Checking Out Me History

• Key Message:

  The significance of a person’s culture. Also, how limiting the British education system can be.
• Context:

  Agard was born in the Caribbean but moved to Britain as an adult. His poetry is often about culture and identity
• "Bandage up me eye with me own history. Blind me to me own identity"
• "Dem tell me bout old Kind Cole was a merry ole soul but dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole"
• "But now I checking out me own history I carving out me identity"
• When describing British history a repetitive, simplistic "ABAB" rhyme scheme is used to display the restrictions of colonial Britain, furthermore the use of Creole also displays how Agard is no longer bound by the his restrictive Euro-centric institution; has embraced his identity.
• "Bandaged (...) Eyes" May infer


  Has connotations of blindness and shows his perception has been distorted by colonial rule
• "Bandages" however are not permanent and have connotations of:


  Recovery; showing the arrogance of the British will soon improve