The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our. Agard is playing with words in the same way you would do with musical notes. It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed, LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. Agard was born in the Carribean and moved to the Uk in the late 1970s- he uses non-standard phonetic spelling to represent his own spelling. and helps illuminate historical identity. "Checking Out Me History" was written by the British Guyanese poet John Agard and first published in 2005, in the collection Half-Caste. Get the entire guide to “Checking Out Me History” as a printable PDF. Instant downloads of all 1377 LitChart PDFs The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. communicates admiration of the figures in an unconventional way. Given more status that historic figures part of the speaker's history. Agard has succeeded in giving his heroes the recognition they deserve through his poem. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. They have an irregular rhyme scheme- indicating the necessity of a break from tradition. Enjambment- creates the effect of continuation. italicised section- celebration of historical characters. (read the full definition & explanation with examples), Read the full text of “Checking Out Me History”. In other words, the poem discusses how colonized people were forced to learned about British history—which had little to do with their actual lives—at the expense of their own history. — A critical perspective, full biography, and bibliography of Agard from the British Council. personal attempt by the speaker to allow their personal heroes to gain some recognition. Toussant Louverture- was a former slave who rose to become the leader of the only successful slave revolt in modern history that created an independent state, the Haitian Revolution. Which is what he provided for slaves. Based on the content of the poem, it is reasonable to think it is inspired by Agard’s African-Guyanese upbringing and his outlook on racial and colonial discriminations that made for common themes throughout his works. The poem focuses on the holes in the British colonial education system—particularly that system's omission of important figures from African, Caribbean, and indigenous history. Not only does the poem call attention to the oppressive nature of colonial education, but it also praises important figures who were left out—figures such as Touissaint L'Ouverture, the leader of the Haitian revolution. — Listen to the poem read by Agard himself. — Another reading of "Checking Out Me History," this time in a live setting. Shows national pride- their own identity is tied up in a history full of brilliant historic figures. Metaphors- 'carving out me identity' - something that takes work and should be carefully crafted. Juxtaposition- fiction vs real- reflects the inconsistencies in taught histories. 7Dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat, 22Dem tell me bout de man who discover de balloon, 24Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon, 25But dem never tell me bout Nanny de Maroon, 32Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo, 33But dem never tell me bout Shaka de great Zulu, 35But what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too, 36Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp, 38Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul, 39But dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole. Shows us that history can become a personal thing. Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. Juxtaposition between the real and fictional- discrepancies of the education system. Represents the importance of the speaker embracing their identity, repetition of dem- division between us and 'dem' European educators, Not italicised- speaker's experience with education. Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents. "Checking Out Me History" was written by the British Guyanese poet John Agard and first published in 2005, in the collection Half-Caste. ‘Checking Out Me History’ is filled with intentionally misspelled words which, when pronounced as they are spelled, force the reader to almost take on the accent of the true speaker. The poem focuses on the holes in the British colonial education system—particularly that system's omission of important figures from African, Caribbean, and indigenous history. teachings are flawed because real stories are replaced by fictional stories. — The author Daljit Nagra analyzes "Checking Out Me History" as well as other poems by Agard. Mary Seacole- a star symbolising guidance and hope. Another subtle attack on the education system. Also suggests that the journeys of these heroes should not stop and it hsould be continued through the teaching of their successes. Lack of punctuation- suggest that hsitory should be a continuation of stories with key historic figures. (including. Reinforces exciting deeds and evokes a sense of pride. Therefore the text becomes like a musical score. — The author Daljit Nagra analyzes "Checking Out Me History" as well as other poems by Agard. Nanny of the Maroons- the leader of a group of ex-slaves who fled slavery to create their own communities, Shaka- leader of Zulu who defeated the British along with his tribe, Mary Seacole- British-Jamaican woman who served as a nurse during the Crimean war. You don't know who you are if you don't know your own history. Struggling with distance learning? 'Sunrise' beautiful offers this as comfort for the dying. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Current system blinds people, children stories are given presedence- highlights the extent of cultural ignorance. The poem suggests the colonial syllabus deliberately blinded colonized people to their own histories, and argues that only by re-learning their history can these people can fully understand and embrace their identities. Teachers and parents! Touissant de thorn- a thorn is a problem Touissant de beacon- becaons of light and hope. the poem explains how only British history and culture has been taught, so the speaker is 'checking out' Caribbean history for himself there is a clear sense that the speaker's history and identity have been deliberately withheld from him, presented through the metaphors in the second stanza agard describes the … The Poem in Performance The Poem Out Loud Non standard english- read in a carribean accent. Checking Out Me History Summary & Analysis. — Another reading of "Checking Out Me History," this time in a live setting.

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