He would be split two ways if he was born in England he would always be an English citizen but he may have family in India this is why he would be split, he is a multicultural person, and I believe its important to understand all cultures and respect them.
Agard uses two different kinds of language in the poem, English and Caribbean dialect. The poem isn’t written in traditional English it has alot more casual expressions in it than other poems. There is one word that seems out of place in this poem and it is “consequently” it is used in a verse that is nearly all relaxed dialect. Agard shows that not only people can be half-caste. For example explain yuself, what yu mean, when yu say half-caste, yu mean tchaikousky, sit down at dah piano and mix a black key wid a white key, us a half-caste symphony.
Reading similar sentences like these all the way through the poem it made me realise how ridiculous the term half-caste really is.
Agard uses irony by saying that we should be half-caste because we only use half our eyes, half our ears and half of our minds. He implies that people aren’t open minded about his situation and this causes him some distress, as I believe he feels he is being targeted.
Agard at the end of his poem say we should ”come back tomorrow wrd de whole of yu eye, wrd de whole of yu ear and de whole of yu mind and he will tell you de other half of my story.
I feel that people are to quick to judge other people on how they look or what there colour is I would say this is a big issue in the poem and from reading the poem this had an effect on me.
Agard feels he is being judged on how he looks and that is half of him people aren’t getting to know the whole of him due to being half-caste, this also must send out a stereotypical view on a half cast person.
He obviously must feel some anger but he is different on appearance but he maybe the same personality wise.
In the poem nothings changed it has a completely different approach to it than half-caste. In nothings changed there is no humour, or direct speech as there was in half-caste. The language isn’t as varied as it was in half-caste either, the poet Afrika tells the reader how he’s angry due to the attitude towards black people there are many violent and physical emotions in this poem.
Unlike Agard seems deadly serious about it. There are many of onomatopoeic words in the first verse, which gives it a vague, feeling and it makes you feel like he is bringing it to life. For example “small round hard stones dick” and “cans trodden on, crunch” by using this technique a physical response is brought into the poem, this feeling of conflict and physical tension is unnerving and makes the reader feel on edge. It makes the reader feel like tension is building, this was not present in the half-caste poem as you can clearly see there is no humour in this poem and there is much more tension and reality to it than in half-caste.
Afrika tells the reader how he knows he’s in district six by “the soft labouring” of his lungs and “the skin” about his bones, also “the anger” in his eyes.
Anger and physical tension are very important in this poem; I believe it is mainly what the poem is about. To make the feeling of anger and tension build up more Afrika refers to heat a lot for example “flaring like a flag.” Words like “hot”,” white”, ”burn” and “flaring” are used throughout the poem to keep the anger flowing. I feel that this situation is rather like in a boiler, the pressure and heat is building steadily but it can only take so much.
Afrika also tells the reader that he doesn’t feel welcome in this country, despite there are no “signs” saying otherwise. The way he says “signs” is if he wants someone to spell it out to him that he isn’t wanted in this country even though nobody has referred to that. It seems that Afrika is very paranoid about this subject this is also helping to fuel the tension and physical conflict that I feel in the poem.
Afrika is of black origin, and although you wouldn’t be able to tell that he is in fact black. He thinks its disgusting that people who are black are being heated, Afrika, in his poem gives a very clear impression that he is looking at the real world but from the outside or through a window.” I press my nose to the clear panes” shows that he is looking in from the outside. Glass is a very important symbol in the poem, it represents a barrier between the black and white people or communities as they are practically two divisions, the white people think they’re superior to black people. Afrika refers to how black people are called “Boys” and white “Men” this is a very offensive comment which angers Afrika also adding fuel to the tension and the unrest.
I wonder if he meant this as if the whites were saying we are more advanced than you and that’s why he called the whites men and the blacks boys because the blacks were still learning and the whites are further ahead intellectually and maybe physically.
In the poem Afrika writes about how the “working mans café” i.e. a café for black people, which serves only “bunny chows”, cheap, nature food, Afrika also tells us in the working mans café to “wipe your fingers on your jeans” and “Spit a little on the floor” because black people aren’t as important as white people. If those things were done at the high standard café, which is very clean, tidy and very well looked after and people have pride when they go in it and did any of those things they’d be thrown out immediately. I believe that this really irritates Afrika because the blacks aren’t getting anything as near as good as the whites.
At the end of the poem Afrika says how his “hands burn”, as if he was on fire, burning with rage and anger about what is happening to his people and to him. The last line of the poem is one of the most important, because he is trying to tells us the situation between black and white people, the racism and the discrimination, is still happening, nothings changed. I felt for Afrika having to put up with that all your life it made feel sick how people can still treat people badly because they’re different, this had more of an effect on me than the poem Half-caste. This poem has a lot more depth do it and I feel that Afrika is willing to fight for his rights why should he have to put up with the discrimination and racism. This had much more impact on my feelings because I believe he screaming for help where as in half-caste Agard was covering his feelings up with humour so I didn’t get a clear picture of what he was feeling.
The two poems are similar in one way as they’re both about racial prejudice.
Agard doesn’t have such a confrontal attitude as Afrika, Afrika makes his feelings clear whereas Agard covers them up, with humour is this a sign of fear. However this maybe Agards weapon he may just humour the reader and himself as it is a way to get by with less trouble. Again in this poem there is hate and anger shown but in a strange way instead of attacking with anger and hate he does this with an element of humour that isn’t shown in Afrika’s poem. Afrika is much more direct and I would say much more vengeful I believe he wants revenge he hates the racists and people who discriminate him and people like him, he must think there lowlifes and they’re very pathetic.
He clearly gets his feelings to me and shows how irritated he is and how much anger has built up in him over a long period of time hence the name “nothings changed” I get the feeling, that they never will, or it will take a long time for things to change between the whites and the blacks. I feel for both poets but I can’t understand what it would be like to rejected like they have.
