Poems from other cultures - Half-Caste - John Agard

Notes from my GCSE class on this poem

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Content

  • Objection to the term 'Half-Caste'
  • Objects to the use of 'half' because half of something is not as good as a full item. 'Half-Caste' implies that people of mixed race are inferior
  • Treats topic with some humour, however the underlying anger is never far from the surface.
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Setting

  • English - speaking societies
  • Society in general
  • English societies
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Themes

  • Cultural identity
  • The problem of applying a term to a group of people as it can cause offence
  • Racial prejudice
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Style

  • Sarcastic
  • Monologue
  • First person
  • Creole dialect
  • Humorous images
  • Metaphoric phrases
  • Repetition
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Quotes

  • L48 - 'wid de whole of yu eye'
  • Ls 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 30 - 'half-caste'
  • Ls 4-5, 10-11,22-23, 31-32 - 'explain yuself wha yu mean'
  • Ls41-53 - 'an I will tellyu de other half of my story'
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Links

  • Anger at discrimination and racial prejudice in society: Unrelated incidents, Not my business
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