Half-caste (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Racism as conflict

The free-flowing form and rhythms of the poem make it sound like natural speech 

This enhances Agard’s expression of frustration and anger about racism:

• The speech-like qualities of the poem give his attack a personal, direct tone

The flow of ideas from one line to the next give Agard’s argument a sense of integrity

The association of one idea with the next reveals a unity of thought:

• This contrasts with the rigid and disjointed type of thinking that characterises racism
• The form of the poem is itself a challenge to divisive and separatist thinking 

Agard uses unconventional stanzas and lines to get his points across

By choosing not to use a conventional verse form, Agard is standing up for his right to his own racial and individual identity: 

• The form of the poem celebrates his Guyanese heritage and speech patterns
• In this way, he reclaims poetry for minority and marginalised voices

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Racism as conflict

The short, three-line stanzas that start and end the poem show a progression from confrontation to self-assertion

Agard opens the poem by satirising the way the speaker is viewed by people who are prejudiced: 

• The image of “standing on one leg" is mocking, but not self-mocking
• It is intended to ridicule the stupidity of the racist term “half-caste”

The final three-line stanza shows Agard’s speaker asserting his own truth and identity: 

• The line “I will tell yu” shows Agard’s speaker reclaiming his right to define himself
• Telling the other half of his story presents him as a whole person, rather than a “half” of something

Agard uses repetition to emphasise the angry and confrontational tone of the poem:

• Agard’s speaker repeats “Explain yuself/wha yu mean
• The term “half-caste” is also repeated throughout the poem 

This repeated challenge to the unknown listener to explain themselves emphasises Agard’s anger and frustration

• The repetition also implies that the listener hasn’t got an explanation for their prejudiced thinking
• The repetition of the term “half-caste” in different contexts makes it sound ridiculous: by using language in this way, Agard undermines the validity of the term itself

Agard uses a succession of analogies to undermine the racist intention behind the term 'half-caste':

• He employs visual and aural imagery to get his points across 

A Picasso painting, the English weather and a Tchaikovsky symphony are all examples of what can happen when things are mixed together: 

• Agard is showing that mixture can be beautiful and creative
• It should be celebrated, like Picasso’s art and Tchaikovsky’s symphonies
• It’s also nonsensical to object to mixing when it’s so essentially English, like the weather

However, Agard also creates a sense of unease with his use of visual imagery, such as red and green, or black and white:

• That’s because racism often focuses on skin colour, so these analogies confront it directly
• Once again, the speaker undermines the validity of racism by pointing out the positive results of mixing colours together 

The lack of punctuation in the poem enhances its spoken-word qualities 

• This makes Agard’s attack more speech-like and direct
• It also reinforces his individual identity by challenging poetic norms

Theme

Evidence

Poet’s intention

Racism as conflict

Agard mixes dialect and standard English to create a new sound in the poem:

• This strengthens the speaker’s sense of personal identity

Agard’s language demonstrates that mixture is positive and creative: 

• It stands in direct opposition to the idea of racial segregation
• That’s because he refuses to conform to standard English, choosing instead to show his identity through his language use

The conflict between the speaker and his listener is shown by the repeated use of “yu” and “I”

Calling his listener “yu” repeatedly emphasises the speaker’s challenge to his listener’s racism:

• The speaker’s “I” and the listener’s “yu” or “you” are always in direct confrontation
• Agard’s repeated “Wha yu mean” emphasises the conflict between the listener’s use of a racist term and the offence it causes the speaker

The use of irony in the poem is enhanced by the line “I’m sure you’ll understand”

Agard uses the standard English spelling of “you” for this line:

• His speaker means the opposite: “I’m sure you won’t understand”
• The irony is emphasised by Agard’s use of standard English, which implies that the listener won’t even understand something when it’s presented in familiar language
• This in turn highlights the lack of reasoning and understanding behind the concept “half-caste”

Agard uses sibilance in the line “so spiteful dem don’t want de sun pass” to convey the spiteful nature of racism

The hissing sound created by the repeated “s” sounds creates a sinister, hostile tone: 

• This reflects the speaker’s anger about racist attitudes
• Agard may be seeing the clouds as obscuring the sun in the same way as racism prevents people from seeing the truth about Black people’s real experiences

Some of the end-rhymes in the poem emphasise words for dramatic or humorous effect 

The rhyme of “half-caste” and “overcast” emphasises the way racist ideas cover things up or refuse to acknowledge them:

• It could also refer to the mental dullness or stupidity of racist views

The rhyme of “Tchaikovsky”/“key”/“key”/“symphony” ties this statement together:

• The keys referred to by the speaker are “black” and “white”
• Linking them with a Tchaikovsky symphony uses humour to undermine the idea that mixing black and white is negative

Agard presents the idea of “half”ness in different contexts:

• He refers to “half” of his hearing, sight, handshake, dream and shadow

This illustrates the absurdity and cruelty of the idea of “half”ness: 

• It also implies that, for the racist listener, only one half of the speaker’s qualities are valid
• By satirising this attitude, Agard shows how nonsensical it is 

The final section of the poem contrasts “half” with “de whole”: 

• The speaker insists that the listener “must come back tomorrow” and bring their “whole” eye, ear and mind

Agard is implying that the listener has only been using half their senses and thoughts: 

• This means that the ideas he’s attacking are only half thought through and not complete or whole
• It reflects the idea of not being whole back onto racist ideas, views and terms

Topic sentence

Both poems illustrate their writers’ views about racism through specific examples, and both are clear about where the responsibility for racism lies

Evidence and analysis

'Half-caste'

'No Problem'

Agard addresses the issue of racism directly:

• The poem begins with a short stanza ending “I’m half-caste”

Zephaniah also tackles racism head-on:

• After describing some of his experiences, he concludes: “Black is not de problem”

Agard is clear about who is responsible for racism: 

• When he suggests his listener return “wid de whole of yu eye/ear/mind”, the implication is that the listener has only used half their faculties and not thought things through

Zephaniah is equally clear about where the responsibility for racism lies:

• At the end of the poem, he demands: “Mother country get it right”, implying that England gets race wrong and must improve

The repetition in 'Half-caste' conveys its confrontational tone very effectively:

• The speaker repeatedly demands that his listener “explain yuself/wha yu mean”

The repetition in 'No Problem' also shows the speaker’s refusal to accept responsibility for the racism of others:

• He insists several times: “I am not de problem”, and finally, “Black is not de problem”

The poem uses dialect spellings and words to produce a speech-like sound and rhythm:

• Examples include the line: “So spiteful dem dont want de sun pass/ah rass”

The poem uses phonetic spellings to achieve a speech-like sound and rhythm:

• A good example is the line “An juss fe de record”

The conflict in the poem between the “I” of the speaker and the “yu” of his listener is very clear: 

• In comments like “An I will tell yu” they confront each other in the same line

The speaker’s “I” and his multiple opponents – “yu”, and sometimes “dey” – are clearly in opposition:

• The speaker attempts to put things right when he says “If yu give I a chance”

Agard rejects conventional punctuation and spelling completely, which makes the form of the poem a statement about his own identity

Zephaniah also avoids using much punctuation, relying on the sounds and rhythms of the poem to show where the pauses and stresses should be

Both poems take an adversarial approach to racism, identifying the source of the problem and celebrating their own identities 

Topic sentence

Although both poems tackle the issue of racism directly, their approaches differ slightly in their focus, tone and humour

Evidence and analysis

'Half-caste'

'No Problem'

Agard’s humour is indirect and metaphorical, using a succession of analogies and satirical speculation:

• He compares 'Half-caste' to painting, the music and the weather
• He satirises “half”ness with a series of statements about his senses, dreams and shadow

Zephaniah’s humour is more direct and often relies on rhyme to emphasise his point: 

• For example, in the lines “Yu put me in a pigeon hole/But I am versatile”, “versatile” rhymes with the previous “smile”
• This emphasises “versatile” and also reflects back on “smile” to make it sound less friendly

'Half-caste' focuses on one racist term to illustrate the experience of racism and the case against it

'No Problem' engages with a range of racist experiences over a longer period of time, from school days to adulthood

While there is rhyme in the poem, it is irregular and works to emphasise certain words, usually for humorous effect:

• “Half-caste till dem overcast” is an example of the way Agard brings together his analogies, suggesting that racism is like the English weather

The rhyme scheme in the poem is regular, with an ABCB structure, often using half-rhymes to illustrate the distance between the speaker and the people around him:

• Rhyming “academic” with “athletic” shows the situation from the perspective of the speaker, then from the perspective of others; the gap in perception is illustrated by the half-rhyme

Agard ends his poem on a negative note:

• His speaker’s “but yu must come back tomorrow” isn’t a hopeful request, as it would require the listener to engage with “the whole” of their ear, eye and mind

Zephaniah ends his poem on a more positive note:

• His speaker is “positively sure” that his experiences haven’t left him with grudges 
• “Sum of me best friends are white” conveys hope for the future, although it could also be read as ironic
• Zephaniah is using a few people (his white friends) to represent all white people, which is typical of the type of thinking he is criticising

Agard’s anger focuses on one example of racism, and maintains his angry, confrontational tone to the end, while Zephaniah’s focus is more varied and he ends the poem on a more positive, hopeful note

Topic sentence

Both poems are dramatic monologues that interrogate prejudice in a confrontational way 

Evidence and analysis

'Half-caste'

'The Class Game'

The poem presents its argument in the form of a dramatic monologue:

• The unseen listener is presented as someone who is racially prejudiced, since Agard’s attack is on their use of the racist term 'Half-caste'

The poem also presents its argument in the form of a dramatic monologue:

• The unseen listener is presented as someone who displays social prejudice against working-class people; somebody who is middle or upper class

Agard’s speaker questions his listener to challenge them:

• “wha yu mean/when yu say half-caste”, he asks repeatedly, challenging his listener to come up with a logical answer
• This question is repeated to emphasise the lack of a good answer

Casey’s speaker also uses questions to challenge her listener:

• “How can you tell what class I’m from?” she asks repeatedly, to expose the listener’s prejudices against her working class background
• Other questions continue to confront her listener’s class prejudice

The angry tone of the poem is due mainly to the focus on the speaker’s feelings and actions

The poem’s angry tone is also due to the focus on the speaker’s feelings and actions

Agard draws attention to the way other people see his speaker:

• His extended speculation about “half”ness in the third stanza reveals a sense of injustice and conflict in the way he is seen by others

Casey also draws attention to the way her speaker is seen, as well as the way she sees others:

• “I can talk posh” and “wear an ’at”, she argues, revealing the underlying prejudice that focuses on her background rather than her behaviour

'Half-caste' uses Agard’s own Caribbean dialect and register to assert and celebrate his racial identity

'The Class Game' also employs Casey’s northern working class dialect to establish her pride in her class identity

Both poems confront prejudice – racial and social – with anger, and use devices such as questions, a focus on the self and language choice to make their case  

Topic sentence

While both poems address prejudice, they focus on different ideas and use different poetic techniques to make their case

Evidence and analysis

'Half-caste'

'The Class Game'

Agard’s poem focuses on an example of racist speech, which he uses to represent racism generally

Casey’s poem focuses on many different examples of class prejudice, which she assembles to make her case

The message of the poem is conveyed in satirical terms, and often through its language:

• For instance, Picasso mixing red and green “is a half-caste canvas/” undermines the meaning of 'Half-caste' and shows it to be nonsensical

The message of the poem is conveyed in realistic terms, using examples from everyday life:

• For instance, “did I drop my unemployment card/Sitting on your patio (We have a yard)?” demonstrates class differences in a realistic way

Agard’s speaker doesn’t compare himself to his listener; there is only conflict between them

Although the conflict between Casey’s speaker and her listener is clear, she often compares her perception of, or names for, things with her listener’s

Agard doesn’t use a consistent rhyme scheme, only employing rhyme occasionally for humour or emphasis:

• This demonstrates his refusal to adopt conventional poetic methods and establishes his unique identity

After her opening lines, Casey uses rhyming couplets for each statement, often for dramatic or humorous effect:

• For example, she rhymes “toil” and “oil” to illustrate the difference between working class hands and hands that don’t do manual work
• Her use of rhyme emphasises her anger about class prejudice by rhyming examples with each other

Agard focuses on racial prejudice and conveys his message in metaphorical terms that focus on himself, while Casey focuses on class prejudice and uses realistic examples that compare different people’s class perceptions