Checking Out Me History

• Voice for the oppressed throughout society and history
• Written in free verse
• Phonetic Caribbean language
• John Agard was born in Guyana when it was part of the British Empire.
• Dialect is pidgin and creole english. The personal dialect links to his own experiences and identity.
• "De cow who jump over the moon" nursery rhyme references.
• "Dem tell me," emphasises separateness of the British education system from himself. Repetition of "dem and "me" creates a sense of "them" vs "us"
• "Bandage up me eye" ironic, bandages should heal yet here they've caused him to be "blind to me own identity." Metaphor
• European history mixed with nursery rhymes devalues historical information and highlights ridiculous nature. Eurocentric.
• Succession of short lines when talking about specific history slows the pace, creating almost a powerful chant.
• "I carving out me identity"