Half-caste

Question 1

Overall message

Answer 1

Satirically mocks and undermines the term half-caste. The persona is talking to an imagines Kissinger who has called him half-caste

Question 2

Context

Answer 2

-half caste means duel heritage
-caste system, can’t marry out it it
-John Agard in 1996
Portuguese mother an Jamaican father making him duel heritage
-moved to england in the 1970’s and was angered by how people used the term half caste to describe him

Question 3

Metaphor

Answer 3

‘Half a hand’ - since he’s only half a person he can’t offer him the full hand

Question 4

Mocking

Answer 4

‘Wid de keen half of min ear’ - persona mocks the person he is speaking to by suggesting that calling him half caste means he’s only half a person and can only do half things

‘An mix a black keg wid a white key is a half- caste symphony’ - it’s not, it’s music suggesting that they persona is mocking the way they have called him half- caste saying it’s silly

Question 5

Repetition

Answer 5

‘Explain yuself ‘- the persona isn’t allowing the person they are talking to to answer

Question 6

No question mark

Answer 6

‘Wha yu mean’ - it isn’t a question and the poem is like an angry rant

Question 7

Voice

Answer 7

The voice of Agard himself- makes the poem more personal

Question 8

Rhythm and meter

Answer 8

Irregular- to represent natural speech

Question 9

Pride

Answer 9

‘You mean when Picasso mix red an green’ - proud because when Picasso did that he created art