Checking Out Me History

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CONTEXT
John Agard was born in Guyana (a Caribbean country in South America)
He moved to Britain in 1977
His poem often examines cultures and identities
Published in 2007

THE STORY OF THE POEM 
The narrator is talking about his identity and how it links to his knowledge of history
He was taught about British history but not his own Caribbean roots
He lists famous figures in history and questions why he doesn't know about people from other cultures which also did amazing things
He mentions men and women from diverse backgrounds who should be celebrated
At the end, he says he's going to create his own identity based on his heritage

KEY THEMES IN THE POEM 
Power of Humans
Anger
Identity 

FORM
There are a mixture of stanza forms suggesting he is breaking the confining language rules he has been taught
The Caribbean history stanzas have shorter lines and more broken syntax than the British history…

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