Checking Out Me History

• Context

  • Growing up in British Guyana, John Agard received a
  • British education.
  • Agard was born in 1949, and Guyana remained colonised until 1966 so his childhood was shaped by colonialism..
  • Checking Out Me History was published in 2005, which followed a period of many colonies gaining sovereignty such as Jamaica in 1962 and Antigua and Barbuda or Belsize in 1981.
  • After living in Britain for 30 years and seeing the flawed and oppressive education system, COMH was published in a collection named "Half-caste and other poems" which explored the issues of race and identity.
• "beacon of de Haitian Revolution" "fire-woman struggle" "a healing star" "a yellow sunrise".


  Agard employs a motif of light to idealise references to black history. These references all play on the literary trope of light as a source of guidance or hope, for instance, "star" quintessentially provides a source of direction, it also characterises someone with a divine quality. This could be emblematic of how these historical figures carved out a passage to freedom and illuminated a route out of colonialism. 
• Bandage up me eye with me own history/Blind me to me own identity


  This dichotomy and juxtaposition between vision and blindness is also explored through the metaphor "Bandage up me eye with my own history/ Blind me to my own identity" as it seems the oppressive education system is responsible for this blindness. Moreover, the verb "bandage" has connotations of a wound- it could imply that the British education system are attempting to 'heal' their colonies by providing them with a distorted view of history- this condemns the arrogance of colonisation.
• Toussaint

  a slave

  with Vision lick back

  Napoleon

  battalion 


  In contrast Agard details the story of “Toussaint L’Overture“, dedicating an entire stanza to it. It is punctuated with plosive “d” and “p” sounds which establish an immersive sense of excitement, rather than the previous dismissive and banal tone. "Toussaint L'Ouverture" led the Haitian slave revolution, making Haiti the first nation to be free of slavery. Thus, he is a symbol of hope and revolution, Agard intends to achieve emancipation with his work
• “1066 and all dat”


  • The colloquialism "1066 and all dat" is a reference to the Battle of Hastings- which is central to the syllabus of British education, it was a battle to the throne of England. The colloquial tone almost derides (ridicules) how important this moment of British history is perceived to be. The phrase "all dat" casts over the details of the event, perhaps suggesting that they are not worth acknowledging. Alternatively, it could depict Agard's struggle to remember this information as to him it is arbitrary as it is not relevant to his own culture and identity.
• But now I checking out me history, I carving out me identity


  The personal pronoun illustrates that he is taking personal charge over his identity, a power denied to him through the systematic exclusion of black history. This omission perptuated a cycle where his identity was constantly stifled. The colloquialism celebrates his regional dialect and a refusal to conform to the lexis of those that educated him- it is clear it is a deliberate act of defiance against literary norms for this poem
• Diatribe (Form)


  The form of Agard's diatribe (a verbal attack against someone or something) is chaotic and varied.
• Free Verse (Form)

  It is written in free verse with the periodic use of rhyming quatrains. Through this we see him undulating between European literary traditions and extended stanzas of free verse which allow him to praise the characters of black history. This could be a metaphorical act of breaking free from European convention as he abandons poetic tradition to give voice to the past that is oppressed by this very tradition (poetry with a meter is generally what is taught within the British education syllabus).
• Longer stanzas (Form)

  The extended, longer stanzas which discuss black history physically take up more space on the page, this may be an act of compensation- giving them the recognition that they were previously denied.
• Rhyming Quatrains (Form)

  The text discusses how the rhyming quatrains in the poem prioritize black history by placing references to it at the end of each stanza. This emphasizes the importance of black history in the reader's mind. The rhyme scheme also pairs together symbols of black and white history, challenging segregation. Additionally, the stanzas that speak of white history sound like nursery rhymes, suggesting that the teaching of history lacks complexity and is contrived.
• Enjambment (Structure)

  Enjambment is consistently used in the poem, with no punctuation employed. This could be seen as a rebellion against education systems and a lament for the lack of documentation of cultural history. The absence of punctuation also intensifies the emotions expressed. Additionally, the use of the connective "But" instead of punctuation merges black and white history and challenges literary segregation.
• Repetition (Structure)

  The repetition of "Dem tell me" by Agard criticizes the British colonial education system with a harsh accusatory phrase repeated throughout the poem. The use of the plosive 'd' sound conveys Agard's aggression and bitterness towards the system. The poem also celebrates Agard's regional dialect and refusal to conform to conventional language norms. The repetition in the poem may suggest a superficial education based on rote learning, where facts are memorized solely for exams without true understanding or significance.
• Similarities w/ Emigree - Themes 


  Both poets explore speakers that have a strong connection to their cultural identity. Both explore the importance of language as

  an aspect of identity, for Agard, this is clea through his regional dialect, "Dem tell me", whereas Rumens directly references a "child's vocabulary". Both have speakers that feel they are victims within their society, in The Emigrée this is through discrimination, whereas in COMH this is through a sheltered education.
• Differences with Emigree - Themes

  Rumens explores the physical detachment from the speaker's home country, she idealises her past city. Agard focuses more on specific cultural history, and his detachment from his own culture through education.
• Similarities w/ Emigree - Form

  Both incorporate free verse. Agard uses it at times to praise the stories of figures from African and Caribbean history. Rumens uses it to allow the speaker within her poem to tell her own story with a conversational tone.
• Differences with Emigree - Form

  COMH uses stanzas which vary in length from 2 to 12 lines, there is an overarching impression of chaos.

  Agard uses it to juxtapose poetic conventions i.e. rhyming quatrains (stanzas of 4 lines) with a more prosaic form to demonstrate the act of breaking free from European literary conventions.
• Similarities w/ Emigree - Structure

  Both use repetition, to give an oppressive tone. Rumens repeated the detached pronoun "they" to create a threatening tone when describing her new city. Agard repeats "dem tell me" to present the process of teaching history as aggressive and repressive.
• Similarities w/ Emigree - Structure

  Both use repetition, to give an oppressive tone. Rumens repeated the detached pronoun “they" to create a threatening tone when describing her new city. Agard repeats "dem tell me" to present the process of teaching history as aggressive and repressive.
• Differences w/ Emigree - Structure

  Agard uses the rhyme scheme to pair symbols of white and black history together, for example

  "spoon" and "maroon". To uphold a conversational tone, Rumens refrains from using rhyme, emotion takes precedence over poetic musicality.
• Differences with Emigree - Context

  Checking out me history is a diatribe towards education published after living in

  Britain for multiple decades, Agard

  identified the lack of cultural diversity within the education of history. He is writing from personal experience as he grew up in Guyana which was colonised until 1966. Rumens is not writing from first hand or personal experience; she likely drew inspiration from her time living in Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Differences w/ Emigree - Context

  Checking out me history is a diatribe towards education published after living in Britain for multiple decades, Agard

  identified the lack of cultural diversity within the education of history. He is writing from personal experience as he grew up in Guyana which was colonised until

  1966. Rumens is not writing from first hand or personal experience; she likely drew inspiration from her time living in Russia and Eastern Europe.
• Similarities w/ London - Themes

  Both are anti establishment (against institutions such as the education system, the government or the church). Both poems refute the oppressive power of high authorities within Britain, they interrogate the problem of cultural, social, and political oppression.
• Differences w/ London - Themes

  Agard looks specifically at racial identity. It is important to note that Agard offers a solution for his issue thus the poem shifts from a tone of anger to emancipation. Blake however does not, he views suffering as a perpetual cycle.
• Similarities w/ London - Form

  Both incorporate rhyming quatrains which provide a songlike quality to parts of their poem. For Blake, he uses the ballad form to make his words more memorable and have a greater impact. The rigid quatrains are also used as a metaphor for oppression and control. In Checking Out Me History, quatrains are used to advertise the act of conforming to literary tradition which Agard can then break free from in the use of free verse.
• Differences w/ London - Form

  Agard uses some sections of free verse to reject European poetic conventions and characterise the tales he shares as orally transmitted stories. Blake uses iambic tetrameter to give a regular rhythm to his poetry this enforces the memorable

  songlike quality of his diatribe.
• Similarities w/ London - Structure


  Both employ repetition, for Blake this is seen specifically within the use of anaphora. The repetition of "in every" creates an overwhelming impression of the suffering, the repetition is almost intentionally excessive to show the monotony of the cycle of misery that the people of London were trapped within. Agard uses repetition to establish a sense of aggression, it seems he is fighting back and waging war on education systems. This is coupled with the repetition of the plosive 'd' sound.
• Differences w/ London - Structure

  Blake employs a cyclical structure as both the first and last stanzas have the same focus- the impact of suffering. This is emblematic of the perpetual cycle of misery the people of London are trapped within, there is a tone of helplessness.

  Agard uses no punctuation to show both the intensity of his emotions and his refusal to conform to literary norms, Blake instead uses end stopped lines and caesura to depict how the suffering was contained and inescapable.