No problem

Question 1

Who was Benjamin Zephaniah?

Answer 1

• Benjamin Zephaniah
  (born 1958) is a British writer and dub poet.
• He was born and raised in Birmingham, which he
  has called ‘The Jamaican capital of Europe.’
• His father was Barbadian, and his mother Jamaican.
• Zephaniah is dyslexic, and left an ‘approved school’

Question 2

How does this poem link to conflict?

Answer 2

• As it largely focuses on social and racial issues

Question 3

What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?

Answer 3

Racism:
- The poem is about the racist attitudes that are held by people in British society in which the speaker lives.
- It is demonstrated that many of these stereotypes and prejudices are so deeply ingrained in people’s minds that they do not even realise their racism.
- The speaker reveals how he longs to be recognised as an individual, not a skin colour.

Question 4

What are the two themes Thomas Hardy explores?

Answer 4

Divisions:
- The speaker presents a society that is divided, and in which there is animosity towards one another
from two opposing sides.
- By juxtaposing white and black language and ideas together throughout the entirety of the poem, the poet is able to highlight the gulf that people create between themselves and others in society.

Question 5

How is the poem structured?

Answer 5

• Each section of the poem is led by the refrain ‘I am not de problem?’ (or in the final case, ‘Black is not de problem’).
• The first stanza is largely jovial, mockingly referring to some of the stereotypical attitudes that he has
  had to contend with.
• The second stanza is slightly more serious, and reveals the key message about British society.

Question 6

What quote could you use to show this?

Answer 6

“Black is not de problem
Mother country get it right.”
- Being more specific with the point he’s trying to get across
- This is said at the last stanza as throughout the start of the poem “I am not de problem” has been repeated.
- “de” is an example of dialect language

Question 7

What is the form of the poem?

Answer 7

• The poem is a monologue read by a single character- it appears to be the voice of Zephaniah.
• There are only two stanzas, the refrain breaks the poem up into further sections.
• The poem generally employs
  A-B-C-B rhyme scheme, which is occasionally held by half-rhymes. - - The rhyme and line length creates a rhythm consistent with dub poetry.

Question 8

What quote could I use to show this?

Answer 8

“If you give I a chance…
…I can do more than dance
- this shows the rhyme scheme
(A-B-C-B)
- also refers to stereotypes

Question 9

Why is repetition and fillers used in the poem?

Answer 9

• The speaker repeats the opening phrase ‘I am not de problem’ at several points throughout the poem.
• This assertive declaration forces the reader to reflect on the
  prejudices that exist in society, in which minority groups may
  be identified as ‘the problem.’
• The speaker’s true message is
  revealed in the final utterance of the refrain, marginally
  altered to state ‘black is not de problem’ – highlighting how
  skin colour is not a fair indicator of a person’s character.

Question 10

Why does Hardy use colloquialism? What quotes show this?

Answer 10

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the poem is that Zephaniah utilises his own ‘voice’ – that of a black man of Jamaican heritage
raised in the UK.
- This includes features of his accent and rhythms of his speech patterns.
- One example is in replacing
‘the’ with ‘de.’ He also replaces the pronouns ‘they’ and ‘you’
with ‘dey’ and ‘yu’ – the heavier ‘d’ and ‘u’ sounds this creates
adds more emphasis to the beat. The inclusion of these
features helps to give the poem its power and authenticity.