Checking out me history

• "Dem tell me Dem tell me"

  written phonetically to mimic his dialect and show he is proud of his culture. also shows his refusal to conform to British rules and society's expectations

  repetition reflects his anger and shows he wants to be heard and conveys his negative feelings towards those in power

  juxtaposition of "dem" and "me" symbolises the separation between black and white people. also "dem" is plural but "me" is singular suggesting he is outnumbered and feels a victim
• "bandage up me eye with me own history, blind me to me own identity"


  "Bandage" is used as a verb to show he is physically hurt by the way people are treating him. the metaphor conveys that he is forced to cover up his own identity as he should be ashamed

  hyperbolic metaphor "blind" shows they are physically oppressing him from the truth and his history is deliberately hidden from him
• cyclical structure symbolises an ongoing pattern that will keep repeating itself and Agrad feels trapped in the oppression
• poems to compare:

  My last duchess

  Kamikaze

  Tissue