'Half-caste' 'search for my tongue' and 'blessing' all show people who are outsiders - How does each poet convey their thoughts and feelings?

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‘Half-caste’ ‘search for my tongue’ and ‘blessing’ all show people who are outsiders. How does each poet convey their thoughts and feelings?

You should include:

The idea and attitudes of the poets

The way the poems are set out-the structure

The ways each poet uses language

What the poets have to say about their feelings.

All three poems are about outsiders and issues that they find important. Issues that most of us would take for granted if we were not actually in that particular group.

        The first poem ‘half-caste’ by John Agard addresses the issue of being half-caste. The poet ridicules the use of the term half-caste. The poet does this in a very light-hearted and fun way. He asks if Picasso is second rate just because he mixed colours in his paintings and he asks if the English weather is classed as “half-caste weather” because it’s always overcast in England. Should Tchaikovsky’s work or music be classed as second rate just because he used both the black and white notes on his piano. The point he is trying to make to the reader is – is someone who is called a half-caste only half a person? The point of the poem is to try and get the reader to be a bit more open-minded. He deliberately uses very well known people; geniuses even, as examples to make his point.

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        The poet uses colloquial English and imperatives and starts the poem by using the phrase “excuse me.” He does this to try and attract attention and to get people to listen. He also uses the phrase “explain yuself” and “wha you mean” numerous times throughout the poem (repetition). Again, the idea is to get the reader/listener to think in a more open-minded way, and why we might be using the term ‘half-caste.         

        The poet has very effectively used dialect to make his point that the term ‘half-caste’ is normally used when there is a afro-Caribbean mixed-race person involved.

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