Analysing "Half-Caste" by John Agard

The poem “half-caste” written by John Agard talks about the meaning of “half-caste and how people don’t really understand how it makes people feel, in this case the author. The poem asserts the identity of the author by the way it’s written, in conventional English, and in its dialect. He tells the poem in an aggressive tone. When he says “I half-caste human being” he objects to being called by that term, since it’s impossible to be half a human. John Agard once said, "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..." This phrase explains what the purpose to writing this poem was. John Agard tries to come forward in his poem the idea of not judging people for the racial difference, and don’t use the term “half-caste” to refer to them.

Agard’s meaning of the poem is shown also by the way that it’s written. The poem is written in Standard English, using simple words such as “Consequently when I dream I dream half-a-dream” but he also uses his dialect, to show its Caribbean accent for example he says, “Ah lookin at yu wid de keen half of mih eye” and “ah rass”. This mixture of languages expresses the idea of someone who is of mixed race.  He uses imagery and literary features to express the mixture of language. He compares half-caste to art, weather and music with metaphors. For example we can see Agard comparing half-caste to art, when he says, “yu mean when Picasso mix red an green”. This comparison to art tries to express how other everyday things can be half-caste, but in reality they only use it to refer to mixed race people. Furthermore John Agard also compares half-caste to the weather: “well in dat case England weather nearly always half-caste”. Also he compares it to music by saying: “when yu 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?” Here we can see how Agard tries to ridicule the term half-caste by comparing Tchaikovsky’s symphony, such a remarkable piece of music, which makes us see how he tries and mock “half-caste”.

The rhythm and rhyme in the poem emphasizes the idea of half-caste. He tries to show us the rhythm of the poem with his Caribbean accent. There Is not a defined rhyme scheme but the rhythm that makes the poem flow is by repetition. Agard repeats the words “explain yuself /wha yu mean/when you say half-caste” this, is a way of Agard to ask us, and to make us think why we call people by that term. In the poem there is a lack of full stops and capital letters, this could be because, of how the poem’s layout is irregular.

In conclusion my impression of the poem is that it does show the message that John Agard is trying to show about the terms half-caste. I liked the poem because of how he compares “half-caste” to nature and other everyday things. I believe it would make me think again before I use a racist terms (not that I’ve used one) because, it can be very hurtful for the person I use it against.