X Flashcards
(7 cards)
Perspective: High school history teacher
Timeframe: Before the war / slavery period
Pronoun “they”:
- Generalises enslaved people
- Creates distance
- Suggests teacher is white, possibly biased
Declarative sentence:
- Presents biased view as factual/truth
“Clothed, fed”:
- Common justification for slavery
- Ignores moral/ethical issues
‘before the war, they were happy’
Southern History (PT III)
“No one” (enjambment): Emphasises class silence, no challenge to teacher
“Not even me”: Highlights her silence, ironic independence
Education critique: Teacher = authority, students accept bias
“Words blur”: Shock, fear, emotional impact
Power imbalance: Young, mixed-race girl vs white male teacher
Silenced Black voices: History told through white lens
Adult reflection: Regret, identity, grief
‘No one / raised a hand, disagreed. Not even me.’
Southern History (PT III)
“Big as life”: Slave is real, human – proof he existed
“Grinning”: Misleading image – masks slavery’s brutality
Textbook: Institutionalises lie – more than teacher’s view
“Lie”: She realises the truth is being hidden
“Guarded”: Prison imagery – teacher guards the shameful truth
Power dynamic: Teacher = guard, truth/her = prisoner
“So did I”: She also protects the lie – internalised, brainwashed
‘our textbooks grinning proof - a lie my teacher guarded’
Southern History (PT III)
Concept of history: Told through white, male perspective
Truth vs bias: She questions what counts as historical truth
Teacher’s view: History = fact
Her view: History can be biased, incomplete, or false
‘History […] a true account’ (SUMMARY)
Southern History (PT III)
OVERALL
Context: Poem reflects a high school history lesson
Teacher’s claim: Slaves were happy – false, harmful narrative
Her perspective: Mixed-race child – personal, emotional impact
Southern History (PT III)
STRUCTURE
Free verse
Two line stanzas
Southern History (PT III)
THEMES
Her identity, injustice, American South, Civil war
Southern History (PT III)
