Context

• The power of humans is confing. Link this to context.

  In Checking Out Me History, the idea that the power of humans is confining is linked to the historical control over education and knowledge. John Agard grew up learning a narrow, Eurocentric history that ignored Black heroes, showing how those in power decide what information is allowed. This control confines people’s understanding of their own identity and heritage, limiting how they see themselves and the world. Agard’s poem challenges this restriction by demanding a fuller, more inclusive history.
• Agard will reclaim his identity. Link this to context.

  Agard wrote Checking Out Me History to respond to the limited history he was taught growing up, which focused on white European figures and ignored Black cultural heroes. Because of this, Agard felt disconnected from his own identity. The poem reflects his journey to reclaim that identity by learning and celebrating the stories of Black leaders and heroes. This reflects a wider movement to challenge dominant histories and give voice to those previously silenced.
• Agard is angered by the limited black history taught in school. Link this to context.

  Agard wrote Checking Out Me History because he was frustrated and angry that the history taught in British schools ignored important Black figures and focused mostly on white Europeans. This limited education made him feel that his own culture and identity were being erased or overlooked. His anger in the poem reflects a wider criticism of how history has been controlled by those in power to exclude certain voices and stories.