Checking Out Me History

Overview

'Checking Out Me History' by John Agard is a powerful critique of the British education system and its erasure of black history. Written by a poet of the Windrush generation, it contrasts the trivial, Eurocentric figures taught in schools (like Dick Whittington) with the heroic, revolutionary figures of Caribbean history (like Toussaint L'Ouverture). Examiners look for candidates who can analyse Agard's deliberate use of Creole dialect and non-standard phonetic spelling not as errors, but as a political assertion of identity. Top-band responses will explore how the poem's structural shifts—from rigid, italicised stanzas to free-flowing, enjambed verse—enact the speaker's journey from indoctrination to self-determination.

Podcast Revision

Listen to our 10-minute deep dive into the poem, covering key themes, structural analysis, and exam tips:

Plot/Content Overview

The poem does not have a traditional narrative plot, but rather a thematic progression:

1. The Accusation: The speaker begins by repeatedly stating "Dem tell me", establishing that his education has been controlled by others who "blind me to me own identity".
2. The Contrast: He lists British historical and nursery rhyme figures (1066, Dick Whittington, Old King Cole) juxtaposed against significant black historical figures who were ignored (Toussaint L'Ouverture, Nanny de Maroon, Mary Seacole).
3. The Reclamation: The poem concludes with the speaker actively rejecting this imposed history, stating "now I checking out me own history / I carving out me identity".

Themes

Theme 1: Identity and Self-Determination

The central conflict of the poem is the struggle to define oneself when one's history has been erased. Agard suggests that identity is inextricably linked to knowing your past.

Key Quotes:

• "Bandage up me eye with me own history / Blind me to me own identity" - The violent verbs "bandage" and "blind" suggest that the colonial education system actively harmed the speaker, preventing him from seeing his true self.
• "I carving out me identity" - The active verb "carving" implies that discovering one's identity requires hard, deliberate work; it is an active process of creation, not passive reception.

Theme 2: Colonial Erasure and Indoctrination

Agard critiques how the British education system prioritised white, Eurocentric narratives, reducing black history to non-existence.

Key Quotes:

• "Dem tell me" - The repeated refrain highlights the passive role of the student and the imposition of a singular narrative by an unnamed, powerful authority ("Dem").
• "Robin Hood was a nobleman bold / But dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon" - The juxtaposition of a fictional British myth with a real, powerful Jamaican historical figure highlights the absurdity and injustice of the curriculum.

Theme 3: Power and Resistance

The figures Agard chooses to celebrate are all individuals who resisted oppression or overcame immense obstacles, mirroring his own linguistic resistance in the poem.

Key Quotes:

• "Toussaint / a slave / with vision" - Agard reclaims Toussaint L'Ouverture not just as a historical fact, but as a symbol of visionary leadership and resistance against the odds.
• "a healing star / among the wounded / a yellow sunrise / to the dying" - The description of Mary Seacole uses natural, light-based imagery, contrasting with the "blindness" imposed by the British education system.

Character Analysis

While this is a poem rather than a play or novel, the historical figures function as characters representing different aspects of heritage.

The Speaker (Agard's Persona)

Role: The voice of resistance and reclamation.

Key Traits: Defiant, culturally proud, transitioning from passive to active.

Character Arc: Moves from being a passive recipient of imposed history ("Dem tell me") to an active creator of his own identity ("I carving out me identity").

Essential Quotes:

• "Dem tell me"
• "I checking out me own history"

The Caribbean Figures

Role: Symbols of true history, resistance, and healing.

Key Traits: Visionary (Toussaint), spiritual and fierce (Nanny), nurturing and brave (Mary Seacole).

Essential Quotes:

• "Toussaint de beacon"
• "fire-woman struggle / hopeful stream" (Nanny)
• "healing star" (Mary Seacole)

Writer's Methods

Language and Dialect

Agard's most significant method is his use of Creole dialect and phonetic spelling (e.g., "dem", "wha", "mek"). This is a deliberate political choice, a form of linguistic resistance against Standard English, which represents the coloniser. By forcing the reader to read in a Caribbean cadence, he asserts the validity and dignity of his cultural voice.

Form and Structure

The poem uses structural juxtaposition to separate the two histories. The Eurocentric history is presented in regular, rhyming, italicised stanzas—mimicking the rote learning of nursery rhymes. In contrast, the Caribbean history is presented in free-flowing, irregular stanzas with short lines and enjambment. This structural freedom reflects the vitality, reality, and uncontainable nature of the speaker's true heritage.

Metaphor and Imagery

Agard uses light and vision imagery throughout. The British system "blind[s]" and "bandage[s]" the speaker, whereas the Caribbean figures are associated with light: Toussaint is a "beacon", Nanny is a "see-far woman", and Mary Seacole is a "yellow sunrise". This creates a clear dichotomy between the darkness of ignorance/indoctrination and the light of historical truth.

Context

John Agard was born in Guyana (then British Guiana) in 1949 and moved to Britain in 1977. He is part of the Windrush generation. Growing up in a British colony, he was subjected to a curriculum designed in London, which taught British history and literature while ignoring the rich history of the Caribbean. The poem was published in 2004 in the collection Half-Caste and Other Poems. Understanding this context is crucial for AO3: examiners expect you to link Agard's personal experience of colonial education to the poem's themes of erasure and linguistic rebellion.