Tool · Flashcards
Card 1 of 41 · 0 of 41 marked known
Every card
Characters · 6
Dick Whittington
Dick Whittington features in John Agard's poem "Checking Out Me History" as a symbol of the dominant, Eurocentric curriculum that the Speaker encountered during his education.
character
Mary Seacole
Mary Seacole features prominently in John Agard's dramatic monologue "Checking Out Me History" as one of the overlooked historical figures the Speaker seeks to reclaim from a Eurocentric education.
character
Nanny de Maroon
Nanny de Maroon is one of the historical freedom fighters that the Speaker honors in John Agard's "Checking Out Me History."
character
Robin Hood
Robin Hood is one of several figures, both historical and legendary, mentioned by the Speaker in John Agard's dramatic monologue "Checking Out Me History."
character
The Speaker (Narrator)
The Speaker is the only human voice in John Agard's dramatic monologue "Checking Out Me History," serving as the narrator, protagonist, and political critic all at once.
character
Toussaint L'Ouverture
Toussaint L'Ouverture is one of three historical freedom fighters that the Speaker honors in John Agard's protest poem "Checking Out Me History."
character
Key quotes · 8
“Toussaint / a slave / with vision / lick back / Napoleon / battalion”
This powerful passage is from "Checking Out Me History" by John Agard, a poet from Guyana who now lives in Britain.
Poetic narrator (Caribbean voice)
“Dem tell me bout / Dick Whittington and he cat / But Toussaint L'Ouverture / no dem never tell me bout dat”
This opening stanza is delivered by the unnamed Caribbean narrator in John Agard's "Checking Out Me History," which is included in Half-Caste and Other Poems (2005).
Unnamed Caribbean narrator (poet's voice)
“I carving out me identity”
This line is from "Checking Out Me History" by John Agard, a poet of Guyanese-British descent.
The poetic speaker (Caribbean man / John Agard's persona)
“Dem tell me / Dem tell me / Wha dem want to tell me”
This opening refrain is spoken by the unnamed Caribbean narrator of John Agard's poem "Checking Out Me History" (published in Half-Caste and Other Poems, 2005).
Unnamed Caribbean narrator / the poet's persona · Opening stanza
“Checkoutmehistory / checkoutmehistory”
"Checking Out Me History" is a spoken-word poem by John Agard, a poet from Guyana who now resides in Britain.
The Caribbean narrator / John Agard's poetic persona
“Mary Seacole / dih healing of / de Crimea”
This line comes from John Agard's well-known poem "Checking Out Me History," published in Half-Caste and Other Poems in 2005.
The poetic speaker (John Agard's persona)
“Bandage up me eye with me own history / Blind me to me own identity”
These opening lines are delivered by the unnamed Caribbean narrator in John Agard's "Checking Out Me History," which appears in Half-Caste and Other Poems (2005).
The Caribbean narrator (voice of the poet, John Agard)
“Nanny de maroon / see-far woman / of mountain dream”
This striking three-line verse is drawn from John Agard's spoken-word poem Checking Out Me History (published in Half-Caste and Other Poems, 2005).
The poem's Caribbean speaker (voice of John Agard) · Checking Out Me History (single poem)
Symbols · 4
British Nursery Rhyme Figures
In John Agard's "Checking Out Me History," the British nursery rhyme characters — like Dick Whittington, Old King Cole, and the cow that jumps over the moon — represent the trivial and Eurocentric version of history that was imposed on Caribbean colonial subjects.
Caribbean Historical Figures
In John Agard's poem "Checking Out Me History," figures from Caribbean history — such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, Nanny of the Maroons, and Mary Seacole — embody suppressed identity and reclaimed cultural pride.
Light and Flame
In John Agard's "Checking Out Me History," light and flame represent the enduring power of Black and Caribbean historical figures and their legacies that have been suppressed.
The Blindfold
In John Agard's "Checking Out Me History," the blindfold symbolizes the intentional suppression of cultural identity and the control of knowledge by colonial powers.
Literary devices · 11
Anaphora
The repeated opening phrase 'Dem tell me / Dem tell me' drives the poem's main argument through its persistent repetition.
Juxtaposition
Agard places figures from colonial British education—like Dick Whittington, Robin Hood, and Old King Cole—side by side with overlooked Caribbean and African heroes such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, Nanny de Maroon, and Mary Seacole.
Free Verse
The poem deliberately breaks away from the metrical patterns typical of traditional English verse.
Imagery
Agard’s portrayal of suppressed heroes is vibrant and primal.
Repetition
Beyond the repeated phrase 'Dem tell me,' the poem uses 'but none a dem' to highlight each instance of what’s missing from the curriculum.
Dramatic Monologue
The poem is presented entirely from the perspective of a Caribbean speaker who addresses an implied colonial education system and, by extension, the reader.
Symbolism
The phrase 'checking out' history — the title of the poem — is rich in meaning.
Alliteration
Agard employs alliteration selectively yet effectively in the celebratory stanzas.
Metaphor
The poem's central metaphor connects history with identity: 'I carving out me identity' presents selfhood as something shaped from the raw material of rediscovered history.
Irony
There’s an ongoing irony in the disconnect between what 'Dem' considers worth teaching in history—nursery-rhyme figures and colonial myths—and the truly significant contributions of figures like Toussaint L'Ouverture, who defeated Napoleon's army, or Mary Seacole, who cared for soldiers during the Crimea War.
Volta
The poem takes a significant turn when the speaker moves from listing what 'Dem tell me' to boldly declaring 'But I' — marking a shift from being a passive listener to actively reclaiming their identity.
Vocabulary · 12
Dem
Caribbean Creole/dialect form of 'them,' used here to refer to the colonial educators who controlled what the speaker was taught. It carries a distancing tone, marking those people as outsiders imposing their will.
Chapter 1
Wha
Caribbean Creole spelling of 'what,' reflecting the spoken dialect of the narrator. Its use signals that the poem is written in the speaker's own voice, not in the language of his colonisers.
Chapter 1
lick back
Caribbean idiom meaning to strike back, defeat, or push back against someone. Here it describes Toussaint's military victory over Napoleon's forces.
phrase · Chapter 1
battalion
A large organised unit of soldiers, typically several hundred strong. In this poem it refers to the military force Napoleon sent to crush the Haitian uprising.
noun · Chapter 1
vision
The ability to imagine and plan for a future that does not yet exist. The poem uses it to show that Toussaint could see beyond his enslaved condition toward freedom and nationhood.
noun · Chapter 1
beacon
A guiding light or source of inspiration that others can follow, especially in dark or difficult times. The poem uses it to honour Toussaint as a symbol of hope for the Haitian Revolution.
noun · Chapter 1
thorn
A persistent source of pain, trouble, or irritation to someone powerful. Calling Toussaint 'a thorn' to Napoleon means he was a constant, sharp obstacle the empire could not remove.
noun · Chapter 1
Maroon
A member of a community of self-liberated enslaved Africans and their descendants who escaped plantations and established free settlements, especially in Jamaica. Nanny of the Maroons led one such community in armed resistance.
noun · Chapter 1
carving out
Actively creating or shaping something for oneself through effort and determination, as a sculptor cuts a form from raw material. The speaker uses it to say he is deliberately constructing his own sense of self.
phrase · Chapter 1
identity
A person's understanding of who they are — their culture, history, and sense of self. In this poem it is something the speaker must reclaim because colonial education tried to erase it.
noun · Chapter 1
checking out
Investigating or actively looking into something for oneself. The speaker uses it to mean he is now seeking out and examining his own history rather than accepting what he was told.
phrase · Chapter 1
Republic
A nation governed by elected representatives of its people rather than by a monarch or colonial power. 'First Black Republic' refers to Haiti becoming the first nation led by formerly enslaved Black people.
noun · Chapter 1