Checking Out Me History

London
1. Inequality and Anger
  1. "mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe"
  2. "wonder through each chartered street, near where the chartered Thames does flow"
  3. "in every infants cry of fear ... the mind-forged manacles I hear"
  4. "chimney sweeper's cry"
    1. Regular structure and rhyme scheme, e.g. "chimney sweepers cry" and "hapless solders sigh"
      1. Reflects the repetitive nature of life for the Londoners and ilustrates how they are trapped in their situation
        Perhaps trying to order the chaos
  5. "hapless soldiers sigh runs in blood down palace walls"
  6. "bandage up me eye with me own history Blind me to me own identity"
    1. Metaphor illustrates the frustration of the poet at the injustice that he has experienced
  7. "Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me"
  8. "But now I checking out me own history I carving out me identity"
  9. Metaphor "mind-forged manacles"
    1. Shows the psychological effects of poverty and suffering
      1. Illustrates the feeling of loneliness and helplessness felt by the Londoners
The Emigree
1. Identity
  1. "my memory of it is sunlight clear"
  2. "bright, filled paperweight."
    1. Metephor
      1. Treasured memories
        Contained and cannot be altered
  3. "I am branded by an impression of sunlight"
    1. Juxtaposition of "branded" and "sunlight"
      1. illustrates he conflicting views about her country and how she is torn between her golden childhood memories and the war torn and broken place that she sees today
        Hints at the abuse of human rights and terrible goings-on in her former home
  4. "The white streets of that city, the graceful slopes glow even clearer as time rolls it's tanks"
    1. Has an idealistic view of her city and is determined not to let her view be altered by the terrible goings-on in her country
      1. Militaristic language is a subtle reminder of the war affecting the woman's former home
        Shows how she is constantly affected and troubled by the situation in her former country and it underlies her life in her new home
  5. The child's vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and spills a grammar".
  6. "Soon I shall have every coloured molecule of it."
  7. "It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I can't get it off my tongue. It tastes of sunlight."
    1. Language is part of her identity and connects her to her former home even after she has left
  8. "My city comes to me in it's own white plane."
    1. Her city remains part of her despite the fact that the law/border control ("I have no passport") prevent her from returning
      1. The unsentimemental and unemotional formalities of modern life do not stop her from feeling connected to her city
  9. "my shadow falls as evidence of sunlight"
    1. Metaphor
      1. Contrasting images of "shadow" and "sunlight" illustrate the change in the woman after leaving her home
        As she looses her home and language she feels to some extent like she is loosing her identity
        Misunderstood by society
        "They accuse me of being dark in their free city"
  10. "Dem tell me Wha dem want to tell me"
    1. Language is very important to the narrator
      1. He is determined to express himself and is proud of his culture even when it has been hidden from him by Europeans throughout history
  11. "Bandage up me eyes to me own history Blind me to me own identity"
    1. Metephor
      1. Shows the anger of the man and illustrates how he has been lied to and deceived
        Verb "bandage" is active and deliberate
        Highlights injustice
  12. "Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon but dem never tell me maroon"
    1. Shows that his history has been neglected and forgotten
      1. Insulting and frustrating that nursery rhymes were widely known but his history went untold
        Use of human reminds us that it is almost laughable that he was taught fictional and insignificant children's nursery rhymes but couldn't discover his own history
        Rhyme is used to emphasise this, but the rhyme scheme is broken in the verses about historical figures, and the tone becomes more serious and reflective
  13. "fire woman"
    1. Admiration for the heroic and influential figures in his history
      1. Powerful and emotive imagery
  14. "hopeful stream to freedom river"
    1. Sections about his history are in free verse
      1. More poignant and it breaks the conventional structure so forces readers to pay attention
        Reflective and respectful tone
  15. "a yellow sunrise to the dying"
    1. Full of beautiful natural imagery
  16. "I checking out me own history I carving out me identity"
    1. Metephor
      1. Empowering
        The verb "carving" is active and strenuous which shows we must actively seek out our past
        Ending the poem with the voice of the speaker shows how he feels empowered by this new-found sense of identity, and wants to stand up to the injustice he has discovered

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Checking Out Me History

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	Created by Megan Vernon over 7 years ago