Compare How Agard Challenges Particular Values and Ways of Thinking in Listen Mr. Oxford Don and Half Caste

Compare How Agard Challenges Particular Values and Ways of Thinking in 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don' and 'Half Caste' The poems, 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don' and 'Half Caste' were both written by John Agard, and in both of these poems, Agard challenges the status quo. In 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don', he challenges the use of language and in 'Half Caste', he challenges views of ethnicity. In the poem 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don', Agard characterizes Mr. Oxford Don as the 'Guardian of English', and the idea of a person who uses the 'correct' form of English. In this poem, Agard challenges the view that Standard English is the correct form of English, and other forms of English are of a lesser status. In the poem 'Half Caste', Agard challenges the reader prejudices towards people of mixed ethnicity. In 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don', Agard uses repetition of particular words and imagery to help him convey his ideas. He uses the phrase, "is a dangerous one" twice in the poem. He also uses sentence like, "I ent have no gun" to create the image of violence. Words such as, 'bashing' and 'slashing' are also used by Agard which suggest him being very threatening. The reason that Agard creates all these violent images is because he wants us to know that he's a peaceful man, but he can be very dangerous if people think that English has to be spoken in a particular way. Unlike 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don', in 'Half

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Comparing poems 'halfe cast' and 'nothings changed'

In this essay I am going to compare the way the theme of racism is dealt with in the poems 'Half caste' and 'nothings changed'. I will analyse the poems and then compare them. The things I will be comparing are the similarities and differences, the layout and also the use of language. I will be looking at both of the authors Tatamkhula Africa (Nothings Changed) and John Agard (Half caste) intentions and then decide which one of the poems I think is most effective. I am going to begin with a comparison of the purposes of the two poems. Nothings changed is about a black man looking back at his childhood and realising that 'nothings changed', he is upset about this as although segregation is said to have gone, he feels as if it is the same as before. Half-caste is about a mixed race man who is asking for an explanation for why they are treated like half a person. He refuses to be called half-caste as he finds it offensive. In both of these poems, the writer is dealing with the issues of racism. The two writers are expressing their anger and want the readers to take notice of how they feel. The two writers both use repetition throughout the poem. Tatamkhula used the phrase 'nothings changed' as both the title and the ending of the poem, this emphasises the fact that his whole poem is based on the fact that he feels that nothing has changed in his life, mainly on the aspect of

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How do the poets of Half-Caste and Not my Business talk about discrimination?

How do the poets of 'Half-Caste' and 'Not my Business' talk about discrimination? Our thoughts are unseen hands shaping the people we meet. Whatever we truly think them to be, that's what they'll become in our eyes. Discrimination is the locks on the door to wisdom, two poems which enlighten us about the issues of discrimination are, 'Half-Caste' and 'Not my Business'. Agard states that those who discriminate others because of who they are, will only receive half or no respect at all, "I'm sure you'll understand, why I offer yu half-a-hand". This line reveals Agard's frustration as he refuses to respect those who have stereotypes; he aims to put across to the reader that any kind of discrimination is wrong. In the same way, Osundare protests against complacency. In this poem the narrator witnesses three catastrophic events based on discrimination in which he does not choose to act upon, "So long they don't take the yam from my savouring mouth". The poet aims to get across a fable with a deep moral in it. The background of this poem is based on the violence used by the state authorities against the people of Nigeria. The intention of Agard is to challenge and confront those who racially discriminate others and us as unconventional humans, "explain yu self wha yu mean" this line depicts Agard's frustration towards racism and demands answers- leaving the reader guilt felt in

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How are anger and frustration presented in 'Nothing's Changed' and 'Half-Caste'?

How are anger and frustration presented in 'Nothing's Changed' and 'Half-Caste'? In this essay I am going to talk about how anger and frustration is linked between two poems. The two poems are called 'Nothing's Changed' and 'Half-Caste'. I am going to explain four topics about each poem. These are: language, discrimination, culture and racism. Each one I will explain how they link with the poems. For example racism shares a main part in both poems because they are both about inequality and difference. Both Poems are autobiographical so both authors have had their own experience meaning that the anger shown is very descriptive. The first topic I am going to talk about is the racism that is linked between the two poems. First I will look at the poem 'Half-caste' then 'Nothing's changed'. I would say that 'Half-Caste' is quite an angry poem because the poem John Agard has written is about difference. It is about difference because it mentions the word 'half-caste' and the word is used to describe people born of parents of a different colour. This word can be used as an insult against a different race, which shows racism. Here is an example that shows how racism is shown "Yu mean when Picasso mix red and green". He talks about the colours and how they combine together to produce a new whole, which is different. But the whole he talks about is precious and unique. People call him

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Poems from different cultures - Half Caste, by John Agard.

Poems from Different Cultures Poetry is used by writers' world wide to express them. Many of these poems are very negative and show it in the use, and misuse, of language. Other poems are more positive. Poets often use their work to express difficult situations. 'Half Caste' is a good example of this because it portrays the writer in a negative situation that the writer expresses his opinions about. 'Unrelated incidents' is a similar type of poem with a varying, but overall alike problem. The poem 'Not my business' is a more literal poem. The poem is similar because it shows the poet in a difficult situation but the way the poet expresses himself is completely different. In Half Caste, by John Agard, the difficult situation is one of prejudice. The writer is expressing his dislike of the prejudice he suffers because he is of mixed race or, in his words, 'half caste'. The word half-caste is shown to be the culprit in this poem and the entire poem ridicules the word and those who use it. The writer uses various strategies to achieve this goal. In the first paragraph the writer immediately draws the reader's attention with an apology, "excuse me," he says. This draws the reader's attention because it is a very abrupt way of starting a poem and the reader continues to read to see what he is fact sorry for. Immediately, Agard shows that he was in fact being sarcastic. He uses

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How does John Agard make the poem Half-Caste seem controversial? Think about the main features of the poet's language which make it different from Standard English. Is the poem mainly directed against white people who use the term 'half-caste'?

How does John Agard make the poem Half-Caste seem controversial? Think about the main features of the poet's language which make it different from Standard English. Is the poem mainly directed against white people who use the term 'half-caste'? The poem is controversial because it is challenging the idea that people of colour are, somehow, lesser beings than white people. This idea is ingrained in the term 'half-caste', which is used by many people - most of whom would consider themselves to be racially tolerant. Though many people deny it, words are a powerful thing. I don't know if the poem if just directed towards whites, though it is probably mostly directed towards whites. There are members of the black community who look down on those from mixed parentage. It is interesting to note, however, that the term is about black/white mixed parentage, not any other kind of ethnic mix. What the poem does do (which suggests that it is mostly directed towards white people) is challenge certain notions about black people. The images associated with 'half-caste' are often quite sophisticated, with references such as Tchaikovsky and Picasso, which many white people would (ignorantly) assume black people have no idea about. It also makes many critical references to English culture and weather, which is generally associated with white people. The poet switches between Standard English

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The poems No Problem written by Benjamin Zephania and Half-Caste written by John Aguard illustrate strong feelings towards race

How do the poets present the theme of Change in the poems Half-Caste and No Problem? The poems No Problem written by Benjamin Zephania and Half-Caste written by John Aguard illustrate strong feelings towards race. The poets are writing about their feelings towards their life. Looking at them we can empathise with them and their plight. Comparing them allows us to experience their pain. Looking at the way they were written provides us with insight to those who suffer from racism. In the poem No Problem Benjamin Zephaniah who is from Jamaica tells of how bad life was in England, but even after all of this he still doesn't hold any grudges himself. In this poem he uses slang words not proper English this emphasises that he is not from England and that he feels he is an outsider. "Silly playground taunts, an racist stunts" this also tells me that he was not welcome in the society in which he lived. It also shows that even from a young age when he was still at school he was racially abused and that people ridiculed him because of his race. The racist stunts imply that he was victimised for being different from other people and as he moved to England in the 1980's when there was a lot of riots between black people and the police this would have been a great change to the laid back lifestyle of Jamaica where most people in the neighbourhood knew everyone else. Then moving to

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How the poets create and use a metaphor in 'This room'. Compare this to one or more poems are also use metaphors

How the poets create and use a metaphor in 'This room'. Compare this to one or more poems are also use metaphors In many of the poems I have been looking at the public use a variety of language. Much of the make-up of the poem is a plague on wives, other as consist of questions however I will be looking at the use of metaphors. I will be looking closely at the poem 'This Room' and another 'Half Caste'. I will start by commenting on the poem 'This Room'. 'This Room' uses many metaphors to portray the poets feelings. He uses many metaphors to show how he is feeling trapped and also to show how he is feeling that new horizon is forthcoming. For example, line six, 'The bed is lifting out of Its nightmares' This quotation shows how the poet feels that he is starting a new chapter in his life and therefore all about things before have been pushed aside. The poet also tries to use this line to portray that he is beginning a new phase in his life. This is again about identity and how he fears his old identity but wants to form a new identity. The other poem chose is 'Half Caste'. This Poem again uses metaphors however on a much larger scale this is shown throughout the poem, sometimes using absurd metaphors. The poem sometimes doesn't make sense because it was written in a Caribbean style which also gets messages across better. For example, 'yu mean when light and

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Discuss how the poets use language to express a sense of culture and identity in Half Caste

Discuss how the poets use language to express a sense of culture and identity in Search for my Tongue and Half-Caste In this essay, I am going to discuss how the poets, Sujata Bhatt and John Agard use language to express a sense of culture and identity in their poems, Search for my Tongue and Half-Caste. The first poem I am going to write about is Search for my Tongue. Sujata Bhatt was born in 1956 in a country called Ahmedabad. In 1968, she emigrated to the United States of America. Search for my Tongue's mood begins with confusion and progresses to acceptance of their cultural identity. In the poem 'Search for my Tongue' Sujata Bhatt shows how her identity is important to her in quite a lot of ways. Bhatt describes that when she loses her mother tongue over her other language, she is losing part of herself, her home language and her culture. She tells us this by saying "If you had two tongues inside your mouth and you lost the first one, the mother tongue..." This can be found from line 4. The quote tells us she is forgetting her other language (or her other tongue) and so her importance of identity comes from her language. In English speaking, we sometimes use the word 'tongue' to mean 'language' as well as your actual 'tongue'. The poet compares the ability to speak two languages to having two tongues in your mouth, which she calls 'the mother tongue' (which is the

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Half Caste written by John Agard and Nothing's Changed written by Tatamkhulu Afrika, both explore the portrayal of racism

Question: How is racism portrayed in 'Half Caste' and 'Nothing's Changed?' Half Caste written by John Agard and Nothing's Changed written by Tatamkhulu Afrika, both explore the portrayal of racism. John Agard uses irony and satire to show emphasis and ridicules the social stigmata towards half-caste. Afrika uses his poem to illustrate the diverse conditions of two social cultures within his society. John Agard uses a unique structure. He uses the structure of his poem to add dramatic importance to what he says. The first and last stanzas are both three lined and isolated from the poem. This is added to emphasize him isolation in society. Nothing's Changed is written in seven stanzas, one of which is considerably smaller, 'no sign says it is: but we know where we belong.' This emphasizes his anger and feelings towards his position in society. Nothing's Changed is written in an angry tone, with emotional words such as, 'shiver down the glass' to create a sense of depression. Monosyllabic words in the direct stanza are used to create a sense of anger and perhaps slow the poem down for dramatic effect. Half Caste is also written in an angry tone. The uses of derogatory term such as, 'ah rass,' are used to emphasize his attitude towards the ignorant people in society. Half Caste uses a sense of rhyme in bits of the poem. The rhymes are in rhyming couplet form,

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