Half-CasteLearning Objective:

To understand what the poem ‘Half-Caste’ by John Agard is about.

To analyse how the poet has used language and structure to convey

thoughts, feelings and ideas.

HALF-CASTE

• What does the term half-caste mean?• Where do you come from if you are half-caste?• How would you feel if someone called you a half-caste?

HALF

• Less than whole• Less important• Not properly formed

CASTE

• Indian term for social class, the lowest of which is considered ‘untouchable’

• From the Latin; Castus = pure• Cast, made or formed

About the poet

• John Agard came to England from Guyana in 1977. • Like many people from the Caribbean, he is mixed race - his mother

is Portuguese, but born in Guyana and his father is black.• One of the things he enjoys about living in England is the wide

range of people he meets: • He doesn't like the view of racial origins, which is implied in the word

'half-caste', still used by many people to describe people of mixed race.

• The term now is considered rude and insulting.

• 'The diversity of cultures here is very exciting'.

I think humour can be very powerful. Humour breaks down boundaries, it topples our self-importance, it

connects people

The poem uses the following techniques:

• Repetition

• Non-standard English

• Patois/Creole language

• Key ideas/images

• Repeat to reinforce an

idea or image

• English that doesn’t follow

the normal ‘rules’

• Non-standard, dialect form

of a language

• Important pictures and

thoughts

• Listen to John Agard reading his poem • (Active Teach/Resources/Clashes and

Collisions/Half-Caste/

John Agard - Half Caste

Excuse me

standing on one leg

I’m half-caste.

Poem opens apologetically or belligerently?

Opening stanza is a joke

Speaker stands on one leg because he is only half made/half a person

Using the word caste as if it is cast i.e. made

Explain yuselfwha yu meanwhen yu say half-casteyu mean when Picassomix red an greenis a half-caste canvas/explain yuselfwha yu meanwhen yu say half-casteyu mean when light an shadowmix in de skyis a half-caste weather/well in dat caseengland weathernearly always half-castein fact some o dem cloudhalf-caste till dem overcastso spiteful dem don’t want de sun passah rass/

explain yuselfwha yu meanwhen yu say half-casteyu mean tchaikovskysit down at dah pianoan mix a black keywid a white keyis a half-caste symphony/

Tone is more demanding and blunt than the first stanza5

10

15

20

25

30

Written in his dialect (patois) with non-standard punctuation

emphasising the fact that the speaker stands outside of society

Agard ridicules the notion of Half-caste by applying it to art and, notably, the British Weather

Agard puns the words half-caste and overcast for humour

Explain yuselfwha yu meanAh listening to yu wid de keenhalf of mih earAh looking at yu wid de keenhalf of mih eyean when I’m introduced to yuI’m sure you’ll understandwhy I offer yu half-a-handan when I sleep at nightI close half-a-eyeconsequently when I dreamI dream half-a-dreaman when moon begin to glowI half-caste human beingcast half-a-shadowbut yu must come back tomorrowwid de whole of yu eyean de whole of yu earan de whole of yu mind.

an I will tell yude other halfof my story.

35

40

45

50

The poet reprises his earlier joke/pun on a mixed race person being half formed: the “half-caste” uses only half of ear and eye, and offers half a hand to shake, leading to the absurdities of dreaming half a dream and casting half a shadow.

Once again the poet uses humour and absurdity to emphasise his view of the term

The poet is asking/telling you to be more open minded and thoughtful both in terms of your attitudes and the way you speak

Final pun on the word half, like a joke, the poem ends with a punchline

Repetition gives a rhythm to the poem and emphasises the number of reasons that this term is stupid/racist

Patois and non-standard punctuation suggest this is a poem to be heard rather than read

What is Agard suggesting about the listener?

What is the tone or mood of this poem?Angry, Unhappy, humorous?

Stanzas vary in length, possibly like the rambling of an upset speaker?

What are the themes of this poem?• Agard attacks the assumptions behind the term

‘half-caste’ and ridicules it in the process• Though the poem is light-hearted in tone, the

argument of the last six lines is very serious• We need to give people our full attention and

respect• Don’t use the term half-caste when discussing

the poem’s meaning. Instead, use the term ‘mixed race’

• How is ‘mixed race’ better than ‘half-caste’?

Why did Agard write the poem?"This imposition of half, half, half on a person's total

human complexity implies that some sort of 'purity' has been subverted. A child of mixed race is a tangible, loving

expression of human beings from different cultural backgrounds getting together - that should be seen not as

something threatening, but as something enriching..."

Listen to John Agard talking about his own poem.

Questions

• Now answer the following questions in your books in full sentences.

Plenary• Our lesson objectives were: • To understand what the poem ‘Half-Caste’ by

John Agard is about.• To analyse how the poet has used language and

structure to convey thoughts, feelings and ideas.• In your own words, answer the following

questions:• What is ‘Half-Caste’ about?• How do language and structure contribute to

meaning?