He moved to the uk in the late 1970s and began his involvement in educating adults and children about the caribbean. Ideas in the poem are reflected in the poets use of enjambment. In this video, mr bruff teaches you all about the john agard poem checking out me history. His portugese mother is white and his father is black. Each of these poems focuses on a flashback scene that the exsoldier has struggled to forget. In this poem, he wants to see all history in order to pick out what is meaningful to him, not be given a whitewashed version of it. He uses nonstandard phonetic spelling to represent his accent and mixes. A performance of the poem, checking out me history,by the poet john agard, in a secondary school setting.
Topics covered include language, structure, form, context and a summary of the poem. Checking out me history aqa poetry conflict cluster. This poem follows the journey of a light brigade of some 600 british soldiers as they charge headfirst into the cannons and gunfire of a muchlarger russian army. Discuss the presentation of anger in checking out me history and one other poem from power and conflict. Checking out me history teaching resource for ks4 lessons and. Checking out me history was written by the british guyanese poet john. Checking out me history john agard posted on 18122014 by robert johnson i have long been a fan of john agards poetry somewhere i have my own half caste poem done from a yorkshiremans point of view. He was born in guyana when it was still british guiana in 1949. Ideas and feelings in checking out me history miss. Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me but now i checking out me own history. Why has agard not used any punctuation in the poem. Mr bruffs guide to power and conflict poetry ebook. One thing this booklet is not however, is a quick fix.
Important things to know 1066 crucial to english history as it marked the take over of english society by the french. An annotated copy of the poem checking out me history from the gcse aqa power and conflict cluster. Poem checking out me history flashcards by dan price. Checking out me history performed by john agard ig 8820. Encourage students to choose a poem from our collection, print it out, and post it in a designated area, such as the school cafeteria, hallways, or the student lounge. If by rudyard kipling if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too. In the case of checking out me history, agards speaker expresses a desire to learn more about his her own country of origin, not just the. Includes key points of context and is perfect for low. Checking out me history is a poem about a caribbean mans frustration at the teaching of history he believes that he is only taught about white historical. A dramatic monologue is a piece of verse that gives the speaker a voice to express his her feelings to a silent audience. Poetry guides summary, analysis, and poetic devices litcharts. Detailed analysis of 12 of the poems from the power and conflict poetry cluster.
Agard, john checking out me history search results. Also note that the poems first and final stanzas are almost exactly the sameexcept, of course, for the fact that the speaker follows the dem tell me in the final stanza with a powerful declaration. Checking out me history comprehension activities booklet. Compare how language is used to explore ideas and feelings in checking out me history and one other poem from the anthology. Checking out me history poem analysis the poem is written in dialectical nonstandard english, where the poet has tried to capture the natural sounds and phrases of a unspecified caribbean dialect. Checking out me history by john agard poem analysis. They highlight the key aos for the aqa literature examinations and model close analysis skills as well as essay writing skills. All the poem selections and ways of interacting with those are freely available, the resources in the learning zone, and lots of information about the poetry by. Ideas and feelings in checking out me history compare how language is used to explore ideas and feelings in checking out me history and one other poem from the anthology. Checking out me history poem summary and analysis litcharts. Dick whittington a poor boy with nothing but a cat who became lord mayor of london mentioned in fairy tales and pantomimes touissant louverture the black lea.
Ozymandias and checking out me history flashcards in. Nov 26, 2011 this is a big theme of agards poetry, about colour and race and culture, and ultimately, his view seems to be that he wants to be seen as an individual and to be free to make his own choices. About checking out me history john agard was born in british guiana, now called guyana, in the caribbean, in 1949. Power and conflict poetry carshalton boys sports college.
History poem analysis and notes interpreture english revision. Home gcse study tools english literature ozymandias and checking out me history. John agard is a poet originally from guyana in south america, near the caribbean. The speaker uses long, free verse stanzas to praise characters from african and. Checking out me history poetry analysis teaching resources. This term refers to the exservice men and women who have survived wars and are now dealing with its aftereffects. Depending on the size of the poem and the lesson it would make sense that they can take more than one lesson to explore. Checking out me history poem analysis 791 words antiessays.
John agard describes the process of writing checking out me history. Tes global ltd is registered in england company no 02017289 with its registered office at 26 red lion square london wc1r 4hq. We have a brilliant team of more than 60 support team members looking after discussions on the student room, helping to make it a fun, safe and useful place to hang out. The flag, the narrator is saying, is only as important as it is made out to be by the conscious mind, and so for it to have any power, it must be made out to be powerful. He explores where the ideas behind the poem came from.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, dont deal. Revise unseen fiction is an examfocused, studentfriendly workbook filled with activities designed to consolidate your students skills and prepare them for their gcse english language exam. Bandage up me eye with me own history blind me to my own identity. Checking out me history power of identity, society is oppressed by governmentmonarchychurch. Checking out me history create a metaphor map, using the metaphors below, annotating each one with any connotations or associations the word has for you.
There are 15 poems in the power and conflict cluster of the anthology. Search for poems and poets using the poetry search engine. Checking out me history john agard gcse english teacher. Start studying checking out me history by john agard. Oct 08, 2016 in this video, mr bruff teaches you all about the john agard poem checking out me history. The work in this booklet can be used in a number of ways.
Robert frostmarch 26, 1874 january 29, 1963 robert lee frost was an american poet. Mr bruffs guide to power and conflict poetry ebook quantity. Checking out me history agard teaching resources tes. Agard, john checking out me history search results teachit.
Poem context contextual links themes elly this poem was written in 1819 romantic era and was inspired. Study poem checking out me history flashcards from dan prices kimbolton school class online, or in brainscapes iphone or android app. Bbc two poets in person, checking out me history by. Linebyline modern translations of every shakespeare play and poem. This resource has been produced for the 91 gcse english anthology and contains an assortment of teaching ideas and activities.
Checking out me history by john agard dem tell me dem tell me. Includes prereading tasks, an active learning poetry detective activity on. Checking out me history teaching resources for ks3 ks4. Mar 15, 2017 interpreture gives history a difficulty rating of 4, meaning that it is deemed to be a relatively difficult poem. Revision site for all year 11s that need some help with the poetry section of their english literature gcse exam board.
Classic poetry series robert frost poems publication date. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Mld and checking out me history power of humans prelude and kamikaze power of nature. Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat dem tell me bout dick whittington and he cat but touissant louverture no dem never tell me bout dat. Contex this poem is part of a small collection of poems written for the not dead. Daljit nagra delivers close readings of three of agards poems, analysing how each engages. Teachers have found the activities particularly useful throughout teaching, or for exam revision. Checking out me history the poem was published in a collection entitled halfcaste and other poems 2007, a mixture of old and new poems aimed at a teenage audience. Checking out me history teaching resource for ks4 lessons. This resource is an information sheet about the major black historical figures included in the poem checking out me history. Comparing personal conflict in checking out me history and. Checking out me history john agard aqa english literature paper 2 section bconflict and power poetry 2. Explain how imagery is used to present each character described in the poem. As one of a series of poems chosen to appeal directly to young adults, it deals with the topical issue of historical relevancy.
The narrator of this poem, which can be read in full here, is introduced through their voice, relayed through words such as dem and wha, better understood as them and what, which indicates to the reader immediately that english is not likely the native language of the speaker. Dick whittington a poor boy with nothing but a cat who became lord mayor of london mentioned in fairy tales and pantomimes. This booklet is designed to support you through the study of poetry for your english lessons. Hold a student reading of the poems theyve selected. But now i checking out me own history i carving out me identity. Pdf downloads of all 1282 litcharts literature guides. This is important because one of the major themes of the poem is that of personal identity, of which language and dialect is an important component. Kamikaze by beatrice garland her father embarked at sunrise with a flask of water, a samurai sword in the cockpit, a shaven head full of powerful incantations and enough fuel for a oneway journey into history but half way there, she thought, recounting it later to her children, he must have looked far down at the little fishing boats strung. In some ways, this is why poetry can be such a subjective art form without any voice aside from the readers own, those readers are free to draw their own. Brief notes about the poem agard is pointing out how in the english curriculum students only seem to learn about white people because he believes it is written by white people for white people he believes history in the english curriculum deliberately leaves out information about black men and. The lack of punctuation, the stanzas in free verse, the irregular rhyme scheme represent the narrators rejection of the status quo and the formality of structured western verse. Checking out me history by john agard poem only a performance of the poem, checking out me history by the poet john agard, in a secondary school setting.
Litcharts poetry guides will help you actually understand poetry, with linebyline analysis, a modern translation, and explanations of speaker, setting, meter, rhyme scheme, poetic devices, and more. Analysis of flag by john agard poem analysis a database. Checking out me history is a poem about a caribbean mans frustration at the teaching of history he believes that he is only taught about white historical figures and argues that some important black icons are neglected. Checking out me history alternates between two structures, marked by two different fonts. The first uses the repeated phrase dem tell me to indicate the white version of history, mostly written in rhyming couplets, triplets or quatrains.
The concept of history in this poem is of a personal, private history. Close readings of john agards checking out me history, flag and. Were not interested in your data you can use most of our website without any need to register. Our catalogue store includes many more recordings which you can download to your device. His commentary is illustrated with school scenes and his own.
But now i checking out me own history i carving out me identity from halfcaste and other poems hodder childrens, 2004, john agard 2004, used by permission of the author co caroline sheldon literary agency. They are italicised so that they stand out visually the lines are shorter and they are written in free verse. The free tracks you can enjoy in the poetry archive are a selection of a poets work. This website and its content is subject to our terms and conditions. This 16page resource booklet contains a wide range of challenging and engaging comprehension activities for use throughout the reading of john agards power and conflict poem checking out me history. History characters 1066 crucial to english history as it marked the take over of english society by the french. Checking out me history resources for miss archers gcse. Language and structure analysis plus worksheets suitable for midlow ability. All the poem selections and ways of interacting with those are freely available, the resources in the learning zone, and lots of information about the poetry by heart competition including the competition guides. John agard and checking out me history john agard 1949 john agard is an awardwinning poet, performer, playwright, editor and shortstory writer who has written prolifically for both children and adults. Toussaint a slave with vision lick back napoleon battalion and first black republic born. Checking out me history aqa gcse english literature.
The first person point of view is a key feature of this poem. Checking out me history by myoori patelrivet on prezi. John agard first published flag in his 2005 collection, halfcaste and other poems, at a time in his life when he lived in britain. Checking out me history by john agard poem only bbc. Poetry anthology revision notebased summary sheet some of this is taken from bbc bitesize and other parts from teachers notes. The sheet also includes five questions for further discussion of the history figures in relation to the poem. Even while burdens come decked out in ribbons and bows.
The meaning and themes become clearer throughout the poem, although some of the more advance ideas are slightly more difficult to understand. Checking out me history performed by john agard youtube. Download the adaptable word resource subscribers only download the free pdf resource free members and subscribers see other resources. Poetry guides summary, analysis, and poetic devices. Checking out me history diamond nine teachit english. Checking out me history annotated poem teaching resources. Checking out me history read by john agard duration. Comparing anger in london and checking out me history. John agard was born 1949 in british guyana, now called guyana, in the caribbean. Checking out me history read by john agard youtube. Checking out me history analysis toussaint louverture lines 19. Checking out me history is a poem about a caribbean mans frustration at the teaching of history he believes that he is only taught about white historical figures and.