What is the message of the poem half caste?
This is a poem about asserting your identity against others who would ‘bring you down’. John Agard was born in Guyana in 1949, with a Caribbean father and a Portuguese mother (he is of mixed race). In 1977, he moved to Britain, where he became angry with people who referred to him as ‘half-caste’.
What is the tone of the poem half caste?
The speaker is discussing the term “half-caste” which is attributed to him as a result of his mixed race heritage. The comparisons he makes highlight the ridiculousness of the term’s usage. The overall tone of the poem is sarcastic and biting, arguably as the result of years of criticism.
What is the structure of half caste?
Structure and Form ‘Half-Caste’ by John Agard is composed of four stanzas of varying length, although there does seem to be some symmetry with these stanzas, as the first and last stanza contain only three lines, and the second and third stanzas are both fairly long.
What is the context of exposure?
Context. This poem was written during World War I. It depicts the horrific conditions of war. Owen wanted to show the reality of war in contrast to the propaganda that was being feed to the British nation at home.
What is the message of search for my tongue?
The poem is about personal and cultural identity and contains some Gujarati script. The poem is about how although the poet has moved to another country and no longer needs her original language, she still reminisces about it and worries that she may lose her “mother tongue”.
Why does Agard use non standard English?
Why do you think Agard mixes dialect form with Standard English in this poem? By using this technique he emphasises the theme of his poem – that of being ‘Half-Caste’ – the half dialect, half Standard English emphasises this. It also gives a sense of the dual ‘voice’ that the poet possesses.
What is unusual about the dialect of Checking Out Me History?
The speaker uses a strong dialect typical of the region, and repeatedly implies that figures from Caribbean and African history are part of the speaker’s own history. As such, the speaker is likely someone of African or indigenous heritage currently living under British colonial rule.
What is another word for half-caste?
An alternate, less common term, for half-caste was Mestizzo (conceptually similar to Mestizo in Latin American colonies). Griqua (Afrikaans: Griekwa) is another term for half-caste people from intermixing in South Africa and Namibia.
Why is assonance used in Exposure?
The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow… A clear example of assonance can be found in the third stanza where the sound of a long ‘o’ in the words ‘soak’, ‘know’ and ‘grow’ emphasises the slow tedious wait for something to occur. This same long ‘o’ sound occurs again in the sixth stanza.
What are the key themes of the poem Exposure?
War: Owen once declared of all his writing that: ‘My theme is war and the pity of war’. In this poem he looks at a particular aspect of how death claimed the lives of so many soldiers. The soldiers seem to have little idea of where they are, what they are fighting for and for how long it will be.
Why do you think the speaker compares her mother tongue to a blossoming plant?
After this stanza, the speaker asserts that her mother tongue “grows back.” Through an extended metaphor, she envisions this language growing like a flowering plant that finally “blossoms out of [her] mouth.” Implicitly, the poem suggests that just as the speaker can still remember and speak in her native language.
What are the metaphors used in Kamala Das’s poem words?
He uses the Metaphor ‘Poison Tree’ to explain the consequences as well as the solution of the problem. His works are peculiar indeed. Kamala Das, a writer of bold moves and guiltless outrage.
How are Agard’s feelings presented in the poem Checking Out Me History ‘?
An angry tone is created through the frustrated repetition of “dem tell me”, implying that the speaker feels that no one is listening to him. Agard simultaneously creates a childish tonethrough the use of a simple rhyme schemewith simple rhyming couplets.
What does Mr Oxford don mean?
The characters in the poem include the speaker, who is a Caribbean immigrant, and Mr Oxford don, an imaginary English professor from Oxford University. Mr Oxford don represents educated English people who see immigrants in a negative light.
How does the poet use repetition to help him convey his message in the poem Checking Out Me History?
The speaker repeats the opening line of the poem, lamenting how the British only taught colonized students what they wanted to teach them. Now, however, the speaker is learning the history of the speaker’s own people, and by doing so the speaker is creating an identity.
What technique is a yellow sunrise?
The use of phonetic spelling shows he is rejecting Standard English and finding his linguistic identity. ‘a beacon’, ‘a yellow sunrise’анаpositive metaphors of light are used to describe the people from black history.
What is a half-caste child?
half-caste – `the offspring of an aboriginal mother and other than an aboriginal father’.