Check Out Me Histiry

Question 1

Structure

Answer 1

• italics stanzas ( highlights information he fells he should be told), poet is trying to educate you, by giving information (sings in Italics!
• repetition
• 2 parts of the poem, bigger part = black people’s history[to educate people], lesser = white people’s history
  (= knows more about white people’s history than about black people’s history,[ lines length is long = white history, short = black history], because his educationalists were talking only snout white people’s history)
• no punctuation, because he wants to let know that he will not follow English rules, so he goes against.

Purpose: to show that he will do by his way

Question 2

What is the mnemonic for this poem?

Answer 2

BDBF

Question 3

“But ___ _ ________ __ ____ ________ _ _________ ___ __ _________”

Answer 3

“But now I checking me own history I carving out me identity”

Question 4

What is the message?

Answer 4

Teach global history, not only Eurocentric view

Question 5

Tones

Answer 5

• Accusatory
• celebratory (contrasts with nursery rhyme )

Question 6

“But ___ _ ________ __ ____ ________ _ _________ ___ __ _________”, method

Answer 6

“But now I checking me own history I carving out me identity”

• shift
• takes a responsibility, working out who he is

Question 7

“Dem ___ __ ____ __ _____ ___ ____ ____ __ _______ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ ____ _____ __ ______”

Answer 7

“Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon”

Question 8

“Dem ___ __ ____ __ _____ ___ ____ ____ __ _______ ___ ___ _____ ___ __ ____ _____ __ ______”, method

Answer 8

“Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon”

• nursery rhyme, counterpoint with celebration of historical figures
• written in italics!!! Poet sings it, doesn’t understand why in his history book he learned useless things, and he is angry that he didn’t learn something important ( black people’s history)
• dialect
• creole element, demonstrating pride of linguistic heritage ( pronunciation)
• phonetic spelling
• “Dem” = government and education system

Question 9

“Bandage __ __ ___ ____ __ ___ _______”

Answer 9

“Bandage up me eye with me own history”

Question 10

“Bandage __ __ ___ ____ __ __ ______”, method

Answer 10

“Bandage up me eye with me own history “

• imagery
• imperative verb

Question 11

“French ________ __ ______”

Answer 11

“French Toussaint de beacon”

Question 12

“French ________ __ ______”, method

Answer 12

“French Toussaint de beacon”

• imagery ?
• really stood out
• “beacon” = light, shows right way

Question 13

Who wrote the poem?

Answer 13

John Agard

Question 14

BDBF

Answer 14

B = “But now I checking me own histiry I carving out me identity”
D = “Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon”
B = “Bandage up me eye with me own history”
F = “French Toussaint de beacon”