Half Caste edexcel 4-The-Poetry-Anthology

Half-Caste

Each poetry anthology for Edexcel GCSE English Literature includes 15 poems, and in the poetry question in the exam you will be given one poem on the paper – printed in full – and asked to compare this given poem to one other from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the other poems, so you will have to know them very well from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to learn. However, understanding four things about each poem will enable you to produce a top-mark response:

• The meaning of the poem

• The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey

• How the poet conveys these ideas and messages through their methods

• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of other poems in the anthology

Below is a guide to John Agard’s ‘Half-caste’, from the Conflict Anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods

• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes

• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Overview

To answer an essay question on any poem, you must understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell

• An explanation of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Agard’s intention and message

‘Half-caste’ in a nutshell

‘Half-caste’ is about Agard’s experience of racism and is written as a dramatic monologue. The offensive racist term ‘half-caste’ was once commonly used to describe someone with parents from different races. Agard attacks the term using a series of analogies. He compares the term “half-caste” to a painting, the English weather and a symphony to suggest that mixture is fundamental and beautiful. He then uses irony to expose the stupidity of racism, and ends the poem with a direct attack on such views. Throughout the poem, Agard blends dialect language (Afro-Caribbean) with more recognisable words to demonstrate the value and richness of mixing things together. His rejection of standard English and punctuation challenges the kind of “conventional” thinking that produced the term “half-caste” in the first place. 

‘Half-caste’ breakdown

Lines 1–6

“Excuse me

standing on one leg 

I’m half-caste 

Explain yuself 

wha yu mean 

when you say half-caste”

Explanation

• “Excuse me” is an insincere apology or an interruption; the speaker wants to grab the reader’s attention

• The speaker is “standing on one leg” because he’s “half-caste”:

  • He is challenging the implication that he is seen as half a person 

• The next three lines introduce a repeated refrain that challenges his listener to explain what they mean by “half-caste”

Agard’s intention

• The insincerity of “Excuse me” sets up the satirical tone of the poem, because the speaker is not sorry for anything:

  • You can also read it as an objection to, or an interruption of, the mindset that created the term “half-caste”

• He demands an explanation by repeating: “Explain yuself/wha yu mean/when yu say half-caste”:

  • This implies that people who use the term can’t explain it, conveying the irrationality of racist attitudes

• Agard uses the ironic humour of standing on one leg to point out the absurd implications of calling someone “half” anything

• The use of phonetic spelling in words like “yuself” and “yu” establishes an authentic voice and gives the poem its spoken-word quality

Lines 7–9

“yu mean when picasso

mix red an green 

is a half-caste canvas/”

Explanation

• The speaker uses the analogy of Picasso mixing colours together on a canvas to criticise the concept of “half-caste”

Agard’s intention

• The analogy in these lines shows how mixing things together can be creative:

  • Asking if it would make the painting a “half-caste canvas” highlights how mixing things is used negatively when describing race, but positively when describing art 

• The visual imagery of the Picasso painting implies that mixing colours on a canvas produces something beautiful and valuable:

  • However, using colour imagery creates unease, because it addresses racist ideas, which often focus on skin colour

Lines 10–22

“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 dont want de sun pass 

ah rass/”

Explanation

• The speaker repeats his demand that his listener “explain” what they mean

• He uses the analogy of clouds in the sky to interrogate the meaning of “half-caste”:

  • He states that if it means cloudy weather, England nearly always has “half-caste” weather

• He extends the metaphor of cloudy weather to point out that sometimes the clouds hide the sun altogether

• “Ah rass” is an expression of anger and frustration, as if the analogy (or the weather) has tried the speaker’s patience 

Agard’s intention

• The repeated challenge to explain what “half-caste” means creates the effect that the other person is unable to answer the question

• The analogy of a cloudy sky implies that mixing light and shadow is a natural, everyday process:

• This challenges the hypocrisy of criticising the speaker for being mixed-race, because English weather is typically based on a mixture of conditions

• Extending the metaphor of cloudy weather illustrates the speaker’s anger at the way racism “clouds” people’s judgement:

  • This is emphasised by the echoing word “overcast”, which suggests that the “sun” of truth is hidden behind the “clouds”

• The sibilance of the phrase “so spiteful” creates a harsh, sinister tone:

  • This reflects the metaphor of clouds as racist beliefs

Lines 23–30

“explain yuself 

wha yu mean 

when you 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/”

Explanation

• The speaker repeats his demand that his listener “explain” what they mean

• He uses the analogy of Tchaikovsky creating a symphony on the piano

• He questions whether using the black and white piano keys makes a Tchaikovsky symphony “half-caste”

Agard’s intention

• The repeated demand to explain what “half-caste” means emphasises Agard’s challenge to racist views and the people who hold them

• The analogy of a Tchaikovsky symphony being “half-caste” illustrates the idea that beauty and harmony can come from mixing things together: 

  • The reference to the black and white piano keys also highlights the racist ideas the poem is criticising

Lines 31–46

“Explain yuself 

wha yu mean 

Ah listening to yu wid de keen 

half of mih ear 

Ah lookin at yu wid de keen 

half of mih eye 

and 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”

Explanation

• The speaker repeats his challenge to his listener to explain what they mean

• The following lines focus on the racist idea that “half-caste” means “incomplete” or “half a person” 

• The speaker lists the ways in which his humanity is halved, according to racist ideas:

  • Only half his ability to listen or look is “keen” (well-developed or accurate)

  • He can only offer half a handshake 

  • At night, he only closes half an eye and dreams half a dream

  • In the moonlight, as a “half-caste human being”, he only casts half a shadow

Agard’s intention

• Agard uses irony to project the listener’s prejudices onto himself, while at the same time satirising those attitudes:

  • This links to the racist idea that only one half of him – the white half – is valid

• The speaker’s comment “I’m sure you’ll understand” uses irony to highlight the stupidity of racist attitudes:

  • He means, “I’m pretty sure you won’t understand, because you’re too prejudiced”

• The comment about dreaming “half-a-dream” attacks the idea that his thoughts and dreams are less valid than his listener’s 

• The phrase “half-caste human being” attacks the idea that he is less than a whole person:

  • The notion of casting “half-a-shadow” is so absurd that it emphasises the irony of the whole preceding stanza

Lines 47–53

“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”

Explanation

• These lines summarise the effect that racism has on the listener, who is only able to see, listen and think with half their mind

• If they come back tomorrow with a mind that is not half-closed by prejudice, they may understand the whole story, not just half of it

Agard’s intention

• Agard’s speaker turns the idea of only being able to function as half a person back on the listener:

  • This is because racism has half-blinded, half-deafened and half-closed their minds to the truth

• If they are able to remove the prejudice that impairs them, then they will understand the whole story about the speaker’s experiences

Writer’s methods

This section is split into three separate areas: form, structure and language. However, it’s important to link these areas of Agard’s writing together, in order to understand how he is presenting his ideas and why he has made those choices. Think about how Agard’s language, structure and form contribute to his theme and message in ‘Half-caste’. 

You will gain far more marks by focusing on Agard’s theme than on individual poetic techniques. Therefore, the analysis in the following sections is arranged by theme, and examines the intentions behind Agard’s decisions about:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

‘Half-caste’ is a dramatic monologue addressed to an unknown listener, but otherwise the form of the poem is completely unconventional. In its irregular lines, rhymes, rhythms and stanzas, Agard uses a speech-like form that reflects his Guyanese heritage. In this way, he is celebrating his identity and reclaiming English language and poetry for less mainstream voices. 

Structure

The poem begins and ends with a three-line stanza: the first one introduces Agard’s subject, and the final one brings a sense of resolution. In between, two long stanzas follow a free-flowing meditation on the meaning of ‘Half-caste’. Agard uses repetition to reinforce his confrontational tone towards racism. He avoids using conventional punctuation in the poem, which is a way of shaking off the dominance of white, European cultural norms. 

Language

Agard mixes Caribbean dialect with standard English throughout the poem. By mixing two different types of English together, he creates a new sound, demonstrating the richness of mixture directly through his language. Agard uses irony to expose the stupidity of racial prejudice, but he also demonstrates the beauty of mixture by using contrasting language in his imagery. Although there is no conventional rhyme scheme in this poem, some end-rhymes emphasise certain words for dramatic or humorous effect.