Difference between poems

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Comparing and Contrasting ‘Still I Rise’ And ‘Half-Cast’

Both poems are a response to other people’s idea of the poet’s cultural identities. The poems are written as though the poet is replying to some one directly. ‘Half-Cast’ is about a multi cultural person who is standing up against racism and against people look down upon them because of their ethnicity. John Agard is arguing with the person who is being racist to him by questioning if ‘Half-Cast’ means he is half a man. ‘Still I rise’ is about a woman, Maya Angelou who has had a traumatic personal and cultural history but still she rises above it. She has had to face racial and sexual prejudice, but she still stands strong.

In ‘Half-Cast’ John Agard opens the poem with a polite but angry request. This opening is only an angry one because of the following lines. ‘Excuse me; standing on one leg, I am half-cast’

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This sarcasm is showing that he is trying to be nice but is annoyed about it. The first line is very polite but immediately after the poet is acquiring the ‘reader’ of suggesting he is half a man by using the words ‘half-caste’. He uses informal language throughout the poem, the language is also written in john Agard’s dialect. It makes you say the words how it sounds. This could be the poet celebrating his culture. ‘Explain yuself, Wha yu mean’

This also makes you as the reader feel the anger, annoyance and sadness through the Agards tone. The structure of the ...

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