John Agard was born in Guyana in 1949, with a Caribbean father and a Portuguese mother (he is of mixed race). In 1977, he moved to Britain, where he became angry with people who referred to him as ‘half-caste’.

What is John Agard’s most famous poem?

half-caste

“Explain yuself / wha yu mean / when yu say half-caste / yu mean when picasso / mix red an green / is a half-caste canvas?” So questions the narrator of John Agard’s well-known poem ‘Half-caste‘, a wry, imaginative and darkly comic take on racial misconceptions and divisions.

Where is Liz Lochhead from?

Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead was born in 1947, in Motherwell, Lanarkshire. She studied at the Glasgow School of Art and taught art at schools in Glasgow and Bristol. She was Writer in Residence at Edinburgh University (1986-7) and Writer in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988.

What does Agard mean in English?

AGARD. An old word which signifies award. It is used in pleading, as nul agard, no award; A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States.

What is Flag by John Agard about?

John Agard’s “Flag” concerns the dark power of national flags (and by extension, patriotism or nationalism) over the individual. The question-and-answer structure evokes the way in which this mere “piece of cloth,” while presenting itself as the symbol of a people’s virtue, can deeply undermine it.

When did John Agard write check out history?

2005

“Checking Out Me History” was written by the British Guyanese poet John Agard and first published in 2005, in the collection Half-Caste. The poem focuses on the holes in the British colonial education system—particularly that system’s omission of important figures from African, Caribbean, and indigenous history.

What does dem tell me mean?

Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon. but dem never tell me about Nanny de maroon. English nursery rhyme. Reference to the idea that all he learns is English. Jamaican national hero that was born in Ghana.

What does steeled the softening of my face mean?

The woman is absorbed in her thoughts about her son. Caesura is also used, this time to show the woman’s attempts to hold in her emotions in front of her son, most memorably at ‘steeled the softening of my face’. The poem relates the experience of her son leaving in a chronological fashion.

What does bandage up me eye with me own history meaning?

“Bandage up me eye with me own history” suggests insult to injury in the sense that the accused caused the blindness, then used the listener’s “own history” to cover up the blind eye. In all, the accusation is of a deliberate, cruel attempt to mislead.

What is Benjamin Zephaniah most famous poem?

Benjamin Zephaniah Poems

• Biko the Greatness.
• City River Blues.
• Dis Poetry.
• Eat Your Words.
• Everybody Is Doing It.
• Faceless.
• Fair Play.
• It’s Work.

How many stanzas are in a half caste?

Structure and Form. ‘Half-Caste’ by John Agard is composed of four stanzas of varying length, although there does seem to be some symmetry with these stanzas, as the first and last stanza contain only three lines, and the second and third stanzas are both fairly long.

Where does the surname Agard come from?

Danish and Norwegian: habitational name from Ågård ‘farm by the stream’. French: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements agi(n) ‘edge (of a sword)’ + hard ‘hardy’, ‘bold’.

What is Flag by John Agard about?

John Agard’s “Flag” concerns the dark power of national flags (and by extension, patriotism or nationalism) over the individual. The question-and-answer structure evokes the way in which this mere “piece of cloth,” while presenting itself as the symbol of a people’s virtue, can deeply undermine it.

What inspired John Agard?

It’s not just me receiving this award, but all the people that inspired me. People like my teacher Father Maxwell, the people who published my books, those who contributed to my journey way back in the Caribbean, and John Arlott, the legendary cricket commentator who inspired me with his words.

What is Benjamin Zephaniah most famous poem?

Benjamin Zephaniah Poems

• Biko the Greatness.
• City River Blues.
• Dis Poetry.
• Eat Your Words.
• Everybody Is Doing It.
• Faceless.
• Fair Play.
• It’s Work.

Who is the black poet?

Paul Laurence Dunbar is perhaps the most famous black poet from the 19th century. The Harlem Renaissance in the 20th century saw African Americans making great strides in poetry, among other things. Langston Hughes and Claude McKay were the leading black poets of the Harlem Renaissance.

Is Benjamin Zephaniah a vegetarian?

Turning vegan at 13 Benjamin is pretty much a lifelong vegan. He is now 58 and as a busy performer, writer and with a passion for martial arts, he just naturally shows people what it is like being vegan and doesn’t “ram veganism down peoples throats”.

Was Ted Hughes a vegetarian?

Speaking directly to the novelist, Hughes condemns his life-denying vegetarianism and asceticism: Rest in peace, Tolstoy!

Why did Hughes leave Plath?

In June 1962, Plath had a car accident which she described as one of many suicide attempts. In July 1962, Plath discovered Hughes had been having an affair with Assia Wevill; in September Plath and Hughes separated.

Who Is Sylvia Plath’s daughter?

The painter and poet Frieda Hughes, 54, daughter of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, has decided to train as a bereavement counsellor following a series of losses – her mother killing herself, her father dying of cancer, and later, her brother Nicholas also taking his own life. How do people cope with tragedy?