’
A
-insincere apology - begin the sarcastic and mocking tone of the whole poem
- off balance - not secure in his identity or how others perceive him as insecure
5
Q
Caribbean Dialect and Phonetic Spelling
A
Creates authentic voice for the speaker highlighting the Caribbean aspect of his heritage
6
Q
Wha yu mean
A
- refrain - used to emphasise the way in which the speaker is directly confronting and challenging the presumptions made by society
- questioning what they mean when they use this word
7
Q
‘England weather nearly always half-caste’
A
- Criticises the hypocrisy as people are using a word that is degrading towards people of mixed heritage when British weather is often based on the mixing of two types of weather
8
Q
‘Half-caste symphony’
‘Half-caste canvas’
A
- Auditory and Visual imagery used to show the beauty of being part of two cultures
- Criticising societies use of the word with negative connotations when in fact lots that society considers beautiful is comprised of mixing two different things.
9
Q
‘Keen half of mih ear’
‘Keen half of mih eye’
A
- humour - implies that the word ‘half-caste’ creates the idea that their mixed heritage has led to him having a split personality
- repetition and rhythm - light-hearted tone
10
Q
‘Yu come back tomorrow […] wid de whole of yu mind’
A
- implies the reader currently doesn’t have a whole mind which insinuates that for using this term and suggesting that those with mixed heritage are inferior they are not using the whole of their mind as it is obviously an outrageous idea that they are ‘half a person’
11
Q
Three line first and last stanza
A
Creates a cyclical structure
