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AQA GCSE POETRY ANTHOLOGY: CHARACTER AND VOICE

Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk

1

‘Checking Out Me History’ by John Agard

Learning Objectives:

- AO1: Respond to the using details from the poem to support your

opinion

- AO2: Analyse the writers’ methods (language, structure and form) and

the purposes of these methods

Pre-reading activity

1. Why do you think it might it be a good idea to teach young people

history at school? Note three reasons.

⇒ ______________________________________

⇒ ______________________________________

⇒ ______________________________________

2. Why do you think that British history is widely taught across the world?

⇒ ______________________________________

⇒ ______________________________________

⇒ ______________________________________

3. What reasons might there be to teach young people about the history

of other cultures as well as British history?

⇒ ______________________________________

⇒ ______________________________________

⇒ ______________________________________



2

Take 3 minutes to discuss your opinions with a partner. Justify your

ideas.

Add any further issues you have uncovered.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

First impressions Read the poem.

What are your first impressions of the tone and meaning? What, do you

think, is the speaker’s opinion?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

What type of poem is this?

This poem is a dramatic monologue. A dramatic monologue is a piece

of verse that gives the speaker a voice to EXPRESS his / her feelings to a

silent audience.

In the case of ‘Checking Out Me History’, Agard’s speaker expresses a

desire to learn more about his / her own country of origin, not just the

British history s/he has been taught in school. Agard himself was born in

Guyana in South America in 1949 and moved to England in 1977.



3

Poetry detective *Find table on next page (page 4).

What is the narrator of the poem taught at school? What does

the narrator wish he or she was taught?

Instructions for teacher:

1. Enlarge, cut out and hide the statements around the classroom.

2. Put pupils into groups of three. One student within the group takes on the

role of scribe; s/he will need the empty table on page 5 and a pen. The

other two students are ‘runners’. (Teacher to differentiate accordingly.)

3. The task for the ‘runners’ is to find a statement, memorise it and then

return to the scribe who has to write down the information provided by her

/ his runners. Runners are NOT allowed to pick up the statements or to

shout the facts across the classroom. Neither are they allowed to

memorise more than one fact before returning to the scribe.

4. The team must arrange the statements in the table under the relevant

heading.

5. This is a frantic activity but one that students enjoy and it often turns into a

race without the teacher even mentioning the word. Advice on movement

around the classroom might be necessary.



4

TAUGHT NOT

TAUGHT 1066 Toussaint L’Ouverture

Dick Whittington Nanny of the Maroons

The man who discovered the

balloon. Shaka, Zulu King

‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ by

Mother Goose The Caribs

Lord Nelson The Arawaks

The Battle of Waterloo Mary Seacole

Robin Hood

Florence Nightingale

Old King Cole

Christopher Columbus



5

TAUGHT NOT

TAUGHT



6

Webquest Use the Internet to find 3 - 4 details about the historical figures that Agard

feels have been ignored or underrepresented.

Toussaint L’Ouverture

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Nanny de Maroon

____________________________________

____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________



7

Shaka

____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

The Caribs

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________



8

The Arawaks

____________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________

____________________________________

Mary Seacole

____________________________________

____________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________



9

Poetry detective Spot the following poetic techniques and devices at work in the poem. What

is their PURPOSE and EFFECT?

techniques examples and analysis

short lines

italics

non-standard

english

repetition

lack of

punctuation

a range of

historical

events / figures

rhyme



10

Let’s take a closer look

Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think

PEA - point, example, analysis.

Stanzas 1 – 3

Dem tell me

Dem tell me Wha dem want to tell me

Bandage up me eye with me own history Blind me to me own identity

Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat

dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat But Toussaint L’Ouverture

no dem never tell me bout dat

⇒ What can we infer about the speaker?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

⇒ Who do you think ‘dem’ refers to?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

⇒ Why do you think the poet has included a mixture of real events,

characters from children’s stories and nursery rhymes?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________



11

Stanzas 4, 6 and 9

4 6 9 Toussaint a slave with vision lick back Napoleon battalion and first Black Republic born Toussaint de thorn to de French Toussaint de beacon of de Haitian Revolution

Nanny see-far woman of mountain dream fire-woman struggle hopeful stream to freedom river

From Jamaica she travel far to the Crimean War she volunteer to go and even when de British said no she still brave the Russian snow a healing star among the wounded a yellow sunrise to the dying

⇒ Select an effective noun phrase used to describe each historical

figure. Discuss the effect of each noun phrase and how the speaker’s

praise for them is made clear. Toussaint L’Ouverture

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Nanny de Maroon ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Mary Seacole ______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________



12

Below is stanza four of the poem, rewritten in standard English.

From Jamaica, she travelled far to the Crimean War. She volunteered to go and even

when the British said no, she still braved the Russian snow. She was a healing star

among the wounded, a yellow sunrise to the dying.

Give examples of / make a note of (up to you which; delete below as

necessary) the non-standard dialect and grammar forms that this has

revealed. Explore their effect.

techniques examples and analysis

ellipsis

lack of

punctuation

enjambment

phonetic spelling

colloquialism



13

⇒ Why might the poet have used such short lines in these stanzas?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

⇒ Why might the poet have used italics for these stanzas?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Stanza 10

Dem tell me

Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me

But now I checking out me own history

I carving out me identity

⇒ What might the metaphor ‘I carving out me identity’ mean? Think about

the connotations of the verb ‘to carve’.

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

⇒ What could you infer about the way the speaker feels about his or her

identity from this stanza?

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________



14

My Itchy Toes Smell Loads Complete the table below with what you consider to be the

most important quotes and poetic devices within each

category.

meaning

imagery

tone

Structure

and Form

language



15

Comparing poems - AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating

writers’ different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects

Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between

the two poems.

Sample exam question

Compare the theme of history in ‘Checking Out Me History’ and ‘The

Horse Whisperer’.

‘Checking Out Me History’ ‘The Horse Whisperer’



16

Planning an essay Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your

essay question. You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each

point in the order you would write about them in your exam. When you write

your essay, remember to analyse structural and poetic devices for their

effect and meaning. Don’t just list.

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17

Checking Out Me History

5

10

15

20

25

Dem tell me

Dem tell me

Wha dem want to tell me

Bandage up me eye with me own history

Blind me to me own identity

Dem tell me bout 1066 and all dat

dem tell me bout Dick Whittington and he cat

But Toussaint L’Ouverture

no dem never tell me bout dat

Toussaint

a slave

with vision

lick back

Napoleon

battalion

and first Black

Republic born

Toussaint de thorn

to de French

Toussaint de beacon

of de Haitian Revolution

Dem tell me bout de man who discover de balloon

and de cow who jump over de moon

Dem tell me bout de dish ran away with de spoon

but dem never tell me bout Nanny de maroon



18

30

35

40

45

50

Nanny

see-far woman

of mountain dream

fire-woman struggle

hopeful stream

to freedom river

Dem tell me bout Lord Nelson and Waterloo

but dem never tell me bout Shaka de great Zulu

Dem tell me bout Columbus and 1492

but what happen to de Caribs and de Arawaks too

Dem tell me bout Florence Nightingale and she lamp

and how Robin Hood used to camp

Dem tell me bout ole King Cole was a merry ole soul

but dem never tell me bout Mary Seacole

From Jamaica

she travel far

to the Crimean War

she volunteer to go

and even when de British said no

she still brave the Russian snow

a healing star

among the wounded

a yellow sunrise

to the dying

Dem tell me

Dem tell me wha dem want to tell me

But now I checking out me own history

I carving out me identity.

John Agard



19

Acknowledgments and thanks Written by Chantel Mathias and Amanda Fiegel

Introduction and copy by Karen Bishop

Audio file scripts and recordings by Barrie McDermid - www.podcastrevision.co.uk

Interactive resources and design by David Riley - www.triptico.co.uk

Images:

• napoleonstark.wordpress.com • voiceseducation.org • mwhcp-per6.wikispaces.com • clayvilla.com • flmnh.ufl.edu • famous.y2u.co.uk

Agard, John

‘Checking Out Me History’ Copyright © 1996 by John Agard reproduced by kind permission of John

Agard c/o Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency Limited.

Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of material reproduced in this collection. If

notified, we will be pleased to rectify any errors / omissions.

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