SESSION 26 — Poem as Argument
Discussion:
One of the most impactful ways in which the historically oppressed and marginalised make their voices heard is through the arts.
Poetry’s oral tradition makes it especially suited to this purpose.
What prejudice is the poet John Agard responding to here? And what devices does he use to expose its inconsistencies?
John Agard FRSL is a Guyanese-born British playwright, poet and children's writer. In 2012, he was selected for the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was awarded BookTrust's Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2021.
Half-Caste
by John Agard
Excuse me
standing on one leg
I’m half-caste.
Explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when Picasso
mix red an green
is a half-caste canvas?
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean when light an shadow
mix in de sky
is a half-caste weather?
well in dat case
england weather
nearly always half-caste
in fact some o dem cloud
half-caste till dem overcast
so spiteful dem don’t want de sun pass
ah rass?
explain yuself
wha yu mean
when yu say half-caste
yu mean tchaikovsky
sit down at dah piano
an mix a black key
wid a white key
is a half-caste symphony?
explain yuself
wha yu mean
Ah listening to yu wid de keen
half of mih ear
Ah looking at yu wid de keen
half of mih eye
an when I’m introduced to yu
I’m sure you’ll understand
why I offer yu half-a-hand
an when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
an when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
cast half-a-shadow
but yu must come back tomorrow
wid de whole of yu eye
an de whole of yu ear
an de whole of yu mind.
an I will tell yu
de other half
of my story.
Writing Prompt:
What word or idea has been used in an attempt to pin you down or keep you in your place?
How would you subvert the intentions of the person(s) who used it?
Write a poem that enacts your argument. It could be funny, dark, furious. You can expand the word’s meaning, compress its scope, make a pun with it.
The idea is to wield it in a way that the user did not originally intend, and in so doing, to create your own narrative.