Émigrée and checking out me history

English HW

Task 1:

Stanza one, line 1-4:

There once was a country… I left it as a child but my memory of it is

sunlight-clear for it seems I never saw it in that November which, I
am told, comes to the mildest city.

What does the word ‘once’ suggest has happened to the country?

The word once suggests that the country was stable and controlled in
the past, and instead now it is the complete opposite to that and
consists of war and other negative impacts.

What image does the speaker create of her memory if it is ‘sunlight

clear?’

It shows that the memories remain bright clear even down to the
details despite all of the negativity that has taken over the country.
This is suggested by the word ‘sunlight’ and how powerful the sun is
therefore showing how powerful her memory is.

Stanza two, lines 1-3:

The white streets of that city, the graceful slopes flow even clearer as
time rolls its tanks and the frontiers rise between us, close like
waves.

What impression do we receive of the speaker’s city, which contains ‘

white streets’?

White has connotations of innocence and purity, and could reflect her
naivety in clinging to an idealised view of her country. However,
other people may view the colour white as the colour of a surrender
flag thereby implying that the city has surrendered to an invading
force.
Why does the speaker talk about the ‘glow’ of her memory? Is it
positive or negative?

The glow of her memory can be interpreted in a positive way as the

word glow can mean a positive feeling. In addition, it is used to
describe things/places in a good way; therefore the glow of her
memory could therefore mean the positivity of her memory.

What image do tanks create in our mind? What is happening as time

moves on?

Time is slipping away so in some respects time is the enemy. The

tanks therefore represent the physical conflict on the one hand and
time’s destruction on the other.

Stanza one, lines 5-8:

The worst news I receive of it cannot break my original view, the

bright, filled paperweight. It may be at war, it may be sick with
tyrants but I am branded by an impression of sunlight.

How does a country suffer when it is at war?

The effects of war are widely spread and can be long term or short
term. Effects of war include mass destruction of cities and have long
lasting effects on a country's economy. Armed conflict has important
indirect negative consequences on, infrastructure, public health
provision, and social order. Many deaths are also caused due to war,
this can consists of key workers needed to help the country, soldiers
serving the country, innocent families who dream to have a future
but due to war their dreams are demolished and much more.

What is a tyrant? What has happened to the speaker’s home country?

If her country is ‘sick’ what is the speaker hoping will happen?

A tyrant is a cruel and oppressive ruler. The speakers home country

has been invaded with these tyrants hence causing a chaotic war
destroying the country’s facilities and hope to having a future. If her
country is sick it can mean that the speaker is hoping that the country
will eventually recover. This is due to the fact that when someone is
sick they often recover after a while and thus the writer applies the
same idea to this poem.

Stanza two, lines 4-8:

That child’s vocabulary I carried here like a hollow doll, opens and
spills a grammar. Soon I shall have every coloured molecule of it.
It may by now be a lie, banned by the state but I can’t get it off my
tongue. It tastes of sunlight.

The speaker refers to herself as ‘that child’. Why does she refer to
herself as a different person?

She was a child, so the vocabulary she learned was limited; also she
hadn’t acquired adult expression. In addition, it could mean that she
and those like her were banned from speaking their language; the
only one she knew that was her entire identity and way of
communication.

What do children usually do with dolls? What is the speaker doing

with the vocabulary?

Children usually play with dolls. The speaker makes what seems like
an intentional grammatical mistake- ‘ a grammer’. This could be to
reinforce the fact that the speaker’s vocabulary is still ‘child like’ and
not fully developed.

Why would tyrants ban a language? How is a language threatening?

It prevents them from connecting to their country of origin and robs

them of identity. Also, they would ban it because they would feel
threatened, as they can’t understand what their saying hence their
language.

Stanza three lines 1-4:

I have no passport, there’s no way back at all but my city comes to me

in its own white plane. It lies down in front of me, docile as paper; I
comb its hair and love its shining eyes.
What does a passport prove about identity? If the speaker no longer
has one, what is she saying she also no longer has?

The lack of a passport proves that she is unable to go back to her

home city, as that would obliterate her identity. It could mean that
she no longer has an identity to work with for the rest of her live and
doesn’t have a nationality as the place where she is from no longer
exists anymore.

How is the speaker’s city returning to her? Is it a real plane?

It’s not a real plane but rather a flood of memories that join together
from that city. Her city can return to her as it shows how the city she
loves is a figment of her imagination. The city itself was real but her
memories have been warped by her childish viewpoint. This way, the
city that she loved and the memories of it, can come to her at any
time.

Do you think that the speaker is happy here? Hopeful? Or could she
be sad and wistful? Explain your ideas

I believe she isn’t as much as she would want to, as she has run away
from the country she loved only to be trapped in another where she
could do nothing to help as she doesn’t own a passport thus her
identification would be obliterated.

Stanza three, lines 5-9:

My city takes me dancing through the city of walls. They accuse me of

absence, they circle me. They accuse me of being dark in the free city.
My city hides behind me. They mutter death, and my shadow falls as
evidence of sunlight.

What is the effect of the speaker calling the place she used to live, ‘my
city’?

It shows how she is attached to her city, as despite not living in it she
proceeds to call it her city without hesitation. Also, Shows how strong
her connection with the city is therefore proves she had lots of
memories their.

Why does the speaker’s city hide behind her?

The speaker in other words is trying to imply that she is protecting
that city despite all the negativity and chaos it has been through
showing her powerful connection to her city to the point she will
stand up and protect it.

Who do you think is ‘they’?

What are they doing to the speaker?

The pronoun ‘they’ is undefined. It could represent the government,

the population, the, city as a plural form. The speaker mentions they
circle me’, this could mean whoever is ‘they’ is surrounding the
speaker and trapping them not giving them many options to live with
or protect the country with.

Each stanza ends with ‘sunlight’. As long as the speaker is alive, what
will always exist?

As long as the speaker is alive, her city will always exist in her eyes,
no matter the damage done the memories never disappear from
there.

Task 2:
Recap checking out my history:

Question: How relevant do you think Agard’s ideas are for many
people? How important is your history?

Agard’s ideas are very relevant for many people; this consists of the
people who teach many individuals about the numerous famous
white leaders/ important figures, who have left a mark in the earth.
However, in the case of all the black important figures/ leaders who
have also left a mark on this earth, the teachings of them is far less
common and recognized, as over years society has grown to
acknowledge white people as more important figures in the history
books then black people when in reality both skin colors made equal
change in this earth thus supporting agard’s ideas that black teaching
should be more recognized.
Task 3:

The emigree:

“ I have no passport, there’s no way back at all.”

1.) How does this show identity as powerful?

This is as it shows the bravery the speaker holds and therefore

the power they have. This is due to the fact that if their was no
lack of passport the speaker would have gone in a instance but
unfortunately there is no possible way back at all and all she
had done is run away from one place only to be trapped in
another.

2.) What effect does this create for the reader?

It makes the reader feel bad and understand the poor speaker,
as the speaker is powerless and trapped only watching her
country to progressively experience more chaos and disaster.

3.) What does “there’s no way back at all “suggest about her
connection to her identity?

It suggests that she doesn’t have any connection to her identity

as she does not own an official passport, and for that reason
not a true identity either. This therefore restricts her from
going back to her country.

Checking out me history: “Blind me to me own identity”

1.) How does this quote show anger and how does it link to
identity?

It shows anger as he is discouraged by his own identity and

culture, which he shouldn’t be doing in the first place, but due
to the lack of recognition of black leaders/people that teachers
wont be teaching about it, it results in his anger.

2.) What effect does this have on the reader? What do they
understand about how the speaker feels?
 The readers know that he wants change immediately, thus
affecting the readers in a positive way as they would
understand his point of view and support him (wanting change
as well).

3.) What does the verb “blind’ tell readers about the speakers
connection to his identity?

The restrictive verb “blind” .implies that the version of events

given to him is harmful and dangerous and his connection to
his identity is weak and not rigid as he is discouraged of how
the teaching of white leaders/people is very common but when
it comes to his skin color it is far less common thus this results
in less recognition of black leaders/people.

The Big Question:

How is identity presented as powerful in the Emigree and one other

poem?

In both the emigree and checking out me history the writers

use negative phrases to present the power of identity in their
poems. In the emigree, rumens choice of “ I have no passport,
there’s no way back at all” shows that she doesn’t have any
connection to her identity as she does not own an official
passport, and for that reason not a true identity either. This
therefore restricts her from going back to her country and also
back to whom she was. The word choice of passport has
connotations of authorization and acceptance and the fact that
the speaker doesn’t have one therefore lacks authorization,
suggests how she feels unaccepted as well as uncomfortable as
she has moved from one place only to be trapped in another,
where she is grinded down by the dreadful news of her country
being attacked and abused with the atrocious amount of
antagonism. Resulting to a chaotic war where she feels as she
must protect her country but is rather imprisoned therefore
powerless. Rumen’s thoughts and feelings are relevant in the
poem because the power of identity reflects who we are, which
is a key towards peoples judgment of you but with her case she
doesn’t have a identity to start with making her feel much less
meaningful in this world, which just obliterates her lack of an
ability to make change especially for her country that she cares
so much about. In comparison, in ‘checking out me history’ the
quote of “ blind me to me own identity” indicates the
discourage he has of his own identity, this is due to the fact that
teachings of white leaders/significant people is far more
common then the teachings of his own skin color that he is
forced to live with and thus doesn’t want to feel any less
meaningful in this society then those who are white, resulting
in his dedication and desperation into creating change. By
using the verb “blind” this elaborates to the reader that the
version of events given to him is harmful and dangerous and
his connection to his identity is weak and not rigid like it is
supposed to me. This signifies to readers that the narrator feels
desperate, disappointed, determined and thus wanting of
change. This comes from the beginning of the poem and is
significant because it shows the readers intentions right from
the start showing how desperate he wants change. John Agard
could be referring to his experiences when he has to face
racism and fight through it, where he met various significant
black leaders at his time that helped bring change into society
and thus believes these people should be acknowledged and
recognized for their bravery of standing up for the black
community like himself and thus taught about more.