The titles of both poems tell us about the poem itself. The title “Half-caste” makes us assume that the poem is most likely to be about race because of the term “Half-caste”. The title “Search for my tongue” makes us think about language because she says she is searching for her “tongue”.
The poem “Half-caste” is written in five stanzas of varying lengths. John Agard leaves gaps and the sentence seems to run on into the next stanza. I think he is trying to point out that this is half of a sentence and yet people still continue to read. The lines are quite short, perhaps Agard has done this on purpose to put across the message that you cannot have half a person, but he is saying that the term “Half-caste” implies someone is just that. He finds the phrase insulting because each person is a whole, regardless of their background. The poem has an irregular structure and has not got any rhyme scheme which show it is quite different just like him. However this makes the poem more entertaining. In comparison the poem “Search for my tongue” also has a different structure from standard poems. It is written in three sections in the first section Bhatt expresses how hard it is for her to know two languages and to neglect the one she feels most belongs to her, ‘you could not use them both together even if you thought that way’ this shows us she would like to use Gujarati and English together but it is not possible. We can tell by this how hard it must be to neglect your mother tongue. In the second section she explains these ideas in Gujarati and phonetically translates them. In the last section she then translates her thoughts for us in English, showing that although her ‘mother tongue’ dies during the day, ‘it grows back’ in her dreams at night, becoming strong and producing ‘blossoms’.
John Agard has decided not to use Standard English in this poem. He doesn’t use the standard form of punctuation. This may be partly because this is a poem that is written to be performed aloud. He uses lower case where Standard English would use capital letters. Even proper names like “picasso” and “tchaikovsky” are written in this way. This creates a strong effect and shows that Agard does not feel that these people are not any higher than he is, just because they are famous. Agard fuses the English language with his native dialect to create his own language. He writes in Caribbean dialect, for example, “yu” instead of “you” and “dem” for “them”. Agard chose to fuse the Caribbean dialect with the English language to create something new because he wants to create a new identity for himself by mixing his accent with his language. This is very interesting because this amuses the reader therefore it is a good mixture of dialect and language. John Agard is implying that the term ‘Half-Caste’ is not something bad, as people make out it to be; in fact it is a positive thing because here he has combined half of the English language and half the Caribbean dialect to create something new which is positive.
“Half-caste” and “Search for my tongue” are both written in different styles but are equally effective. The two poets are each in different situations so this may be why they have chosen to write in different styles. Also both poets address “you” as a narrative stance (mixture of first and second person).
In “Search for my tongue” Sujata Bhatt thinks she is losing her identity and that it is being erased “your mother tongue would rot, rot and die your mouth”. Bhatt compares that knowing two languages to having two tongues in your mouth, which she calls the “mother tongue” and the “foreign tongue”. The phrase “lost my tongue” is used in a colloquial sense to mean that someone is tongue-tied and does not know what to say. In English, we use the word “tongue” to mean “language” as well as your actual “tongue”. Bhatt is afraid that the “mother tongue” might shrivel away (“rot and die”) like a plant with no roots. It is like a plant because a plant dies in the wrong environment. The poet uses an extended metaphor (“it grows back, a stump of a shoot”) when she compares her tongue to a plant, as she develops her ideas. The poem begins in a colloquial way (using everyday language) but uses striking imagery towards the end because Bhatt is trying to put the message across. In the last part of the poem, the “mother tongue” seems to grow back during the night, and “push the other tongue aside”. It’s like when she dreams, she dreams in Gujarati, and this keeps the language alive for her. It connects her to her memories. The image of two tongues growing in your mouth is weird, and a bit disturbing. You can imagine how it would feel, but then it “blossoms” which also suggests something beautiful. I thought this was a memorable image.
In “Search for my tongue” the Gujarati script is transliterated into a phonetic English version in brackets, so even if you don’t know any Gujarati, you can still have a go, and Bhatt does this so she can keep her “mother tongue” alive.
John Agard uses an angry tone, as a warning to everyone who uses the term “Half-caste”. At the beginning of “Half-caste” Agard seems to start with an apology, “Excuse me…” he uses this to make the reader fell ashamed and sympathetic towards him because he is apologising even though he isn’t in the wrong. The poem creates a mixed mood, part of the poem has an angry atmosphere but at the same time it is quite humorous, “standing on one leg I’m half-caste” here Agard is being sarcastic. The poet is trying to inform the reader that implying the term “Half-caste” on people is wrong and at the same time is entertaining the reader, this shows that it is a positive thing. The poet is trying to get the message across that just because he is mixed race does not make him inferior to other races.
In comparison, in “Search for my tongue” Sujata Bhatt also has an angry tone, she feels she is being forced to use her “foreign tongue” when she really doesn’t choose to. She is also triumphant to show that she regains her beautiful “mother tongue” at night in her dreams. The poet is trying to gain sympathy and is trying to explain how difficult it is to maintain two “tongues”. The poet wants us to see the importance of the “mother tongue” to someone living in a different society because they are using a “foreign” language but do not want to forget their culture.
In conclusion, in “Search for my tongue” Sujata Bhatt finds it difficult to maintain two different languages and to keep up with two cultures. She uses Gujarati and English in her poem to keep both languages and cultures alive. Bhatt makes the reader realise the difficult situation she is in and makes the reader understand how awkward it must be. In contrast, in “Half-caste” John Agard does not agree that being “Half-Caste is a negative thing. Agard believes a mixture of two can be equal to something positive and greater. John Agard challenges the fact that people think he is inferior to them because he is “Half-caste”. I think that both poems are effective in their own ways; they have put their message across in a very entertaining way. I particularly like the way Bhatt uses Gujarati in the poem it is very effective because the reader can tell how difficult it is and have a go to help maintain her language. I also like the style Agard has chosen to write in, the mixture of dialect and language is a really successful and entertaining. Both poems have created a positive response on the reader.
