Checking Out Me History John Agard John Agard

Checking Out Me History John Agard

John Agard was born in British Guiana (now called Guyana) in the Caribbean, in 1949. • He moved to the UK in the late 1970 s where he began educating people about Caribbean culture. He has been writing poetry since the age of 16 and is as well-known for his powerful and entertaining performances of his work as for the work itself. • He often uses his own Caribbean style of speaking in his poems to give full expression to the voice of his homeland.

Listen

What is the poem about? Think about my heritage and the notion of history as being subjective.

• Checking Out Me History Juxtaposition of ‘dem’ and ‘me’ creates a tension – them and us – emphasises that British education system does not value other cultures History can be used as control/brain washing Think! Who are ‘dem? ’ Dem tell me Wha dem want to tell me Bandage up me eye with me own history Blind me to my own identity Irony – bandages should help healing but here they cause blindness or simply a temporary fix, can’t blind him forever? Deliberate attempt to hide history Metaphor of taking away his sight connotes the idea that he is prevented from ‘seeing’ and appreciating his own cultural identity Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat But Touissant L'Ouverture Two negatives no dem never tell me bout dat create a sense of anger at being ‘fed’ a biased version of history Dismisses British history – assumes the reader knows it – emphasises the injustice Trivialising British history by comparing it to simplistic pantomime

François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. His military genius transformed an entire society of slaves into the first successful slave uprising that led to the independent state of Haiti. The success of the Haitian Revolution shook the institution of slavery throughout the New World. Short lines – slow pace – suggesting he is recalling from memory Repetition emphasises importance to poet of his culture – almost like a chant Toussaint a slave with vision lick back Napoleon Battalion and first Black Republic born Toussaint de thorn to de French Toussaint de beacon of de Haitian Revolution Dem tell me bout de man who discover de balloon and de cow who jump over de moon Dem tell me bout de dish run away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon This is what the poet thinks is important use of negative emphasises his negative views Imagery of vision light Imageryand of vision these and –light – these contrast with the blindness of his the blindness formal English of his formal education English education Trivialising British culture/history – here we have BATHOS; a descent from the important to the ridiculous – shows contempt

Queen Nanny or Nanny, Jamaican National Hero, was a well-known, 18 th-century leader of the Jamaican Maroons. Nanny was a leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18 th century. An outstanding military leader who became, in her lifetime and after, a symbol of unity and strength for her people during times of crisis; she was particularly important to them in the fierce fight with the British, during the First Maroon War from 1720 to 1739. Here we have even more sight imagery – linked to understanding and wisdom Nanny See-far woman of mountain dream fire-woman struggle hopeful stream to freedom river Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo but dem never tell me bout Shaka de great Zulu Dem tell me bout Columbus and 1492 but what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too Caribs and Arawaks – West Indian tribes that resisted Western control and were virtually wiped out. Natural imagery connects her with nature and spirituality – she is also associated with hope and liberty. Columbus was a coloniser and he is compared with the Carabs and Arawaks who resisted slavery – a reminder that there are multiple versions of history.

New Terminology! • BATHOS - an effect of anticlimax created by a lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous. • VISIT http: //literarydevices. net/ for more advanced terminology

Mary Jane Seacole was a Jamaican-born woman of Scottish and African descent who set up a "British Hotel" behind the lines during the Crimean War, and provided care for wounded servicemen on the battlefield. She was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1991. In 2004 she was voted the greatest black Briton. Trivialising British culture/history – here Florence Nightingale’s achievements are minimised by using bathos again Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp and how Robin Hood used to camp Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul but dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole From Jamaica she travel far to the Crimean War she volunteer to go and even when de British said no she still brave the Russian snow a healing star among the wounded a yellow sunrise to the dying Admiration of her bravery Metaphors are very are Metaphors positive – very positive – healing as opposed to to opposed creatingsuffering creating suffering T he Crimean War took place between October 1853 and February 1856. The war was between Russia on one side and Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other.

Structural feature – repetition of first stanza Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me But now I checking out me own history I carving out me identity Carving metaphor creates the image of permanence and validity – like carving your name into a tree Last 2 lines are a very emphatic rejection of the education system – ‘identity, ’ as the final word sums up the most important theme of the whole poem.

Form & Structure • Variety of stanza forms – suggest a break from convention – links with theme of rejecting traditional forms and rules he has been taught • The Carribbean history lines are shorter and italicised, providing emphasis to the importance of the poets culture and history • The British history lines have simple, childish rhymes and talk about nursery rhymes – the poet trivialises them • Alternates between British and Carribbean history – British history is skipped over quickly with no detail

The Oral Tradition The poet uses many devices from the oral tradition: • • • Repetition Colloquial, dialectical language Caribbean phonetic spelling Strong rhythms Chanting