Checking Out Me History
By John Agard
Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell meBandage up me eye with me own history
Blind me to my own identityDem tell me bout 1066 and all dat
dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat
But Touissant L’Ouverture
no dem never tell me bout datToussaint
a slave
with vision
lick back
Napoleon
battalion
and first Black
Republic born
Toussaint de thorn
to de French
Toussaint de beacon
of de Haitian RevolutionDem tell me bout de man who discover de balloon
and de cow who jump over de moon
Dem tell me bout de dish run away with de spoon
but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon
Nanny
see-far woman
of mountain dream
fire-woman struggle
hopeful stream
to freedom river
Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo
but dem never tell me bout Shaka de great Zulu
Dem tell me bout Columbus and 1492
but what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks tooDem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp
and how Robin Hood used to camp
Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul
but dem never tell me bout Mary SeacoleFrom Jamaica
she travel far
to the Crimean War
she volunteer to go
and even when de British said no
she still brave the Russian snow
a healing star
among the wounded
a yellow sunrise
to the dyingDem tell me
Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me
But now I checking out me own history
I carving out me identity
Summary of Checking Out Me History
- Popularity of “Checking Out Me History”: Published in 2015 in the collection Half-Castle, “Checking Out Me History” is a descriptive poetic piece. John Agard finds the holes in the British colonial education system. He highlights how cleverly historians have omitted the names of important figures from the Caribbean and African literature. They are forcing people to digest the syllabus of their choice. The poem, however, became famous because of the description of the facts missing in the current British colonial education system.
- “Checking Out Me History” As a Representative of Facts: This poem criticizes the approach of the current British colonial education curriculum. It begins when the speaker repeatedly explains how British colonizers taught students the filtered version of history. They tried to hide the actual history of colonized people and blinded the students to their real identities. As proof, the speaker talks about the great battle the British fought in 1606 and other British folklore. While changing the historical facts and figures, they cleverly set aside the names of great colonial personalities whose services constitute a significant part of history.
To him, educators need to teach students about important figures like Toussaint, an influential leader of the Haitian revolution. As the poem continues, the speaker speaks more about what the British teach, alluding to more trivial things and revolutionary figures. Finally, the speaker ends the poem by repeating the poem’s opening lines, lamenting how the students are learning the altered version of history. - Major Themes in “Checking Out Me History”: History, identity, colonialism, and criticism are the poem’s major themes. This poem contrasts the actual history, and the biased version of history taught to the students under the British education system. Through the poem, he juxtaposes the frivolous British history with powerful African and Caribbean history. He talks about the figures that played a praise-worthy role in the past, but he finds their names purposefully omitted from the current history books. He laments how the British chose to glorify their historical figures, preventing colonized people from reaching out to their actual pasts. Thus, the poem not only highlights the flaws in the British education system but also dismisses the biased approach of the British.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Checking Out Me History
literary devices bring richness to simple poems. The poem shows the use of these literary devices, whose analysis is as follows.
- Allusion: It is a reference to some historical, social, religious, or cultural significance. The poet uses several allusions from history, culture, and religion, such as Napolean, Dick Whittington, Republic, France, Nelson, Waterloo, Columbus, Caribs, de Arawaks, Florence Nightingale, King Cole, Robin Hood, and the Crimean War.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat” and the sound of /o/ in “and how Robin Hood used to camp.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp” and the sound of /n/ in “But now I checking out me own history.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
“Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp
and how Robin Hood used to camp
Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul
but dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. John Agard used imagery in this poem such as; “Bandage up me eye with me own history”, “dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat” and “Dem tell me bout de dish run away with de spoon.”
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet personified the dish in the seventh stanza of the poem such as “Dem tell me bout de dish run away with de spoon.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem uses symbols such as sadness, comparison, education, and a biased approach of the British education system.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Checking Out Me History
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: The poem shows descriptive diction having rhetorical devices, symbolism, and impressive images.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. John Agard has used end rhyme in this poem, such as; “dat/cat”, “born/thorn” and “moon/spoon.”
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and last stanzas are quatrains.
- Repetition: There is a repetition of the following verses which has created a musical quality in the poem,
“Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell me”
- Refrain: The lines repeated at some distance in the poems are called a refrain. The following verses are repeated with the same words, it has become a refrain as it has been repeated in all stanzas of the poem.
“Dem tell me
Dem tell me
Wha dem want to tell me”
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are ten stanzas in this poem, with each comprising a different number of verses.
- Tercet: A tercet is a three-lined stanza borrowed from Biblical Hebrew poetry. Here, the first stanza is tercet.
Quotes to be Used
These lines are useful to quote in speeches or lectures to discuss the importance of history and how the knowledge of true history leads us to find our true identity.
“Dem tell me
Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me
But now I checking out me own history
I carving out me identity”